Are you framing your future by the shape of your past?

What follows are some notes i’ve extracted and adapted that were used by the Pastor at my church this morning. I hope they speak into your heart and your current situations in the same way they spoke to mine!

What will the future look like? What do you really see happening in your life, and in the life of your church in the future? We can believe for big things when we speak, but what about in our hearts?

Many things impact how we envisage the future; our personality and attitude, experiences, resources…All of these create the frame within which we view the times to come. When discussing the possibility of a holiday to an exotic location for example; one may see the possibilities  of sun, sand, new experience, etc. Whilst another would see expense, long travel, possibility of illness and the confusion of immersing yourself in a different culture. These extremes can exist within families and lead to tension, but when managed well they can bring balance.

The same can be said when speaking of our own lives, personally and corporately. Some people have been locked into a mode of thinking or behaviour for so long that the thought that they could be any different seems impossible. Likewise, a church can have functioned for so long in a certain way that the image of that church becoming or beginning anything else looks like a step too far.

Isaiah 64v4 says the following,

“For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for Him!”

Paul then quotes this in his letter to the Corinthians when he says -

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”“ - 1 Corinthians 2v9

We need God at the centre of our lives. You need God at the centre of your life; because only God can bring the kind of impact that changes things right at the heart, at the core of you. Isaiah 64 speaks of God in universe-transforming terms - trembling nations, quakes mountains, boiling water…God is not dormant, but an ever-moving God of impact, and we cannot dismiss that, just because we may not be seeing it in our own lives first-hand in the present moment;

He is not some obscure entity on the edge of existence that we wonder what He is all about. He is central to our existence and wants to be central in our life.

What is your view of your future? The drive for change in a heart can be seen worldwide in millions who chase it in various forms - lotteries, relationships, experiences to name but a few. When you see who you are, your fears, your insecurities and failings, can you possibly picture a future that could be any different? When you look back and see where you have come from, can you imagine anything different when you look forward? When we talk of being heroes and having mighty adventures for God, do you feel left out because you consider yourself too weak and helpless?

This is why life without God at the centre always seems to produce false dawns; ‘my circumstances may change but I don’t.’ …Well God makes all the difference.

If you can’t see it? You don’t think it’s possible. If you drive with your headlights off at night (not recommended) you are far more uncertain of completing your journey safely and successfully than if they were switched on and bathing the road ahead with a wash of light.

Well God is a God who does the impossible and goes beyond your ability to comprehend. No other power in this world is capable of bringing this kind of transformation! With God at the wheel,  our journey is always guaranteed a safe conclusion, and so we can allow our fears of crashing to fall away. So,

Stop framing your future by the shape of your past.

Stop making decisions based on the presumption that it will be the same as before! Before has begone! God is going to do a new thing in you!

Is the frame of your future inhabited by your past, and what has gone before? Do you feel like the days yet to come will be lived out in the shadow of the days already passed? If so, then you should know this: Jesus sets you free from your past. He does not just mend the past, he rebuilds you.

So pray like never before…work like never before…go for the extra, not the ordinary….go for excitement, not for normality…be part of the vision, not just on a worldwide-scale, but within your church…be active in the vision of your church.

The past is not our future: they are foundation blocks on which we can build our future.

His word,

His promises,

His agenda.

We may be aiming high, but in line with what God is capable of? -

“No mind has conceived”

…maybe we’re just not aiming high enough, my brothers and sisters.

Have a wonderful day, and I pray the blessing and Spirit of God upon each and every one of your precious lives this day and forevermore.

Shaunski :)