Don't hold on to bad memories. Put them behind you and move on.
Memory is a very powerful thing. It is the means by which we recall something and put it in our present state. When memory is activated, it brings something or someone to the forefront of our mind. There are times in the Bible when the Lord charged His people to bring some things to remembrance, essentially telling them 'Do not forget...'. Psalm 30:4 tells us "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." We learn too, from Psalm 102:12, that the memory of the Lord is from generation to generation - "But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations." In Isaiah 43:26, the declaration of the Lord to Israel is also noted - "...put Me in remembrance", which means to consider God or to put Him at the forefront of our mind.
Memory is such a significant part of how we function. It has the ability to advance us or to derail us. Good memory has a way of causing us to relive a pleasant or positive experience in our mind. For some persons, this pleasant memory can actually lead to a longing or desire for that experience again. This, for example, can be with family members, an intimate partner, children etc. On the other hand, bad memory leaves a negative 'taste' in our mouth and often leaves people with regret, disappointment and other forms of negative feelings that can cripple our present and future state. From bad memory negative emotions and mindsets are often reignited and, eventually, reinforced. This includes destructive spirits such as fear, hurt, sadness, shame, and guilt. The truth is that we are what we think about (Proverbs 23:7) and that is why it is so important for us to think on good things. When a bad memory comes up we don't have to keep it at the forefront of our minds. Release it quickly and refuse to meditate on it. The enemy often tries to use our past and bad experiences to limit our future and what God has in store for us. However with all his efforts, he cannot succeed, unless....unless you allow his arrows of negative memories and ways of thinking to infiltrate your mind.
In Isaiah 43:18-19, God tells His people to not remember their former state of captivity where they served idols, experienced evil leadership under Pharoah and an ungoldy lifestyle. Instead, he declared that they would experience a new thing by His hand. Our all-wise God knew concerning the children of Israel and also His people today, that bad memory has the ability to affect our vision of the future and by extension our faith or confidence in what God can do.
Manage your memory. Do not allow things from your past to block what God wants to do now and for your future. Cut the claws of the past and move with great expectations into the future that God has for you.
