Let God Restore the Wasted Years of Your Life

Maybe you wasted years of your life. I did. Or maybe it wasn’t your fault. Maybe those years were stolen from you by someone else, an accident, sickness, or a circumstance beyond your control.

No matter the reason, God will restore to you the years that you have lost, the wasted years, even the wicked years.

What Holds Christians Captive?

Prisoners of Sin, Self, and Satan

Prisoners to Passivity
More than a few Christians are passive Christians, saved, but not growing in the things of God, not serving God or loving others. In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer identifies passivity as a demonic stronghold. Love is not passive. Love is passionate. 

Prisoners of Loss, Grief, Failure, or Defeat

Some people are prisoners to grief (e.g. death of a child), loss (business failure), infirmity, or something in life that just defeats them. They have lost their hope, their resolve, even their courage to go on and live a meaningful life despite the hardship they have experienced. 

Prisoners of Religion, Legalism or Judgmental Spirits

In John 13:35 Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 We feel loved and God’s love compels us to love others. We work from relationship. Religion makes people work to receive love and approval. Religious people work for (in order to qualify for or earn) approval and relationship from God and others.

Prisoners of Regret

After we break free from these prisons, Satan often tries to make us live in regret. I believe regret is a demonic stronghold Satan uses to keep people in the past, even after they’ve been set free!!

God Restores Our Wasted Years. Paul’s Example

Paul’s life was almost over. He was going to be martyred for Christ and he knew it. He wrote: 

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2 Corinthians 4:6-8 NLT

For the first 30 years of his 61 years on earth, Saul worked extremely hard to make himself a Pharisee. In His zeal, he became an enemy of Christ and Christians. 

Yet he was able to say at the end of his life, that he had run his race. He had completed the course God laid out for him. Even though he had wasted 30 years of his life. Even though he had violently chased, captured, imprisoned and most likely murdered Christians, Paul became one of the greatest Christians in history. Paul traveled extensively spreading the Gospel. He became a spiritual father to many churches. And he wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. Paul was executed in Rome in 66 AD. He was 61 years old.

Restoring the Wasted Years

I love 2 Corinthians 4:6-8 because I wasted the first 31 years of my life! 

When I first became a Christian, I lived in regret. I mourned and grieved that I had been so wicked. I had been an alcoholic for 10 years and did many, many things that I was ashamed of. 

How could I possibly complete God’s plan for my life?

God answered my prayer. He gave me a scripture. It was a promise. 

Joel 2:25 

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust…”

God made that promise to me. And God has no favorites. This promise is for you too!

Do the activation!!