Press On and Forget the Past

RAINY DAYS MAKE US THINK AND PONDER DON'T THEY?....Which is why today is a great day for me to share this message God put on my heart to share with you...

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 3:13-14

I , like you, deal with having to leave behind people,places,things. Life is about change, movement, and Jesus said,"Behold! I am making all things new!". That should be enough for us to trust him removing us from situations and placing us into new ones, But for many, including me, I struggle with this....

Ever get consumed by the "what-ifs", the things you lost?...To the point it just immobilized you or depressed you? I think of the scene on Gone With The Wind, where Scarlet tells Ashley, "Don't look back Ashley, It will drag at your heart until all you can do is look back". The Bible warns us against looking back on people,places,things that God delivered us out of. He even warned Lot's wife not to look back on her old life,friends,and family that chose to stay in Sodom. When the angels hurried Lot and his wife and family out of Sodom, Lot's wife turned and looked back , and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

I find that when a person chooses to leave what is hindering them, a lifestyle, a job, a relationship, the familiarity of their home and family when God calls them to leave and serve Him , and they reject the new direction from God? Those things become a curse that drag them down. Anything or anyone we love more than God is IDOLATRY, because we put it before God. It can even be just looking back on past memories and refusing to move ahead. When we do this, we are showing we do not trust God to direct us in our current life. And without Faith in God, we cannot please Him at all.

Whatever God asks us to give up is for our good, And He blesses our obedience. You might be fixating on the memories of what you lost right now. It could be your job, your health, a home, or people. It could even be the familiarity of UNFORGIVENESS, which is a false comfort zone. I ask you to leave it at the foot of The Cross, and ask Jesus to forgive you and help you move forward with his love and grace. The blessings and peace there are far more rewarding and satisfying than the old places of waste,despair,loss, and regret.