YESTERDAY

Jesus Christ
the same yesterday,
today,
and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

In the mid sixties, the Beatles recorded a song, written by Paul McCartney, one of their own group. It has a beautiful melody to it and the words, very melancholic. In the song, despite various scenarios, there is a repeat phrase I believe many people, including Christians, have come to adopt in many ways. That phrase is: “I believe in yesterday.”

In my years of teaching ladies and having many come to me for advice, I often have found something most of those ladies have had in common. It's a tiny thread that winds itself in and through many lives and that is the thread of “yesterday.”

There are many things in our lives Satan can use to try to rob us of our joy. I'm not sure our joy can be completely stolen if we are walking closely with our Savior, but it can be battered to a great extent. Most negative things in our lives can certainly rob us of our happiness. Our happiness relies on our hap-in-stances...those events we rely on to keep us smiling and satisfied. Joy is supposed to do that for the Christian and joy is one of those assets that comes into our lives through Jesus. Scripture goes so far as to tell us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.”

Things from our past can rise up at most any time to taunt us. Satan is good at digging up things taking us down a path of guilt and maybe even shame. Although we shouldn't, we may believe in yesterday more than we should...reliving over and over things long past.

I've talk to ladies who:

were untrue to their husbands
gave parents fits during their teen years
shop lifted from stores
had abortions
were addicted in the past to drugs or alcohol
deeply hurt good friends
failed to return library books years ago
wrote hot checks
left the scene of a minor car accident
pornography (yes, women can have the problem as well as men)

...and that list could go on and on if I could remember it all. Many have wept on my shoulder and many on the telephone. I've usually said to the caller, “Go ahead and cry...I'll hang on until you feel you can talk.” I have assured many that God's love putty so wonderfully fills in the cracks of our yesterdays and broken hearts as only His unconditional love can.

I believe there are times when we wish we could go back and do things differently, but knowing me, I'd make most of the same mistakes again in my own life. I have my own list that I've had to give to the Lord in repentance. His forgiveness is not only cleansing, but freeing as well. Life never gives us a do over. We have to just do whatever we can at the present time to do what's right and pleasing to the Lord. If we can do that, our yesterdays from this time on will pretty much take care of themselves.

My counsel has always been the same...seek forgiveness from Jesus with genuine repentance, making corrections in one's lifestyle may be called for. I am always amazed how careless we can be in putting ourselves right in Satan's path either in our worldly activities or associations. Somehow we tend to take on the same attitudes of our youth that nothing evil can touch us. No matter what age we are, we must be spiritually cautious.

Let's be practical:
*Stay in the Word of God...whether we feel like it or not.
*Be a person of prayer...our spiritual strength can be measured by our prayer lives.
*Be in God's house with God's people as often as possible. Being with God's family will be of genuine strength.
*Guard your heart. Keep a close check on your outside influences.
*Pick your friends carefully. Just because a friend is a Christian doesn't mean that person is someone who is good for you.
*Stay away from problem areas in your life. Don't go where angels would fear to tread.

In this world, as Christians, we can't be too cautious. Our witness and testimonies are so needed in our day. We will not reach perfection but people are looking for genuine examples. They want to see that our faith really works...that Jesus is really Who we says He is. They don't care about our yesterdays. By the way, neither does Jesus if we have taken all of that old baggage to Him and left it with Him. People need Jesus in these very troubling days. If we are sloshing around in our yesterdays, we will be of little help. Folks who need Jesus need to hear from us that their yesterdays can be just that...yesterday. Jesus is for today.

Thank You Jesus for dying for me so I might know your love and forgiveness. Thank You for relieving me of the burden of yesterdays, giving me daily renewed strength to face today. May I continually rely on Your strength in all things. Thank You many times over. In Your precious name....Amen