Something’s Following Me!
A Devotional
© 2001 Steve Lattier and Men’s Help Ministries

I have a bit of confession to make. I set you up for this weeks message. No, I didn’t do anything bad. I did, though, send you each a copy of my testimony.(actually its in the intro section of the board here!) (If you do not have one please write) I wanted you all to know some of the experiences that I have had and the choices I have made in life, so that I may bring you this.

A popular secular artist had some lyrics in one of his songs that echoed through my spirit. The lyrics go like this “The wreckage of my past keeps haunting me, it won’t leave me alone.” There is one thing that can be said that is that we all have a past. Pasts are kind of like armpits, we all have them and they all stink. No two people can claim to have the same past, heck some folks have never wandered away from God at all. By and large there are more Christians with some sin in there lives that they would rather no one knew about. Sure we should never be proud or boast of what we did, but it is also part of who we are and where we are today. Often times there is an earthly price for sin that must be accounted for, even so we are always accountable under God’s rule. Often as a Christian who has given up our old ways and started a new life in Christ we feel as that lyricist did, who felt he could not escape the decisions he had made earlier in life. God is much bigger than that and He has much better in store for us. If we are Christian AND we have “repented” (and that is more than saying I’m sorry) then he will free us from our past!


The Word:
Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. [19] See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. [20] I am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Not only will God forgive us our sins and simply blot them out from his awesome mind but His word promises that he will restore us. Now that may not always mean in a physical sense. Yes He is the God of the universe but our creature comforts are second to our spiritual health. When the Bible talks of this type of restoration, as in a past sinful life, it speaks of a restoring of our spirit. We cannot grow in God with a wounded spirit. Even though God recognizes we have sinned, once our repentance is complete God will restore us and often use us to spread His word to others after receiving the fullness of His mercy.

The Word:
JOB 8:4 When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin. [5] But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, [6] if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.

Isaiah 57:18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him,

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman…….

We have a duty to others as well once God has restored our spirit and we are serving Him. We are to treat others as God treated us! God forgave us and overlooked our sin so that He could have a relationship with us again! That is how much God loves us. So in turn we should pass that along to our brethren!


The Word:
GAL 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

It is God who seeks restoration and relationship. The reason you cannot seem to get past your past is that there is one who is constantly reminding you of it. That is the devil. Satan will spend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to keep you from your promise of forgiveness, restoration and relationship. You can have victory over him through God!

The Word:
Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Pray with me: Father I come before you with a heavy heart. I have done many wrongs and committed many sins against you and others. I am sorry Lord. I need your restoration that you promise Lord. I need the healing in my spirit. Father set me on my feet again and let me get past my past. I need you Father, touch me, change me forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

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Forgiving ourselves and each other is a diffiult task, for sure... it's much easier to harbor the grudge than let it go, since it gives us a "reason/excuse" for why we act the way we do...

Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.


Forgiving ourselves of our past is even harder, but David tells us:

Psalms 103:12
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

If He, who knows every hair on our head, who knows our very thoughts, has forgiven us, then why do we carry that burden with us?

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Great word, both of you!

It IS tough to let that stuff go...but God was trying to help me picture it the other day...He kept asking me to think about this:

Just exactly how far IS the east from the west?
To which I say, God, please let's not get into the whole geometry thing! But seriously...if God is willing to take the things that we have done against him and separate them from us as far as the east is from the west just to pull us close...don't you think we should LET Him?

I do...finally.

As far from each other as we are now close to God:

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Reconciliation is key here. Our past is empty pages we allow ourselves to re-read... but to God, they are blank. He chooses to not remember what we have done, because they were erased, once and for all... the etch-a-sketch has been shaken. Restored to the relationship promised....

His grace that saved me
His death that gave me life
His wounds that healed me
with a loving sacrifice
His blood that bought me
my sin that He forgives
His voice that calls me
let me live the life i live
cause i'm his...

Wow...I'm dumbstruck! That is so awesome...thank you for sharing that.

You'd better learn to keep that tongue in your mouth where it belongs...

I am just gonna sit back and let you two preach!!

Go guys go!!!


God bless ya!

Watch her Steve, she's kinda vicious tonight.