Erase the Film

Do you remember the old film reels that schools would project before the digital age of technology came about?  Our memories can be like the film located on the reels.  In our life we encounter good, bad, and ugly situations; we store these memories similar to archived film.  Many times we do not realize these archived films hold unhealthy emotions and thoughts attached.  It’s easy to suppress and push as far down as possible anything related to difficult memories.  It’s in this, we develop roots.  Roots that eventually hold us back from moving forward with the purpose God has planned for our lives.

There was a woman in the Bible who was directed to leave her city with her family.  The Lord was going to destroy the city and gave them a heads up to head out of town.  In His heads up, He also gave specific instructions that when leaving, do not look back.  As Lot, his wife and family were exiting the city, she looked back.  She turned into a pillar of salt.  The consequences of looking back on things we should leave behind can be grave.  Sure we can learn from experience but it’s important to not relive and re-hatch events over and over.  Do you find yourself rehearsing “film” you should discard?  Learning how to discard film in our life is a process.  I want to share with you how you can overcome in four steps: face it, trace it, erase it and replace it. 

Face it: confront the piece of film, face it with an attitude of victory and the spirit of an over-comer.

Trace it: Draw the line back to the root of where this film first started.  Identify the root.

Erase it: We are not denying it occurred, but the storage space you used to keep the memory, that film can be erased.  We do this by releasing to God the pain and embarrassment of the event.

Replace it: Once erased, you replace the film by generating new memories in that previously archived section.   You replace what can sometime be a gaping hole, with the word of God.

When Joseph in the bible was promoted to be second in command, his brothers came to him for food because there was a famine. His brothers did not recognize him because he had been gone for over 13 years. He could have harbored all the bitterness and hurt they caused him, but he forgave them and they were all spared.

You see, even when the enemy wants to destroy us, God has alternative plans. It could have been easy for Joseph to make his brothers suffer like he did, but he knew God had a bigger plan and that was to help his family and others. Joseph faced it, traced it, and erased it by replacing it with God’s word. The word of the Lord was “God had sent me before to preserve you and our inheritance.” This Word replaced all the wrong, mistreatment, rejection, hurt, and lies Joseph had encountered. 

Today, face that area that you have avoided. Maybe it’s being able to stay in a relationship. Maybe it’s with your career or raising children. Maybe it’s being committed, or staying focus. Whatever it is, face it with an attitude of victory, so you can trace it, erase it and replace it with what God says in His Word.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark