Mensa Otabil - Press On
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This is day number 22 of our 40 days of power. As you know, this week we’re talking about breaking barriers. We’ve discussed many things we must do to break barriers, and today we are focusing on pressing on as we seek to break barriers in our lives.
Philippians chapter 3, verse 12: «Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ has also laid hold of me.»
If any verse describes the apostle Paul’s mindset, it would probably be this one. It encapsulates the reason why he was able to achieve so much for the Kingdom of God. This is a man who entered Christianity later in life and faced many disadvantages; he came in as a persecutor. However, he possessed a mindset that didn’t quit, surrender, or settle. That mentality propelled him to take Christianity beyond boundaries and into places where people had never thought the Word of God would reach.
The reason is that Paul states, «I have not attained.» That simple phrase likely holds the key to anything we want to accomplish in life. It’s all too easy for us to feel we have attained or that we have arrived-that we’re successful and have achieved our dreams. But Paul says, despite all he’s done, he has not attained; he has not yet arrived at the place he truly desires to be.
How did he know he had not attained? Because he states that Christ Jesus has laid hold of a place for him. In other words, Paul is saying Christ has shown him what he is meant to become. He has revealed the vision of his future and has outlined the things he is supposed to achieve. All his life, he is pressing toward what Christ wants him to accomplish. He acknowledges that he has not attained it yet. People may applaud him, some may think he has succeeded, and he may even impress himself. However, he is not living for himself; he is living for what Christ has set before him.
There is a goal that God wants you to achieve, and it extends well beyond the small accomplishments you’ve secured for yourself. It transcends your personal comfort. Perhaps you have a house, a car, or a family. If those are all you are looking forward to, then you may feel you have attained, and thus you may not feel the need to press on. But Paul states, «I have not attained.» Because of that belief, he was able to endure trials, rejections, and storms; he persevered through all the disadvantages of life. This man was stoned city after city, yet he kept moving forward because he held this mindset: «I have not attained; I am not there yet; I have not arrived.»
To break barriers in our lives, we must adopt the same mindset. Sometimes you may find that, around you, you are the only one who has reached the heights you have achieved. Perhaps you went to school while none of your friends did, or you attended university while no one else did. You built a house, but nobody in your family has. It’s easy to feel, «I have attained; I have arrived.» But Paul says the reason he keeps going is because he knows what God has for him.Do you know where God wants you to be? Do you know the level He wants you to attain? Do you have an idea of the calling He has placed on your life? Do you understand how much of the world He wants you to reach for Him? How much impact and influence does He desire you to have?
If you don’t have that clarity, you may easily settle for your current achievements. But if you know what God wants you to become, you can always say, with Paul, «Although much has been done, I forget all the things that lie behind me because I haven’t attained. I am pressing on toward the mark of my highest calling.» I pray God will help you discover where you must go, the height you must reach, and what you must attain so that you don’t settle for your current success. There is a place to attain; press on, push forward, and please the Lord.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, you have brought me this far by faith. Help me to press on toward the heights you have set for me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»
Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.