Let it go! Joshua 8:1-10

“Let it Go,” boy does that phrase bring back memories for moms and dads of little princesses everywhere. I was unprepared for the number of times we would watch that movie and hear that song sung. If you are unfamiliar with the tune I speak of, I am sure a quick google search will bring you up to speed, and you will have the same lyrics repeating in your mind as the rest of us. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are, to be honest, inspiring even for some of us dads, who may have enjoyed it more than we’d like to admit. The idea of being able to move on from past fears, disappointments, failures and limitations to a place of being truly at peace with yourself is almost unimaginable in today’s world. Which I’m sure has something to do with the surprise success of the movie. I doubt that Disney realized at the time, or even realizes now, that they basically lifted their theme from the pages of Holy Scripture.
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The Lord calls you to “let it go,” today. God offers you a fresh start, and gives you the freedom to be comfortable in our own skin, through the Gospel of Jesus. When you find your acceptance with God through Christ, He releases you from the chains of public opinion. What other people think of you is of little significance, when you compare it to the eternal love and joy the Father finds, and gives in your relationship to Him. Jesus tells us that we will not fit into this world and that we should not expect acceptance, but that we are fully accepted in Him. All of those past failures, all of the ways you missed the mark, every time you have been rejected by your peers or others, are washed away by the sacrifice of Jesus our Lord. He looks at you and says, MINE, for all eternity (Ephesians 2:8-10,Revelation 22:1-6).
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Joshua 8:1-2 is the Lord’s way of telling Joshua to, “let it go.” Yes they had failed, yes they were humiliated, yes people were talking, but that was yesterday. Today, they need to move forward with the plan and purpose in front of them. Wallowing in self pity and doubt because of a failure is not profitable. God does not give Joshua and the people time to hide in camp and feel sorry for themselves. He calls them to action. The sin has been dealt with, it is forgotten and behind them now. Forward is the direction their focus should take them at this point. And by the Lord’s grace, forward is where they go. Stop attempting to pay for what you did yesterday, confess it and let it go, Jesus paid your bill for that sin on the Cross, stop reliving yesterday's failure and move toward God’s purposes for you today.
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After you trust on Christ, you would have to travel backwards to even see your failures again, the Lord has taken them as far away as you could imagine. How far? Psalm 103:12, tells us that, "as far as the east is from the west," that's how far the Lord takes our sins away from us. This is the distance between us and our failures. Allow that picture to fill you heart and mind today, your failures are so far away from you that if you head out eastward and God has thrown your sins westward no matter how far you go, you will always be heading in opposite directions, never to meet again. Do not allow your past, that is so far away you will never see it again, stop you from moving forward today. You keep pressing on toward the goal that Lord has set before you and trust His mighty power for your victory. God has thrown your sin away, let it go!