forget me...but....

Forgive me....but.....

Have you ever been doing something and you are skeptical about the results, or what you are being told? I remember a time when I was getting an extended warranty for my car, which was already over the warranty period, but extended. Yes confusing. The warranty company said they would do it, committed to it, I paid for it, but I was still skeptical until I got the actual signed contract in place.

We reguarly discount the devil, which I think is really smart on his part. We have boiled him down to some little red character with a pointy tail and horns. But in fact, he is like a lion on the prowl, looking to devour us. He looks for opportunity convince us that we are not actually forgiven, to the point where perhaps we give in and continue destructive behavior.

When we become a Christian, he has lost the battle for our soul. That doesn’t mean, however, he will not try and make life miserable here. He also wants to try as hard as possible to make sure you never share Jesus with anyone else. Those feeling defeated will rarely share the joy of Christ.

Paul encourages us to look ahead, and stop looking behind. If you have ever tried to run, you know that if you are looking back constantly you are not really running as fast as you can! You also have to worry about tripping over something in front of you! Stop! Look forward to the goal that Jesus has set forth. He has already forgiven your past, and you need to do the same. The more you dwell on the past, the more likely you are to miss the prize ahead of you...we are not that good at looking back and forward!

So when you are forgiven, by Jesus, focus on accepting it. When you have been forgiven by a brother or sister, move on. And equally as important, when you provide forgiveness, mean it!

Holding on to our past, not actually forgiving, are tools the devil will use to knock us off the path that Jesus has set in front of us.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬