Don't Allow Your Past Too Put Hold on Your Future

Intro: We are living in an age where everyone is looking to their past to explain or excused their behavior in the present. While we have made it a science digging into the past to understand ourselves we need to remember that only Jesus Christ can heal the past and move us forward and living in the present and future with a new life.

While the world emphasizes looking backwards in our text Christ emphasizes looking forward. We are now new creatures. The old has passed away and the new have arrived, so, how does one forget the past? ... The term "Forget" in our text means disregard past Failures.

It is God's Spirit in us that gives us the strength and power to move forward no matter what the failures in our lives. Healthy People learn from the pass rather than live in the past. There are several things in our text that will help us move forward let us consider the following.I. Our Present Position - Philippians 3:12a:

A. His Performance - Philippians 3:12a:

Paul is evaluating his present state of life by announcing the fact that at the present he has not arrived at perfection. His performance in the present is still imperfect. He hasn’t been made perfect yet but he is not what he uses to be either.B. His Pursuit - Philippians 3:12b:

Paul's meaning here is clear while it would be easier for him to feel terrible and beat himself up about his past; however, he decided to move pass the past into better things in his future. The cost of dwelling on his past would have paralyzed his present and terminated his future walk with God.Note: There is no going back so don't waste time trying to undo what can't be done. Past failures are to ask God for forgiveness, accept his forgiveness and move on with your life.

II. Personal Plan - Philippians 3:13:Paul acknowledges his need for further progress and then he shares with us the secret on how he has made it through this period of life.III. Pursuing the Prize - Philippians 3:14 Note: The direction of the pressing is forward and not backwards. Some people go in the wrong direction when they allow their past to plague them with guilt and pain. Moving forward required effort on our part because we know that there is a prize that awaits us. The prize is to have eternal life with Christ.

Conclusion: Everyone has past failures. If you dwell on the past you can get stuck there. The only way you will have success is to keep focus on the prize and never allow your past to put a hold on your future.