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“Grace frees us from the chains of the past.”

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.81). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

It is so easy isn’t it to let our yesterday’s control us?

But Ray says, “Grace frees us from the chains of the past.”  And then he goes on, “Vision fuels us to reach something better out ahead. Grace helps us change tracks from what was to what could be. Vision supplies the energy to reach the great destination at a distance down the tracks.”

He continues, “Some people get freed but not fueled. For some, the hurts and disappointments of the past no longer hold them, yet they meander through life, not too excited about anything.

“Other people are fueled but not freed. They have great ideas and a strong passion to see them take shape, but remembering their pasts keeps them anchored in place.”

He then says, “When someone finally focuses on what they can become, they’re free. Hope replaces guilt, and encouragement overpowers discouragement. With the chains off, we start dreaming about a far better future, a future we can now start to build. And when I say dream, I mean dream big.”

Just grab on to God’s grace.  Let His forgiveness free you.  Your past is past.  Let Him wipe it clean.  And it will be thrown into the sea of forgetfulness never to be remembered by Him again.

So, will you give your past to Him today?

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