Don’t Let Others Hold You Back
In (Matthew 13:50-57) it shows us that the people who knew Jesus during His first 30 years were offended. This was because He was demonstrating mighty works and speaking with great wisdom…. So they mumbled to each other that He was only a carpenter’s son and His mom was Mary! Have you ever been labeled by people or even your family and friends of how they used to know you? And probably, in some cases, they still see you in that “same old way”.
You’re in Good Company
Joseph’s brothers resented him, his dream, and even his clothing, so they sold him into slavery. However, in (Gen 41:37-44 NLT) Joseph became second in command over the whole of Egypt and saved a nation. David’s family didn’t see or even consider him worthy of being a king. However, David became one of the greatest warrior kings and was given the title of a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22 NKJV). Paul was known as a zealous Pharisee, a Jew who brought much harm and destruction to the Christian faith. However, we can read throughout Scripture that Paul ended up being one of the greatest Apostles for Jesus and wrote most of the New Testament!
Move On
We have to realize that some of the people who knew us ‘way back when’ don’t know us now and, that’s because they’ve ‘pigeonholed us’ and stuck a label on us for life. What should we do? We do what Jesus did……He moved on. What else could He do? He refused to allow others to keep Him stuck at a stage in His life that was past and gone, and we have to do the same.
Don’t Stay on Memory Lane
We cannot allow others to keep taking us back down memory lane if we do, then we could eventually set up residence there, stay longer than we should and in worse cases, we could even give up on our God-given destinies. No identity, no destiny! Joseph, David, and Paul did not stay where they were at, they moved forward with God and their lives changed from the inside out. When we truly see ourselves as God sees us, then we don’t have to stay where we are at, we can move forward to all that He has for us! When we accept Jesus, we become that new creation, that old man is dead….. And all things become new (2 Cor 5:17 NKJV).
Destiny is Based on Identity
You have to have your identity based on His perspective and not your past failures. So stop going over your old history and start rewriting your destiny. It’s wonderful to have those special people in your life who know where you’ve been and can push you on to where you’re going. The future is yours to change and when you allow God to define who you truly are, then you too can live a life that can re-write future history.