Stop Punishing Myself

Isaiah 43:18-19a-b 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?
v.25 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more
1 Peter 4:3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what the pagans choose to do-living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
v.8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins
Isaiah 43:10-11 You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, and my servant whom i have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that i am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

- Isaiah and Peter were in sync when they wrote these books. They both knew that God wanted to forget our sins and it was time for us to let those things go
-As human beings and sinners it is hard for us (at least for me) to forget those horrible things i have done
-even if i have done things that's not as bad to other people, to me it is disobeying God and going against His laws and who He is and that's what makes it even more horrible to me
-I remember those nights after doing things i know were bad but felt good at the moment, and driving home i would cry...even cry myself to sleep sometimes, but i could have cried till i was blue in the face, that would not have have shown God that i repentant, because i would go the next weekend and do it all over again
-i didn't love myself therefore i didn't respect myself...but if i would have loved myself than i would have stopped doing those things and saved myself a lot of heart break
-Love covers a multitude of sins - that love would have been sufficient for me and to help keep me from the drunkenness, carousing and such

-I am a witness of God - His child, His servant, just His, and i did not act like that in the past
-But now it is time to let those times go....enough with the "those were the days" and the reminiscing...there is nothing back there that i enjoyed or am proud of
-I enjoyed the fun volleyball days, the adrenaline of the game, the happiness of the win, the annoyance of more practice....but its gone now
-All those things are are memories...that's it. Memories in the past that are gone and now its time for the present
-Time to look at what God wants now, let go of those sins and stop punishing myself
-No one can rewind, no matter how hard we try, we can't be 16 again, and we never will, but i am 26 now and living a dream
- Its time to live this dream as my dream, as the gift that God gave me and use it to minister to others who need that encouragement
-I am a witness of God, a person that God is using and loves and adores and has only mercy and grace
- He is doing a new thing and i have to go with His flow, its time for me to stop trying to make the flow...its Gods flow now

Lord,
Take this flow out of my hands. I am yours forever and always. Guide me and take me by the hand. Take my life and carry it out of this world. This world full of sin and junk, and take me to you. Wherever you are that's where i want to be cause than i can think of you, be with you, and just worship you. Take away all thoughts of the past and put all the present in front of me. I want to be yours and you mine.
I love you. Amen.