Take up your Cross and Follow Him!!! Part 5

 What you have to give up part 2? Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

I talked about not looking back and that is still true for you to pick up your cross and follow him. there is one that is similar to that and that is to give up your past. How can you expect to go forth and pick up your cross and follow Him if you're always going back to your past? what does it mean to give up your past? 

You must look forward and just as Jesus forgive you of your past you need to let go of your past and forgive yourself. Once you have done that, pick up your cross and give up your past and Follow Him. But how do you that?

First step is to pray for forgiveness of your past and give it to God. this step also includes forgiving yourself once you have asked for forgiven let it go don't take back the forgiveness and say I am not worthy, I will keep it and not move forward even though you are moving forward but instead of not to pick up your cross and follow him you are moving in the direction of your downfall. Colossians 1:14 says in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. We have forgiveness promised by God. So, take heart in that promise.

Yesterday I talked about pruning and that is second step. Your past could have friends that are not good for you anymore or you are doing/seeking things of evil or not holy, whatever it is you may need to prune it out of your life. Cut those things out of your life and give up your past. do not look back as I have talked about. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2 Just as the bible verse say we need to prune so we can bear more fruit.

Before I close, I wanted to touch on one thing and that is should you forget your past? Yes, if it causes you to go back and not go forward. you may need to cut your past all together if cause you to backslide. But remembering your past and how it made you the person you are today is a good thing but only if it's that and not the other. So, you need to decide which one it and do according as you have decided.

having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14

All bible verses taken from the NASB