Forgetting What is Behind…
A scripture and a thought has been on my mind today and for awhile—
“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” Philippians 3:13
The part that seems to get my attention is forgetting what is behind. Paul wrote this scripture and we know that he was a mighty man of God, an Apostle, a man who wrote a lot of the New Testament and loved our Lord and Savior Jesus with all his heart. He had been caught up into the third heaven and experienced many miracles. Yet, we cannot forget that Paul had been a notorious sinner who persecuted Christians and only God knows what else before he repented of his sins.
I find it interesting that Paul said this ONE THING. In other words, we put a great emphasis on it and it was in two parts. Let’s look at the first part: One thing – forget what is behind.
Sometimes forgetting is hard to do. Things plague our mind whether it is our past sin, someone else’s sin, slights, hurts, our childhood, embarrassments, failures—a myriad of incidents, obsessions, fixations, issues.
One thing we do know—if we don’t forget those things then we are being robbed of our joy, victory in Jesus, our calling, even our health. Our eyes and hearts are pulled backwards instead of forwards to Him. Just ask Lot’s wife how dangerous that can be—she was turned to a pillar of salt when she looked back, didn’t forget.
How do we forget? It is not in our nature to forget but with God’s help we can be more than we are and can supernaturally forget. I am not going to say it is easy but it is paramount to our well-being and Victory as a Christian.
We cannot say, “I am just not going to think about those things anymore!” It might work for a little while but that is not God’s way. We need to recognize that God doesn’t want us dwelling on the past! It is all right to mention the past or reminisce but it is not all right to let the past rule our minds and emotions.
To Supernaturally Forget:
First, if you need to repent of your sins, go before God and ask forgiveness. Believe His word when He says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Do not let the enemy of our soul (the devil) plague you with former sins. You cannot go back but you can go forward. God has forgiven you and forgotten your sin, you forgive yourself and put it in the past, cast it in the sea of forgetfulness. (Micah 7:19) Believe Him!
If you have hurt someone else then maybe you need to ask them to forgive you. Sometimes we have to make restitution before we can move on.
Root out any old bitterness, hurts, sin. Search your heart and memories to see if there is any old thing in there then with God’s help pull it out. Ask our Lord Jesus Christ to pour his cleansing blood into your heart and fill you up with right thinking and a right heart.
Secondly, fight the enemy with the correct thinking and speaking. Don’t just think it, say it! Speak the scripture. If you are plagued by past sin, say, “I am forgiven, I am a new person in Christ!” If you are plagued by past hurts done to you, say, “I forgive, I will put it in the past. I will not hold on to their past actions!” Do you get the idea?
2 Cor. 10:4 & 5, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Third, consciously make a strong, daily even hourly effort to bring your mind in line with God’s Word.
Remember Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
How do we take every thought and make it obedient to Christ? We get the Word of God in us, we read our Bible, pray, speak the scriptures out loud.
Three ways to supernaturally forget and go forward in your life is to repent, think and speak aloud scripture appropriate to your situation, and finally, make your main #1 desire in life to forget what is behind and then go forward in Christ.
Beloved, say with Paul and me, “I supernaturally forget what is behind and I will press and reach forward by the power of Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ, to what great things our Savior has for us this year! Hallelujah!!!”