REPLAY: Walking Out of Your Past and Into Your Future

Walking out of our past and into our future requires faith and complete trust in who God says we are, regardless of what our past experiences or mistakes might tell us. God specializes in hard cases and has a unique plan for each of us that was established before the foundation of the world.

In this episode I invite you to find out who you are in Christ, get into the Word, and hold onto those promises by faith. Decide to believe what God says about you rather than what your mind, the enemy, or others tell you. Let go of your past and embrace the future God has for you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Replay Series Finale
• 4:27 Personal Updates: Rubik's and Coffee
• 9:12 Walking Out of Past Into Future
• 14:46 Finding Your Identity in Christ
• 21:06 Freedom From Past Limitations
• 26:18 Closing Prayer and Encouragement

Transcript

Audrey: 1:13

Hi, friend, welcome back to Grace From my Home. I'm so glad you've joined me again this week. This week is the fifth and final episode of our five-week replay series where I've been going back to some of my most popular episodes and playing those again, because I have a lot of new listeners who have perhaps not heard them, and also it's been a great reminder for me. It's been a great way for me. It's been a great way for me to see how I've grown over the last three years, and also a reminder of these principles. Because, you know, god gives us principles to live by, and those principles don't change. We change, we change and grow, but those principles remain the same, and so sometimes we forget, we forget where we've come from, we forget how we've grown, we forget how faithful God has been, and sometimes we even forget his principles. And so this has been a great reminder for me and I hope it will be for you also. Today's episode is called Walking Out of your Past and Into your Future. You know, we all have a past. We all have a past. We all have things in the past we wish were different, things, we wish we could change, and we can't, and sometimes those things can hold us back from the future that God has for us. There's nothing that God can't redeem or heal. And you may say well, audrey, you don't know my past, you don't know my story, that's right, I don't. But I do know God, and I know that he specializes in hard cases and that he loves us and that he had a plan for us before the foundation of the world. And nothing can stand between us and God unless we let it. So I hope that today is an encouraging word for you. I hope that it helps you to remember the goodness of God, that he's on your side, that he wrote your story, he's still writing it, and that he loves to heal, he loves to redeem, he loves to forgive, he loves to help us to move on. I hope you have a great week until until we talk again. God bless, enjoy. Hello, friends, it's so good to be back here with you guys this week, and I hope that today's podcast episode is encouraging to you and something that you will consider sharing with a friend, my youngest son, I think.

Audrey: 3:35

I told you guys last week. He had his first Rubik's Cube competition this past week and it was on Sunday and we drove to Raleigh together, spent a night in a hotel and just had some Mama Caleb time. It was really sweet. We watched a movie together and he went to his first competition. And let me tell you, I just didn't know I guess there's something out there for everybody but this Rubik's Cube thing is like a big deal. I mean there was a national award, there was like a national record holder there for one of the Rubik's Cubes. You know there's all different kinds of Rubik's Cubes and so when he went up to compete, everybody had their phones out and it was just.

Audrey: 4:20

It was something I had an education in myself. I also got to meet some other people from not too far from here in North Carolina who were homeschoolers. That was a blessing and got to speak with them and just share. And you know it's good for mama to get out sometimes. Sometimes it's easy to be, you know, here and just kind of got my nose to the grindstone, and sometimes it's good to go out and meet other people. So that's what our kids do, isn't it? They force us to get to meet new people, to do new things, force us to get to meet new people to do new things. And speaking of doing new things. I just got back Sunday and leaving Thursday, which is tomorrow, my time to go to Texas. My sister and I are flying out to Dallas, texas tomorrow, to Texas Coffee School, tomorrow to Texas Coffee School. Now, this is not something I have shared with you guys before, but our church is opening a coffee house, a coffee bar, in a town not too far from us, and we're doing it as an outreach. We just believe that there are people in that town who will respond to an invitation to coffee before they would respond to an invitation to church, and we want to make a place for them. We want to make a place where people can come, relax, enjoy and where we can be hospitable to them and hopefully make friends, and make friends for Jesus, because as we make friends with people and he lives inside of us, then we can share him with them. So that's our goal. But all that to say, my sister and I have no idea how to do that, what that looks like, and so we're going to Texas Coffee School next week, where they are supposed to teach us everything from how to make espresso to how to run a coffee business. So please keep us in your prayers. We're excited about that Also. One more thing A few weeks ago I did a podcast episode on how to start family devotions and it was very popular, which was a blessing to me, of course, but it made me think that you know you guys must like that topic and maybe want some more information on that.

Audrey: 6:50

So I put together a list of devotional resources that I've used for our family devotions over the years, everything from when my kids were toddlers up until teenagers. I've only put I only included the things that I really liked. We've tried a lot of stuff, didn't like it all, but the things that spoke to us that we really liked, and I put that out as a blog post on my blog and so if you're interested in that, you can go to graceformyhomecom and you can look for my latest blog post, which it's something like our family devotional resources or something like that. But if you, if you're interested in that, please go check that out and, while you're there, subscribe to my blog, because I send out emails weekly to my subscribers and if you like the kind of things I talk about here, then you will like that email list, you'll like to be on the email list and I really appreciate that. Thank you for your support.

Audrey: 7:51

This week I wanted to talk with you about walking out of your past and into your future, and I could do an entire series on this. This is a huge topic for a short podcast, so I'm just really barely going to dip my toe in right now. But I wanted to talk with you about this because I think this is something that trips us up. You know, it's hard to move forward when we are hooked to the past. It's hard to believe for good things when we're focused on bad things, and I just think this is something that we, as moms, really need to be careful about or really need to be aware of.

Audrey: 8:40

And what I mean is, you know, when we become a Christian, we become born again, we become a new creature in Christ. You know, the gospel is good news, and sometimes I think that we live in such a negative society. We live in a society where people make false claims and false promises all the time. You know, we believe very little of what we hear on the media or on TV, or you know, we just we know. We know that people lie and they exaggerate, and so sometimes, when we hear about what God has done for us, it can be hard to believe because it's so good.

Audrey: 9:24

But I want to tell you it is so true and the more you get into the word, the more you get into the Bible and you see what God has done for us, what God has planned for us, what God has promised us. It is awesome, it is exciting, it is the best thing going. And you know, as a mom, that's what I wanted my kids to see, because I really did. You know, growing up feel like that. You know, if I'm going to serve Jesus, I've just got to give up everything. You know it's going to. If I'm going to serve Jesus, I've just got to give up everything. You know it's going to be such a boring life to serve Jesus. You know I'm going to be the most sacrificial person and guys, that is just so, not true. And I never wanted them to have that mental picture. I wanted them to see that serving God is exciting and fulfilling. God is exciting and fulfilling and it is a wonderful life because that's what we were created to do. And God is anything but boring and he's not strict the way we count strictness. You know he protects us. But for every road that he says, don't go down that road. Go down that road. There is always a better path that is full of good things. And so we, as Christians, need to get into the word, we need to get into the Bible so we can see what God has prepared for those he loves. You know, it says that no eye has seen, no ears hurt. You know, neither has it entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love him. He's revealed it to us by His Spirit. Right, so we can get in that Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he opens up our eyes and we see that we were created for so much more than this world can offer us.

Audrey: 11:18

I mentioned this on one of the podcasts that I did a while back, the month of December. I just read through Ephesians. I couldn't figure out what to read. I don't know if you ever have like a law where it's like you know, I didn't have a devotion I was working on, I didn't have a book I was reading, and so for my quiet times, I thought, well, what am I going to read? I just feel like I'm floundering, you know. And I just thought I'm going to read Ephesians because, as a young Christian. Ephesians was very instrumental in helping me figure out what God thought of me and what he requires of us, and so I thought I'm just going to read Ephesians over and over again until the month is out. You know that's going to be my month for Ephesians, and I did, and it was renewing, it was so good and it reminded me of all the good things God has prepared for us. So if you're looking for something to read, I encourage you to go to Ephesians. Read Ephesians 1, 2, and 3.

Audrey: 12:54

And it just talks about how he sees us. You know, it says that before the world were created. You know, even Paul says, when he's writing it, he says, listen, this was a mystery and in these last days it's been revealed. And he has predestined us. He's predestined you and he's predestined you to stand before him in love. You know, without shame, that's his plan for you, that's his desire for you. He wants you to come to him without shame and he has paid the price, said that you can do that. Isn't that awesome? Isn't that awesome? You know he doesn't want us to come before him so he can scold us and he can correct us and he can tell us all the wrong things we've done. He wants us to come before him and love, that we can be with him, that we can enjoy him without the shame of sin, because he's took it away. But see, we have these minds. When we are born again, instantly our spirit, man, is regenerated. We're born again, we're alive unto God, but we live in the same body and we have the same mind. And that thing has to be renewed. Our mind has to be renewed in the truth of God's word, because we don't know who we are outside of God. Now we read the word not just to find out who God is, but to find out who we are, because the Bible tells us who we are in Christ.

Audrey: 14:29

When I was a brand new Christian, I was blessed enough to have a group of older ladies who kind of took me in. They let me hang out with them, and I say older, they were all of them. One of them was my grandmother, who is 95 today, still living by herself. But she had a group of other friends and they allowed me to come in and they prayed with me. They let me pray with them, but just being around them was so life-giving and I remember one of them in particular, her name was Miss Carolyn. And Miss Carolyn said to me Audrey, find out who you are in Christ. You've got to find out who you are in Christ.

Audrey: 15:13

And I had no idea what that meant. I thought, okay, but she was so adamant about it that I knew it had to be important. But I was a little embarrassed, to admit to her. I had no idea what she meant. I was like, ok, well, over the years I was able to dig a little and say you know what exactly does that mean? And what she meant was what I'm telling you.

Audrey: 15:35

You got to get in the word and you got to find out what God says about you, because if not, you'll believe what you think about you and you'll believe what people say about you and what the world says about you and what the enemy says about you. So you need to know the truth. The truth is what God says about you, and when you know what God says about you sometimes it's too good to be true you just think how could that be true? I mean, I've done all these things. How could God want those wonderful things for me? How could he say those great, those awesome things about me? It's just me.

Audrey: 16:11

And that takes faith Because, see, we hear the truth. But then by faith, we have to say if God said it about me, it's true and I'm going to walk in it. And the only way to do that is by faith. The only way it can be an awesome truth. But unless I believe it in my heart and decide by faith that I'm going to walk in that as if it were true, even though it doesn't feel true right now, to walk in that as if it were true, even though it doesn't feel true right now, then that's the only way that I can walk in the righteousness of God, because I don't feel righteous and I don't feel worthy, but I'm going to walk in freedom because he purchased my freedom.

Audrey: 16:54

And see, when you walk in freedom, your kids are walking right behind you in freedom and they're seeing that serving God is the most awesome thing because we're free. We're free to love him, we're free to serve him, we're free to be who he created us to be. And there's no better, no better thing going, let me tell you, because where the world lets you down, jesus does not. It's not easy, it's not pie in the sky. It requires your life right, it requires everything, but it's worth it and it's fulfilling, and you're on a solid foundation because he'll never leave us, he'll never forsake us, because he'll never leave us, he'll never forsake us, and he knows what he created us to be and who he created us to be. And you know, I just love that scripture in Ephesians. Let me find it, ephesians 2.10.

Audrey: 17:55

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. You know, if he prepared those works in advance for us to do, then ultimately I want to do them. I want to find out what works did he create me to do and I want to do those. And I don't want to let my own past, my own belief that you know I can't do those things because of my past Keep me from doing them. If God called me to these things, then I believe that he made a way me to these things. Then I believe that he made a way and I believe that my sins are washed away and that they are as far as the east is from the west and they are buried in the sea of forgetfulness, because he created me to be before him in love. And I know he created you to be before him in love too. Amen, isn't that good. Now God wants you to walk in freedom, the freedom to let go of your past and to walk into your future, and sometimes that means you have to forgive yourself. You know God has forgiven you and there are things you have to forgive yourself from and you have to say you know what. That was the past and I'm walking into the future. I'm going to be that new creature that God said he's made me and I'm going to choose to believe him above my feelings and I'm going to, even imperfectly, I'm going to serve him in freedom.

Audrey: 19:35

Years ago, I heard a testimony of a lady who had not been an ideal citizen in a community. She had a bad reputation and, by the grace of the Lord, she'd come to this church that was in her neighborhood. She had had an awesome experience and God saved her, set her free and she was just a testimony in herself about the goodness of God and how God can take somebody who was so far from him and just turn them around instantly. Who was so far from him and just turned them around instantly, and she lived a life before the community that everyone was like, wow, you know, god has really done a work in her and God put in her a gift for teaching. She had an awesome gift for teaching, but those of her church who remembered her past had a hard time receiving her teaching because they remembered her past and, though Jesus had forgiven her and Jesus had called her from the foundation of the world, they had a hang up. And they had a hang up and she told her story.

Audrey: 20:56

It was such a story of grace because she said, you know, I'd grown, these people had loved me, but I got to a plateau where they couldn't allow me to teach because of my past and I knew in my heart I'm going to have to leave here. She said, and I left in love and I told them I love you, thank you for loving me, thank you for sharing the gospel with me, thank you for helping me. But I believe that God has called me to teach and that there is a group out there that need what I have and I'm going to go find them. She left with grace, she left with love, but she chose to believe what God said about her and she chose to let go of her past and walk into her future. And guys, that's what we have to do. We have to put what God says about us above even what we think about us, and we have to say I believe it says in Hebrews 11, starting in verse 14, people who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

Audrey: 22:05

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had an opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a for us, and he has prepared a future for us. And when we find out who we are, when we choose to believe that, when we choose to walk out of the past and walk into that future, that is faith. And he is not ashamed of us. He's not ashamed of our past. He knows our past. He's not ashamed of our present. We make mistakes every day. He's still not ashamed of us. He loves us and he believes in us because he knows what he's put inside of us.

Audrey: 23:00

But we have to let go of those things that are not serving us well in this season of our life. We have to let go of the negative things we think of us. We have to let go of the shame and guilt. We have to let go of the negative things we think of us. We have to let go of the shame and guilt, we have to let go of the regret. We have to forgive ourselves and forgive others and we have to move on if we're going to do what God has called us to do.

Audrey: 23:26

It says in Hebrews 2.11, for both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. See, he's not ashamed of us. He's the one who sanctified us and we're in his family. Now We've been adopted into the family of God and he is not ashamed to call us his brothers, his sisters, into the family of God. And he is not ashamed to call us his brothers, his sisters. So if Christ is for us, if God is for us, who can be against us? He speaks good things over you and he wants you to believe those things. So I encourage you today find out who you are in Christ, get in the word, find the things that are so good that they seem too good to be true, and hold on to those things by faith. Walk in them, Decide that you're going to believe what God says about you and not what your mind tells you or not what the enemy tells you or not what other people tell you, and walk it out. Become the person God called you to be, let go of your past and embrace your future. He has such good plans for us. He loves us so much. He's a good, good father. Amen.

Audrey: 24:44

Father, we thank you today that you care about us. That, lord, we're not just floating. You made us for a purpose, for a plan, and we want to be in that. And, god, I pray that you would lead our footsteps, that you would direct us, that, lord, you would guide us when we get off the path, that you'd bring us back. And, lord, most of all, that you would be Lord, our father, that Lord when we just need somebody to talk to, when nobody else understands, lord, what's going on in our heart or in our lives. That Lord, we would trust you with our hearts and come to you in prayer. Father, I thank you for my sisters that are listening. I thank you, lord, that you're with us today and every day. In Jesus' name, amen.