I was so blessed and honored to preach at a small outdoor service down at Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles this morning. What a blessed ministry that people have to serve those precious souls that live there. Here are some excerpts of the message below, praying it would be a blessing for you.
People say, “let go and let God”, then they hang on and wonder why God isn’t helping them.
What you hold onto the tightest is what rules you.
You can’t step into your future while your holding onto your past. To grab onto something new you have to let go of something old.
Let go of the past
Never try to go back to an old season, but simply press on to the next one. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
If everything is the same, then nothing has changed. The more you fit into one thing, the less you belong in another. To have something new requires that you release something old.
Your past cannot determine your future unless you are intent on bringing it with you.
Don’t let your past be an anchor, but a stepping stone.
Let go of bitterness
Do all that you can possibly do. Don’t be bitter about whatever you can’t do.
Bitterness is anchored in the past which hinders you from what is ahead. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Let all bitterness… be put away from you…” (Ephesians 4:30-31).
Having a bitter heart is not dependent on your past, but only if you remain there.
Bitterness is rooted in the past, whereas joy is found in the new day. “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
Somebody needs to be set free today. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Don’t look back
Satan speaks of your past but Jesus always speaks of your future. Don’t look back.
Remember your past, but never look back. The Lord Jesus said, “…No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
Stop looking back and wondering why you never get anywhere.
You think sin holds you, but you embrace sin. You think your past follows you, but you drag it everywhere you go. You think you cannot live higher, but you will not step up. Do something different already.
Let go
You must empty a cup that it would be filled with something new.
The more you let go of the things in this world, the less power those things have over you.
Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The truth will set you free, but you have to let go of the lies first.
The life of faith is not determined by what you take hold of, but what you let go of.
Sometimes you have to reach the end of your rope before you will finally let go.
Your frustrations almost always reveal things you still need to let go of. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God… casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB).
You are in bondage to whatever you hold onto. You have freedom from whatever you let go of.
In the world it is all about what we can grab hold of. In the Christian life it is all about what we can let go of. “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).
It is not what we hold onto that builds our faith, but what we let go of.
We hold onto what we should let go of. We let go of what we should hold onto. Then we wonder why we are so miserable.
New things
You will miss the new things if you are only looking for the old. “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?…” (Isaiah 43:18-19).
You cannot start a new chapter until you write the last sentence of the chapter you are in.
Sometimes you need to just write “the end” so you can start a new story. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9).
New chapters never repeat the same story.
Consider that God has a closed a chapter in your life that you would begin to walk in something new. “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
The life you live is the result of the thoughts you have. The only way to change your life is to change your mind. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7).
Blessings to you,
Paul
All verses are in red and use the NKJV translation unless otherwise noted.
What a great word for those people to hear today! Having had addiction issues of my own in the past, I can tell you that your words about letting go are powerful, indeed.
Thank you so much Tracy! It was such a joy. And one special treat was I got to reunite with a man I had ministered to in prison around four years ago. He was there in this ministry! I saw you have a new blog out today and I cannot wait to go and read it!
Oh, wow! You got to see the fruit of your time in the prison ministry. That’s sooooo exciting! What a blessing!!
What a thought provoking message for New Year day. Thank you Paul. I am still in frozen Connecticut living in my RV. It is getting too cold for too long. Will be heading South sometime this month. I hope to meet up with you when I get to California.
Thank you Carol! I have been watching the weather back there, am in Ohio next week and Boston the week after, so getting me gear out. Look forward to seeing you in in California! Would be so great to get together and pray. Much to pray for!