REACH FORWARD

12/23/2025

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”

—Philippians 3:13

Everyone has moments they wish they could redo—choices they wish they had made differently or paths they wish they had avoided. But the most important question is not what you did or did not do. The real question is: what are you doing now?Dwelling on the mistakes of yesterday will not improve your life unless you allow those moments to become learning tools that propel you into a more fulfilled future. When unchecked, dwelling on the past opens the door to depression, frustration, low self-esteem, anger, bitterness, rejection, confusion, and even destruction.

The good news is this: you still have an opportunity before you. What will you do with it? How will you use this moment to step into the fullness of God’s dream for your life?

Child of God, failure is not who you are. It is an experience—one that can either imprison you or educate you. You can allow it to define your present negatively, or you can allow it to become a springboard for wisdom, growth, and maturity. You always have the power to rewrite the story of your past by the choices you make moving forward.

Jonas Salk, the man who developed the polio vaccine, reportedly tried over two hundred times before succeeding. When asked how it felt to fail so many times, he replied, “I was taught not to use the word failure. I simply discovered two hundred ways not to vaccinate polio.” He refused to let setbacks stop him. Each attempt became another step forward. Every time he “failed,” he reached forward.

As the year draws to a close, you may look back and feel as though you have not accomplished much—or that you have failed yet again. But the closing of a year is not the closing of your life. God is not governed by human calendars. Scripture is filled with testimonies of situations that appeared impossible to men but were made possible by God. He can accomplish in one day what could not be achieved in many months.

Child of God, your life is far bigger than a single event or season. Refuse to soak in the bathtub of yesterday. Get up and reach forward—there is more to your story. There is still fire in your belly. The Apostle Paul declared that although he had not yet arrived, one thing defined his life: forgetting what was behind and reaching forward to what lay ahead.

When the winds of life blow against you—reach forward. When you don’t feel strong—reach forward. When disappointment tries to revisit—reach forward.

Reach forward in the direction of God’s Word. Confess what the Word says about you. Allow the Word of God to propel you into your glorious destiny in Christ. You no longer have to guess your way through life—His Word is your sure guide.

Lean into it and declare, “I have had enough. My future is worth fighting for. Jesus died for me, and I will become the best version of who God created me to be.”

God bless you.

Faith-Filled Confession

My life is beautiful and glorious. I am not defined by my yesterday. Forgetting the past, I reach forward into my glorious destiny. Great and glorious things are spoken of me.

Hallelujah!