How many decisions have you not made because of your memory? Every second you dwell in your past is a second you steal from your future. Watch as Pastor Keion uses the story of Paul in Philippians 3:12–14 to teach you how to press forward despite the circumstances.
Also, I am apprehended by Jesus Christ. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind me and reaching forth unto those things which are before me. I press-everybody see? I press! Didn 't I tell you, Cindy, that’s what I was talking about when you said you gotta press? I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. I hear a lot of people say, «I press toward the mark of the prize,» and they stop. But where is it? It’s of the calling of God and in Jesus Christ. The prize is connected to the call. You just can’t press to get the prize; you also have to be in the call. And where is the call? It’s in Christ. So this prize that we’re talking about is not for non-believers. Are you with me today? In order for you to understand what I’m discussing today, you’re going to have to be in Christ. Do I have anybody in here who is in Christ? Now, those of us who are not-don’t tune me out because I have enough gospel in this sermon to ensure that if you’re not in Christ, by the time we finish, He is the hope of glory, and you can be in Christ. My prayer is that by the time we leave here today, everybody will be saved. Amen!
I want to talk on this subject: he says, «I’m forgetting those things which are behind me; I press toward the mark.» I want to preach on this subject: the misery of memory. We need to talk about the misery of memory because one of the hardest things that human beings have to deal with is that, no matter how hard you try, it’s tough to forget. Am I not helping anybody so far? You have tried everything you can. You have numbed yourself; you have overridden it, right? You did all that stuff. You 've done everything you could. Ramar said he’s starting already; I read your lips. He says you’ve done everything possible, and at least five people, like five, five people, I know I’m in the right house. You 've done everything: you’ve fasted, you’ve prayed, you’ve cried, you’ve swung-you’ve changed your diet. You did everything you could, but whatever that thing is, you can’t shake it. If that’s you, let me give you a high five on the way down! So you’re going to learn today: the misery of memory.
Can I just be upfront and transparent and put myself out there before you get a chance to do the same? I’ll tell you that one of the things I 've struggled with over my life is regret. My mind is made up: if I see something and don 't act on it, I struggle with the fact that I’ll never be able to do it again. Regret- I hate missing opportunities. If I could think of one thing that frustrates me more than anything, it’s having not done something I know I should have done. Like, if there was a piece of property the Lord spoke to me about investing in and I acted with no faith, being cheap, and then I find out about a property my wife and I talked about last week-it was fifty thousand dollars when we first looked at it. We played around and then found out it’s worth two hundred and fifty thousand today! If I had listened to what God said then, I could have made a $200,000 profit from a two-second decision. For some of y’all, I’m just going to say one word, and you’ll know what it means: Dumbo! Only a few of you, I know you get it. How many of you understand what I’m saying? Just a few-yeah, okay, okay, okay.
How many decisions have you not made because of your memory? How many things did you know it was God, or perhaps you thought it was intuition or whatever it is? You didn’t do it. Why not? Not because it wasn’t a good deal, but because of your past experiences. Let me tell you something-experience is good, but it can also be bad. Experience may lead you to make old choices with new opportunities. Sometimes God is saying, «Behold, I do a new thing,» but the reason why you can’t embrace a new thing is that you keep thinking about an old thing. I want to give you a new opportunity. I want to give you a new relationship, a new job, a new opportunity, and a new circle of friends. Yet, you still have the same anxieties. So is it the opportunity, or is it you? Personally, I’ve had many influxes of regret, thinking if I knew then what I know now, I would have made a different decision. But then I realized it is neither proper nor sane to beat yourself up over something you could not change, because the past is the only part of life you cannot influence.
You can do something about your present right now if you choose to. If you’re in a bad mood, you can decide to feel good right now. You can choose that, no matter what happens tomorrow, you will wake up with joy. But you cannot change how yesterday went. Are you with me so far?
