Moving Forward and Leaving the Dark Clouds of the Past Behind — Purity 1940
— By M.T. Clark, 04/17/2026
Purity 1940 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo is a sprawling shot of a spectacular sunset sky, seen from the vantage point of a Walmart parking lot in Hudson, NY. It comes to us from yours truly; I captured this magic moment last evening after swapping vehicles with my brother, Mike, in preparation for this weekend’s “mini-move.”
Well, it’s Friday, thank God, and I am excited to leave my day job at quitting time. I’ve borrowed my brother Michael’s Toyota Tundra pickup truck, so I have the capacity to make some “mighty moves” this weekend. The house at 39 Haskell Avenue in Glens Falls is ours now, and I am excited to leave our rental on Waite Road behind for good by the end of the month. I plan on doing as much as humanly possible to make next weekend’s “big move” as small as possible.
My wife, TammyLyn, wants to make our new home our own before we officially move in. She will be painting rooms according to her grand vision, while I move as much as she will allow me to bring to the new house without getting in her way. Since we have been together, TammyLyn and I have joked about how she was on “Waite Road” and how ironic that was, because the house there was not her own, and we were just waiting to find a place for both of us. Now we have it, and we are moving forward.
After the breakthrough of our past failed marriages, we have rejoiced to find love again in our marriage since 2022. Now, we are really leaving the trappings of our “divorced phases” behind as this new home becomes ours.
It is so liberating to leave the past behind and move into a new beginning. When we come to faith in Christ, all is forgiven, but sometimes we still need help to leave the guilt and shame behind so we can truly accept our new lives and walk forward in freedom.
Speaking of being free of those dark clouds, the April 17th devotion in David Jeremiah’s Living in His Light speaks to that very topic. I am sharing it on the blog today to remind us that we can make those dark clouds disappear when we ask God for forgiveness and put our focus on Him.
David Jeremiah writes:
The Speed of Clouds
Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. — ISAIAH 44:21-22, NLT
Meteorologists tell us an average cloud moves thirty to forty miles an hour. Of course, that depends on how quickly the winds are blowing. We usually see clouds moving horizontally, but they can also move vertically as winds push them higher into the sky. At high altitudes, clouds can fly through the air at more than one hundred miles an hour.
One particular cloud flies even faster than that. The combined fog of our sins hangs over our heads like a dark thundercloud. But the moment we confess those sins, God sends such a blast of grace that our sins are swept away in an instant. It’s as if the sky suddenly clears by a miracle and the sun shines again!
If you’re struggling with feelings of guilt and pangs of embarrassment over past failures, confess them. Speak honestly to God, and then look up into the sky. Perhaps you’ll see a cloud moving through the air. Visualize your guilt disappearing like a cloud you will never see again, and enjoy the warmth of God’s sunshine of love. — David Jeremiah, from Living in His Light.
Amen.
I have some friends who recently fell back into the sin they were repenting of. In the aftermath of their fall from grace, they felt they would be better off dead and seriously contemplated ending their lives. Thankfully, they confessed how they were feeling to loved ones and were willing to get the help they needed.
The pressures of life and a dark view of their circumstances led my friends to see themselves and their future as hopeless. But on the other side of the crisis, they were able to see how many good things they actually have. They were able to see that there was hope—that things weren’t as bad as they had thought, and that people were willing to help once they revealed their struggle.
I encouraged them to put their focus on their faith in God and all that He provides. I assured them that, because of their faith, they could be certain they would never be alone, always be provided for, and always be forgiven.
So, don’t believe the lie that you are all alone—because you’re not. God is with you, right now. When you faithfully follow Him, you will find friends and family in the church, even if nowhere else. Don’t separate yourself from the Body of Christ.
Also, the Word of God assures us that God cares for us. Although we may not be guaranteed mansions here on earth, we can be sure that our needs will be met. And as for those times when we stray from God’s righteous path and fall into sin, the guilt and shame of our failures can fly away the moment we go to God in prayer to ask for forgiveness and the strength to move forward.
As Christians, we need not fear being alone, being without, or being rejected because of our failures. But in order to be blessed by the promises of God, we have to live with Him and focus on the things He gives us. We move forward with the confidence that we have in Christ alone.
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
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