Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13 & 14 “13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Although Paul had not made it to full maturity in Christ, he was determined not to be bound by his past. Paul “pressed”, pushed forward, strained to obtain, he consciously made an effort to reach the prize of Christ. We should do the same. I don’t discount my past, and neither should you, but we should not be trapped in our past.
Looking back can be detrimental to your future, Lot’s wife looked back when she had been instructed not to, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:15-26) What’s behind you that is so important that you are willing to forfeit your God-given blessings to stay there? NOTHING. When making resolutions, seek God first, and then you should be able to plan accordingly.
Proverbs 3:6 admonishes us to acknowledge God in all of our ways, and “he shall direct thy paths.” Disappointment won’t rule your years if you first seek the Lord. If you are afraid of moving forward, let me encourage you. No matter how old you are, you are not too old to be used by God. Sarah bore a son in her old age. (Genesis 21:2) If you think you are too young to do anything, you are not alone, but you are mistaken. David defeated Goliath, the giant, in his youth. (1 Samuel 17:50) If faith is all you have; know that faith is all you need. The three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego simply believed that whatever happened, if God delivered them or not, God was still able to deliver, and what a result they received for their faith! (Daniel 3:17)
If your past is shady, and you believe that God can’t use you, remember the Samaritan woman at the well. She had five husbands, and the man she had at the time was not even her husband. BUT GOD . . . God used her to minister to a city of people. (John 4)
So, quit focusing on what you have not done, or what you think you can’t do because of the limits you have placed on yourself and forget those things which are behind, and reach forward to those things which are in your future. Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Ph. 3:13-14) The prize that God has for you is worth so much more than the pillar of salt you are living in.
