I know we all have our own story, and although we may not know what others have been through, we probably all have some chapters that are not so good. Maybe even some that are just downright ugly, with tear-stained pages.

I don’t know about you, but I have quite a few – many holding guilt and shame from wrong choices that I have made. They may all be under the blood now, and sometimes I think I have moved far away from them. Unfortunately, the enemy loves to bring them up, trying his best to discourage me.

But God!

He has given us the weapons for warfare in His Word. They are mighty in Him, and we can bring all of those thoughts the enemy tries to discourage us with into captivity. (2 Cor. 10:4)

One perfect example was when Jesus was in the wilderness contending with the devil. In every temptation He used Scripture to shut him down. (Matt. 4)

We can also look at the story of the Apostle Paul and his past, which definitely had some chapters that were not so great…but he encourages us to leave our past behind and look to the future.

Phil. 3:13-14 “The one thing that I do, forgetting what was behind him, reaching forward to the things ahead, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God”

It doesn’t matter what our past looks like, God still has a plan for our future. (Jer. 29:11)

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

When the grace of God is released into our lives, it connects us to His provisions, so that we can experience all that He has planned for us.