Isaiah 43:18–19 — Do Not Dwell in the Past (Part 2)

In a previous post titled “Isaiah 43:18–19 — Do Not Dwell in the Past (Part 1),” I opened with a question that deserves deeper reflection. Let me restate it more clearly: How do we truly forget the former things and stop dwelling in the past?

To answer that, we must first slow down and look closely at what God is saying in this verse.

 Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Behold, I am doing a new thing!; now its spring forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” 

Let us begin by breaking it down into three parts:

1. Forget…

Now I don't mean to remove the past from your mind and somehow it will no longer be remembered. What I mean is to no longer give it its weight in value. Isaiah 43:25, God speaks and says “ I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remember your sins no more.” We can reference this in a way how God remembers your sins no more. How? Well He chooses to no longer hold it against you. Why? Because He placed the weight of sin on to His son, when Jesus died on the cross. Therefore, He has rendered our sin, powerless to those who receive and believe in His son. He has removed the weight of it and it no longer has the same weight that it did. That weight is lifted as the Holy Spirit, the light of Jesus, dwells in us when we receive it. 

In the same way, we need to understand what it means to forget our own past just as God forgets our sin and does not hold it against us. When you remember it, do not give it its weight in value, you need to render it powerless.

2.  Do not dwell in the past…. 

When we dwell in the past, sometimes we play it over in our minds over and over again. We rehearse it, even relive it. We think to ourselves “ if only I had done this differently, it would have turned out like this…” DO NOT REHERSE YOUR PAST! DO NOT RELIVE IT! DO NOT DWELL IN IT! If this past is haunting you because of something you have done then ask for forgiveness to God and walk in that forgiveness. This is the key to ending the rehearsing and reliving, its forgiveness. He grants us forgiveness through His son Jesus, we have to learn to forgive ourselves. If you decide to not forgive yourself, you are saying you elevate yourself above God. You are saying you are a greater judge than He is. When God says “ I forgive your sins,” you need to walk in that forgiveness otherwise you are dwelling in it. 

Colossians 3:13 says “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Jesus not only calls us to forgive others—He also calls us to receive His forgiveness fully, even toward ourselves.

Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven… go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50). When He forgives, He does not leave us in shame or self-punishment. And Colossians 3:13 reminds us that the standard is His forgiveness—complete, finished, and final.

When we refuse to forgive ourselves, we are quietly holding onto a debt Jesus already paid. Walking in His forgiveness means agreeing with what the cross has declared: we are forgiven, made new, and no longer condemned. Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” As we receive that grace for ourselves, it becomes possible to extend it to others with humility and love.

Forgiving ourselves is not minimizing sin—it is magnifying the sufficiency of Jesus. And when we walk in that freedom, our lives begin to reflect the mercy we have been given.

3.  He says “ Behold, I am doing a new thing! ….Do you not perceive it?...” 

If you are still stuck in the old thing, it's possible to miss the new things. Let's look at Lot’s wife for example: Lot’s wife missed the new thing God was doing because her heart was still stuck to what God had already called her to leave behind.

In Genesis 19, God was rescuing Lot’s family from destruction. The command was clear: do not look back. This wasn’t about curiosity—it was about attachment. When Lot’s wife turned back, it revealed that her heart was still tied to Sodom, her former life.

Isaiah 43:19 says God does a new thing and asks, “do you not perceive it?” Lot’s wife could not perceive the new because her eyes—and heart—were fixed on the old. You cannot walk fully into deliverance while longing for what God is removing.

She became a pillar of salt—a picture of being frozen between past and promise. God was leading her forward into mercy, but she paused in nostalgia.

The warning isn’t just don’t look back—it’s don’t live looking back. 

Another example would be Moses and the Israelites who clinged to old ways which made them miss the new thing God was offering. God rescued Israel from Egypt to lead them into something new—the Promised Land. But even after freedom, they asked, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”’,they even longed for the food and familiarity of slavery (Exodus 16; Numbers 11). In the wilderness they complained, feared, and said they wanted to go back to Egypt because it felt familiar and safe. When it was time to enter the land, they focused on the giants instead of God’s promise. Because they trusted their fear more than God, they missed the moment. The promised land was ready—but their hearts were not. Israel chose doubt over trust, and that choice cost an entire generation the chance to step into what God had prepared. They wandered until the old mindset died out. Did you know that even Moses struggled with his old ways too?

In Numbers 20, the people of Israel have already been freed from slavery in Egypt. God has sustained them through the wilderness for many years, providing food, guidance, and protection. Yet despite all God has done, the people continue to struggle with fear, complaining, and distrust.

In Numbers 20:2, Scripture tells us there was no water for the community. The people became angry and afraid, and they gathered against Moses and Aaron, accusing them: “Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?” (Numbers 20:4)

Years before, when the people lacked water, God told Moses to strike a rock, and water came out for them (Exodus 17:6). That method had worked before. It was familiar. But this time, God gave a different instruction. 

In Numbers 20:8, God said to Moses: “Take the staff… and speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.”

Notice the change. God did not ask Moses to strike the rock. He asked him to speak to it. This wasn’t about water—it was about obedience, trust, and growth. God was moving His people into a new season, and that season required a new response. However, the pressure of the moment overwhelmed Moses.

In Numbers 20:10–11, Moses gathered the people and said in anger:

“Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water still came out, and the people drank. God, in His mercy, still provided for the people. But something significant had happened. Moses acted out of frustration and old habits, rather than obedience to God’s present word. He relied on what God had done before instead of trusting what God was saying now.

Then comes the consequence.

In Numbers 20:12, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

“Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

This may feel harsh at first glance, but the lesson is profound. Moses wasn’t punished because he was angry—he was held accountable because he misrepresented God. He acted as though God’s power depended on human force rather than God’s word. God was moving His people forward, but Moses responded with an old pattern. What worked in the past was no longer what God required in the present. The people still received water, but Moses missed stepping into the fullness of the promise—not because God stopped being faithful, but because Moses stopped listening closely. 

In this same way, it is possible to miss the new things when we are stuck on the old things.

Don’t dwell on mistakes, regrets, or old patterns. Trust Him. Walk in His forgiveness—including forgiving yourself. Release the weight of yesterday so you can fully step into today’s new thing.

The new thing God is doing may already be springing forth. But it requires open hands, not clenched ones. You cannot carry yesterday and fully receive today at the same time.

So release the weight. Stop rehearsing what God has forgiven. Stop dwelling where God no longer dwells. Trust His word over your feelings, and step forward in obedience.

Because the wilderness is not the end.The desert is not your home. And God who makes rivers where none should exist is still leading His people forward.

Do not dwell in the past. Perceive the new thing. And walk into it—freely.