I hear so many people who only talk about their past. They live only in the “what I used to do” arena of their lives. Israel was a nation that lived in the “yesterdays” of their lives. Even when God led them out of bondage from Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness 40 years on what should have been an 11 day journey. Why, because all they could speak of was their yesterdays. If you constantly live in your yesterdays, I hope you will take this very popular scripture to heart this morning and start looking ahead and living ahead. (Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future) God knows what He is doing. He knows what He wants your life to become. God is not going to harm you, but he has come to open the prison doors of your yesterday mentality and lead the captives free. By the way, that also included me. I never made any real progress in my spiritual life until I decided one day to be what God wanted me to be instead of what I had been taught by others to be. I had to rid myself of complaining, grumbling, negative thinking, and replace it with a faith that God had a plan for my life. I had to believe that neither my past nor my present could determine my future, only God held my future in His hands. No matter what kind of past you may have had. No matter how difficult a situation, or depressing thoughts you may be experiencing today, God still has a future and a hope for your life. Your future is not determined by your past or your present. Start believing that God’s promises for you are true. All you have to do is have faith in Him and believe His Word…He will do the rest! Pastor Don [image: image.png]