Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Candida Sullivan

Columnist

Lately, I’ve been feeling pain from a trial that I’ve already been through and overcome. Every once in a while, something would trigger the memory. The pain would come flooding back into my heart. Even though I tried to shake it off, the memory would leave me feeling fearful and heartbroken again.

I sat down with my journal and decided to write about it. Within a few minutes, I had my answer. The enemy loves to cause us pain. He uses whatever devices that he can come up with. One of the easiest ways is for him to bring up the past. All he needs to do is bring a painful memory and then our mind will drift back to those painful moments. When we relive the pain of yesterday, then we steal the joy of today.

In order to move from the past, we have to forgive and release the pain. Once we do that, then we can replace the hurtful thoughts with thoughts of gratitude. What I went through was painful, but God delivered me. Instead of thinking about the pain the enemy caused me, I want to think about how the Lord answered my prayer. From now on, when I think about this time, I want to do so with gratitude in my heart. The enemy attacked and God defeated him for me. That’s what I want to remember.

If we allow it, the enemy will use every painful moment of our lives to continue to hurt us. While we can’t change what has happened to us, we can decide today, right this very minute, to bury the past in forgiveness. And to live in the present moment with gratitude overflowing in our hearts.

Candida Sullivan is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and certified life coach. Her book, Despite Your Circumstances, won the 2016 CSPA book of the year award. It is her passion to help others learn to overcome their own circumstances. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children. If you’d like to contact her, please email her at candida@candidasullivan.com.