Out of the Woods

Many people, especially women, are ashamed of where God brought them from. The enemy (Satan) wants you to be ashamed and afraid, but God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). In order to be released from your past, you must release your testimony. Once, your testimony is released, it no longer holds you bound like a prisoner in chains. When your chains have become unshackled you are now released to receive God in all His Glory.

You are able to embrace and experience God’s love, Grace, Mercy, Blessings, Gifts, and Holiness, all of who He is. God wants you to experience and embrace all of Him, but the only way to get there is being able to embrace all of who you are. This includes embracing your past. When you are afraid of your past it keeps you from experiencing the amazing future God has waiting for you. You are missing out on so much in life because you are imprisoned by your history. You are to rest in the fact that God is sovereign.

Michelle used to concern herself with the acceptance of other, and whether or not she would still be accepted if they knew her past. Now she finally understand that she is not to be concerned about the acceptance of man, but the acceptance of Christ.

Everyone has a past and that includes you too. God brought you out of your past and into the presence of Salvation. You are no longer your past, but God is your future.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul states that he was the chief of sinners. Michelle felt the same about her life. She thought that there was no way anyone could have done anything worse than she had. Many of you that will read this have made the same claim, or at least thought it. Just like Paul, God showed Michelle mercy in her ignorance. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:13-14).

On Paul’s journey to Damascus, God spoke to him. This was Paul’s conversion from darkness to light. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him (Acts 9:3). This is a journey we all have taken as God was transforming us from darkness to light. And now that we are in His light we can no longer allow the darkness to keep our light from shining.

Your past is not who you are, but it is a testimony to the goodness of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” We have been made new in Christ. Let go of the chains that bind you and declare that you are free.

Listen to God as Michelle tells her story, her conversion from being released from the imprisonment that is her past. It is my prayer, as you read Michelle’s story, you will embrace you story and share it with others. Now I charge each of you to release the fear that Satan put upon you and embrace the power we now have in Christ Jesus.