Decide today to get rid of any “loser’s limps” which you may still be carrying from some past experience. As followers of Jesus Christ, you and I need to break the power of the past to dominate our present and determine our future.
In Luke 9:62, Jesus said, “…No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” If we are not careful, we will allow the past to exercise a great hold on us. The more we look backward, the less able we are to see forward. The past makes no difference concerning what God can do for us today.
That is the beauty of the Christian life. Even when we have failed, we are able to ask for forgiveness and be totally cleansed of and released from our past actions. Whatever hold the past may have on us can be broken. It is never God Who holds us back. It is always our own choosing to allow the past to keep us from living to the fullest in the present and future.
Failure is waiting around the corner for those who are living off of yesterday’s successes and failures. We should choose to be forward-focused, not past-possessed. We should learn to profit from the past, but to invest in the future.
In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul writes: “Brethen, 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, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The key here is “forgetting those things which are behind” in order to reach for “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
To fulfill our calling in Christ, we must first forget that which lies behind. Probably the most common stronghold in a person’s life is his past mistakes and failures. Today is the day to begin to shake off the shackles of the past and move forward.
The past is past. It has no life.
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.
