Failure and Success: Paralysis From Past Mistakes

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward
those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He
removed our transgressions from us. --Psalm 103:11-12

Do not let any of the things of the world or past mistakes paralyze your
hearts. I believe there are Christians who have allowed some of their past
mistakes to paralyze them. You were so bright and cheerful in your
spiritual life once, and then you made some tragic mistake or had something
happen to you. You got out of it somehow, and prayed and wept your way out
of it. But it did something to you, and now you cannot lick it. Past wrongs
that have been done to you, past failures, times you thought you were going
to win and did not, or present sins or discouragement-these things are not
mental at all. They are deeper than that; they are subconscious, and they
prevent us from believing.

I most urgently exhort you, and I trust God Almighty to deliver you; to
sponge that out of your spirit; to sponge that out of your heart so you are
not hindered by unbelief. Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church,
pp. 162-163

"Lord, I'm surely not the only one who desperately needs this reminder this
morning. So many of us struggle with past sins, failures, or hurts. I pray
for all of my fellow-servants who need deliverance, who need to have the
past sponged out of their spirits and hearts. Amen."