God overcomes our past and our future

God has overcome our past. When I went to church earlier in my Christian walk there were invitations for people to share how the Lord had changed their lives. I would hear about drug addicts who were set free, and alcoholics who had a new life in Christ. The stories were wonderful, and this part of the church service was called “testimonies”. I believe there are scrolls in heaven that document such glorious testimonies to the redeeming strength of Jesus’ blood in the lives of men.

God is eternal, and has overcome our future also. If we believe our past sins, and circumstances which bound our life outside of His Kingdom are covered and forgotten, then why is it so hard to have faith for the future? One of the things that would help us to have faith for the future is to revisit the past victories. In the Old Testament we read about this experience when the Israelites would erect an altar. Their worship of God, who had revealed Himself and changed their lives, was not just a one-time experience. Remembering. This is the key to faith for our future.

Does the Lord expect us to remember the victories from the past? In Numbers we read the account of how the Israelites refused to go into the Promised land for fear of its inhabitants (14:2-4). The Lord’s response was “How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the miraculous things I have performed among them?” (14:11). The Israelites looked at their own strength and immediately forgot about God’s strength. They forgot their testimony.

I remember a time in my life when I had prayed through a difficult experience, and received victory. I felt relief as my circumstances changed, and thought this trial was one I would never have to face again. Yet a more serious trial of similar nature was right around the corner. It was then that the Lord shared one of His ways with me. “I always build on my Word.” His word of victory in my recent trial was a stepping stone to the victories in my future. If I had failed in the lesser trial, the greater trial would have defeated me altogether. God always walks into our future ahead of us to secure our victories, handing us smaller skirmishes to prepare our faith for the greater battles ahead.

David wrote that the Lord “trains my hands for battle,” (Ps 18:34). This Psalm begins with praise to God and an acknowledgement that “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer . . .” It would seem that there would have been no battle that could come near David if he were safely tucked away in the shelter of God’s strength. Yet David became sorely vexed over the injustices done against him and said “the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me,” (vs 4). After the Lord dealt with David’s foes, He equipped David for future battles. David shares with us that “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.” (vs 31-34). God’s intention during the present trial was not only to bring David through to victory, but to equip him for future victory. God was teaching David to think and war like Himself.

In Psalm 18 David states that he considered his enemies “too strong for me.” (vs 17). There was another time in David’s life when his enemies were stronger than himself. When David sought to convince king Saul to let him go up against Goliath, David told the king that he had slain a lion and a bear. David remembered his past victories and brought them forward into the present as his testimony. He had faith to fight a giant because of his past victories. After David killed Goliath, his victory led him on to fight other battles, and win. God had armed David with strength of faith so that David could walk perfectly before Him.

We do not fight against literal giants today. Paul writes that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12). It is an unseen and impersonal enemy that sometimes overwhelms us. How do we gain victory when we feel that the forces against us are stronger than we are? In Revelation 12 we read about a foe that is terrifying and powerful; the dragon, who is satan himself (vs 9). Though the dragon made war with God’s people, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (vs 17 & 11). As strong and as powerful as the dragon is, he cannot overwhelm our faith. The word of our testimony about past victories gives us present and future victories over satan. If we look at our own strength we will fail. But if we visit the “altars” of our past victories we will remember God’s strength, and will be strengthened ourselves to overcome. Remembering brings equipping strength to our present circumstances.