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FORGETTING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND

     One of the sinister, hidden dangers of social media is the seeming avalanche of reminders of our past failures: failed relationships; failed marriages, failed business ventures and other such items that belong buried in a grave marked ‘forgotten’. 

     One cannot make true forward progress IF one continues to wallow in their past.

     Social media may have been ‘only’ designed for young people (they are the most impressionable and highest users) but so-called ‘smart’ older folks feast on its deep pools of electronic negativity. Case in point:  There are a variety of social media ‘video clips’ from various sources that highlight all kinds of personal failures in less than a minute each.  Some of these ‘clips’ are negative items designed to serve as ‘rerun revolvers’ to be forwarded to others in your network of friends to keep the demon of anger well fed.

     Hater-aide is that doorway drink into the satanic pit of revenge, payback, and murder.

    The reason why there is such a rise in mental health issues in our modern era is simple: What you feed upon (this includes negative social media) is what eventually becomes part of your mental—and spiritual makeup.  The more ‘negative’ that is inserted into your spirit, the more ‘negative’ that takes up residence in your head; and the more negative that finds its way into your spirit—will soon come out of your mouth OR through another weapon.

     How does one get out of this pit of electronic despair?  Forget your past!  Stop feeding the Hater-aide concession stand.  The Apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians, Chapter 3 of HIS past—and the antidote of tossing that past baggage over the side of his mental ship so that he could focus on those positive things that lay ahead of him in Christ Jesus.  In fact, Paul made it a point to note that he was ‘reaching forth unto those things which are before’ (Philippians 3:13 KJV).  It was a two-part process.  One had to ‘ditch’ the negatives of the past, and actively ‘reach’ forward to the positives in life—which also included a better relationship with God through Christ.

     Yeah, I know what many of my readership may be thinking today: “I don’t need that ‘Jesus’ junk!”  "He's a white man's God!"  Really?  Show me that out of HIS Book.  Well, bunkie; how’s your mental health doing presently?  Still focused on some past ‘screw up’ or relationship break up that has left you shell-shocked and scared of your own shadow? Didn't get enough cookies as a child?  Still mad about who said something negative about you in fifth grade?  Still doing a ‘deep dive’ into social media clips that will make your day look worse rather than better?  It doesn’t hurt to get back to the KJV Bible and invest some time in some forward-thinking scriptures!  You have nothing to lose but your mental chains!

      Don’t get me wrong.  The negatives in Paul’s life helped to make him who he was.  Pull some of those negative threads out of his life, and his life would fall apart.  However, it was ‘reaching forward’ that changed his life for the better.  Paul’s miserable past—when placed in God’s hands—provided the fuel for future flight.  Stop ‘feasting’ on the negatives in your life through social media failures and be the positive that God has for you—and others—in your circle of friends.

      I don’t know who may need today’s column…but enjoy who you are—and don’t let Satan ‘trick you and trap you’ to focusing on who you was!  There is more to life than what happened to you in your past.  Like one preacher said: “Let your past—PASS!”  In short, put down the Hater-aide and move forward to Paul’s thirst satisfier—the Word of God.  KJV Version.  Accept no substitutes.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Quick Scan” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: mgmikeramey@yahoo.com.  ©2023 Barnstorm Communications International.