Scripture
".....but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13-14
We had a lively discussion about salvation in our Sunday School community. One of the questions that was posed was this: "If we witness God's hand on our lives, why do we continue to lament about challenges when they arise?" We've seen how He has made a way, He's opened doors, and even provided for us. However, we tend to find ourselves in angst when new circumstances are presented. Believers gave answers such as a lack of belief and the reality of the problems outweighing our memories of God showing up the last time. These were authentic answers to the question. At the core of our salvation is our belief. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him." Do we cultivate a foundation of belief? Is our faith growing stronger with each victory? Or, is our focus on the problem or even the last miracle we received? It is possible to become complacent in our previous success, Beloved.
Paul is forgetting everything, the failures and the successes, and He's focusing on Christ. What he was saying was, these are not the things to focus on; our focus should be on the creator and author of our story. We'll find ourselves in the same cycle of praying for situations to work out, for favor, or healing. He'll come through for us, we breathe a sigh of relief, and wait for the next thing to arise, only to pray again. We'll keep doing this until we intentionally put our focus on the One who delivered us, healed us, opened doors for us, and provided for us. Yes, we praise Him for the victories, but our focus is on Him. With each situation He brings us through, our faith should increase, but we move forward with Him. We don't dwell on past situations, failures, or successes. They are only memories on the journey. We only learn from them, not live in them. That way, when something else comes along, our faith is firmly fixed. Because we focus on the blesser and not the blessing, when challenges come, our faith won't waver.
He has proven to be consistent, and His love is unchanging. The truth of what He's spoken over our lives is not contingent upon the situations we face. Beloved, don't get stuck in yesterday. Focus on the Lord, not the situations, whether good or bad. Cultivate a foundation of faith so that when situations arise, you're not moved, but you're steadfast in Him.
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