DEVOTIONAL
Who in here would say they have a good memory? How many of you remember all the way back to elementary school? Ok now how many of you remember preschool? Anyone remember younger than preschool? Well you guys have much better memories than me! I don’t remember what I did yesterday, let alone pre-school! I really do have a hard time remembering my childhood. I don’t remember how I met my kindergarten best friend. I don’t remember what I did for my 7th birthday. I don’t remember the family vacations we went on when I was a kid. I never remember that kind of stuff. However, I don’t seem to have any problem remembering the embarrassing stuff I did growing up. In fact I have so many embarrassing memories that haunt me to this day.
I think it’s so interesting how we are so much more likely to hold on to the bad memories vs. the good, or even just normal, memories. I did some research and according to Elizabeth Kensinger, a psychologist, and learned that we are more likely to hold on to memories in greater detail that are connected to negative emotions rather than positive. That’s why we remember the embarrassing,sad, and really stupid things we do.
I believe that the devil uses the shame we feel from those moments to get us to hold on to our past. If we keep remembering our mistakes and we can’t let go of all stupid things we have done, we are going to have a hard time moving forward right? It’s much easier to hold on to your past and keep reliving all the shameful, sinful, things we’ve done and just live in that shame and regret that we feel. This happens because those are the memories that stick with us. If you want to change your life, though, you have to choose to let go of those things.
Throughout this series, we have been getting ready for the new year by doing a clean out of the things we do and don’t want in our lives. We have talked about our habits, our friendships and now we have to talk about our minds. We have to consider the thoughts in our heads that are keeping us trapped in sin and we have to change them.
We have to do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 says,
“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
But how do we do that? I have heard our thought lives explained like this. Your mind is a bird’s nest, and every thought that pops into your head is like a bird flying over. You can’t stop that bird from flying in, but you do have a choice if you let that bird stay. This is what we have to learn how to do. We have to stop our negative thoughts from staying in our heads. Because if we can do that we can let go of our pasts like we talked about this weekend.
I am going to give you a brief overview of how to “take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ” or kick those birds out of your bird's nest. Then we are going to go even deeper into this in small groups. First of all you need to
1.Catch the thought.
If we just try to ignore our negative thoughts and shoo them away, they will continue to come back. In order to change it, we need to actually take it captive and review the thought like Paul says. So, say you have a thought that reminds you of your past, telling you you are not good enough or you'll never be better. Stop that thought and actually think about it and ask yourself “Is this true?” “Is this thought Godly?” “Has Jesus already healed me of this?” “Is this thought taking me backwards instead of forwards?”
When you answer those questions, use God’s Word as your answer key. Think about those thoughts the way God would have you think of them. And just to be clear, God would not have you dwell on your shame and sin.
Look at Psalm 103:2,
"He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
God doesn’t hold your sin and shame and negative thoughts and regrets against you. So, why should you?
Secondly you need to
2. Replace the thought.
Now that you know this thought is untrue or unhelpful you need to replace it with something good.
Philippians 4:8 says,
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
Replace your negative thoughts, regrets, temptations and shame with thoughts on truth, lovely thoughts, admirable thoughts, and things that are worthy of praise. Replace your thoughts with the things of God.
If we commit to these two things this year we will be able to let go of our past and remember that God is watching and has a better plan for us. We have to start with changing our thought life.
BREAK THE ICE
Share an embarrassing or funny memory from their childhood?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
1. Do you agree that we are more likely to remember negative experiences? Why?
2. Someone look up the dictionary definition of shame and read it to us.
SHAME: “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.”
How many of you would say you experience this feeling on a regular basis? Is it usually because of something that happened in that moment, or is it something you remember and feel shame about from your past?
3. Why is it so important to let go of our past? What Verses are there in the Bible to back up your answer?
4. Let’s look at some more passages that help us understand why we shouldn’t dwell on our past.
a. Isaiah 43:18-19 - What does this passage tell us about God? Philippians 3:13-14 - What does Paul do when it comes to the past?How do you think he does that?
Isaiah 43:18-19
“18 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 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."
b. 1 John 1:9 - What happens when we confess our sins? If you have already been forgiven of your sins what is the point in holding on to it?
1 John 1:1-9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
MOVING FORWARD
All throughout scripture, we see that God’s desire for us is to confess our sins, be forgiven and then move forward. We can’t continue to let shame hold our thoughts captive. We need to make them obedient to Christ. . On a piece of paper, write down one negative thought that keeps coming back to your head. It could be a regret or a fear or a past mistake. Whatever it is, write it down. Then answer these questions about that thought: 1. Is it true? 2. Is it helpful? 3. Has God already healed or forgiven me of this?
After you answer those questions, pray and ask God to help you change that thought to something good and holy. Hold on to that paper this week and every time the thought comes up. Remember the paper and pray and ask God to help you replace the thought.
©2026 Sagebrush Church
