The past is only experience for the future and only valid in the sight of God's truth. A "leeism". To be futuristically added to the dictionary that one of our people is compiling on words that I invent.

And what it means is my past really doesn't matter! Its over and done and PRAYERFULLY I learned something in the process!!! My past went the way of a dead man. I gave that up. Last night I sat with a couple who had a difficult confrontation as a result of the past (10 years or more!) creep into their life. But God is faithful and merciful and He doesn't recognize the past, so who do we feel we are that it should be recounted? So after assuring them that God had forgiven them they took off, pounds lighter in the Spirit (and perhaps in the natural!), having a better understanding of Papa God and His love for them.

What we learned in the past should dictate our decisions of the day and cause us to have a better future! And understand as well, that just because I may have been a drug addict, or an alcoholic, doesn't mean you have to go through it. You can use my experience to save you pain.

And why do I say it is only valid in sight of God's truth? Romans 4:17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations) before him whom he believed, even God, who reviveth the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT, AS THOUGH THEY WERE.(My caps) Just because you look sick doesn't mean that is your day. The truth of today is valid today, but you can be healed, and what was truth this morning has gone through a transition and has a new truth, a new report. God's truth is you were healed by the stripes of Jesus(1Peter 2:24). Use it!

And why is meditation so important? Because what you meditate on is what you become, what your spirit feeds on. If you feed your spirit a daily dose of soap operas and sitcoms, your spirit is going to try to resist, but it will be quenched, washed out and put to sleep. But if you feed your spirit God's Word, it is going to revive, renew, flare up in flame, bringing refreshing to your soul.

How many of you have ever pursued the path of MLM(no death threats-I am making a point regarding meditation!) only to have closets of product, books and forms and tapes, and realized you lost money? No one? C'mon on!!! Let's be honest here. You went to seminars and meetings, you bought all the books on success, and did everything. Right??? Probably wrong. You couldn't see yourself in it. I have come to realize that I was meditating on someone else's dream. Someone else's vision. And I did not know how to plug into it. Oh sure. You had all the lingo, knew all the right people, made a few phone calls, but...you did not suceed. You were meditating on the person you knew-you! Christianity is a lot like that. Many have embraced the Bible as their book to carry. They listen to teaching tapes by all the right preachers. They go to all the church meetings. Attend all the seminars...But, there personal life is a mess. They can't make it. Because they haven't learned some real basics. And one of those is what you meditate on, what you think about DICTATES your life style.

This morning I lay in bed determining the scripture that God would have me meditate on. Once again He gave me 2Chronicles 7:14;

14 If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Brothers and sisters, God is not talking to the heathen here, He is talking to you and I. He is not saying to you and I, if the heathen gets better, stops sinning and gets it together He will come to our rescue. He is talking to us.

But you can not do what this says unless you begin getting a picture of Jesus in your mind, begin feeding your spirit manna from heaven and begin to focus on the things of the Lord.

Do you know why a drug addict drugs, a food addict eats, an alcoholic drinks? Becaue they are meditating on the next drug, morsel, or drop! Do you know why our spirit gets dry? Because there is no spirit stimulation in the daily soaps. You are receiving a daily picture of sinful lives in that kind of thing and the spirit just begins to fold up like an unwatered flower.

Begin to feed your spirit "miraclegrow". Take a scripture and begin to chew on it, and chew on it, and taste it, cause it to become part of you. Years ago they used to teach that you should chew each bite of food 40 times(revelation number or what!!!) so that it would digest properly and give you the maximum effect. Certainly many weight and health conditions could be resolved here, as the body would work less at doing the job. Anyways...if we "chewed" on the Word of God the same way, I believe we would have healthier bodies and souls as our spirits received the proper nutrition in the proper form.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate in it day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Maybe that is the scripture to begin with.