Philippians 3:13-14; Press On II – 1.09.14

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Forget what is behind and strain for what is ahead.  If you are looking for a catch-phrase for 2015, this would be a good one!

Why is this such an important concept?  Because we spend far too much time worrying about and agonizing over our past instead of spending our energy on today and working toward the future.  Over-emphasizing your past paralyzes your present and handicaps your future. 

Good or bad – your past is in the past, it’s beyond your control.  But that doesn’t stop the Enemy from using it against you:

• “Whoa, you messed up big time, you must not love God very much.” 
• “You did that again!  God is finished with you.” 
• “You think God wants to use you in the life of others…don’t you remember ________, there is no way God will use you. You lost your chance.” 

Does any of that sound familiar?  If so, the Enemy is attacking you with lies.  There is no limit to God’s grace!  Our Bible heroes were a jacked up bunch of people: Abraham pawned his wife off as his sister to save his own skin…twice, Jacob was a cheat, David was an adulterer and a murderer, Paul persecuted the church, and Peter denied Christ.  Jacked up! 

But they all did one thing right: they accepted the grace of God.  They repented, left their mistakes in the past and kept walking in God’s grace.  And God used each of them mightily.  And he can do the same with you.

You chickened out when you had an opportunity to share your faith with a friend?  Pray for another opportunity and try again.  You fell into the same old sin AGAIN? Pray for repentance and thank God that His mercies are new every morning.  You joined in with others as they gossiped and assassinated the character of another?  Repent and thank God that He sent Jesus to pay for that sin. 

Jesus has already won the war.  We are more than conquerors through Him.  God is leading us on the path of righteousness; our job is to keep walking.  Learn from your mistakes, but keep walking.  Confess and repent, but keep walking.  Praise God and be thankful, but keep walking. 

Forget what is behind and strain for what is ahead!