A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, March 16th, 2022, by
Evangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK
The past can weigh us down like a load of heavy baggage. We’ve all had negative things happen to us. And it is easy to go through life filled with disappointments and regrets. But you can’t move forward if you’re always looking backwards. As long as you’re living in regret and disappointment, focused on the negative things of the past, it’s going to keep you from the bright future God has in store for you. You see, you can’t do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now. No matter where you are or what challenges you’re facing, you can start living your best life now if you’ll get rid of your disappointments and regrets. Be encouraged by this message to let go of the setbacks and disappointments from the past, rather than wallowing in regret.
Get ready for the future by getting over your disappointments, depression, anxiety and regrets. There are a lot of people who don’t even realise that they are dealing with disappointments and regrets. How do we
keep thoughts of our past regrets or sorrows from creeping into our minds? They may creep in quickly
before we get the chance to rebuke them, and therefore, they may impact us. Maybe you are one of those people that if you reflect on what’s going on in your life, you would realise certain events in your life have certain amount of disappointments and regrets attached to them. Certain events and memories come up and there are regrets attached to them, but if you meditate on the word of God and speak it out, it will displace those feelings. So that now, because of the word and the entrance of the word, coupled with what the word does in your life, whenever those memories come to mind, you can resist them like you will resist sin, sickness and disease, and just like you will resist an intruder in your house.
Once that’s gone, you can develop a resistance and you would be able to put walls around and say ‘I’m not going there’. I have been hurt as long as I should be, I have been sad about this as long as I should. I’m going to move on. So, get ready for the future by getting over your disappointments, sadness and regrets.
Some people think they have no control over emotional problems. I’m saying it’s a decision. There are
scriptures that deal with regret. There are scriptures that deal with Anxiety. There are scriptures that deal
with sorrow. Take those scriptures and pray them. Quote those scriptures and they will displace
disappointments, depression, anxiety, and regret. It doesn’t happen overnight. The decision does, but the process takes a little time but it still worth it. You might as well be doing that rather than worrying about it.
6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
Let me ask you a question: When the going gets tough, when something is agitating your mind, when you are dealing with anxiety, disappointments, and regrets in your life, do you want peace? Where do you get lasting peace? The greatest peace or true peace is from God. Who else wants the peace of God to guide their hearts and minds today? I know I do. I have never met anybody who didn’t always need peace. We all need peace. Jesus is the prince of peace. He is the one who is our indwelling peace. Yet the concept of peace is so foreign to even some born again Christians. Worry, anxiety and depression have become part of their DNA, but that should not be the case. They don’t understand how people can go through hardships and difficult circumstances and still have peace. It doesn’t make sense to them. But this verse says that “ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
The circumstances that we face sometimes make us think that there’s no way out. God is far beyond our
understanding and if we trust in Him, He will guide us. If we put our understanding that is so limited into
His hands, He will lead us and show us the way. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on
your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-
6). We need to acknowledge God in every situation that we face, interpreting situations through the lens of what God has said in His word against what we experience. That will enable us to experience more peace in our lives. Imagine today that we submitted our thoughts, anxiety, disappointments, and regrets to God.
That we gave our hearts to Him. A lot could change in our lives if we allow Him to give us His perspective
instead of our own perspective. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such
things.
He can calm any storm; He is more powerful than any circumstance in our lives. I pray that His peace will
guard your heart and mind today. God’s peace can comfort you in times of grief. God’s peace can give you joy and contentment. He can give you peace that extends beyond your feelings and circumstances. He has given you His word to protect your heart and mind from becoming overwhelmed by what’s happening around you. Because of His word, we can have peace. It’s a process, and it’s like an exercise. If you take the scriptures, and you begin to meditate on them, it doesn’t take all day, you don’t have to quit your job to do this, but if you are consistent with it, and take the scriptures and begin to speak to them and meditate on them, they develop a constant resistance in you. Even though you may feed on the word twice or thrice a day, the result is constant, and that resistance will build up in you. You will sense yourself getting stronger in these areas, the very areas that used to hunt you. We are not supposed to be hunted by the past.
The enemy is ruthless, he will try to attack you when you are at your weakest, but the word is your answer.
I have found that instead of just rebuking thoughts which you must rebuke and stand against, the best way is to replace them. In other words, if you are thinking, ‘oh I’m such a failure’, and you only resist it and
declare ‘I’m not a failure’, you will still be focused on the negative thought. Instead, you rather need some
replacement scriptures. Let me give you some replacement scriptures:
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His
Spirit. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment;
because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:4, 13, 17).
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. (Rom. 8:11).
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
These are replacement scriptures. They have helped me over the years in my Christian walk. These
scriptures do more for us in many areas. You must rehearse that the Spirit of God lives in you. Doing this,
will drive out everything contrary to that. It builds up confidence in you that God lives in you. So, don’t
just rebuke negative thoughts, replace them with good thoughts. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (I John 4:4, 13).
God wants us to understand that our identity comes from Him. We have the Spirit of God, we have the joy of the Lord, we have our origin in God. And because of that, we have overcome the world. We have
overcome those who are against God’s word. We have overcome those who propagate negative thoughts.
We have overcome depression, sorrow, disappointment, and regret. It’s a question of who we are; we are
not our own, we are of God, and we are of Christ. We are victorious and more than conquerors in Christ
Jesus. And He reminds us that we have overcome them. Who? We have overcome the Spirit of antichrist
that stands in opposition to the purposes of God in the world. We have overcome the spirit that stands in
rebellion to God’s word. As you begin your day every day, I want you to be reminded of your identity in
Christ. That you are from God, and therefore, you are of God. And then I want you to be reminded of your
victory, because in Christ, we have overcome the world. The scripture reminds us that We have overcome the world because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. What a position for our lives, what a privilege that we carry. What power and authority that we have.
You can walk in victory today, because the Holy Spirit can help you believe His truth instead of lies. God’s
word can help you overcome circumstances that you didn’t think you could. God is greater than anything
that fights against you. Christ has overcome the world, and He lives in you. We have the same power that
raised Jesus up from the grave. We have the authority to speak out against disappointments, depression,
anxiety, sorrow, and regret. We have the authority to speak out against darkness, fear, sickness, and death. Christ is the only saviour of the world. Have you received Him? If you will, please pray this prayer after me, saying every word from your heart…
Dear Lord, I recognise that I am a sinner and need to be saved.
I understand that Jesus died in my place and suffered the judgment of all of my sins.
I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and He is at the right hand of the father.
Lord Jesus, I surrender my Life to you.
Come and Live in my heart and be my Lord and saviour.
Thank You for saving me. Amen!