Mensa Otabil - Perseverance
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This is day number 22 of our 40 days of power. 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 will probably be this one. It describes the reason why he was able to achieve so much for the Kingdom of God. This is a man who came into Christianity later and with many disadvantages. He came in as a persecutor, but he had a mindset that didn’t quit, that didn’t surrender, and that didn’t settle. And that mindset helped him to take Christianity beyond boundaries, beyond places that people ever thought the word of God would reach.
The reason is that Paul says, «I have not attained.» I have not attained. That simple phrase probably holds the key to anything we want to do in life. I have not attained, because it’s very easy for us to feel we have attained. I have arrived. That’s how we call it. I’m there. I’ve been successful. I’ve achieved my dreams. I’ve achieved all that I wanted to do. But Paul says, «In spite of all that I have done, I have not attained. I have not arrived yet. I’m no longer at the place I really want to be.» And how did he know he had not attained? Because he says that Christ Jesus has laid hold of a place for him.
In other words, Paul is saying, «Christ has shown me what I’m supposed to be. He has shown me the vision of my future. He has told me the things I’m supposed to achieve. And all my life, I am pressing toward that thing that Christ wants me to achieve. I have not attained it yet. People may applaud me. People may think I’ve done it. I may even be impressed with myself, but I’m not living for myself. I’m living for what Christ has set before me.»
There is a goal that God wants you to achieve, and it is way beyond the little things you’ve achieved for yourself. It’s way beyond your personal comfort. Maybe you got a house, you got a car, maybe you are married, you have children, maybe you are well paid at your job. If that is all you’re looking forward to, then you have attained, and you won’t press on again when you think you’ve attained. But Paul says, «I have not attained.» And because of that, he was able to move through trials, move through rejections, move through storms, move through all the disadvantages of life. This man was hit city after city, but he kept going because he had this mindset: I have not attained. I am not there yet. I have not arrived yet.
So, to break barriers in our lives, we must adopt the same mindset. The thing is, sometimes you may find that around you, you are the only one who’s gotten to the heights you’ve achieved. Perhaps you went to school, but none of your friends did. You went to university; nobody else went to university. You built a house; nobody in your family has built a house. It’s easy to feel I have attained. I have arrived. But Paul says, «The reason why I keep going is that I know what God has for me.»
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 on your life? Do you have an idea of how much of the world He wants you to reach for Him? How much impact He wants you to have? How much influence He wants you to have? If you don’t know that, then you would easily settle for your achievement. But if you know what God wants you to be, then you can always say with Paul, «Although much has been done, I forget all the things that are behind me because I haven’t attained. I’m pressing on toward the mark of my highest calling.»
I pray God will help you to discover where you must get to, the level you must reach, what you must attain so you don’t settle for your current success. There is a place to attend to. Press on, push on, 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.»