1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, 2 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to 3 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening 4 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants 5 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after the short word from 6 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: our sponsors, will pray through today's prayer to release the 7 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: past and embrace the future. A Prayer to Release the 8 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: Past and Embrace the Future, written by Clarence Ains, read 9 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: by Leah Gerard, Brothers and Sisters. I do not consider 10 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one 11 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: thing I do. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward 12 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: what is a head, I press on toward the goal 13 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: to win the prize for which God has called me 14 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: heavenward in Christ Jesus Philippians three thirteen through fourteen. Every 15 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: car has a rear view mirror. This mirror allows you 16 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: to see if there are cars around you, so you 17 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: can change lanes safely. The purpose of the mirror is 18 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: for you to glance at it quickly, observe, and determine 19 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: when it's safe to change lanes. The rear view mirror 20 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: is small and the windshield is large because your primary 21 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: focus must be on the road ahead. You were never 22 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: meant to drive forward while constantly looking in the rear 23 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: view mirror. Doing that will inevitably lead you to crash. 24 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: At best, you'll swerve off course. At worst, you'll cause 25 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: a collision that affects not only you but those around you. 26 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: Life is very much the same way. It's easy to 27 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: get stuck looking at your past to the point where 28 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: you end up crashing your future. We all have things 29 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 1: in our past that we seem unable to forget. Maybe 30 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: it's the poor decision you made that cost you your marriage, 31 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: your business, or even your health. The memory reel of 32 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: that conversation, that missed opportunity, or that careless moment can 33 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: play on a loop, stealing your present piece. Sometimes it's 34 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: not even a mistake you made, but something that was 35 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: done to you. Yet it can have the same devastating 36 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: effect regardless of what happened. There's something you must understand. 37 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: It's in your rear view. No matter how much you 38 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 1: lament over it, there is nothing you can do to 39 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: change it. So that leaves you with two choices. You 40 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: can lament or you can learn. Lamentors look at their 41 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: past and hold on to it. Because they either can't 42 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: or don't know how to let it go. Learners take 43 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: the lessons from their past and use them to make 44 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: better and wiser decisions for their future. One of these 45 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: choices moves you forward, while the other keeps you stuck. 46 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: I think you know which one does which. If you 47 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: are going to release your past and embrace your future, 48 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: you must move from being a lamentor to being a learner. However, 49 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: please don't think you must arrive there on your own. 50 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: Here are three areas of help available to you. One 51 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. He is critical in helping you overcome 52 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: the pain of past failures, helping you to receive the 53 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: forgiveness of Christ and to learn the lessons you need 54 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: to learn from your past. He can help you view 55 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: your past through the lens of God's grace rather than 56 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: your own regret. Two professional counseling. We can depend on 57 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, and we can seek help to deal 58 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: with the effects of our past. One doesn't cancel the other. 59 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: It's okay to talk with someone who can help you 60 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: navigate your past and deal with how it's affecting your 61 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: present and future. God will often use people in these 62 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: situations to help you heal and three friends. Friends can 63 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: walk with you through these seasons and be a significant 64 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: source of support, prayer, and accountability. Seek friends who will 65 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: speak the truth in love and who will walk with 66 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: you for the duration. Overcoming your past is not always easy, 67 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: but it is possible. It's an active process that may 68 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: require some effort on your part, but with God's help, 69 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: it can be accomplished. Everything go God has for you 70 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: is in the future. Don't allow your past to stop 71 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: you from walking into it. Remember destiny isn't something behind you, 72 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 1: but something in front of you. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, 73 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: I bring my past before you. I acknowledge my struggles 74 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,039 Speaker 1: with past mistakes and the choices I've made, but I 75 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: also wrestle with things that were done to me. Yet 76 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: you tell me to cast all my anxieties upon you 77 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: because you care for me. That is what I do today. 78 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: Help me give you every aspect of my past that 79 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: I'm holding onto, whether it's guilt, shame, or anger. I 80 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: release it to you. Help me leave it there, and 81 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: in exchange, I pray you will give me freedom from 82 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: my past so I can step into the future You 83 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: have for me. Give me grace to live with my 84 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: eyes forward, only looking back to learn and apply those 85 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: lessons as I move forward in you in Jesus' name, Amen. 86 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: Your Daily Prayer is a production of Life Audio and 87 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you haven't already, be sure to follow 88 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: the show in your favorite podcast app so you never 89 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: miss an episode. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit 90 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: us at lifeaudio dot com.