Take Hold of Today

Philippians 3:12-14

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

“Forgetting what is behind” … for me, this may be the biggest revelation that set me free. God has forgiven me for all of my past. He is not holding my past against me, so why should I? I used to say “I can’t forgive myself”; but, God showed me that the Blood of Jesus was good enough for Him to forgive me, so who am I to say I can’t forgive me? That would mean I am better than God?

Stop letting your past impact today or ruin your future. Let your tombstones be stepping stones. You must live today and look forward to tomorrow. Memory allows you to re-live your past, but it can become your jailer! Don’t hold on to what God has let go!

God is an omnipresent God which means He is everywhere present all the time. You can only have a relationship with the Father in the present. He was in your past. He will be in your future. But, He is always only available to you in the ever present now.

If the enemy keeps you living in the guilt, shame, regret and remorse of your past, you cannot enjoy God in the present. Put the past in the past and let it stay there.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Tell the Father you want to take hold of today. Thank Him for forgiving your past.

Dive Deeper: Study Philippians 3; Isaiah 42:9, 43:18; Genesis 19:26; Luke 9:60-62.