By Kim Brooks, author of "He's Fine...But is He Saved?" and "He's Saved...But Is He For Real?" There is a popular saying which states, "begin with the end in mind." Whether that "end" for you is reaching a goal, starting a business, writing a book, successfully raising your children, or simply being the best woman God has called you to be and fulfilling all that He has called you to do, you must keep your eye on the prize as you go forth in God's plan for your life.
The apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13, "...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Paul states that the one thing he does is forget the past, and press on.
No matter what you may have gone through in the past, no matter who may have hurt or disappointed you, no matter how many mistakes you may have made, as long as you sincerely repent before God He will clean your slate and reposition you as if you never got off track in the first place.
Now when I say past I'm not just speaking of last year, and not even last week. I'm speaking of yesterday, because God says in His Word that His mercies are new every morning! Great is His Faithfulness!
Paul also says that he presses toward the mark. The word, "press," in the original Greek means, to pursue, to follow after, to press toward. No matter your present situation, and no matter how many darts the enemy may have thrown at you, you still must endure and press toward the mark.
This reminds me of the woman in the Bible with the issue of blood. Imagine how she must have felt, after having spent all her money on doctors who did not heal her but caused her condition to grow worse, and the shame she must have experienced after being categorized as an unclean outcast in her own community. In spite of her own brokenness, and in spite of the shame, she decided to press on.
She pressed through the crowds of hundreds of people who were following Jesus as He was on his way to heal Jairus' daughter. She knew Jesus was on another mission, but instead of giving up, turning around, and heading back home, she pressed on, saying to herself over and over again, "if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole!" Though her odds of reaching Him may have been slim, she focused on her own need and desired goal, and decided to press. As you continue reading the story in Mark Chapter 5, by the end she does finally reach Jesus, as she touches the hem of his garment and is immediately healed and made whole.
She didn't consider her circumstance, or the fact that she had no money or what some may consider no hope. When she heard that "The Healer" was in town, she decided to seize the opportunity to receive what rightfully belonged to her as a child of God. I can imagine that with every step she took against the crowd, that she saw the victory before she even laid a single finger on his clothing.
When you consider your own personal race toward the mark for the prize, see the victory as you go forth. See yourself smiling, laughing, and praising God as you obtain your own personal prize.
The race is not going to be easy; it will require faith, patience, and
endurance, but know that there is someone waiting to be blessed on the other side of your obedience.
Prove God's Word to be true when it says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me". You can do all things through Christ, but it will require effort, and stamina. It will require perseverance and steadfastness. It will require fortitude, and strength.
The good news is Christ's strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, and when we press on, we are never alone for God is with us every step of the way. He is our present help in time of trouble, and He can lead us through every storm of life. As long as you continue to look to the hills from whence cometh your help, remember that your help comes from God. It is He who giveth thee the ability, the might, and the power, to press on.
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Kim Brooks of Detroit, MI is a minister and author of, He's Fine...But is He Saved? its sequel, He's Saved...But is He For Real? and The Little Black Survival Book for Single Saints. She also publishes a free monthly E-Newsletter for singles entitled, The Single Heart. For more information about her books and ministry, visit www.KimontheWeb.com