What's done is done and it cannot be undone. A person's past can be a heavy weight that weighs them down. It dictates the future many times by holding them in shame because of guilt. God has released us from our past and he restores us.

Introduction: Ephesians contains only six chapters. It’s a mere 155 verses. If you read it straight through, it would take you about 20 minutes. Yet the rich wisdom packed in this book will take you much longer than 20 minutes to apply and live out. If you want to apply this book, read it slowly. And often. Paul, the author, writing to the people in Ephesus, started out with a few seemingly benign statements. They would be easy for a reader to gloss over in an attempt to get to “the important stuff.” But if you do that, you’ll regret it. You’ll short-circuit the work God wants to do in your heart instead of digging deeply into who God declared you to be. And who God declared you to be is more powerful than who you feel you are. The One on whom you fix your eyes is both the source and the object of your identity. It may seem obvious, but in order to follow Jesus as His disciple, you have to see Him as He truly is. Once you have a clear picture of Jesus, you can fully understand who you are.

Introduction: Ephesians contains only six chapters. It’s a mere 155 verses. If you read it straight through, it would take you about 20 minutes. Yet the rich wisdom packed in this book will take you much longer than 20 minutes to apply and live out. If you want to apply this book, read it slowly. And often. Paul, the author, writing to the people in Ephesus, started out with a few seemingly benign statements. They would be easy for a reader to gloss over in an attempt to get to “the important stuff.” But if you do that, you’ll regret it. You’ll short-circuit the work God wants to do in your heart instead of digging deeply into who God declared you to be. And who God declared you to be is more powerful than who you feel you are. The One on whom you fix your eyes is both the source and the object of your identity. It may seem obvious, but in order to follow Jesus as His disciple, you have to see Him as He truly is. Once you have a clear picture of Jesus, you can fully understand who you are.

Sifting isn't always a bad thing. It separates the chaff from the wheat in our lives. God's plan of restoration is to help us to refine our character and it sometimes takes trials and troubles to do so.