DO YOU SEE YOUR PAST IN YOU HEADLIGHTS OR YOUR TAILLIGHTS?

Philippians 3:13 (KJV)

but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before

·       The first message I ever preached as a Bible College student was on these verses at my home church.
 
Here is something to always remember:
 
YOU CAN’T GO FORWARD IF YOU KEEP GOING BACKWARDS
You are stuck in the past and that’s never a good thing!
 
So, if that describes you let’s get you unstuck?

          My dad has a friend who is in his eighties and who knows the Lord and has had what we would call a successful life. He had a good job and a loving family. Yet just about every time my dad’s talks to him; he is talking about his dad walking out on him when he was a young boy and how this affected the family. Was his family affected? Absolutely. So, what’s the problem Scot? Why is that a problem? Do the words get over it mean anything. This happened decades ago. This should not be coming up in conversation every time.
 
1.   You must deal with your past
      (forgetting those things that are behind)
 
·        My observance is that people who don’t deal with this kind of crisis with the Lord’s help and put it to rest and get some peace about it are stuck in a rut. They can not move forward in many areas of their life. It’s almost like they are frozen in time there.
 
·       You must put the past behind you in two ways
 
·       If you dwell on your defeats you will be depressed.
 
·        If you dwell on your victories you may live in the past and do nothing in the present or future.  Folks, God didn’t mean for us to retire Spiritually, your final years on this earth should be your best. 
 
2.  This is a Powerful Freeing Promise for you
 
Romans 8:1 (ESV)

1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
 
GOD SPOKE TO MY HEART AND SAID "NOW" IS SO IMPORTANT TO REALIZE. 
​It's not next year; it's NOW
 
God isn’t the one condemning you
 
John 10:10 (ESV)

10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

·       It’s either the devil or your own mind working against you or both

·       God comes to give you abundantly life and the devil comes to take it

3.   To Go Forward You need to have a vision
 
      (reaching forth unto those things which are before)
      (and he also said this ONE THING I do)
 
·       God has a plan for your life
​
·       Let me say this first: you need to know God intimately that’s more important even than the plan

·       Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

18  Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
 
      God has a plan for each of us

​-       Jeremiah 29:11(KJV) 

11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  
 
God showed me this is the key to Jeremiah 29:11 is found in verse 13:

Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)

13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

         It is my personal experience and testimony and it lines up with God’s Word

        You must seek me with all your heart to find me and if you don’t you won’t. (there’s           a price tag attached to the promise

       No more living in the past and get out of neutral and press toward that mark like Paul        said

IF YOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART YOU WILL FIND HIM AND IF YOU DON’T YOU WON’T; IT'S AS SIMPLE AND IMPORTANT AS THAT!
 
It’s time to put your past in the taillights and your future in the headlights!