Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It is Tuesday, December nine,
twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's Word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our lesson
study series Lessons of Faith from Joshua, and our caption
for today is Haunted by the Past. Haunted by the past.
Get into that in just a moment, But first I'd
like to say welcome to everyone joining us, especially those
joining us for the very first time. Please go over
to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community,
pick up the Your Daily Portion Life application guide, and
please please if you will click that donate button at
your Daily Portion dot com. This is one of the
ways that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's
go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father,
we thank you for giving us the privilege and ability
to serve you. Please help us to have the right
perspective of the past and live for you in this moment. God,
in Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. There
are so many human beings that are suffering in our
present because we are dwelling in the past. I remember
doing a challenge with my son Josiah, and I said
that you cannot walk forward while looking backward, and of
course he wanted to prove me wrong in air quote,
so I put him on a straight line. I said,
now do it. He turned his head. I don't know
how many degrees, but you know how far our heads
can turn in real life, like you know what I mean? Like,
So he tried, and even when his head could not
turn and look all the way backwards, he started to stumble,
and I said, when you do that, you cannot go
forward in the strength that God wants you to. And
of course, we continue to illustrate the point and so
that's the reality when we are looking backward at the
pain of our past, looking backward at some of the
successes of our past as if it were today. Okay,
let me just read here from the Review in Herald
September twelveth, eighteen seventy eight. The author is Eurias was
Euriah Smith. The past must not govern the present. So
we're not talking about forgetting the past. We're saying it
can't govern the present if God has forgiven. Oh wait
a minute, now we're talking about things that we didn't do. Right,
there are mistakes that we have made. Now we're talking
about sins, transgressions, and iniquities. If we have yielded our
will to God, then the record of that is not
attached to our name. And I know there are some
technicalities regarding the cleansing work of our lives and the sanctuary,
but you understand where I'm going with this. So if
God has forgiven, let us not resurrect what He has buried. Ooh,
that's a good one. Let's go for one more. From
the book Gospel Workers, page four hundred and ninety six.
God's people should not allow the errors or sins of
the past to harden their hearts against their brethren. Oh,
now we're talking about how we should see other people.
Love and sympathy must take the place of suspicion and
harsh judgment. Love and sympathy must take the place of
suspicion and harsh judgment. Why am I using these quotes? Well,
let's go with our lesson number one and make sense
of it. Now. Past wounds can distort present perception. Coming
in from again Luke chapter six and verse thirty seven.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged condemned not,
and ye shall not be condemned. Forgive and ye shall
be forgiven. Yes, we're repeating something we've already taught. Yes
we are. And so the Greek word for forgive in
this text actually means to release fully, to release fully,
like to let somebody out of jail like or prison,
like they've paid their debt to society, let them go,
expunge the record. On top of that, to release fully.
God's people remembered belpr so vividly that fear shape their assumptions.
Trauma from the past sin made them suspicious, rigid, and
quick to judge. Fear of repeating history led to miss
reading the present. Let me say that again. Some of
you are seeing mental health professionals because you're stuck here
and they are assisting you in this regard. Fear of
repeating history led to miss reading the present. God's grace,
Somebody go ahead and type in the chat the grace
of God. The grace of God. God's grace, however, releases
us from past pain so we can see others with
clarity in place of suspicion. God deliver us from our
past pain. God deliver us from our traumas. God deliver
us from those adverse childhood experiences. Ah. Here is the
action step God. Ask God to release you from any
past hurt that shapes how you view others. Now, get
your pen, your pencil, write down one memory that still
affects you, and pray for freedom. Ask God, how am
I to be free from this? Is it something He's
going to do by means of miracle? Is he going
to use another human being to assist you, someone who
is godly to guide you back to him? Ask him,
but write that one memory down that still affects you
and pray for freedom. I could write an entire book
on that. I promise you. Lesson number two. Wisdom confronts
with courage and compassion. From the Bible Book of Proverbs,
chapter fifteen and verse one, we read a soft answer
or a gentle response turns away wrath or anger. But
grievous words those are harsh words. Grievous words stir up
wrath or anger. The Hebrew word for wrath in this
case means fierce anger or heat. So Phineas was known
for forceful action at bail payor. Yet in Joshua chapter
twenty two, he leads with measured inquiry instead of violence.
The lesson is clear. In this case. Redeemed experience produces
redeemed response. You have heard it the flip side. You've
heard the flip side. Hurt people, hurt people, people who
are still hurt in their feeling, hurt in their emotions.
Verb now action they hurt, they inflict hurt upon others. Well,
let's read this again, because this is better. Redeemed experience
produces redeemed response. God transforms believers so we can confront
sin boldly, but speak with restraint, humility, and compassion. Some
of the ministries that some people are following today ministries
and air quotes, are not they're not compassionate. They're speaking
boldly but with no compassion, no restraint, and very little humility.
I wish I had the time. The action step is
when conflict appears, choose a gentle tone. First. I didn't
say always, but first, let your words be guided by
the Holy Ghost, not by old wounds or old fears. Now,
for let's number three. Grace prevents the past from becoming
get ready for it a prison. Faith or grace prevents
the past from becoming a prison my God. Ephesians, chapter
four and verse thirty two. As we come to a
swift close and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
you see nine and a half tribes feared repeating Akin's
sin or bail Por's rebellion, so they reacted from anxiety
instead of grace. Can I just say it, simply, don't
do that. Don't do that. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends.
Speaker 1: Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with el David Harris. Make
it a great day. Yeah,