Forgotten but Not Gone

By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
01/10/2023

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

There are three things that happen to everyone the older we get. The first one is our memory begins to fail. …And I can’t remember what the other two are!

There is great irony in the human memory. The memories we want to keep—the ones that bring us joy—often slip away never to be resurrected. And the things we want to forget keep rising from the dead. Memories are powerful.

Long after someone you love is gone you remember fondly many things about them. Reminiscing over happier days gone by brings a smile to your face. Pleasant life experiences, occasions of joy, and moments of fun and laughter are never far out of reach in the recesses of one’s mind. They may be gone but they are not forgotten.

There are some memories, however, we wish we could forget. Painful memories stubbornly stick around, refusing to flee no matter how many times we order them to do so. Long after a crisis or tragedy, we find it hard to forget the pain it caused. Someone has said, “The key to happiness is a bad memory.” Heartache, hurt, and sorrow linger in our hearts no matter how hard we try to suppress them. They are gone but not forgotten.

For the believer, memory plays an important role in the spiritual life. We are to remember the sacrifice of our Lord (Luke 22:19); remember the teaching of His Word (Jude 17); and remember the marvelous works of God (Psalm 105:5), among other important truths. At the same time, we must not dwell on the past. Rather, we are to press toward the goal of our high calling in Christ (Philippians 3:13-14; Luke 9:62).

While the past may be gone, it is seldom forgotten. There is another adage that is equally profound. Sometimes things are forgotten, yet not gone. Few believers stop to think about the reality of spiritual warfare. We often forget about the presence of our enemy, the devil, who “walks around like a roaring lying seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We may forget the enemy, but that does not mean he is gone. Turning a blind eye and deaf ear to Satan and his desire to kill, steal, and destroy our lives does not make him go away. He may be out of our minds, but he is by no means out of our lives.

The Bible plainly warns, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:12–13).

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4). There are many things in life that are worth forgetting. The reality of our enemy, Satan, is not one of them because even when he is forgotten, he is not gone.