DON’T LOOK BACK: REACHING FORWARD

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Brethren, 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, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13,14

REACHING FORWARD

This brings us to the second side of the coin. Once we have let go of the past and begin neglecting it, we must reach forward to what’s ahead of us. In fact, I’m inclined to believe that both gestures should be done simultaneously. So in actuality, you are letting go of the past and reaching for your future at the same time. So it is in your reaching for your future that you let go of the past.

How can this be done? The future that you desire must be so compelling to you that you are willing to relinquish the past in pursuit of it. The desire must have more meaning and significance to you than where you have been or else you will not reach for it. Now the word “reach” means “to stretch.” I remember when I took martial arts I had to stretch before class and during class. The benefits I gained were flexibility, speed and power. This means my kicks were fast and strong, plus I had the ability to kick high and from multiple angles. These were the benefits of me doing my stretches. Well, Paul here says he stretches in order to get those things that are before him. This means that Paul went beyond his comfort zone in order to get what he wanted. You see, you must either be committed to your future or your comfort zone. You must stretch beyond your point of comfort in order to have the future that you desire. I know we have been trained to blame others, but in order to have the future that you desire, you cannot blame anyone. Your solution is found in your letting go of the past and being committed to the stretch.

It’s important to recognize that blaming others will not help you achieve your future goals. You need to take responsibility for your future and let go of the past. By doing so, you will be able to focus on the present and future, without letting negative emotions control you. This doesn’t mean that you should forget the lessons you learned from the past. Instead, you should let go of the negative emotions and focus on the positive things that the past has taught you.

In summary, to achieve your desired future, you must be willing to stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone and take responsibility for your future. Let go of the past, but remember the lessons you learned from it. By committing to the stretch, you will be able to reach your desired future.

THE BLESSING OF STRETCHING

When you begin to stretch your legs, you may experience discomfort. This is because you are extending your legs beyond their normal range. Feeling uncomfortable is normal and expected. If you were to extend your legs to the point of ease and comfort, you would not be stretching. Stretching involves going beyond what is normal or familiar. It is the epitome of reaching for more. However, unless you understand the purpose of stretching and desire the result more than you desire comfort, you will sacrifice your future for present ease.

SUMMARY

So as you pursue your dreams, remember that you will feel some discomfort at first. That is part of the process. Go beyond your previous limits. Continue to challenge those boundaries. And before you know it, you will have grown by leaps and bounds when compared to where you first began.

DON’T LOOK BACK: LETTING GO OF THE PAST

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Brethren, 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, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13,14

2 SIDES OF ONE COIN

In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul talks about one thing that he does. Although he mentions two things, we must understand them as two sides of one coin. On one side of the coin, Paul forgets the things that are behind him, and on the other side, he reaches forth unto those things that are before him. As we explore this one thing, we will discuss each side individually and then put them back together.

FORGETTING THE PAST

Let’s start with the first side of the coin, which is forgetting the past. What does Paul mean by this? Does he have amnesia? Of course not. The word “forgetting” in this verse means “to neglect.” When we neglect something, we don’t forget that it exists, but we treat it as if it doesn’t exist. We also treat it as if it’s not important. We invest our time, energy, and money into other things instead of giving attention to what we neglected.

Now forgetting the past doesn’t mean we erase it from our memory and pretend like it never happened. It’s about acknowledging the past and letting go of the emotional baggage that comes with it. We often hold onto grudges, regrets, and past mistakes, which can hinder our growth and progress. By neglecting the past, we are not allowing these negative emotions to control us, and we are freeing ourselves to focus on the present and future.

It’s vital to note that neglecting the past does not mean we forget the lessons we learned from it. The past can teach us valuable lessons that we can use to grow and improve ourselves. However, we should not dwell on the past or let it define us. Instead, we should let go of the negative emotions and focus on the positive things that the past has taught us.

In summary, Paul’s statement about forgetting the past means that we should disregard it and release ourselves from any emotional burden it may carry. By disregarding the past, we liberate ourselves to concentrate on the present and future, without allowing any negative emotions to hold us back.

DON’T LOOK BACK: THE STRONGHOLD OF THE PAST

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Remember Lot’s wife.

Luke 7:32

Your memory can be a blessing to you, but unfortunately, it may very well be a curse. Jesus made this statement above in reference to the miraculous deliverance executed to free Lot and his family from the wrath that befell Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Bible does not specify how long Lot and his family lived in Sodom. Nonetheless, they lived there long enough for Sodom to exert its influence on Lot’s wife. She was unable to refrain from looking back at the judgment as it befell the region.

Some details are excluded from the Bible regarding their exit, but I’m sure they heard the death cries of friends they’d acquired, people they did business with, and neighbors they’d left behind. The thought of what these people were suffering had to be painful. These thoughts had so gripped Lot’s wife’s mind that they outweighed the instruction to not look back.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Gen. 19:26

What an example of looking in the wrong direction! God had given her and her family a new life…a new beginning. However, instead of this righteous woman focusing on her new life, she looked back at the one God was delivering her from and paid for it with her life.

What you give your attention to matters! Do not allow the pull of your past to so grip your mind that you look in the direction that it is calling you to focus on…no matter the logic or rationale. You must fight with everything in you to be single-minded, looking only in the direction of your freedom. Because this woman looked in the direction of the destruction, she suffered the same fate as those who were still in the place she was delivered from moments earlier.

This lesson perfectly illustrated how a person can be physically delivered from a situation, but their mind is not yet free.

Let this lesson serve as a reminder to you that your freedom is tied to the direction of your focus. Do not look in a direction where you do not want to go. Do not risk your future by focusing on your past.

Closing Point:

Notice the language in Genesis 19:26. Lot’s “wife looked back behind him.” This tells us the order in which they escaped to the city of Zoar. Lot was in the position of the rearguard. This means that Lot was standing between his family and the destruction of Sodom. The role of the rearguard is to protect the one who he’s assigned to so that if anything comes their way, he’s the one to get hit…not his protectee. But his wife chose to get out of position and away from his protection. In that moment, her husband was preventing her from seeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So she positioned herself to see behind him. She had to put her eyes on what she was hearing with her ears. In her mind, she had to see what was going on. Her desire to look back cost her her life. It cost her husband his wife. And it cost her daughters the blessing of having their mom in their lives. The cost of looking back is way more than it seems in the moment of the pressure to backward focus.

DEVILISH DEVICES: UNFORGIVENESS

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Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Cor. 2:11

Your adversary wants to be at an advantage over you. Surprised? Right? I’m sure you’re not surprised that he wants the advantage over you, but you may not be aware of how he will get it. This verse is part of a letter wherein Paul is telling the church to forgive and love “if any have caused grief.” Paul tells them to prove or confirm their love for the one(s) who did them wrong.

You see, when someone fails another and causes them grief, in particular a repentant person, there’s a tendency to feel unloved or unwanted. Paul recommended that the church at Corinth confirm their love for the one who wronged them. I know it seems it should be the other way around, but it’s not. It is the responsibility of the offended person to show love to the offender. This is to be done for one reason, you do not want to give the devil the advantage over you or your brother for that matter.

Many people think the chief device the devil uses is people doing things against you, and I admit that is indeed harmful. But have you considered that this may not be the enemy’s endgame? What the enemy is truly after is your unwillingness to forgive. The devil does not have an advantage over you by someone mistreating you, but he does gain the advantage over you through your very own unforgiveness and lack of love toward that person.

Here is why. God is love. When you are walking in love, you are walking in God’s realm and this is a position of power wherein you reign, regardless of what others may do with the intent to harm you. However, Satan doesn’t have the advantage at that point. He either is advantaged or disadvantaged based on your response. So every temptation the devil brings your way is really about moving you out of love and/or forgiveness in order to defeat you.

It’s kind of like checkers. Your opponent makes a move to make you think he wants you to make a certain move. But actually, he’s wanting you to make a move that will let him jump 3 of your game pieces. They may have sacrificed one checker to gain the advantage in the game. So when the enemy entices someone to harm you, his goal was to get you to retaliate or hold bitterness.

HOW DO YOU GAIN THE ADVANTAGE?

In order to keep your position of advantage, you must forgive the person who wronged you, just as God in Christ has forgiven us. Does this mean that you go to lunch with a person who abused you? No, it does not. But it does mean that you are not harboring hatred toward the person in your heart.

MEDITATION AND DESIRE

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1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 1:1-2

Your meditation should be consistent with your desire. Psalm 1 speaks of delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating in the law consistently…day and night. In this context, the subject is the law that should be delighted in and meditated upon.

This, I believe, should be a rule of thumb. Do not meditate on anything that you do not delight in. When it comes to relationships, find that thing about them that you delight in and meditate on that. When it comes to work, find that thing about it that you delight in and meditate on that. When it comes to events of your life, find that thing about the event that you love, and meditate on it. Let’s take a look at another Scripture.

MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

The thing that we need to learn is that not everything deserves our continuous thought. We tend to think that if something is true, then it merits our perpetual attention. However, a thing being true does not mean that we should think about it for an extended amount of time. The verse above suggests that the things we think about or meditate on should fit all the criteria above. How much depression would we remove from our lives if we only followed the advice given in this verse? So the next time you feel overwhelmed, take note of the kinds of things you’re thinking about and make adjustments as needed.