God Transforms your Past

 Not only Jesus himself, but also John the Baptist lived a holy life from an early age.

When the priest Zechariah was serving in the temple, he was visited by an angel who announced the birth of John the Baptist.

... he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 

He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. Lk 1:15–16 NIV 

If you have lived close to God from an early age, you can praise and thank God for that, but that is not my story.

But God has planned my life. He has also woven the failures and missteps of my childhood and youth into his plan for my Christian life. That's his way of doing things.

Milly Bennitt's parents were deeply committed Christians, but she was a rebellious party girl.

When she was about twenty years old, her father was dying. She came home to say goodbye. Then God miraculously answered her parents' prayers.

As her father passed on to the next life, he raised his arms and his face shone with the glory of God. Milly was deeply touched and became a believer.

She fell in love with Jesus, but Milly still had no time for rigid religious conformity.

She often sat in the garden, smoked a cigarette and had loving conversations with Jesus. One day Jesus said to her, ‘You don't need those cigarettes anymore,’ and she was able to give up smoking without much difficulty.

She loved Jesus with all her heart, but she was not a conventional young Christian. She was passionate about driving her sports car, but she was much more excited about heavenly visitations and miracles.

God had a plan for this party girl. He sent her as a missionary to a tourist island in Thailand where there was no church and no mission.

She didn't plant a church. She was just friendly. As a former party girl, it was not difficult for her to make friends with all kinds of people, whether Muslims, Buddhists or secular tourists.

Her mission was so successful that Muslims became Christians. Then she was harshly persecuted by strict Muslims. They wanted to murder her. One day she was ambushed. She stared death in the eye, but instantly became invisible.

Is that biblical? Yes, it is.

When Jesus preached in his hometown, he was cruelly rejected.

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.
But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Lk 4:28–30 NIV

I once went to an excellent Christian conference where the senior pastor was converted in prison and the outstanding guest preacher had been a gangster and a pimp.  

A very sinful woman was devoted to Jesus. How did He respond?

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Lk 7:47–48 NIV

Does your past still trouble you in some way? 

 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28 NIV