Move on

~ Hannah

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. (Isaiah 42:18)

When I first got saved, I had these nightmare almost every night. In my dream I was the same girl who slept around and did not have a single care in the world. But ever single night the enemy was taunting me with all the guilt and shame that I was struggling at the time. When I got saved, and God told me I was a new creation, I believed it.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

But night after night I would be having these dreams and think to myself, maybe I am not saved. Maybe I am not free from this. Maybe I am just the same lost girl I once was. It was a blatant trick and a lie from the enemy trying to stumble me into thinking that I was still the lost sinner I once was, but it took me a while to realize it.

God makes all things new. Once we have been saved through the blood of Christ, we become a brand new creation. God forgives us for all things we have done in the past. But there comes a time when the enemy tries to make us believe that we have not changed. That we are still tied to our past, and make us dwell in the past mistakes rather than moving on to new things that God is doing. We need to stand firm in God’s truth and recognize our new identity in Christ. We are sons and daughters of the most high God.

One day I woke up from the nightmare and did something totally opposite of what I usually do which is to be downcast and dwelling in shame.

I started to praise God

For he is the one who set me free and made me into a brand new blameless creation. I was no longer that old past self in the dream but I was a precious daughter of the most high. I kept on saying Thank you Jesus for setting me free. Thank you so much for your blood, and sacrifice that I am no longer that person I used to be.

Surprisingly the more and more I started doing that, the less and less the dreams occurred. It went from every night to 5 days a week to 3 days a week to only once a week. Then once a month, once in 3 months… Praise God but he truly set me free.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

I bet the devils were like “Crap! every time we give her these dreams to guilt trip her, she wakes up and praises God even more!!! This is not working!!!”

Lord, I thank you for making us into a new creation. Old things are gone, and we want to move forward with you. Let us be firmly grounded only in your truth so that nothing will shake us even if we get attacked. Thank you for second chances, thank you for your blood and forgiveness. Amen.

Published by Hannah

18 thoughts on “Move on”

  1. Hannah,

    Thanks for this. Many true believers are harassed and troubled by ‘false’ guilt, that afflicts them through dreams, imaginations and wondering thoughts regarding their past lives, when their intention of their heart is to follow the Lord. This kind of guilt doesn’t come from the Lord. In fact our Lord Jesus feels deep compassion and tenderness toward his children who are afflicted in this way. False guilt paralyses the troubled believer. He or she seeks forgiveness for it but never seems to find it. Why? Because there is nothing to forgive. It has to be dealt with by other means, as you say, if anyone is in Christ, we are a new creation, old things are passed away, all things are new! By standing on the ground of our full acceptance in Christ. By refusing the imposition of such ‘false guilt’, which is really ‘false accusation’ from the devil (the accuser).
    Some fifty plus years ago in the mid 60’s, as young believer, with a past life that I was ashamed of but earnestly seeking to follow Christ, I too was so afflicted. I visited an old servant of the Lord asking prayer. He wisely expressed deep compassion towards me and said, ‘my dear brother, let’s just ask the Lord to do something about this’. Something happened as he prayed! I realised I was loved and cherished by the Lord, that the guilt I suffered did not come from God and was immediately broken. From that day onwards, I learned the difference between false accusation and guilt and genuine loving correction from the Lord. By God’s tender grace and compassion, I have lived fifty years in victory, free from ‘false guilt’.

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  4. Hannah, the enemy likes for us to be ashamed. But that devil is a liar. So glad to hear that you kept praising God. I believe we all felt what you felt, asking if we were saved? I will be honest with you. I felt that the moment I got saved.

    Then the more I spent time with God I stopped wondering that. For I had to settle this in my heart and ignore the enemy. Finally the enemy stop using that trick on me for he saw it was not working.

    And yes God is the God of chances. When I mess up I think about the people that was before me in the bible. I saw how messed up they were and God used them. Which meant He will use me too.

    God is God all by Himself.

    Have a bless Friday and lovely weekend.

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    2. I 100 percent agree with that the enemy tries to put so much shame and guilt on us but he is a liar. I really loved what you said about God is the God of chances, not just a second chance but hundreds of second chances. His grace and mercy surprises me daily. Have a blessed Wednesday!

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  5. Hannah, have you ever read C.S. Lewis’s book, “Screwtape Letters?” I think you would like it, because as you have so aptly remarked above, Satan and his minions are liars. I’m sure you can get it in Kindle form or the book itself is still printed often. Anyway, I recommend it. BTW, your response of “praising God” was the right thing to do. Blessings.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing this! I haven’t read Screwtape Letters, but I’m going to definitely check it out. Blessings to you as well!! Have a wonderful rest of your day.

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  7. Praying is to communicate with God but praises attracts God’s attention and triggers Him into an action. When a man praises God, he experiences overflow of joy which makes him remove self completely from the problem and trusting God for solution.

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  9. I had a period in my life where I struggled with shame over big mistakes I made that I kept turning over and over in my mind. One Sunday morning, right at the end of the service, the Lord simply spoke to me, “Why do you remember what I have forgotten?” That was the end of it, with one simple question.

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