Let it Go

Let it Go TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Philippians 3:13, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria It’s easy to go through life focused on what didn’t work out, who hurt us, or the mistakes we’ve made. “If only I would have finished college. If only I would have spent more time with my children. If only that company wouldn’t have laid me off after 20 years. That’s just not right.” As long as you’re living in regret, focused on the negative things of the past, it’s going to keep you from the bright future God has in store. You’ve got to let go of what didn’t work out. Let go of the hurts and pain. Let go of your disappointments and failures. You can’t do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now. Whether it happened 20 years ago or 20 minutes ago, let it go and move forward. If you keep bringing negative baggage from yesterday into today, it will poison your future. You may have had an unfair past, but you don’t have to have an unfair future. You may have gotten off to a rough start in life, but it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish. A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, today I choose to let go of past mistakes, failures and setbacks. I choose to set my eyes on You and move boldly into the good future You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Happiness Requires Letting Go

BY RICK WARREN — JUNE 23, 2014

“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT)

Happiness requires letting go and learning to forget. Worry won’t change the past, so forget what can’t be changed and focus on the future.

Philippians 3:13-14 says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (NLT).

You only have a limited amount of energy. That’s why you get tired. That’s why you get fatigued. That’s why you get worn out.

Since you only have a limited supply of energy, I highly recommend you not waste any of it on the past. Every day, choose to focus your energy on what is in front of you and what lies ahead.

This habit is so important to your happiness, there are three traps you have to be aware of.

The trap of regret. You’ve got to let go of regrets. Are there things I wish I had done differently in life? Of course. But I can’t dwell on them because I can’t change them. Don’t waste any emotion on regrets.

The trap of resentment. Holding on to resentment doesn’t hurt anybody but you. Let it go! For your own sake, you must forgive. Do they deserve it? No. But do you deserve forgiveness from God? No. Those who experience grace are gracious.

The trap of tradition. Everything is constantly changing, and you cannot stop it. You have to decide whether to resist and resent those changes or to be happy. Happiness is a choice.

How you handle change in life reveals your spiritual maturity. When you’re guided by and anchored to eternity, change can take place all around you and you can choose to be happy.

Talk It Over

• What do you need to let go of from your past so that you can focus on the future?
• Why do you think it’s so difficult for people to let go of tradition?
• What does your attitude toward change reveal about your spiritual maturity?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh-YrDflpyQ