In Part 1 we took a look at the following statement made by the Apostle Paul: "forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead". I said that this was a big statement considering everything he did to the church. I believe he may have been referring to a time when he experienced times where the devil must've bombarded his mind with thoughts about his past in an attempt to get him off track, to question his salvation, to second guess his calling and assignment. That in that statement, in order for him to have moved on from his past mistakes, he not only had to accept God's forgiveness, but he also had to forgive himself.
The devil will try that same tactic on us, getting us to dwell on the past, dwelling on past mistakes, wishing we had made better choices. We can allow it to dictate to us how and where we ought to end up in life instead of allowing the word and love of God to determine the course of our lives. We may end up becoming so focused on the past that we allow it to rob us of all there is to enjoy today. We can allow it to consume our thoughts, causing stress, discouragement and depression to a point where it can hold us captive and cause us to miss out on what God desires for us.
So in addition to accepting God's forgiveness and forgiving ourselves, the second thing that stands out about that statement, was Paul's attitude to move forward. Whilst the above temptation from the enemy may be very true, and even though we may find ourselves thinking this way from time to time, the guidance we get from the Holy Spirit is to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead! To press on! Knowing that we may not be able to change what happened yesterday, but we can change how we respond, and how we allow it to affect us from moving forward.
Our past doesn't have the final say over our lives! So we shouldn't let it determine how the rest of our lives will play out! We take control over the remainder of our days. It starts with forgiving ourselves, moving on from the regret of the past, and focusing on all that God can still achieve in and through us in the days, months and years ahead!
We must take on this attitude, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.
A race isn't judged by how it begins, but how it ends!
If you had a bad start you can still have a great finish!
So run your race and embrace the love God has for you. He's still on the throne, He's still with you, He's still good, and the promises He's given you haven't changed - His word/will still has the highest and final say! So Begin Again my friend and focus on Finishing Strong!
Amen!