Don’t Look Back: Waging War on the Past So That It Doesn’t Steal Our Future

I am in a season of confidently walking in who I am in Christ. I make mistakes, I have bad days, but I quickly come back to the feet of Jesus and let Him love me back to the woman He has called me to be. Though I am walking through some really tough relational things right now, I have a peace and a freedom and a joy that doesn’t make sense. I am blessed and highly favored by my Father in Heaven. Whenever I remind myself of that, I think of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis.

The Bible says that Joseph – the guy who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, separated from his family at a young age, then thrown into prison after being falsely accused – was highly favored by God. In every single terrible circumstance, Joseph was respectful, helpful, hard-working, and sought opportunities to use the gifts God gave him. At every terrible turn of events, Joseph was promoted. He could have wallowed in the devastation of losing his family, taken on the identity of a victim, an orphan.

But instead, he stood on the identity that the Lord gave him in a dream: He would one day rule over many, including his family. He was so secure in his identity that when he was reunited with his brothers many years later, while they were stuck in their guilt and shame, he set them free with his words: “Now don’t be grieved. Don’t blame yourselves because you sold me here. It was God who sent me ahead of you in order to save lives… God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you would live and have descendants. He has saved your lives through this marvelous act of deliverance. So it was God, not you, who sent me here. God has made me a father to Pharaoh, the master of his entire household, and the ruler over all of Egypt.”

Wow! With a mindset like THAT, Joseph is untouchable by the enemy! I want to live from my identity in Christ like that, standing on every promise and word that God gives me so that I can receive my inheritance NO MATTER THE CURRENT CRAPPY CIRCUMSTANCES. And I’m getting there, let me tell you how…A few weeks ago, I attended a women’s retreat and received another layer of freedom. I love that there’s always more! I felt that I was seeing and hearing and feeling Him everywhere. A few days after the retreat, still basking in all that freedom, I began to pray about my difficult circumstances. As I did, my mind filled with sad memories about the situation, distracting me from the prayers that I really wanted to pray; the victories I wanted to proclaim.

As my mind wandered into those places, I heard the Holy Spirit say so clearly, “Don’t look back!” I immediately got a vision of Lot’s wife being rescued from destruction, then turning away from salvation and provision to look back at the wreckage, then immediately transformed into a pillar of salt. I knew that it was time for a new pattern, a new way. I had to stop looking back so that I could recognize that rescue is here. I could dwell in the past and let it limit my future, let it tell me that the miracle I’m praying for isn’t possible. But the reality in the spirit is that my Father has grabbed me by the hand and is leading me to the Promised Land, the abundant life. And it starts with my thoughts.

After this word from the Holy Spirit, I journaled a bit about what I had just heard, then I picked up my devotional, and here is what I read for that day’s date:

“Move forward, my child. You have remained where you are long enough. The time has come for you to advance. DON’T LOOK BACK. Take my hand and run with me into the abundance of my sweet promises... As I promised Joshua, I promise you - every place you set your foot will be yours. New territory is waiting. A calling beckons you onward. Faith is not stagnant; it is a movement - a catalyst that propels you into the fullness of my plan for you. Can you sense it? Hope is overtaking every thought and driving out discouragement....”Phil 3:12-13 (TPT).

I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing. But I run with passion into His abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me His own. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.

The confirmation I received in that devotional got me thinking about what stopped an entire generation from moving into the territory God had promised them. In the natural realm, all they saw were giants and impossibilities. My own circumstances are like that. The path to healing looks insurmountable. I see giants everywhere with my own earthly eyes. My mind was exhausted by the swirling of all the thoughts of impossibility, losing hope at every turn of events. And the same happened to the Israelites... except for Joshua and Caleb. Even though God—the same God who had rescued them from Egypt with many signs and miracles, and provided for them in the desert through even more miracles—they still saw the giants. They let fear take over, and talked themselves out of receiving the blessing and entering the land flowing with milk and honey. I want what Joshua and Caleb had. I want the new territory! If the Lord is giving me something, I want to receive it.

So, what did Joshua and Caleb do differently than the rest of the Israelites? They stood on the promise. They stood on who they knew their Father to be. They stood on every beautiful and miraculous thing He had ever done for them. They let those things fill their minds rather than what they could see with their own eyes.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

In his sermon “Invitation to War,” Pastor Bill Johnson explains that when God gives us a promise, it's often enemy-occupied territory, much like Israel's Promised Land. And most of the time, the battleground is THE MIND. A lot of what God has for us starts by changing how we think. The renewed mind is the key to the transformed life. We are transformed by the renewing of our mind. A transformed life is capable of receiving an inheritance from the Lord and stewarding it well. When He gives us a promise, He’s inviting us to war. He’s inviting us to obtain territory occupied by the enemy. Take the prophecies that have been given to you and wage war. When you go where God designed you to go, there’s going to be conflict. Sometimes, all you have to do is show up. Sometimes, that’s all He asks before He just annihilates the enemy. He knows when we need to fight and when He needs to fight.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Why are our thoughts so important in the spiritual war? Because our thoughts lead to beliefs, and our beliefs lead to actions. If we act on thoughts that are not from God, we can form beliefs that are contrary to Him and His character, and our actions cannot advance His Kingdom.

This whole “spiritual warfare” thing might intimidate you. I mean, how in the WORLD are we supposed to take EVERY thought captive? Doesn’t God know that we have more than 30,000 thoughts in a single day? How do we even do this?

In Jennie Allen’s book “Get Out of Your Head,” she encourages readers to make a list of a few primary feelings we have. Feelings create thoughts. Lots of them. Write down a few of the thoughts that you typically have as a result of each feeling. You will see some thoughts that you need to talk through with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him what beliefs and lies are being formed as a result of these thoughts. Then, let Him remind you of what God has to say about those beliefs.  He is the way, the truth, and the life. Let Him speak into the toxic thoughts that are keeping you from living in His favor and blessing.

And THEN, begin to meditate on that truth or that promise (Phil 4:8). THIS is what transforms our minds, and results in Kingdom living and action.

You may not be able to take 30,000 thoughts captive, but I guarantee that most of the thoughts causing chaos in your mind can be boiled down to just a few main beliefs or lies. When we are intentional about examining them, meditating on what God says, and replacing them with truth, as Joshua and Caleb did, imagine the new territory we can claim in the Kingdom! Who wants to join me in the Promised Land?

Activation:

1.     What is something you think about on a regular basis that really brings you down or causes you to wallow in your circumstances?

2.     Talk to God about where you might have a wrong belief about Him, yourself, or someone else. Let Him replace that belief with a truth that you can meditate on. If you get stuck and can’t find the truth, seek counsel from a friend or mentor who can speak life and truth into your thoughts life.

~ Niki Hathorn