Last night while preaching in our youth worship service, I highlighted the powerful words from Paul found in the latter part of 2 Corinthians 10:5.

“WE TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE TO OBEY CHRIST!”

What an amazing idea! How would my life change if every thought was bound up in obedience to Christ? Last night’s sermon centered around how healthy, God-honoring thoughts (also corralling and eliminating improper or unhealthy thoughts) help to safe guard the believer from falling into the enemy’s traps, to resist temptation. Now last night’s sermon focused on the kind of tempting thoughts that drive a believer toward anger or apathy or sexual sin or trying substances that should be avoided or laziness. But there is another type of thought that proves to be just as dangerous a threat as any of the other ones. It is the thought of regret. It is the thought of shame or guilt. It is the oppressing thought centered around something in the past that can’t be changed, can’t be undone. For some, it is a regret of commission (you committed an action that was wrong.) For others, it is a regret of omission (you omitted an action that was right.)

I was speaking to a friend last week about how powerful the life of Paul was and they said something that I had never considered before. But first, a bit of background. We need to glance at the days before Paul was Paul when he was Saul. Acts 7 tells the story of the martyrdom of Stephen, a godly man who served as one of the first deacons. After false witnesses stirred up trouble for Stephen (Acts 6:13), the High Priest gave Stephen the chance to defend himself (Acts 7:1). That was a mistake. 52 verses later Stephen had given them a history lesson from Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus before ultimately charging them with the murder of the Righteous One. Obviously, this crowd was not pleased. They killed him. But one detail about Stephen’s death really stands out. The second half of Acts 7:58 says this about the witnesses who were about to launch stones and make Stephen the first recorded martyr for Jesus:

“They laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

The men who killed Stephen took off their outer garments (we’d say “coats”) and entrusted them with Saul until the stoning was over. There is some disagreement about what this details means. Some suggest Saul was already in charge and hence others “did the work” and he simply supervised. Others (pointing to Luke’s inclusion of the phrase “young man” to describe Saul) believe Saul was simply a trusted ally of the group who willingly served in the simple role of guarding the valuable garments while they snuffed out the life of one of God’s children. Regardless, the next chapter confirms two undebatable facts.

First, Acts 8:1

“Saul approved of his death.”

And second, this event catapulted Saul into further persecution of Christians in Acts 8:3

“Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Ok, so what’s this have to do with thoughts? My friend asked me a question that truly gripped me: “What do you think Paul thought when he passed Stephen’s grave or when he heard other believers recall wonderful things about Stephen’s life or when he met some of Stephen’s family. One of the most beautiful aspects of our redemption is how it supernaturally rights our wrong, erases our debts, and removes the heavy shackles of our sin. But while the soul unquestionably has been liberated, the mind seems so easily drawn back into the bondage of shame, guilt, and regret. I can’t state with certainty that Paul ever struggled with these thoughts in relation to Stephen’s death but Acts 22:20 records Paul’s vivid recollection of his part in Stephen’s death some 25 years later. The forgiveness that Paul’s salvation brought did not include a memory swipe.

With this in mind, Paul’s famous words in Philippians 3 start popping:

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way.” – Phi 3:13b-15a (emphasis mine)

This theme appearing in Philippians 3 is no shock when you study the Pauline epistles. In fact, Paul had a lot to say about the mind and our thoughts.

Set your mind on the Spirit (Rom 8:6). Renew your mind (Rom 12:2). Be fully convinced in your own mind (Rom 14:5). Be of the same mind (1 Cor 1:10/Phi 2:2). Pray with the mind (1 Cor 14:15). Let the mind of Christ be in you (Phi 2:5). Your thoughts can be led astray (2 Cor 11:3). Take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Be mature in your thinking (1 cor 14:20). God is able to do exceeding abundantly more than we can think (Eph 3:20). Set your minds on things above (Col 3:2). Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, think on these things (Phi 4:8). The peace of God will guard your minds (Phi 4:7).

I step outside of the annals of Scripture to assume Paul did encounter people, places, or things that reminded him of Stephen or worse, those Christians that he personally assaulted. I will go a step further and assume that in those moments, at times, he felt a sharp sense of regret or shame. It is why “forgetting what lies behind” is such a powerful exercise. A few lines in the popular song, “Tell Your Heart To Beat Again”, really stand out. “Yesterday’s a closing door. You don’t live there anymore. Say goodbye to where you’ve been. Tell your heart to beat again.” It’s a poetic way to say “forget what lies behind.”

So what’s your Stephen story? You know, the regretful thing that floods your mind from time to time. Seeing certain people immediately draws memories that linger far too long. Visiting a certain place reminds you of the failure you had, or worse, failure you were. We all have them. You’re not alone. But one guarantee has been made that you can take to the bank- Your sins, even the worst ones, have all been covered in the blood of Jesus. There is not one single mistake you’ve made that outranked God’s grace. If you’ve allowed the past to become a dominating force in your mind, it’s time to get free from it. Set out on a journey of studying and claiming what Scripture says about your mind, your thoughts, and your forgiveness. Go to the Lord each day in prayer and ask him to strengthen you in your mind. Write down what thoughts ought to replace the guilt-laden ones and go to that list when you feel overwhelmed by those memories.

Some believers would say, “Thoughts from my past are so powerful in me because of the stupid things I have done.” The believer ought to say, “Thoughts from my past are so powerful in me because of the redemptive work Jesus Christ has done.” He has released you from the shame and guilt of your mistakes.

Perhaps it’s not your heart that needs to beat anew, but rather your mind that needs to think anew.