PRESS ON, FORGET THE PAST

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¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus - Philippians 3: 12-14 NKJV

The life of a disciple of Jesus Christ is like running a race, it's more like running a marathon really! It’s not a race against fellow disciples, but rather one of endurance, of perseverance, of determination, of single-mindedness, with one focus, one purpose - to perfectly reflect Christ in us, the Hope of glory.  

Yes, the Word of God urges us to redeem the time; yes, we are to make the most of it and to do that successfully we must discipline ourselves. The thing is, we cannot do it on our own but with Christ we can do all things. He is the vine and we are the branches, we are in Him and He is in us.

As we become more conscious of this truth we will struggle less and less in trying to do what we know we need to do. As we focus more on Him, the Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ’s image and likeness, and the more we are transformed into His image and likeness, the more we will enjoy intimacy with Jesus and out of that ministry to others will flow from within us – effortlessly – without us even trying, we’ll just be enjoying Him and walking in His love and others will be blessed and some will even be introduced to the Savior in the process.

Rest assured, distractions will come, the enemy will invariably attempt to bring up our past sins and failures to discourage us. He will try to wear us down and cause us to draw back, but as the Word says, we are not ignorant of His devices. Remember this: In Christ, your past is under the blood of Jesus, all your sins have been dealt with once and for all. The enemy has nothing on you, don’t entertain his lies, should he persist, remind him of his future – eternity in the lake of fire.

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Let us refuse to be held captive by both our past disappointments and achievements alike. Our disappointments, if not dealt with (by bringing them to the Lord and leaving them with Him), will end up weighing us down with shame, guilt and condemnation. Our accomplishments will prove to be a snare, should we camp around them and/or build monuments to them, the end of which is idolatry.

Our Heavenly Father is good, His steadfast love never ceases and His mercies are new every morning, there’s fresh mercy for us every single day. Let us keep on coming before the Throne of Grace that we may obtain His mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

If, for whatever reason, you've drifted away from God, it’s time to come back, you are extremely precious to Him; His love for you is unchanging and eternal. Get up dust yourself off, Jesus is calling you… the Word of God says:

¹⁸ “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past". - Isaiah 43:18 NIV

Forget the past by fixing your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith and confidently run the race that is set before you today!