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.