Moving Forward
Philp 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
PLS NOTE: DO NOT TAKE THE WORD OF GOD FOR GRANTED. Believe every word of God and you move forward continually.
The Meaning of Moving Forward.
To cause or compel someone or something to advance in position or progress.
It means you are willing to continue even during great difficulties.
God wants His people to move forward always and we need to understand why. God did not promise a challenge-free journey, He did not say troubles of life will not raise its head, all He said was that He will be with us during this season.
Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
God knows some of us will not want to leave our comfort zone because of the fear of deep waters and fire, however, He commands us to go forward because our victory whether spiritually or physically lies in moving forward.
God knows our moving forward guarantees going from glory to glory, grace to grace, power to power, and victory to victory, so He made provisions for our weaknesses.
Isa 40:29-31. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Invariably, God is saying no matter what the situation is, keep moving forward.
For example, Exodus 14:15 – And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. Not regarding the sea before them, He commanded forward movement.
A wise man once said;
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Factors that enhance forward movement.
1. Faith in God. Every step in the forward process must be taken by faith because without faith it is impossible to please God who wants to move us forward. Faith is therefore confidence in God until the desired result is obtained. The absence of faith introduces fear. Fear is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.
That is one of the reasons why God encourages us against fear. He says in Isa. 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. With fear in a man’s heart faith disappears and forward movement becomes impossible.
Deut. 1:6 – The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, you have dwelt long enough at this mountain. It’s time to move forward in strong faith, daring and brave faith. This means taking action without considering the danger involved. Examples: David vs Goliath, the children of Israel, and the Red Sea.
“The answer to every adversity lies in courageously moving forward in faith.”
2 Cor. 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2. Be quick to forget past failures and learn not to over-celebrate current successes.
Anyone who will move forward must develop an apparent understanding that no one fails until that individual accepts failure as the final decision.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas Edison
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. An example was Elijah when he kept asking for rain despite negative reports from his servant.
1 Kings 18:41-44 – Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” [ Faith in Action]. So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you.
If you must move forward, develop the capacity to forget past failures and quickly embrace new opportunities. The Scriptures declare in Isa 43:18 – Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old. Let the past remain in the past, move forward. Phil. 3:13,14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. Prov. 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.
A Chinese proverb says; “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”
Disappointments, failures, losses, and bad turns of the past should not stop us from moving forward in life toward our promised destiny. Also, successes or victories in life should not prevent us from moving to the next phase of our lives. Forward movement is continuous onward motion, procession, progress, and progression. No matter what, keep moving towards that desired goal/next level. “It is fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” “It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of success, but success on its own has very little to teach you.” “It is important to pay attention to your failures and learn from them going forward” – Bill Gates.
Do not over-celebrate, keep moving forward. An example was the Amalekites in 1 Sam. 30:16,17 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
3. Keep moving forward in the face of storms. Storms can sometimes look terrifying, they appear like the end of the road, but not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path to success in life. Exodus 14:21,22 – Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So, the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
NOT ALL STORMS ARE BAD.
“Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein.
Maybe you are faced with the storms of life, and your spiritual, physical, marital, or financial life is in a stormy place, please do not stop moving forward, your balance depends on it.
Why do we need to move forward?
1. God commands it. Tell My people to go forward. You have stayed too long on this mountain. Go forward! The month of May as declared by our National Overseer is the Month of Moving Forward through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are moving forward!
2. Our forward movement will attract people to the saving grace of Jesus. When we make forward movement in all aspects of our life, people will ask for the secrets and we will boldly say that it is Jesus. Act 3:1-11 – Peter and John prayed for the lame man at the beautiful gate and he was healed. He began to walk, run, jump in the temple, and people came to see him. When we move forward, people will come to see our Jesus.
3. Our future is better and brighter than our present situation. The plan of God for us is significantly better and greater than where we are now.
Jer. 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
4. Many lives and destinies are waiting for your manifestation. You are on earth for a purpose, and that purpose cannot be fulfilled if you don’t move forward always. Joseph was sent ahead to preserve his generation.
Gen 45:7,8 – And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Some are sent ahead to preserve their descendants and generation, don’t disappoint God, and please, don’t give up. It is too late to stop. Keep moving forward. By the power in the name of Jesus, you will reach your goal, Amen.
Prayer Points.
1. Father move me forward.
2. Give me the grace to take necessary steps that enhance forward movement.
3. Lord by your grace I will reach my goal.
