Chapter 17
I AM Moving On & Not Looking Back
In Philippians 3:13, Paul wrote, "...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." This should be your resolution as well: I am moving on and not looking back. Now Paul was very aware of the mistakes he had made in his past. In 1 Timothy 1:15 he said, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Other translations say here, "…of whom I am the worst."
Paul was also aware of his own imperfections that were still with him, all the ways he failed the Lord each and every day. Paul realized that he had not yet "arrived," and he also knew there was only one option open for him. He had to press on. He didn't have time to keep looking back at the past, wishing things could be different. In the next verse Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).
Paul had resolved to put his hand to the plow and refused to look back. When plowing in those days, a farmer kept his rows straight by focusing on something off in the distance, such as a tree. If the farmer kept looking back, he would never be able to keep his rows straight. In Luke 9:62, Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." In our Christian walk, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and never take our eyes off Him.
Now imagine yourself behind a big, thick wall - separating yesterday and the rest of your life from today, this very moment. Don't be peeking through the wall, as if it were glass or Plexiglas. It's a solid wall, a 6' thick concrete wall. The past is firmly behind that wall. All your anxieties are behind that wall. All your worries are back there. The wall is sealed. No one and nothing can pass through. You are free of everything behind that wall. Now your mind is empty, because all your negative thoughts are also behind the wall.
Fill up that big empty space in your mind with God's thoughts, with positive thoughts about yourself. Begin to think as God thinks, and to see yourself as God sees you by reading the Word. “…Think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Continue to Chapter 17: Questions
