Introduction
Your life is in phases: the past, the present and the future.
- These three phases literarily mean the life you’ve lived before, the life you’re living now and the life you are yet to live.
In the context of this teaching, your past life is the life you lived before you met Christ. We want to look at how your past life can affect you today and even in your future, if not properly dealt with.
If your past life is also your “present life” and the only difference is that you added church to it and changed on the surface – we need to review your conversion.
§ Some people never dealt with their past life, so there is no demarcation between the time they claimed to have become saved and the time they were sinners.
§ Some tried to deal with their past life in an inappropriate manner but were never free from its grip: They kept going back or it kept pursuing them.
§ Some have dealt victoriously with their ugly past and they are now basking in the beauty of the Lord with a glorious future awaiting them. Join this happy throng.
[A] TRUTHS YOU MUST BE WELL ESTABLISHED IN AS A CHILD OF GOD.
§ Every unsaved person – who has not met Christ has the devil’s nature and is capable of any kind of evil. There is no nice sinner! Eph 2:3, Rm 7:18, 19,24 Jer17:9, Ps 51:5
§ Self righteousness is not enough for salvation. Is 64:6, Eph 2:8-9
§ Anyone can come to Jesus and be forgiven, cleansed and saved, if they repent and believe on Him. No matter how terrible their sins are! Is1:18; John 6:37
§ Once you come to God, He forgives you and does not keep the record of your evil deeds. Col 2:14;
Heb 8:12; 10:17
§ The blood of Jesus cleanses from ALL unrighteousness. Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; I John 1:9; Heb 9:14
§ The death of Jesus dealt with your sins. The nature of sin, the power to sin and the consequences of sin have been dealt with. Gal 2:19-20; Rm 6:3-7
§ He is our substitute.Is53:5; Gal 3:13-14
§ After you are saved, you can only sin by your WILL – not satanic compulsion as many people claim to be!
Titus 2:11-12; Rm 6:14
§ If you sin – (after you are saved)– you have an advocate. I John 1:1-2; Heb 4:14-16
§ You can return to your old ways. Heb 10:39; Heb 6:4-6
§ If you continue in sin, don’t expect grace to abound. Rm 6:1-2; Rm 6:15
§ If you feel guilty over the past it is one of two things:
§ The devil want to cheat you
§ You are deliberately covering up past issues. Rm 8:1; I John 1:8-9
§ Don’t cover your sins – expose them and be free! Prov 28:13; James 5:16
[B] HOW CAN THE PAST AFFECT YOUR FUTURE?
v If you did things that have brought strange spurts into your life e.g:
§ Occultic help – incision marks, items given to eat/drink or rub as cream or use in any form.
§ Demonic practices – incantations, covenants, blood or word.
§ Prophesying or seeing vision in white garment churches or occultic centres.
§ Strange/weird sexual practices.
§ Prostitution
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And such more issues.
v If it is an ongoing falsehood, cheating or lies. Then you need to confess and expose them in order to stop it e.g.
§ Telling lies that you are the sister of a boy that is your, biological son
§ Age change – reduction or increase
§ Using forged certificate or another persons certificate
§ Selling your body for money; either in prostitution or paying back because someone sponsored your schooling.
Seek pastoral counsel, if there is a need for restitution.
Restitution is not necessary in some cases e.g, you “spied” in an exam in April 2001, before you got saved in July 2006.
If there are decisions you need to take that will affect other people seek pastoral counsel
v BIG QUESTION?
“At what time should I tell my fiancée about my past, my ugly past”
v ANSWER
It is always the best to tell your pastor about your past in advance… for adequate ministration, proper counseling. When you keep issues secret and they start unfolding after the other, it becomes very difficult to trust you again.
When you tell your pastor early and ahead of time you would have been properly ministered to, so that you have a testimony not the fear of being discovered.
v DO A SURVEY
What is in your past that is affecting you negatively? E.g
A lady was raped by armed robbers at age16 and from that time she developed a strange sexual appetite with gangsters, touts, e.t.c.
Trace the root of evils or the negative habits that are still on-going in your life - let’s eject it!
[C] DETACH GLORIOUSLY FROM YOUR PAST LIFE… and be free forever!
How do you detach?
§ See the vileness and evil of the past and quit!
§ Stop the actions/deeds of the past.
§ Be delivered from all forces of the past:
- By conversion: Change of heart
- By the word and the Spirit
- By going through deliverance ministrations
- By deliberate and continuous separation
2Cor.6:14-end
2Cor.6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
How do you handle a core of relatives, friends, neighbours and colleagues who choose to cling to forces you have separated from? Be it witchcraft, familiar spirit, water spirit, seduction, falsehood e.t.c.?
§ Relate physically – for you are still in this world but detach from them in your soul and withdraw from them in the spirit.
§ Disallow a level of intimacy that can either command a flow from them to you or cause a transfer of negative things. Don’t allow any form of submission, admiration, followership or acceptance from you to them… for these factors will open doors of hearts to hearts. If you fellowship with anyone deeply enough, you’ll fellowship with the spirits.
§ Before you open up to people, at least, have a clue of what they worship with and what spirit is ruling their lives.
[D] GODLY EXAMPLES ON HOW TO SEPARATE FROM YOUR PAST
1John1:3 “that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Let me show you two examples of how to separate with no quarrels – at least no open fight.
1. Ruth clave to Naomi – Orpah left. Ruth1:16
Do the opposite of what Ruth did. Prov 6:5 “Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.”
- Make them tell you to leave – do the right in the face of their wrong.
- Return from following after them – minimize going to places together.
- Don’t go to where they go… you go elsewhere – with your own people, the people of God.
- Don’t lodge where they lodge
- Don’t keep the same relationship, you should company with God fearing girls.
- Don’t serve their god. Don’t bow to what they bow to, don’t be led by what led them, don’t value what they value.
2. Matt.4:21 “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
Mat 4:22 and they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
James and John left their father in the boat and followed Jesus – straight away! The embraced a “holy purpose” purpose above natural family linkage. If they hesitated they would have been kept from being fishers of men, they would have remained mere fishers of fish like their ancestors. Start pressing on and following the holy example that God has raised for you in Zion.
- Start rejecting occultic help from home! Don’t carry out strange instruction from strange prophets your parents consult, tell them you have a prophet in church!
- Start refusing the counsel of the ungodly
- Stop going to where evil is celebrated
One major thing that will keep you strong is FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.
- Give time to the word: Col.3:16
- Spend time praying – pray in the spirit, pray in the understanding also – 1Cor. 14:15, Jude 1:20
- Continue steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine – Acts 2:42; 2 Tim 3:14
Come into the light!
Stay in the light!
Grow in the light!
Continue in the light!
