31/10/12

Your past does not necessarily define your future

Zephaniah 1:1 - The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.


The first few lines of the book of Zephaniah show the wrath of God against the people for they worshiped Satan the lord of this corrupted world, they worshiped the things of nature, deviations and believe in divinations that were no from the Lord. Zephaniah along with Joel and few other Prophets were used in a very unique and mighty way, to rebuke not just the people of the world but also the people of God when they went astray.

What is interesting in today's scripture is the way Zephaniah introduces himself stating his forefathers during certain kings. One may think he was proud of his fathers and the kings, therefore names them. On the contrary his fathers were failures who did nothing when Amom misled the people away from the Lord. Zephaniah in other words is telling us even though his past was weak and corrupt but his today is bright because he made the Lord his God and is led by His Spirit.

The Lord is telling us today we may be coming from a family which may have been more like vegetation, people who live for themselves without a spiritual conscience or may even be Satan worshippers, people famous for the worst evil known to mankind. We personally also may have had a history of living a life in darkness not knowing the Lord or even a very sinful life doing the worst things imaginable yet if we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour and are led by His Spirit than we are a different person today and our past is our past not our future, for our future is bright for the Lord is our light.

Our past is a testimony of how our future changes when the Lord comes into our lives.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are God and your thoughts are like light unto man. Lord, even though we may have been in darkness yet when we make You a part of our lives everything changes, darkness turns to light for the plans You have for us and the blessings You promised us become a part of our lives and all things from You alone are good. Lord, help us remember we are a new creation in You and our past is history, the story of our old man and not our story, for our past has nothing to do now with us...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Galatians 3:23-29
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 13:11-14
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)