"I can’t believe I did that!"

Who hasn’t struggled with painful reminders of their past? But for some, the past continues to dominate the present. How can you or someone you love overcome painful memories or life-dominating habits? Steve Viars, pastor and biblical counselor, uses God’s Word to show that there is hope in understanding and growing from your past.

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Are you feeling stuck?

[Excerpt] There are few things worse than feeling stuck. Many men and women have relationships filled with habits they wish would go away. Like the spouse who promised to communicate better but just lashed out with biting sarcasm, again. Or the father who wants to be more positive but just yelled at his child, again. Or the single person who wants to be pure but just fell into immorality, again. Could the past have anything to do with it?

It goes further. There are the private failures. Another night of internet pornography. Another trip to the liquor store. Another purging session after dinner. Like Jeremiah’s leopard that cannot change its spots, such persons are exhausted from promising and failing over and over again. Could the past have anything to do with it?

But the worst is being stuck in the heart. Bitterness. Jealousy. Revenge. Rage. Disappointment. Hatred. Lust. Wrath. Discouragement. Fear. Worry. Many persons have thoughts and desires that are both loathsome and familiar. They know they should think differently but such patterns feel like home.

Perhaps you can relate to men and women who hate those words—stuck…again. I know I can. The sound of the rotating wheels of an unchanging life can be frustrating, mocking, and hopeless. Could the past have anything to do with it?

The issue of being stuck is a topic for everyone. No one has mastered the process of change. Regrettably some have even stopped trying. They have concluded that substantive change and the hope it brings for the future is beyond their grasp.

But surely the God of heaven disagrees. For men and women struggling with past suffering, God stands ready as "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). People struggling with sin in the past can take heart that the apostle Paul, after listing a series of behaviors such as greed, sexual unfaithfulness, and drunkenness, says, "But such were some of you..." (1 Corinthians 6:11).

My prayer is that this book helps you move from "I am stuck in my pain" to "I have found comfort in God" and from "I did it again" to "such were some of you." I believe handling the past biblically often plays an important role in taking those steps.

Excerpt from chapter 1; Growing from Your Past, by Stephen Viars
Published by Harvest House Publishers, October 1, 2010