EZEKIEL 16:62-63 – “I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.”
THEME OF THE DAY. THE CHOICES ABOUT OUR PAST. No Christian has lived the perfect Christian life before the Lord. No believer in the Lord Jesus may say he or she has walked blameless before Him. Every child of God knows times of compromise and choosing to fulfill a sinful desire instead of exercising self-denial and obeying God. In looking back over those times of failing the Lord, we hang our heads in shame wondering, “How could I? How could I bring such dishonor to the Lord?” And it is just at this moment, the devil enflames our hurting hearts with his fiery darts of accusations of utter failure and worthlessness. What we do next will determine our present and future spiritual health. The choices are two.
First, we listen to the accusations from the devil. This is his chief work towards God’s people – And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God (Revelation 12:10). Now remember this truth about the accusations of the devil. Many of them are lies, however, there will be some that are true. And the worse thing a Christian may do is reason with the devil. When he begins to work over our consciences by reminding us of our past sins, don’t try to rationalize anything; simply agree. If we don’t and listen to his day and night accusations of our failings before the Lord, we resign ourselves to be miserable and doubting Christians who have chosen to listen the devil, not the Lord, about our past. But it need not be. We have a second choice regarding our past. It is found in today’s scripture.
In today’s scripture, the Lord tells us “never open your mouth again because of your shame.” What is He directing us to do? Basically, our gracious Lord is saying, “Let the past go. Leave it alone. Don’t dwell on it. Forget it. I have cast all your past sin in the sea of My non-remembrance. Don’t bring it up again. Live in the freedom I have purchased for you in the death and resurrection of my Son.” This is the proper way to deal with our past – God’s way and it leads to joy.
But, friends, these choices – listening to the evil one’s lies or hearing God’s truth – are not just about our past. They are choices we make every day. And what we choose shapes our worldview which directs the course of our lives. Choose wisely and remember, it is an either/or choice; we will live believing lies or walking in God’s truth.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for forgiveness of all my sins – past, present, and future.”
QUOTE: “You will either listen to the devil about your past and be miserable, or God and by joyful.”