I've alway found it interesting that Luke 4:24 tells us how Jesus said "no prophet is accepted in his own country (or hometown)". And until I truly got serious about my relationship with Jesus that verse simply meant to me that people from Jesus' hometown didn't take Him serious, they didn't truly believe He was who He said He was. But then once I really turned my life around and started not just following Jesus, but really chasing after Him, that verse had a whole new meaning.
Never be worried about what people who know your past will think of you once you come to Jesus. Just let them know He is the reason you have changed, and that is the reason the change is real. Don't ever let other people's doubt or negative comments affect who you are in Christ. If you have a rough past, then it's more than likely that some people will doubt you. But it's also more than likely that those are going to be people who have never really experienced the life changing power of Jesus in their own life. It is not up to you to prove yourself to them. As long as you are proving to God how serious you are about your relationship with Him then your newly formed character and the changes God is making on the inside of you will speak for itself. Sometimes the enemy will place self condemnation on you and make you feel like you have "prove" you are different. Don't fall in that trap. Yes, part of the process for you may be going and apologizing to some people you have hurt along the way, but a heartfelt apology and proving yourself are two different things. Just be obedient to God when He calls you to something, and walk out the path He is laying before you. Don't let words of hate, words or doubt or even words of condemnation from your past stop you. Those are all things from the enemy sent to trip you up. Focus on Him and do ONLY what you can do, then let God do the rest. It is a part of the building of faith and trust in Him. He will always look at what is going on on the inside of you, and as you let Him change that part of you, then what you do on the outside will naturally change too. In 1 Samuel 16:7 God told Samuel, "...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart".
Remember, He does not expect perfection, but He does expect commitment. You have now entered into a relationship with Him, so make it a monogamous one! If you try to serve the world while you're serving Him then it will not work. This is where many people fail. They want to hang on to parts of their past while attempting to serve Him. In Revelation 3:16 this is what God is referring to as "lukewarm", and He makes it very clear how displeased He is with that. Let those who are watching you change see you step completely out of your past. Leave it where it belongs...behind you! Step into what God has for you and allow your life to be a living testimony to those around you. You never know, some of those doubting people may be some of the same people who either come to know Jesus, or get more serious about their relationship with Him because of the changes they have seen in you. God can always use your messed up past, and the changes He is doing in you, to get people to turn to Him. Keep your focus on Him, live a life that is pleasing in His eyes, and leave the rest up to Him. He is a good good Father, and He is always with you!
We will never be ridiculed as much as Jesus was, and we will never have to endure what Jesus endured. So when it gets hard, and sometimes it will, just remember that Jesus came as a man so He would understand what we go through. He did that so we would always be able to say, "If He could do what He did, then I can get through this".
God, thank You for Your life changing power and Your life changing plans. Help those that come from a rough past, as they turn their life around. Send people into their life to encourage them and lift them up so that the positive voices they hear are always louder than the negative ones. Bring them peace and help them trust in You as You transform the inside of them, and that transforms the outside of them. And as always, help it lead even more people to You. In Jesus name, Amen.
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