You can’t move forward if you stay focused on your past. Let go of past mistakes and regrets and press forward to the amazing future God has for you!

>> VICTORIA: AMEN.

IT IS SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU IN

CHURCH TODAY.

YOU MAY BE SEATED.

PRAISE GOD.

YOU KNOW, I FIND IT SO

INTERESTING TO HEAR PEOPLE

GIVE THE SECRET TO THEIR

SUCCESS.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WILL SAY,

“THERE’S THAT ONE THING THAT

I DID,” OR YOU PICK UP A

MAGAZINE AND YOU SEE, “WHAT

IS THE SECRETS TO THEIR

SUCCESS?”

AND THEY’LL LIST THEM.

BUT YOU ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW

WHAT’S THAT FIRST THING?

WHAT’S THAT ONE THING?

I ALWAYS LIKE TO JUST KIND OF

LEARN FROM PEOPLE.

I LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THEY’RE

DOING.

THE BIBLE SAYS, “IRON

SHARPENS IRON AS ONE MAN

SHARPENS ANOTHER.”

THE APOSTLE PAUL, WHO WROTE

THREE QUARTERS OF THE NEW

TESTAMENT, SHARED HIS SECRET.

HE SAID, “THERE’S ONE THING

THAT I DO.”

YOU CAN FIND IT IN

PHILIPPIANS 3:12.

HE SAYS, “THE ONE THING I DO

IS FORGETTING THE THINGS THAT

ARE BEHIND AND PRESSING

TOWARDS WHAT IS IN FRONT OF

ME.”

SEE, THE APOSTLE PAUL KNEW

WHEN HE WAS LOOKING BACK, HE

COULDN’T PRESS FORWARD.

HE SAID, “I LET THE THINGS GO

THAT ARE BEHIND ME.

I DON’T LOOK BACK.”

WHAT HE WAS SAYING WAS, “I

DON’T GO BACK TO MY OLD

MISTAKES.

I DON’T RELIVE MY FAILURES.”

HE SAID, “THE MOST IMPORTANT

THING, THE THING THAT HAS

HELPED ME THE VERY MOST IS TO

NOT LOOK BACK.”

“DON’T LOOK BACK” WOULD BE

HIS NUMBER ONE STATEMENT.

JOEL AND I USED TO PLAY

RACQUETBALL ALL THE TIME.

WE LOVED THAT GAME SO MUCH.

IT’S A FAST GAME AND MANY OF

YOU KNOW THE GAME OF

RACQUETBALL.

THE COURT, IT’S LIKE A ROOM

WITH FOUR WALLS AROUND IT AND

A CEILING.

IT’S A GREAT GAME, FAST GAME.

YOU PLAY WITH A SHORTER

RACQUET AND A REALLY BOUNCY

BALL.

BUT THERE’S ONE SAFETY RULE

TO THIS GAME THAT YOU MUST

ADHERE TO AND THAT IS, “DON’T

LOOK BACK AT THE BALL.”

YOU CANNOT LOOK BACK AT THE

BALL BECAUSE THAT BALL COMES

WITH SUCH FURIOUS SPEED FROM

THE BACK WALL THAT IT CAN

LITERALLY SMACK YOU IN THE

FACE AND CAUSE YOU INJURY.

A PLAYER WAS PLAYING WITH

RACQUETBALL AND THEY LOOKED

BACK AND THAT BALL SMACKED

THEM RIGHT IN THE EYE AND

THEY LOST THEIR EYESIGHT.

I WAS, LIKE, FREAKED OUT.

LIKE, EVERY TIME I GOT IN THE

COURT, I WAS LIKE, “GIVE ME

SOME GOGGLES.”

I REMEMBER THINKING,

“VICTORIA, LOOK FORWARD.

DON’T LOOK BACK.

PLAY THE BALL THAT’S IN FRONT

OF YOU.

IF IT GOES BEHIND YOU, DON’T

WORRY.

YOU’LL ALWAYS GET ANOTHER

CHANCE TO HIT THE BALL.”

SEE, RACQUETBALL IS A

FORWARD-FACING GAME.

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON

THE COURT, YOU JUST KEEP

LOOKING FORWARD.

YOU JUST KEEP PLAYING THE

BALL AT HAND.

YOU SEE, LIFE IS A LITTLE BIT

LIKE A RACQUETBALL GAME.

YOU CAN’T LOOK BACK AT YOUR

PAST FAILURES, YOUR PAST

MISTAKES.

YOU CAN’T LIVE IN, “I WISH I

WAS, I WISH IT COULD HAVE

BEEN,” BECAUSE THOSE PAST

MISTAKES WILL HIT YOU IN

THE FACE.

JUST LIKE THAT RACQUETBALL

CAN CAUSE YOU INJURY AND

DAMAGE, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK

AND LIVE IN THE PAST, THOSE

PAST MISTAKES CAN CAUSE

DAMAGE.

THEY CAN RUIN YOUR

RELATIONSHIPS.

THEY LOWER YOUR SELF-ESTEEM.

THEY KNOCK THE CONFIDENCE

RIGHT OUT OF YOU.

THEY WILL SMACK YOU IN THE

FACE AND CAUSE YOU TO HAVE

DISTRESS ON YOUR JOB.

THAT PAST WILL NOT HELP YOU

MOVE FORWARD IN THE FUTURE.

SEE, I DON’T WANT MY PAST

SMACKING ME IN THE FACE.

SEE, THAT SOUNDS FUNNY, BUT

THAT’S THE TRUTH.

YOU CANNOT MOVE FORWARD IF

YOU’RE LOOKING BACKWARDS.

YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT

YOUR PAST.

NO ONE CAN.

BUT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT

OUR FUTURE.

WE CAN PLAY THE BALL THAT’S

IN FRONT OF US.

BUT THE BALL THAT’S IN BACK

OF US IS NOT GOING TO HELP US

ANY.

SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU

WITH WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL

SAID.

DON’T LOOK BACK.

IT’S VERY SIMPLE.

WE CANNOT LOOK BACK BECAUSE

IT’S GOING TO GAIN US

NOTHING.

THE BIBLE SAYS THAT GOD WILL

TURN YOUR ASHES INTO BEAUTY.

HE SAYS THAT HE WILL MAKE UP

WHAT THE ENEMY MEANT FOR EVIL

AND HE’LL TURN IT AROUND AND

USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR PAST,

BUT HE CAN’T WORK IN YOUR

PAST BECAUSE GOD WORKS IN THE

NOW.

HE WORKS RIGHT NOW.

SO I ENCOURAGE EACH AND EVERY

ONE OF US TO TRAIN OUR SELF

IN THIS GAME OF LIFE.

DON’T BE TAKEN OUT BY YOUR

PAST.

DON’T BE TAKEN OUT BY THE

THINGS THAT ARE BEHIND YOU.

DON’T ALLOW THEM TO CAUSE YOU

INJURY AND DEFEAT.

DON’T LOOK BACK AT WHO YOU

CAN BLAME, WHY THIS HAPPENED

TO YOU BECAUSE THAT REALLY

DOESN’T MATTER.

THERE’S A BALL IN FRONT OF

YOU RIGHT NOW, AND IF YOU’LL

HIT IT AND YOU’LL SWING AT

IT, YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT.

YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT.

I WAS TALKING TO A MAN THE

OTHER DAY AND HE WAS TELLING

ME HIS STORY.

NOW, IT WAS A PRETTY SAD

STORY.

IT WAS HIS STORY, THOUGH.

HE TOLD HOW HE HAD A HORRIBLE

UPBRINGING.

HE SAW HIS OWN BROTHER BE

MURDERED.

HIS GIRLFRIEND, IN THE PRIME

OF HER LIFE, DIED.

HE SAID, “I WAS A YOUNG MAN

THAT HAD FACED SO MANY

THINGS, I WAS BITTER.”

HE SAID, “I HAD SUICIDAL

TENDENCIES.”

HE SAID, “I WAS IN A BAD

PLACE BECAUSE I COULDN’T

LEAVE WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO

ME.

I COULDN’T GET PAST THE PAST.

I COULD NOT MOVE FORWARD.”

HE SAID, “BUT, SOMEHOW, ONE

DAY, I WOKE UP AND I BEGAN TO

CRY OUT TO ALMIGHTY GOD.

I BEGAN TO SAY, ‘GOD, HELP ME

MOVE PAST WHERE I AM RIGHT

NOW,'” AND HE SAID SOMETHING

ON THE INSIDE OF HIM JUST

GAVE HIM THIS DESIRE TO BEGIN

RUNNING.

HE BEGAN TO RUN.

SO HE WOULD GET UP, PUT ON

HIS TENNIS SHOES, PUT ON HIS

JOGGING CLOTHES, AND HE WOULD

GO OUT, AND HE’D BEGIN TO

RUN.

AND HE SAID, “WHEN I WOULD

RUN, I WOULD IMAGINE MYSELF

SHUTTING THE DOOR TO THE PAST

AND RUNNING TOWARDS MY

FUTURE.”

HE SAID, “IT WAS EVERY DAY

WITH EVERY RUN,” HE SAID, “I

SAW GOD IN FRONT OF ME

HELPING ME.”

NOW, THAT WAS HIS STORY.

THAT WAS HIS WAY.

THAT’S HOW HE PRACTICED

CLOSING THE DOOR TO HIS PAST.

HE SAID, “AS I WOULD REACH

AND PRESS,” HE SAID, “I WAS

ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS IN

MY LIFE THAT I NEVER THOUGHT

POSSIBLE.”

THEN HE BEGAN TO TELL ME, “I

WENT BACK TO SCHOOL.”

HE SAID, “I FINISHED COLLEGE.

I WENT ON TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.”

HE SAYS, “NOW, I PRACTICE

MEDICINE AND THROUGH IT ALL,

I HAVE 35 EMPLOYEES AT MY

CLINIC.”

SEE, HE WAS ABLE TO PRESS

PAST HIS UPBRINGING, THE

CHALLENGES THAT HE FACED.

BUT HE CALLED OUT TO GOD, AND

YOU TOO CAN PRESS PAST

ANYTHING THAT’S TRYING TO

HOLD YOU CAPTIVE.

ANGER, BITTERNESS,

UNFORGIVENESS, IF THERE’S

ANYTHING THAT KEEPS CAUSING

YOU TROUBLE, I WANT TO TELL

YOU TODAY FIGURE OUT HOW YOU

TOO CAN GET PAST IT BECAUSE

YOUR DREAMS CAN COME TRUE.

YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING

GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO

ACCOMPLISH.

BUT YOU’VE GOT TO CALL OUT TO

GOD AND SAY, “GOD, TRAIN ME,

HELP ME MOVE PAST IT.”

YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU JUST NEED

TO QUIT TALKING ABOUT IT.

MAYBE YOU NEED TO GET AWAY

FROM A FEW PEOPLE THAT KEEP

BRINGING IT UP.

MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT

GOD CAN LEAD YOU TO DO THAT

WILL CAUSE YOU TO BREAK

THROUGH AND SHUT THE DOOR TO

THAT PAST.

SEE, TODAY I THINK THAT’S

INCREDIBLE NUMBER ONE SECRET

TO ANY SUCCESS AND TO

MAINTAINING SUCCESS AND THAT

IS WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL TOLD

US IN PHILIPPIANS, TO DON’T

LOOK BACK BUT PRESS FORWARD

AND YOU TOO CAN GAIN THE

VICTORY.

AMEN?

AMEN.

HE’S AN AWESOME GOD.