Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14)

There was a time when I felt like I would never be able to live in the present. Like everyone else, I have a past. And like many others, I spent a lot of time looking back – thinking about things that had happened to me and regretting the choices I had made.

I was stuck. And I didn’t know how to change my thinking. I had been doing the same thing for years. It was like I thought I could solve a puzzle by replaying an event over and over in my head for the umpteenth time. But there was no puzzle to solve.

Then one day, I found the Biblical tools to help me. I was browsing in my church’s bookstore and saw a sermon series on CDs. (Remember when we still played CDs in our cars?) The series was called Free From Our Past. I bought it, thinking, Well, it couldn’t hurt.

And it turned out to be one of the best investments of my life. In the sermons, Pastor Ed Taylor teaches Biblical tools that can help you to walk in freedom. God used that sermon series to teach me how to let go of the past hurts and live in the present.

By living in the present, my relationship with God grew stronger. I could walk more closely with God because my mind wasn’t focused on what once was. Praise God for that!

And now, Pastor Ed has released a book based on that sermon series called Free From Your Past: learning to live the life you’ve always wanted. If you struggle with ruminating on your past or know someone who does, I encourage you to get a copy of his book (from Calvary Church’s bookstore or on Amazon) or listen to the sermon series on the church’s website for free.

So yes, you can live in the present. You can learn Biblical principles that you can apply to yourself. By applying God’s Word to your life, you can enjoy the time God’s given you today. You can stop wasting time and making new regrets.

In the Bible, Paul gives us a great example of letting go of the past. Before Paul started following Jesus, he persecuted the church. Innocent blood was on his hands (Acts 7:54–8:1). I’m sure he had many regrets. Yet, he was able to accept God’s forgiveness and live a life committed to doing what God had for him in the present. Paul purposefully forgot his past (the things that were behind him) and reached forward to what God had in store for him (Philippians 3:13).

Let’s commit to being like Paul – forgetting those things that are behind us (the past hurts and regrets) – and reaching forward to whatever God has for us now. God has fashioned days just for you (Psalm 139:16) and has prepared good works for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). Stay in the present, living in the days God has made for you and doing the work He’s prepared for you as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash