Gold Coast 4--9-22

Leave The Past And Reach For Your Future

Abraham Left His Fathers House To Be The Father of Many Nations

David Left The Shepherd Boy To be A King

Gideon Left The Safety of the Winepress To Rescue Israel

Forget The Past- Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV) 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)19 .........And rivers in the desert.

Life Can Sometimes Feel Like A Desert Wasteland

“A Way From the Wilderness. River in the Desert”

God doesn't leave us in the desert wilderness- He makes a path/Way from the wasteland.

Forgetting Can Include Forgiving

If you keep focusing on past hurts and injustices often means you haven’t forgiven

Forgiveness is a cornerstone of the Christian faith.

Unforgiveness is living in a desert wasteland. You cant move forward when you have unforgiveness. Marriages, relationships are like desert wastelands when there’s unforgiveness.

Do You Not Perceive It

Perception- The ability to have knowledge wisdom in judging a situation correctly

Perceptive Christians Understand-

Desert Wastelands Are Not Their Destination!

God Has A Pathway Out!

What’s On The Other-side Is New & Better

Being Trapped By Your Past- To lack the understanding that you need to take the path forward from your past

Perceive The New Thing - Israel needed to stop dwelling in the past and understand there were new opportunities ahead

Paul Forgetting The Past Reaching Forward - Philippians 3:13–14 (NASB95) 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what liesbehind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s Past-

1. Failure- Persecutor- Accomplice to Murders- Persecuted,

2. Injustice- Persecuted, Beaten , Betrayed, Ship Wrecked, Left For Dead -

3. Past Success- Great Ministry Success, Miracles, Powerful Ministry Times, Powerfully Used By God.

Living In The Past Holds Back Moving Forward To Your Future - It sucks your energy, passion and drive to reach forward. It immobilises you.

How To Know If Your Living In The Past-

-Its Baggage You Carry Everywhere You Go

-It’s What You Speak About Most

-It’s What You Think About Most

-It’s What You Dream About

Reaching Forward To What Lays Ahead- Paul had a Future

“I Have A Future” -passionate and motivated people believe in their Future to grab hold of His future

Devil- “You Have No Future”- The Lie

God- “You Have A Great Future - The Truth

Illustration- choose someone to demonstrate what it means to reach forward.

You Cant Reach Forward Unless You Change Your Position From Doing Nothing/Doing Something About It

Just Sitting There. It Requires You Get Up Off Your Bum

The Prize- The motivation behind reaching forward

-the reward, accolades an athlete receives.

Call of God- Invitation from God to Serve and Represent God

What’s Your Prize? Fame Fortune Love Acceptance

Money- It never satisfies- John Rockefeller “Just a little more”

Selfish Gratification- meeting everything you want- We will hurt others through our selfishness

Illustration- Booby prizes- taking Genesis to sideshow- everyone got a shiny prize but it was worth only quarter the cost of the ticket- Within an hour the prize had lost its shine and was broken. Genesis had moved onto the next thing with shine at the Fair ground

We can be like that- it might take longer than an hour but…………

If Your Prize is not connected to “The Call of God” its a booby prize. It might be shiny but it won’t give you what it promises

—There’s Honey In The Rock—

Designed For Gods Purpose - You were made with a purpose in mind

You Have A Calling -

God Has Called The Church- Gods Answer To The World- A City On A Hill

Matthew 5:14 (NASB95) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

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Israels Promised Land- Leaving The Past

No more cloud by day or pillar of fire at night to lead them.

No more free meals of manna and quail, supernaturally provided by God.

No more clothes and sandals that didn’t wear out.

No more Moses Leadership- Embrace Joshua .

No More Grasshopper Thinking

Numbers 13:33 (NASB95) 33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”