One of the saddest things I’ve seen is talking to old folks who, looking back, regretted things they had done in life. Some had worked in jobs they hated, some had stayed in abusive relationships, and some ran from God their whole life. Time is so precious, and we only can spend each moment of it once. There is no “do over”, to go back and change things, so we shouldn’t waste it. Regret is a thief of joy, and it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. Many would blame finances for regret, but you can be rich and still be miserable. In fact, there have been many suicides among the rich and famous.


I’m going to use Proverbs 5:1-13 as scripture for this. Now this particular passage is warning men to stay away from strange women, but the principal applies to everything that would draw us away from God. You could put a ________ in the place of “strange woman” and fill it with whatsoever you will. Here we go:

1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

Verses 11-13 come right to the point, and especially verse 12. “HOW I HATED INSTRUCTION AND MY HEART DESPISED REPROOF..” You know, many people are stubborn, and I was one of them, but years in God’s Word have made me see the error of my ways.

For some, it is indeed the pursuit of strange women that is their downfall. For others, it may be drink, or drugs, or money, or other lusts of the flesh. But in the end, they all have the same result; our life is filled with regret. I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d bet there are things YOU regret saying or doing, and wish you could go back and change them. How much better it would have been to have had a relationship with God and grow up knowing and obeying the Word of God, and avoiding those death traps. But time has a law, you cannot rewind it and change anything.

And though we cannot change the past, we DO have the power to change our future! Yes, I regret things I’ve done in the past, but I put it under the blood of Christ Jesus and He forgave me for them, so they cannot continue to hurt me. The most important decision I’ve ever made in my whole life was to ask Christ Jesus to be the LORD and SAVIOR of my life. In an instant, that changed my future AND my past. It didn’t UNDO my past, but it removed the SIN and the death penalty from it, and gave me the chance for a new start, a clean slate. Verse 12 reminds me of my stubbornness, how I thought MY way was the right way. Most all of us suffer from that, but again, in the end we see how foolish we were and regret it. But by then it’s TOO LATE!

There is a way to avoid regret, and that is to ask Christ Jesus to forgive our sins and change us. Now, it isn’t enough to start and end there. As long as life remains in us, we must continually surrender ourselves to let the LORD lead and guide us. You see, the old ways we have lived in the past always want to come back, for we are creatures of habit, and if we go back, we get the same results: sin, dishonor and death, preceded by REGRET.

Many people are trapped right now in the land of regret, thinking there is no way out. The devil would have us believe there is an entrance door to regret, but no exit. That’s just a lie of the devil to keep them there. While it’s true we cannot undo the past, we can undo the past’s ability to dictate our future. Maybe you’re reading this and seeing the error of your ways. Maybe you’re tired of living in regret. Maybe you’re actually so tired of it, you’re willing to do something about it, but just don’t know WHAT to do. You’ve come to a good place then. For Christ Jesus of Nazareth has His hand on the doorknob of the exit of regret, waiting for you to come to Him so He may open the door for you and lead you to freedom.

It is written in Matthew 11:28-30,
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Why live in regret for another moment, when the way to joy and peace unspeakable is before you? Only a stubborn fool hates instruction rejects correction that leads to good things. Did you know that may be exactly why you’re sick? There is healing available to the sick soul and to the sick body as well. Don’t end up passing up this opportunity and regretting it later. Take action NOW and you definitely will be glad you did! And so will the LORD, for you see, He doesn’t want you wasting your life in regret and sorrow. Let the past suffice for the years you’ve wasted there.

In front of you right now is a door to a bright new future, filled with hope and joy and peace. He won’t make you step in, that’s a decision only you can make. But you know where you’ve been all this time, isn’t it enough already? Christ Jesus said HE IS THE DOOR that leads to life everlasting. Ask Him to open to you right now. And bid regret goodbye forever.