We all have a past. Every one of us carries failures, regrets, and mistakes we wish we could erase or redo. But the reality is—we can’t go back. We can only go forward. Too often I meet people who are stuck because they can’t get over their failures. They live in a cycle of guilt, shame, and regret, never realizing that God wants to do something new in their lives.
Romans 8:28 reminds us of this powerful truth: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Notice it says all things. That includes the bad choices, the broken seasons, and even the sins we’ve repented of. God is so great that He can weave even our worst failures into a story of redemption and purpose.
Phillips Brooks, a seventeenth-century preacher, once said: “You must let God teach you the only way to get rid of your past is to make a future of it. God will waste nothing.” That’s the heart of Romans 8:28—nothing is wasted in the hands of God.
Think of Peter. He denied Jesus three times at His most desperate hour. By all accounts, his failure could have disqualified him. Yet after the resurrection, Jesus restored him and used him to preach at Pentecost, where thousands came to faith. Or consider Paul, who persecuted the church and consented to the death of Christians. God didn’t erase Paul’s past: He redeemed it. Paul’s testimony became part of the very message he preached.
The enemy wants us to dwell on our past because he knows it will keep us from stepping into our future. But God’s Word tells us something different. Isaiah 43:18-19 says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Dwelling on our past will only hold us back, but surrendering it to God allows Him to make something beautiful from the broken pieces.
Maybe today we feel weighed down by our past. Hear this truth: God doesn’t define us by our failures, He defines us by His grace. We can’t change the past, but we can choose to trust God with our future. As we do, we’ll discover that He really does work all things together for good.
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