Dealing With Your Past, Present, and Future
Pastor Steve Highlander

1.       The new year is a natural time to take a break and spend some time being mindful.

a.       WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

b.       WHERE AM I GOING?

c.       WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TODAY TO FACILITATE CHANGE IN MY LIFE?

2.       Practice Mindfulness

a.       Prov 20:27 spirit of man candle of the Lord

b.       Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what is going on in and around you.

c.       Busyness causes us to rush through life without thinking.

d.       MF allows us to stop and contemplate the things of our life on a deeper level

e.       MF allows the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and make connections between causes and actions (symptoms).

f.         MF allows you to act rather than react.

3.       Paul’s attitude and desire drive him. Philippians 3:7-11

a.       Paul’s lack of confidence in his flesh

b.       His desire for genuine righteousness (not self-righteousness)

c.       His desire to KNOW Christ

d.       His desire to experience the power of Christ

e.       His understanding of suffering as it relates to Christian service and maturity

f.         His Understanding that He had been “APPREHENDED” for a purpose by Christ

g.        His desire to “apprehend” the purpose for which he had been “apprehended for.”

4.       Paul’s personal strategy for sustained growth Phil. 3:11-16 Dealing with the Past, Present, Future

a.       The Attitude

                                                                              i.       Awareness that there is more, we have not yet obtained the prize.

                                                                           ii.        Commitment to pressing on, pressing in. Effort.

                                                                         iii.        Tag!!! The goal is to fulfill your God-ordained destiny. (Eph. 2:10)

b.       The Actions: Three wrapped in one experience

                                                                              i.       Dealing with the past

1.       Chained to the past: you can only go so far. (Dog and rubber band illustrations)

2.       Spiritual, emotional and physical energy directed backward.

3.       Forgetting (adjusting the importance) those things which are behind: good and bad

4.       Forgiveness: my own, myself, God, others

5.       Not reminiscing about the glory days

                                                                           ii.        Dealing with your future–Reaching forwards

1.       Reaching requires effort: stretch yourself.

2.       Vision: Jer. 29:11-13 expected end

3.       Proverbs 29:18 without vision people run unrestrained

4.       Ephesians 2:10 You are Gods workmanship, created for good works

5.       Vision gives us a goal and keeps us focused.

                                                                         iii.        Dealing with the present: through diligence

1.       Pressing into the vision

2.       Practicing what you know Philippians 3:16

3.       Examine yourself occasionally. Evaluating where you are.

a.       1 Corinthians 11:28 11:28 Let a man examine himself

b.       2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves…

Galatians 6:4-5 Don’t compare yourself to othersy