A wise individual once said, 'Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.' Let's face it, we all have pasts that we may not be particularly proud of. Most people will readily admit that they would love to go back and relive their pasts so they could make better choices. Oftentimes, we bring baggage into the future from our childhoods. Not only are we affected by our own mistakes, but also the mistakes of those around us.

One of the most wonderful benefits of being immersed in Yahshua's Name is that we get a fresh start in life. Nothing we did wrong in the past matters anymore to Yahweh. He forgives everything we did before and gives us a clean slate. Of course, we may still have to deal with the undesired consequences of our past actions, but our old selves die and Yahweh considers us new creatures.

As most believers know, not all bad habits are automatically eliminated when we are immersed. But we are to strive to overcome those nagging little things that are often formed early in our childhoods. Learning from the past is important to our future happiness. Reading the Old Testament, you will find that Israel repeated the same mistakes over and over again throughout their generations, mainly false worship. Take a look at Deuteronomy 32:7 which says, 'Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders and they will tell you.' (NLT throughout article)

Many events in the Bible were recorded for our benefit. We can learn numerous lessons from the mistakes of the great (and not so great!) personalities of Scripture.

We can ask Yahweh to remove the past hurts and mistakes from our lives. Look at what King David requested of Yahweh. In Psalm 51:7, 9-10, we find, 'Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow….Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart , O Elohim. Renew a right spirit within me.' Regrets are like a dirty window that keeps us from seeing what's clearly in front of us. Thankfully for us, Yahweh is in the cleaning business!

Isaiah gives a startling glimpse into the mind of Yahweh. We read in chapter 1, verse18, 'Come now, let us argue this out,' says Yahweh, 'No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.' How deeply comforting!

As we walk forward as believers, let us continually ask that our minds be renewed daily. Let go of the past for you are a new creature. Show fruits worthy of repentance. You can trust Yahweh that he will fulfill everything that He said He would. Truly, He is our ultimate Healer!