Never Fear Your Past by Scott Dunn

One of the things I took into consideration before I jumped wholly into this journey that God put before me with podcasting was that I needed to decide if I wanted to erase who I used to be over social media or to leave it. I chose to leave it, and for an excellent reason.

To erase my past, who I presented myself as, and who I was, would be a disservice to God.

The Bible tells us that in Christ we are created new [2 Corinthians 5:17] but we were molded from that old clay and then plunged into the redemptive fire of Christ and cleansed. We should not fear recrimination from our fellow Christians because they, like us, were not worthy of God’s love and His Grace. The best part is that it’s free for us! It was not free for God because He gave His Son, the right hand of His righteous throne, His most precious thing, because Christ said we were worth it.

If you looked at my Facebook five years ago and then now you would see two quite different people. That is how God moves and while it is a part of me, it is not all of me. Jesus tells us specifically that we cannot long for the past and be fit for God’s kingdom [Luke 9:62]. To erase my past would be to not acknowledge that God grabbed me by the seat of my pants and put me where He wanted me to be. Which is doing this, sharing the gospel and encouraging others to seek God in all things. Even with all the cussing and lewd imagery, I won’t erase it because if I am good enough for Jesus, I should be good enough for you. There is a freedom in your redemption through Christ that goes beyond just your soul. It frees you of who you were so that God can shape you into the vessel He desires. Once God works in you, He will certainly work through you to accomplish His work.

As men, we face a lot of pressure to perform our duties and that can cause us to doubt ourselves and to doubt the work that God gives us. A lot of that comes from our past and the failures we endure before finding Him. We look back and see the transgressions we committed and then our resolve flounders.

I am not insusceptible to that; in fact, it happens daily but how I deal with it has changed. One of the constant things on my mind is am I doing right by my wife, Bethany, and our kids. I pray over this daily, constantly asking that I be guided on the right path and begging for the knowledge to give the kids, so they chase Him and not run as I did.

You must own your past to move forward. Embrace it and accept it as being part of what you are. God put you through those trials so that where you are right now is where you are meant to be. He doesn’t make mistakes and to hide from your past is to perform a disservice to God. Use it as your testimony and let others see Him within you. God has forgiven you and His forgiveness is to forget your sin [Isaiah 43:25] and move on to greater Godly work. If you doubt, pray. He is always listening.

If you have not given your life to Christ and are reading this, I encourage you to seek out someone in a local church. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Man will not have all your answers and God does not reveal everything. However, consider this, the freedom found in Christ transcends this life [John 8:36]. There is nobody in this world who can do that except Jesus, and he wants everyone, not just the good ones or the kind ones. No, God has a way of taking ordinary people and working extraordinary things through them.

Are you ready to commit your life to Christ and the freedom His grace provides? If so, God is there, ready to love you for all that you are.

Scott Dunn is a Christian husband and father who has spent over 15 years in the telecommunications industry. He is the founder of Talking with God (https://twgpodcast.com), a podcast that seeks to educate and encourage a closer relationship with God. Scott is a northerner who migrated south and has fully acclimated to the wonderful area known as the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He serves at his local church by helping with the production and online streaming of services. He has a genuine passion for the Christian man and his responsibilities, often writing about them on his blog https://justholdfast.com. Here he shares open and real-life experiences so that other men can relate to the human condition and how that relates to a stronger love relationship with God.