Lesson 2: Leaving the Old Behind

God calls us to stop replaying the past and start watching for what He's doing right now. Being made new means loosening our grip on yesterday so we can take hold of what's ahead.

KEY SCRIPTURE

“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)

OPENING PRAYER

Father, thank You for the new thing You are doing in my life. Help me release what's behind me so I can take hold of what You have ahead. Give me eyes to see what You're already doing. In Jesus' name, Amen.

ICEBREAKER

What's one memory or mistake from your past that you find yourself replaying more than you'd like?

TEACHING

1. Forget What's Behind

“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)

God isn't asking you to erase your memory — He's asking you to stop living there. He's already doing something new; the question is whether we're watching for it.

2. Press Toward What's Ahead

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
  — Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

Even Paul, one of the most spiritually mature men in Scripture, said he hadn't arrived. Moving forward isn't about having it all figured out — it's about which direction you're facing.

3. Put Off, Put On

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
  — Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)

Leaving the old behind is active, not passive. It's a daily choice to take off what no longer fits and put on who you now are in Christ.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•      What “former things” do you find yourself dwelling on most?

•      What is one practical way you can “put off” an old pattern this week?

•      Where might God be doing “a new thing” in your life that you haven't noticed yet?

PERSONAL DECLARATION

“I will not be defined by my past. I am pressing toward what God has ahead for me.”

MEMORY VERSE

Philippians 3:13-14

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, I choose today to stop dwelling on the past and start watching for Your new thing. Renew my mind and help me walk forward in freedom. In Jesus' name, Amen.