Day 10: Reaching Forward to What Lies Ahead
Philippians 3:13–14 — 13 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, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
There is the story of the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez. The story goes that he was given the charge to go into Mexico to claim the great Aztec treasure and take over the territory. On arriving, Cortez instructed his men to burn their boats, leaving no way out except that the men would take over the control of the territory. In other words, Cortez knew as long as the men had a means of escape that it could present a temptation to the men to turn back short of their goal, if things got difficult.
When moving toward a goal, we must eliminate all exit strategies. As long as we have an exit strategy in our back pocket, the desire to press forward will be diminished when the journey presents unexpected trials and difficulties. We must turn every crisis into an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and God’s faithfulness. Each obstacle we encounter will give us two options: to either press forward and continue on or to look back and retreat.
As we continue in the second half of our fast, we must not look back except to benefit from what we have learned. We must “burn every boat” that entices us to a premature escape from our journey and realize that the only option is to continue on and obtain the prize. Keep your focus on what lies ahead knowing that God’s call comes out of your future and not your past. Charge On!
Hebrews 11:15–16 — 15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. 16 But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a better andmore desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them. (Amplified)
