God tells us in Isaiah 43:18-19 (New International Version) to “forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” This shows us that we should not dwell or linger over or spend time thinking about the past (except for the purpose of not repeating past mistakes) because God is always working something new for us, and providing for us the path which affects our future.
God has predestined us, called us before time began for a specific purpose (Romans 8:28-30). Even though this refers to the past, it still alludes to what is present and what will come in the future. We may have been shown the Truth through someone else, for instance through family members, and through them we were able to receive the knowledge we need to inherit eternal life.
Someway or somehow, we became knowledgeable of the Truth, and God granted us this gift for us to use. Because we have this understanding now, we shouldn’t be ashamed of what we know NOW (2 Timothy 1:8-9).
Yes, we are to learn from past mistakes so we can be successful in the future, just as Paul explained in Philippians 3:14-16, pressing on toward the goal and the prize of obtaining eternal life. We are to go forward with our understanding, not drift backward. The Bible teaches us many examples from the past of those who went through difficulties that we can learn from for our benefit as explained in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Many of those who were confronted with challenges and trials will be in the Kingdom. They were not perfect, and yet, they overcame their imperfections.
Insofar as our future is concerned, what we do NOW is vital, as we have pointed out countless times. We are to watch what is going on in the world and warn the world about what is coming! (Matthew 24:42, 14). We have to be prepared, vigilant, focused, and look to God for help in fighting our battles (Ephesians 6:10-18), and also use the Holy Spirit that God has given us at our baptism which will help us to continue and to grow in wisdom and understanding so that we can inherit eternal life (John 6:63).
We are not to base our lives on physicality alone, but we have to live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We need to focus on what the Bible says and must not be fooled by Satan’s tactics which may have been used by some people with whom we have associated with throughout the years. Satan is using the same tactics presently and will also use them in the future. What does Satan do? How did he tempt Christ? How does he tempt us? He questions the Truth and appeals to human nature. He then quotes Scripture, but out of context, to twist the meaning which adds to confusion and questioning. He uses people today to do the same thing.
This is where we need to remain focused and diligent, continuously asking God to open our understanding so we can comprehend His Word (John 8:31-32). Only He can call us and the ONLY way we can understand is when God opens our minds. This is what separates us from the people of the world who don’t understand what we understand.
This also determines our future for we need God’s Spirit to be successful. David understood this as well. He needed to trust in God insofar as his future was concerned (Psalms 51:10-11). More often than not, the future is based on trust, and putting trust and confidence into something now hoping that it will come to fruition in the future. We trust that God will protect and provide for us now, and also in the future.
In the meantime, God has appointed certain specific people to do a job, to teach, and to spread the word on what is coming (Ephesians 4:11-16). We are all working together for something better. We have our individual talents, and we all have a certain part to do in the Church. This unified effort will bring about success. The end is something we all look forward to because ALL things will be made new, and if we overcome, then we will inherit ALL things (Revelations 21:1-7).
We can see how the past, present, and future all work together. The Bible shares with us experiences that even the most faithful had to go through, and their experience can also be for our admonition. The Bible shows us how we are to apply the Word of God in our present lives by obeying Him so we can then experience what the future indeed has in store for us.
