The Skeletons in Our Closet

Philippians 3:13

“…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

It is almost ironic that Paul is the one who writes these words. Paul, formerly Saul, was a persecutor of Christians. He breathed “threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), all in the name of God (or so he thought). The high priest was in support of Paul’s mission, he was taught by one of the most respected religious leaders, Gamaliel, a man who may have known the law better than anyone but did not know the author.

Paul was wicked. Whether or not he was taught by poor role models and men who encouraged murder, he was still at fault for the evil he chose to commit. But when God saved him, he was washed clean. His sins were now confessed. God had taken them and removed them as far as the east if from the west (Psalm 103:12).

Though Paul’s sins were now forgiven, he still had committed these wicked acts. Surely Paul did not give these sins to God, except his forgiveness, and push forward straight away. Surely it took a lot of prayer and trust. In fact, Galatians 1:17-18 shows us that Paul did not go into the ministry right away. He went to Arabia for three years, and it is not clear what he did. In my opinion, he likely felt the weight of all the wickedness he had done, and he used that time to try and grow in accepting the incredible forgiveness of God.

Every person alive today can relate to Paul. There are things we have done, whether known by others or known only by ourselves, that we wish we could take back. Though it is good to regret sin, we cannot let it rule over us. The devil wants to use those mistakes, those vile words, evil thoughts, and wicked acts, to knock us down and keep us there. When we are saved we are set free from our sins, but the devil can still deceive us into believing we are still chained to our greatest regret.

The devil likely made Paul's mind flash back to a woman, wailing as he dragged her husband from their home. The devil surely reminded Paul of the teary eyed children pleading with him to stop as they watched him beat their father in the streets. The devil certainly whispered in Paul’s here, telling him he had done too much wickedness, that his sin was too great, that he could never be used by God.

What would have happened if Paul had listened? If he had allowed the lies of the devil to settle in his heart and mind? What if Paul never accepted that God forgives even his worst sins? I am not talking about salvation here, for we can be saved and still be bound, I mean that what if Paul allowed the devil to deceive him into thinking that God could never use him?

Though many of us will not commit the same level of wicked acts that Paul did, we all have skeletons in our closets. We all regret choices we have made or actions we have done. We all have the devil in our ear reminding us that we don’t deserve His forgiveness (which is true) and therefore must earn it (which is a lie) or we will never be used by Him (another lie). The devil will do everything he can to chain us again.

Years ago I read Philippians 3:13, and it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. The devil would remind me often about how I am not good enough for Him and how my sins were too frequent, too big, and too vast. Unfortunately, I believed him for a long time. When God opened my eyes I realized that though I am wicked and do not deserve His forgiveness, He has forgiven me! He sent His Son to die and wash my sins away. He removed my sins as far as the east is from the west.

I also realized that by allowing the lies of the devil to permeate my heart, I was making less of God. I was essentially telling Him that His forgiveness is not as complete as He says it is. The devil was using my past sins to hold me hostage while making less of Him! And he was even deceiving me into believing that I was acting righteously by holding onto my sin! The devil is very, very good at what he does.

Brothers and sisters, if you are holding on to past sins, please see that God has forgiven you already. Jesus’ sacrifice was enough to cover all of your sins including your most frequent and your most wicked. Holding onto your sin is not righteous or holy, it is foolish and pointless. He is enough. His sacrifice is enough. The devil wants you back, but he can’t have you, so he tries to make you as miserable as possible. He wants to make you feel like you are not good enough, but God has made your righteous through His Son. Forget about those things which are behind, and press on towards those things which are ahead!

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