Forgetting What is Behind

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra

       

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 forward toward what is ahead. Philippians 3:13

As we begin a new year we can consider Paul’s exhortation as an encouragement to begin the year right. In all our doing that we don’t forget to do this one thing; forgetting what is behind so we can be able to strain forward and grab a hold of what’s ahead.

We forget what’s behind

It’s very easy to live our lives looking through the rearview mirror. But that’s no way to live. We cannot look behind us and see what’s ahead at the same time. We first have to forget what’s behind in order to strain forward to what’s ahead.

We have to forget what’s behind to see the new thing God is doing. We can’t cling to the past and live in the present as well as have a vision for the future.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19

God says…Forget what is behind, don’t dwell on what is in the past, because if you do you will not be able to see the new thing I am doing in your life. He asks, “ Do you not perceive it?” perception means to become aware or to gain understanding. We are only able to perceive what God is doing when we let go of yesterday.

Some of us are asking God for the new thing, yet we are desperately clinging to what is in the past. We are stuck on what happened or didn’t happen yesterday. God gently reminds us that this year, we only strain forward and grab hold of what He has for us when we choose to leave behind what is in the past.

We cease recalling disappointments

Disappointments are a part of life. People will disappoint us. Situations will disappoint us. Our expectations will sometimes be disappointed, but one thing I know for sure is that He will never disappoint us.

Let mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your (righteous)judgments. Consider well her ramparts, go through her palaces and citadels, that you may tell the next generation (and cease recalling disappointments). Psalm 48:12-13 AMPC

The psalmist is talking about taking into consideration the things in our lives that are worthy of praise. He explores the things about zion that make her glad in her God. He considers what is worth rejoicing in her. We can look at our lives and see all the good things God has done. As we do, we also make the purposeful choice to stop recalling disappointments.

We cannot consider the things to rejoice about in our lives and at the same time dwell on our disappointments. We take all our disappointments from last year, bring them before God, and leave them there. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us stop recalling them.

This is the secret to a victorious life, it’s not that we won’t experience disappointments, but that we have learnt the art of ceasing to recall them.

We press on to know the Lord

As we forget what’s behind, we also press on …We press on towards knowing the Lord. This becomes the prize for which we are able to let go of what’s behind us.

Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring. Hosea 6:3 NLT

We cannot press on into the knowledge of God unless we are constantly letting go of what’s behind us. We will be encumbered by the weight of yesterday and be hindered in knowing Him. We lighten our load and forget what is behind to primarily make knowing Him our goal.

What are you pressing on toward this year? My prayer is that in all your knowing that you may know Him and become intimately acquainted with Him.

We press on toward our higher calling

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

We are forgetting what’s behind and exerting ourselves to move forward with the goal of attaining something. We are pressing towards attaining our higher calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It’s not just the things that are not beneficial to us that we forget. We also forget yesterday’s breakthroughs. We forget the revelation of God we received yesterday and we press on toward new levels in God. We decide that what we know is not enough. What we have achieved in God is not enough and make a choice to press forward to the higher calling in Christ.

This was paul’s secret he never was satisfied with where he was in God. He didn’t get to a place of being comfortable with his revelation in God. He continuously pressed on towards what was ahead in every season.

This is what we are doing this year, we are saying what we know about God is not enough, we are going deeper still. We are also saying where we are spiritually is not enough; we are going higher in Him. What we have achieved in God is not enough; we are making it our goal to press on toward our higher calling in Christ.

Make it the goal this year to forget what is behind and to strain forward to what is ahead in God!

Be sure to tell me one thing you are choosing to leave behind and what you are straining towards in the New Year.