Newness of Life In Leaving Regrets Behind.

  Upon emptying out a drawer during some spring cleaning, I ran across some coupons that had expired and therefore unusable.  I immediately thought of how I could have saved money several times if they only would have been in my pocket at the store.  It was a small regret, especially in comparison to other regrets I could name in life, but still.  This also made me think of the valuable truth that if we choose to, we can live a no-regrets kind of life.  This is because God has given us His great and precious promises and His Spirit to be our Helper to guide us to truth.
  As we all have in different ways experienced regret, in failing to resist a temptation or missing a huge opportunity or leaving necessary words unsaid or forgetting a special occasion, we can overcome.  It can be easy to despair or get angry at myself, but before I do that, I could consider a different route.
  Oswald Chambers wrote about this when he said:
  "Arise and go to the next thing.  Let the past sleep.  Go out to the irresistible future with Him."
  God will purify us or enable us with His strength if we will call upon Him for His help.  This is both comforting and exciting in the adventure of life.  The "irresistible future" of this life is straight ahead and those who have trusted Christ as LORD and Savior have also the hope of Heaven.
  One key way to not dwell on past regretful times is to focus on what He directs us to in His Word.
  "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things." - Philippians 4:8

When we do this, we find the presence of the God of peace that passes all understanding.  Then we walk in newness of life all the more and engage in life's great battles with more confidence and wisdom.

A prayer:
Father, I open myself to Your power and Your perfect will.  Please do not allow my past sins or blunders to keep me from following You. As I know You more, please let me share Your love abundantly. In the name of Jesus, Amen.