No Reverse, Just Move Forward

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 ESV

Good Morning Girlfriends:

As a little girl my mother would take my sister and I to church each Sunday that she didn't have to work, so we could all about this man called Jesus who loves us. I remember learning Bible verses that we were asked to memorize for the next Sunday, and at the end of the month the child who had memorized their verse each week would get a little prize for a job well done.

After graduating High School and being out on my own, living my own life to which I thought was going to be so great, turned out to go in a different direction because of the choices I had made. Going down a road that was full of darkness, drinking, partying which led to more than one marriage, it was a lonely dark road in which I wanted to get off.

After many years of living a life that was going no where, I realized I had to make a change. I remember at different times during this period of my life, that I would say a little prayer to God, knowing that there is a God that I learned about as a little girl, but even though I didn't live for Him, I still called out at times. It was at this moment in my life that I knew I had to make a change in order for my life to go in a different direction than it was, and that is when I re-dedicated my heart to the Lord and started really living for Him.

When I began reading the Bible for myself, His word really came alive to me of who He really is and how much He loves me. I could see my life taking a turn for the better, but not only that I could see such a great change but my mother had once made a comment to me that once I started living for God, it was like I had been shot through a cannon and I was not slowing down for nothing, and I didn't turn back. I began to shine, I began to clean things out of my life that didn't belong there anymore, books, music, movies, anything that didn't glorify God. I began to have a joy, a peace within myself and others could see it as my new journey began in faith.

Girlfriends, When we give our lives over to God, it doesn't mean that we have it all together and we know everything or do everything just right, it just means that as we read God's word, and the more that we do, we are being transformed through His word, our minds, our way of living, our thought pattern is seeing and doing things in a new way. (Romans 12:2) We talk to others in a different way, we treat others in a more loving way, we have more patience with "hard to deal with situations." As we continue to be in God's word, our faith in Him grows when we understand that when His word's says something pertaining to a situation we may be going through, we believe that He will help us through it. God does not lie and His word is only truth. (Numbers 29:13)

There may be times that we may take a moment to look back at our life to see how far we have come and what we have been brought out of, but God's word tells us in Isaiah 43:18-19 to "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." Some of our stories of what we have been through may be worse than others, but that doesn't matter, it just shows us of the true love of God and how He and only He, can make such a change in a person's life when they surrender to Him. God doesn't want us to think about our old way of living because we don't live there anymore, He doesn't want us to dwell on the things we have done because we are a new creation and the old is gone now.

Many times I have said when you get a hold of Jesus, there is nothing in the old life to go back to and why would a person want to go back, the world has nothing to offer but doom and gloom, but Jesus has eternal life and that's what I am striving for. Striving to be more Christ like, Christ minded, loving like Him, serving like Him, walking the walk and talking the talk. So for me, there is no reverse, it's only straight ahead!

Let's Pray,

Father God, I praise You and I thank You for never leaving me even when I wasn't serving You, I knew You were there. Lord, I thank You for how far You have brought me as I have learned Your ways over the past few years. Lord, I pray for that one who is here today, that has not given their life over to You, I declare that when they do surrender their life to You, that their life will take such a dramatic change for the good that they will be so totally amazed that life could look so good. So I speak to that precious soul to let today be the day for Your miraculous change in the mighty name of Jesus, let Jesus show You how life will be on the other side of darkness as you come into the light in Jesus name, Amen.

Be blessed dear ones and continue to pass the blessings on. Be the extended light in this dark world so that other may see God's glorious light.