Moving Past Your Pain

Thank you Jesus! Hallelujah!!!! You talking about God being right on time in the lives of His People!! I tell you, there are times in your life when you are going through and you embark upon a word that will quench your spirit at just the right moment-confirming what you knew God was trying to tell you! Well I’ve got to say that the word is here TODAY! Not only for me, but for you!

People always want to know how to get past painful experiences in your lives. I speak upon this topic alot because of course, firsthand, I’ve been through it. But this brother by the name of Rev. James C. Matthews, says it best. It gave me a whole other perspective of what it truly means to walk away from your past. I thank God for this new revelation in my life and I pay that it blesses your spirit! Please be sure to comment about it as the Lord allows!

In His Love,

Moving Beyond the Moment

Rev. James C. Matthews

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Sometimes the things that hinder us from moving forward in our journey aren’t always bad things. It is possible to become hostage to our past by trying to relive something that has come and gone. This can take the form of trying to relive past achievements, relationships, or defining moments in our lives. We’ve all met people like this. In their wallet or purse they carry pictures or newspaper clippings of a past relationship or climactic moment in their lives. They speak of the past in the present tense, as if these events happened yesterday. It is healthy to celebrate our past moments in life, but it is unhealthy to become stuck in a moment and miss the rest of life. Life is a motion picture not a snapshot. It is always moving and stands still for no one.

Those who have a snapshot perspective of life can be easily identified by their conversation. They always talk about the past and how things used to be, or they dwell on what someone did to them years ago. It’s almost as if they stopped living once that moment transpired. Although they can easily recall in detail a particular moment in time that occurred years ago, they cannot clearly articulate their plans for the future.


Often, people who develop a snapshot perspective of life lose their identity in the event or situation. They define who they are by that moment in time instead of who they are as a person. I can remember meeting a man who was in his late 40s. When introducing me to this person, my friend first let me know that this man once played for a well-known professional sports team. It was only after this introduction that his name was communicated to me. In the eyes of his associates, this man was defined by a moment that had come and gone. When I asked the gentlemen what he was doing now, he appeared ashamed of his station in life. He had a respectable job, but in his eyes and those he associated with, it was not comparable to his former moment of glory.


In another instance, my wife and I met a young woman at a ministry event who was a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and had settled down in Dallas. When she introduced herself, she told me her name but had preceded this by commenting, “I’m from Katrina.” When my wife and I were driving home from the engagement, she commented that every time this woman introduced herself to someone, she commented that she was “from Katrina.” I’ve seen the same thing happen to people who have physical handicaps, been abused, divorced, incarcerated, or homeless. They’ve allowed their circumstances or an event to define and prescribe what their expectations in life can or should be.


You are more than a moment! You are a motion picture that is not defined by a snapshot or one frame of the picture. If you refuse to allow your past to define your future, you will discover that life has much more to offer you than a memory.


The above devotional is excerpted from Pastor J.C. Matthew’s new book “Your Situation Is Not Your Destination.”

Pastor James C. (J.C.) Matthews is the founder and Senior Pastor of the multi-cultural non-denominational Dunamis Life Ministries of Dallas, Texas. Pastor Matthews is known for his love of God’s Word, unusual wisdom, passionate preaching style and gift of practically applying scripture to everyday. He is the author of the Saved but Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival”. “I’ll Come… When I Get Myself Together” and “My Situation Is Not My Destination - Only Preparation”. J.C. Matthews lives in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Texas area with his wife Gena and four children.

© Pastor J.C. Matthews all rights reserved.
Source: http://www.streamingfaith.com/