Before the Lord we should terminate our past living. Although the Bible does not have a definite example concerning this point, the revelation of the New Testament shows that God desires us to bring our past living before Him in order to terminate it. Should we continue to parent as we did in the past, or study in the way we did in the past? Should we continue to live our lives as we did in the past, having the same type of relationship between husband and wife, the same type of friendships, dressing in the same way, and even spending money in the same way? Should the furniture, decorations, and other items in our homes remain as they were in the past? This dealing needs to include everything.
This is not a written requirement. However, since we are saved and are a new man, our living and daily walk should have a new beginning. After we are saved, we should turn to the Lord to see whether any person, thing, or matter in our living should remain the same.
If we are willing to go before the Lord in this way, many things will need to be terminated. This does not mean, for example, that we will cease to be husbands. Rather, it simply means we will no longer be the same type of husband that we were in the past. We cannot continue to be the same type of parents as we were in the past. We cannot continue to study the same way we did in the past. The decorations in our homes should not be the same as in the past. This is the meaning of terminating our former manner of living.
Once again, there is no need to search through our past. Termination of the past does not involve asking which items of our past are wrong. Rather, as children of God, we should ask whether we should be the same as in the past. A dynamic salvation will often cause a person to immediately inspect his home, change his clothing, and even change the decorations in his house. This indicates that termination of the past is not a teaching but a work of the Holy Spirit that brings an end to our former manner of living and brings in the living of a new life. This is terminating the past.
Four matters need to be brought before God for termination: idolatrous things, demonic and filthy things, indebtedness to others, and the former manner of living. If a believer does not allow the Holy Spirit to work in him regarding these matters, he cannot go on. Although this is not a teaching, law, or regulation, all of the above will occur spontaneously in a person who lives in the Holy Spirit and allows the Holy Spirit to work in him.
Terminating and dealing with these items is a matter of following the moving of the Holy Spirit, not of following any regulation or doctrine. As believers we have the moving of the Holy Spirit within us. Our responsibility is to give ground to the Holy Spirit when He touches us. We do not need to focus on removing item after item. This is not a matter of outward regulation. Instead, the Holy Spirit will touch us concerning these matters. When He does, we should respond. We should not be concerned about price, position, reputation, face, or material loss. If we care for these things, we will quench the moving of the Holy Spirit and not experience a full salvation. Thus, we will be unable to seriously follow the Lord.
The Spirit of God is working within us, and the life of the Lord within us is powerful. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work, not caring for our position, reputation, face, or personal interest, the Holy Spirit will certainly lead us to terminate and deal with these items by the power of the life within us. The Holy Spirit is doing a renewing work not only in our life inwardly but also in our living outwardly. He wants to renew us inwardly and outwardly, to make us a new man living a new life and walking on a new path. He wants to renew us completely from center to circumference.
Let me repeat, this is not a regulation or doctrine. We want all believers to give the Holy Spirit complete freedom to do a renewing work. The Holy Spirit will not only renew our mind, perception, emotion, and will but also renew everything in our outward living. This termination and dealing is absolutely not a legality in the church. This is not a rule or requirement in the church. However, the life we have received is holy, and the Holy Spirit within us is working. Through this holy life, the Holy Spirit will persist in requiring us to abandon demonic and unclean things and to terminate our old manner of living. Our responsibility is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit gain ground in us through His moving.
We should care for the feeling of the conscience in terminating and dealing with these items. We cannot ask others concerning the extent to which we should deal with each matter. We must ask our own conscience. We need to deal with everything to the extent that we have peace in our conscience. Others cannot determine this for us. We should follow our conscience.
A believer who wants to follow the Lord must ensure that his conscience is void of offense. No one with an offense in his conscience can be a good Christian. No one with an offense in his conscience can have genuine growth in life. No one with an offense in his conscience can have faith before God and be enlightened by God. Therefore, we need to take care of our conscience so that it will be void of offense and at peace.
We must also be careful. We should not let our conscience become overly sensitive. An overly sensitive conscience will become weak and more easily deceived by Satan. Therefore, we should use common sense to balance the feeling of our conscience. For example, Satan often deceives us related to making restitution. Our conscience may feel that we should repay one and a half times the amount. However, when we repay this amount, Satan may tell us that we should have repaid twice the original amount. Agreeing with him, we repay twice the amount. However, Satan immediately comes again and says that we should have repaid three or even four times the original amount. This has happened to people. They have an overly sensitive conscience, which becomes weak, thereby inviting Satan’s attack. If this happens, we need to use common sense to balance our overly sensitive conscience. Common sense tells us that since we have repaid one and half times the original amount, it is sufficient. We should not be governed by an overly sensitive conscience. We should use common sense to balance us.
However, we should not annul the feeling of the conscience simply because we are afraid of repaying a certain amount. We should not reduce the amount we repay because we think that it is too great of a financial loss. This will cause an offense to continue to remain in our conscience, and we will be unable to walk properly on the Lord’s way.
It is, therefore, important to maintain a balanced feeling in our conscience. We should not annul the feeling of the conscience; neither should we foster it. If our conscience is not sensitive enough, we cannot be strong. If it is overly sensitive, it will become weak, and we will still be unable to be strong before the Lord. We need to do what is appropriate. We should not annul any sensitive feelings in our conscience; neither should we foster any overly sensitive ones to the extent that our conscience becomes weak. We need to care for our conscience so that it can be void of offense and strong. Only in this way can we live properly before the Lord.
It is not easy to practice these points. Many practical matters need to be considered. Therefore, we should not rush into dealing with the past simply because we have repented and are zealous. Rather, dealing with the past requires us to walk continually before the Lord. We need to be careful, balanced, and appropriate, doing neither too little nor too much so that we can be delivered from every improper situation and stand properly. In this way, we can advance and make progress in life, in testimony, and in spiritual knowledge. This is a step every believer should take.