I wonder if Moses was ever haunted by his younger life when he had killed an Egyptian? Did David recall with horror his past sins? We read of his remorse in his psalms. What did Paul think when he recalled his persecution of Christians before his conversation on the road to Damascus? Maybe they were able to act out the words of Isaiah 43:18 ‘Forget the former things, says the Lord, do not dwell on the past.’
I know I can recall the ‘sins of my youth.’ I didn’t always do things well as i tended to go down a few wrong paths.Some of my omissions and wrong acts have affected my life today. But Isaiah reminds us that God tells us to forget. God has banished our sins ‘as far as the east is from the west.’ Why should I carry the load around? God has redeemed my sins and by the power of the Holy Spirit I must let them go.