Let Go of Your Past: Dropping Your Hindrances, Being Transformed, and Standing Strongનમૂનો

(All Scripture quotations are taken from the NASB95.)

The Storms of Life

Life is like setting sail on a great sea of adventure. While some people are fortunate enough to inherit a grand cruise ship to begin their journey, others are born on a life raft or maybe even a floating branch, left to navigate the harsh reality of the ocean with a seemingly slim chance of survival. The truth is that with whatever vessel you start with, no one escapes the storms of life or the uncertainties of the open sea. Not a silver spoon, not a stacked bank account, not a Beverly Hills mansion, not even a healthy family can shield you from trials, troubles, and suffering. Storms are simply part of life on this side of heaven.

God has not only equipped us all for the voyage, but He’s also called us to stand—to plant our feet in faith when everything around us is shifting, and to remain steady when the waves rise. He doesn’t just want to keep us afloat; He wants to teach us how to still storms, walk on water, and stand firm when everything in us wants to collapse.

Living Past-Present

The world is full of talented, gifted, intelligent people, many of whom love God and have so much potential, yet they are often derailed by their circumstances, undermined by their failures, or paralyzed by their poor choices. They spend much of their life living past-present, allowing their history to become their destiny. I was one of those people! I didn’t exactly start life on easy street. My dad drowned when I was three years old, my mother remarried to an abusive stepfather, and pain became a close companion in my childhood. At twenty, I married my childhood sweetheart, Kathy. Two years into marriage, I hit rock bottom with a nervous breakdown that stretched on for over three years.

Then, after twenty years and nine businesses, Kathy and I left the business world and joined the staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California. In the midst of incredible growth, both personally and in ministry, including thousands of salvations, miracles, and deliverances, there have also been extremely difficult seasons of warfare, disappointment, and suffering. In fact, the warfare became so intense in my personal life that, ten years later, I had a second nervous breakdown that nearly took my life. It took me a year and a half to recover.

A Divine Invitation

Since that season when I finally got off the couch, I determined that, no matter how much I might feel like giving up, I would learn how to stand firm and live in peace in the midst of the storms of life. Jesus is our model, and He slept in a boat in the midst of a horrible storm while His disciples, several of whom were fishermen, panicked in fear for their lives. I realized that if Jesus could stand in perfect peace in the storms of life, then His example must be an invitation for us to experience the same sense of peace in our tempestuous conditions and circumstances.

Ever since those days, my life has been radically transformed. I’ve walked through storms that would have taken me out if not for the peace of God anchoring my soul. It still amazes me that I can stand in the middle of chaos and feel such deep calm, and I’m always grateful. Out of that journey, thousands of people have found hope in my story. They’ve discovered, like I did, that it’s not just about avoiding the storms of life but about learning how to stand strong right in the middle of them.

The apostle Paul knew a thing or two about storms. Chained to the wall of a cold, dark prison beneath the ground in the city of Ephesus, he wrote, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore…” (Ephesians 6:13–14). The truth is, we often have no control over the weather of our lives, but we can learn to prepare for the storms, find shelter in the Lord, and stay standing while those storms rage around us.

Jesus is inviting you to transition from past-present living to future-present living, experiencing transformation as you drop your hindrances and discover how to stand strong in the midst of life’s difficulties and the turbulence of change. In Day 2, we’ll talk about how to emerge from a dark season in life.

Thought: God has not only equipped us all for the voyage, but He’s also called us to stand—to plant our feet in faith when everything around us is shifting, and to remain steady when the waves rise.

Prayer: Lord, there have been times when I have felt like giving up. Help me to move from past-present to future-present thinking so I can enter into all that You have planned for me. Thank You for inviting me to experience Your peace and to stand firm no matter what is happening in my life.