One of the hardest things for people to do is rid
themselves of what happened yesterday...good and bad. It seems we are
forever looking back in the rear view mirror at where we can from and all the
difficulties that were a part of the past. I like the words of Isaiah
52:2, "Shake thyself from the dust…” The dust is the
evidence of 'where you came from'. God is simply saying, get rid of the
evidence of your yesterday! Remember at salvation
'old things are past away and all thing become
new." What has come is 'new' not used. The old stuff is gone,
God has made everything new...never been used. We must remember
this...even if we have to daily remind ourselves. Shake It Off!!
Many have stepped into the New Year with the
excess baggage of the past year hanging from them. Having faced some of
the most difficult times of their lives they are finding it hard to "let
go" of "what was" and with hope pursue "what
is".
We, must shake ourselves from the dust of
defeat, demotion, disappointments, discouragement, despondency, depression.
Shake ourselves from the dust of self pity, sadness and sorrow. Shake ourselves
from the dust of poverty and insufficiency, weakness and sickness, oppression
and affliction. Shake ourselves from self-righteousness, bigotry,
religious pride andShake ourselves from the dust whether the Devil likes it or
not.
We must Arise from this
defeatist mentality, and sit down in the heavenly places God has willed for
us.
We must loose ourselves from the chains of
oppressiveness whether Satan or anyone else approves or not.
Shake off the "what was"
of yesterday and pursue the "what is" that lies ahead.
What is ahead is not simply a dream…if is a God
promise....it is reality waiting to be claimed.
Reality is comprised of what is real just
waiting for us to claim/stake a claim on.
Paul's Reality,
Phil. 3:7-12,
a. Prioritizing the now need
with the valuables of the past, v.7 “But whatever former things I had that
might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for
Christ’s sake.”
b. Understanding true
value, v.8 “Yes, further more, I count everything as loss compared to the
possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the
surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
and of progressively
becoming more deeply and intimately
acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more
fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to
be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the
Anointed One),
c. His true pursuits,
v.9-11 “And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not
having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my
obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right
standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness]
which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right
standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith. 10[For my determined
purpose is] that I may know Him [that I) may progressively become more
deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and
recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more
clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing
from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I
may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into
His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11That if possible I may attain
to the [spiritual and moral) resurrection [that lifts me] out from among
the dead [even while in the body].
d. Admitting his need,
v.12 “Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made
perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own,
that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and
made me His own.”
Today each of us stand on the threshold of
extreme possibilities. We can decide to remain
where we are and become nothing more than
a relic of the past ( something that has lost
it’s usefulness and is only good for
looking at) or we can admit our need...see and accept
our strengths...and pursue the prize before us.
IT IS UP TO YOU....
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