DEALING WITH THE PAST

  1. All believers should have a new life, so the old life must be dealt with. II Cor. 5:17
    1. Before we received Christ as our life we belong to the old creation. We do things entirely opposite to God’s will and God’s nature.
    2. Now, having been born anew we have Christ as our life. We who are in Christ are in the new creation. Therefore, we need to deal with anything related to the old creation. We need the clearance of the past.
  2. Dealing with the unrighteous matters. Luke 19:8-10
    1. All we have obtained in the past by unjust, illegal means, such as stealing, swindling, taking by force, encroaching upon others’ properties, keeping things that have been lost by others, not returning things that were borrowed long ago, and all illegitimate relations with others and unjust dealing toward others should be cleared up.
  3. Dealing with improper matters.
    1. Improper matters are obtained legally but the very nature of that certain things are indecent. Like for instance things used in gambling and drinking can be bought and obtained by legal means but they are improper. Furthermore neither smoking nor posting pornographic pictures nor reading obscene novels can be said as unrighteous, but surely they are improper. As children of God we should be proper in every aspect and in every way.
    2. We should be holy in all manner of life as God who calls us is holy (I Pet. 1:15-16).
  4. Discard the idols and everything concerning idols. I Thes. 1:9
    1. We need to turn from idols to the true and living God.
    2. We should only worship God the Creator and not the creatures (Rom. 1:22, 23, 25; Rev. 22:8-9).
      1. We should neither worship things created by God nor made by human hands.
      2. We should not worship things only created by God such as: angels, persons, animals, plants, stars, sun, moon, etc. All created things both the living and non-living must not be worshipped.
      3. Even graven or portrait idols fashioned by human hands should not be worshipped. They are just dead objects and products of man’s vain imagination. They have mouths, but they speak not; they have eyes but they see not; they have ears but they hear not; noses have they but they smell not; they have hands, but they handle not; they have feet, but they walk not (Psalms 115:3-7).
    3. We should not bow down and kneel down to anything or anyone in the spirit of worship nor serve and offer something to anything related to idols because doing such is already committing the sin of idolatry (Exo. 20:3-5; Acts 10:25-26; Acts 14: 11-15).
      1. God commanded that we should have no other gods before Him because He is a jealous God. We should only worship the living and true God and not the dead and false idols (I Thes. 1:9).
    4. Evil matters like serpent and dragon should be dealt with because they are the symbols of the Devil and Satan (Rev. 12:9). We should not give Satan any ground to possess us.
    5. We should deal with idols because they are related to demons (I Cor. 10:19-20; Rev. 9:20; II Cor. 6:16-17).
      1. According to Webster dictionary an idol is a representation or symbol of an object of worship. According to the Bible we should not make any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth as an object of worship (Exo. 20:4). To worship a graven image which represents anything in the heaven above or to worship any graven image which symbolizes the object of worship of anything in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth is an idolatry.
      2. Behind the idols are demons. We should separate ourselves from anything related to idols, because they who practice such work of the flesh shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). Furthermore, Rev. 21:8 says, that the part of the unbelieving idolaters will be in the lake of fire.
    6. Evil and unclean matters should be burned and destroyed. Acts 19:18-20; II kings 18:4; Deut. 7:5
      1. Evil and unclean matters are the things related to idols, such as graven or portrait idols, candlesticks and censers used in idol worship, ornaments, furniture and clothing with the image of the dragon or serpent; writing of heathen religion; unclean things related to curious arts, such as worshipping idols, worshipping ancestors, divining, fortune telling etc.
      2. By destroying and discarding the idols Satan losses the ground to cheat, corrupt, deceive and posses you. Be free from satanic power and dominion by destroying all kinds of idols in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Glory to God and shame to Satan!
  5. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and reality. John 4:24
    1. Now, in the new creation we are not worshipping and serving dead idols, but we are worshipping and serving in spirit the only true and living God who by nature is Spirit. We must serve and worship the true God in a new and living way; conducting ourselves in a holy manner of life.
  6. The extent of the clearance of the past - life and peace. Rom. 8:6
    1. We clear our past not by outward regulation but by the inner sense of life and peace. We must thoroughly make such a clearance and carry out such dealings until we are inwardly filled with life and peace.