Phil 3:13- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
In my life I have heard some horror stories of peoples’ past. I have been privy to information that would make great books or movies. Yet these are the true reports of hurting individuals that only have one thing that stands in the way of their present and future growth in God, their vivid past in their memory. Like an ongoing nightmare our past can have a great affect on us. It can literally paralyze us, stun our growth, and cause us to become dysfunctional or discombobulated. The menacing memories of a horrid past can hold our future success hostage without ransom. The graveyard is full of people who never reached their full potential or purpose due to their past. Will you be one of them? Do not let your past tax or victimize you any longer!
Paul consented to the murder and torture of many believers. He was there, and consented, when Deacon Stephen was wrongfully stoned to death for telling the truth (Acts 7:58-59). But on his way to Damascus, Paul had an encounter with Jesus Christ; it changed his life forever. In Philippians 3:13, Paul was not saying that he would forget the things from his past; rather, the Greek word of “forgetting” can also mean to “neglect” or “lose out of mind.” To neglect our past from having power over us would help us to live a victorious life in Christ. Or to lose it out of mind would be to not let our past have dominion over us. Paul without a doubt is the most prolific writer in history. But let it be known that it was the Holy Spirit who helped him get over his past sins, which is what catapulted Paul into success. He reached for the future by allowing his past to be just what it was, the past! Paul set his sights on the things of God, and so should you.