BREAKING CYCLES DUMPING YOUR EX NAMED PAST! * YOUR PAST IS NOT THE END OF YOUR STORY! "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 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." (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV) Typical motives of WHY WE HOLD ON to the PAST · RELIVE THE “GLORY DAYS” · PROTECTION FROM POTENTIAL HURTS · EASIER TO BLAME SHIFT "But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 NKJV) How can I break out of the PAST? 1. CONSIDER YOUR PAST DEAD IN CHRIST "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) · FORGIVE & FORGET DOES NOT CHANGE THE PAST, BUT IT DOES GIVE HOPE TO THE FUTURE 2. EXTRACT THE LIFE LESSONS FROM YOUR PAST AND MOVE ON "Therefore, thus says the Lord, “If you return, then I will restore you—Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman.” (Jeremiah 15:19 NASB) Life Group Discussion: 1. How can holding on to the PAST be harmful? 2. Which of the “typical motives of why we hold on to the PAST,” do you find yourself doing? 3. How has your PAST shaped you into who you are today? What are some lessons learned from you PAST? 4. What are some practical steps you can take to break free from the PAST?