{"id":5329,"date":"2019-10-10T14:25:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T19:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jfbelievers.com\/?p=5329"},"modified":"2019-10-10T14:25:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T19:25:36","slug":"walking-backwards-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/10\/walking-backwards-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WALKING BACKWARDS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In\nJuly, 1986, George Holtyzer of Belgium, walked 418 miles in about 6 \u00bd days\u2026backwards<\/em>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have\nyou ever tried to walk backwards? It\u2019s hard. It\u2019s so hard that most people give\nup before they\u2019ve gone very far at all. Even George. As impressive as his\neffort might\u2019ve been, he quit in less than a week, simply because human beings\nweren\u2019t designed to face opposite of the direction in which they travel. The\nshape of our feet, the placement of our eyes, and the arrangement of our toes\nare all indicators that God, when He created us, intended that our focus<\/em> should remain in the very same direction\nthat we walk. Forward<\/em>\u2026Always forward<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PREOCCUPIED\nWITH THE PAST <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most\npeople understand this just fine. They know enough to keep looking onward so\nthat they can see where they\u2019re going, at least in the physical realm. But when\nit comes to spiritual things, many people are walking completely backwards.\nThey try their best to move ahead<\/em> in\nlife, but their attention is always on that which lies behind<\/em> them. They\u2019ve experienced something in the past that has so\nthoroughly captured their attention that they simply refuse to turn away from\nit. They\u2019re convinced that who they are today<\/em>,\nand where they go<\/em> tomorrow<\/em>, has ultimately been answered\nby what they\u2019ve experienced in the past, <\/em>for\nbetter or for worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking backwards…can cripple you over time<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For\nsome it may be the faulty genes they inherited at conception, the negative\ninfluences that shaped them as a child, or a particular trauma they suffered\nalong the way. For others it\u2019s a more positive experience; their \u201cgolden years\u201d\nperhaps, or their college days; their wedding, or the birth of a child. It\nhardly matters whether the details of a person\u2019s past are upsetting or uplifting.\nEither one has the same potential to keep a person so mesmerized by the events\nof yesteryear that they can neither face the challenges nor see the opportunities\nthat lie ahead. Walking backwards might seem exciting at first, and preferable for\na while, but it can cripple you over time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nDANGEROUS JOURNEY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When a person pays greater attention to where they\u2019ve been than to where they\u2019re going (whether physically or spiritually) they\u2019re making the journey far more difficult, dangerous, and inefficient than the Lord meant for it to be. In sharp contrast, modern psychology insists that every problem we face in life is somehow linked to our past. God, however, designed us to move forward<\/em>, with our focus in front<\/em>, not behind<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Philippi saying, \u201cOne thing I do: forgetting what lies behind<\/strong>, I reach forward<\/strong> to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus<\/em>\u201d (Philippians 3:13-14). Apparently, God has \u2018prizes\u2019 for those who get their directions right. That makes Paul a good example for us to follow. Not George. Paul<\/em>. Thanks Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FALLING DOWN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no better way to set yourself up to stumble and fall than trying to walk backwards. A person can\u2019t prepare for the future when they\u2019re still staring into the past. Yet many walk this way, not only because they\u2019ve been captivated by something behind them, but because they\u2019ve got so little to look forward to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritually unambitious, they give little attention to God\u2019s Word which gives them the promise of eternal life. With little or no awareness that their life is eternal<\/em>, they give little or no attention to what lies ahead<\/em> of them. With no eternal perspective, their whole life is wasted with tripping over the smallest of sins and obstacles. Their backward walk with Christ is little more than one injury after another. It\u2019s frustrating for them and for Jesus both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FACING THE FUTURE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

God is very intent that His children get a firm grasp of the\nreality of their spiritual and<\/em> physical\nfuture: \u201cThose who die in the LORD will<\/strong> live<\/strong>; their bodies will<\/strong> rise again<\/strong>! Those who sleep in the earth\nwill<\/strong> rise up<\/strong> and sing for joy!<\/em>\u201d (Isaiah 26:19). Jesus wants us all\nto know that \u201cHe who believes in Me,\nthough he may die, he shall live<\/strong>\u2026whoever\nlives and believes in Me shall never die<\/em>\u201d (John 11:25-26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should we walk backwards through this life when we\u2019ve got so\nmuch to look forward to and prepare for? It\u2019s a foolish waste of time to remain\nunable to \u201creach forward to what lies\nahead\u201d <\/em>because you\u2019re so engrossed with \u201cwhat lies behind<\/em>\u201d\u2026especially since you don\u2019t have<\/em> to! If your \u201cprogress of\nthe upward call of God in Christ Jesus<\/em>\u201d is being hindered, it might be your\nown fault. Nobody walks backward by accident. Not even George Holtyzer. If you\u2019re\ndoing it, it\u2019s because you\u2019ve chosen to. You need to turn around and find your\nstride. Walking backwards for too long will compromise your entire spiritual\nposture.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody walks backward by accident<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not as hard as you think to turn around. Anybody can do it. Some people, like George, realize this after only 6 \u00bd relatively brief, yet agonizing days. For others, unfortunately, it\u2019ll take a bit longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRESSING ON<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s in your past<\/em> is history<\/em>. Have you accomplished\ngreat things for the Lord? Congratulations, but there\u2019s more to be done. Have\nyou sinned? Move on. Have you suffered? Get going. Have you fallen? Get up, get\nsome help, and push ahead. You\u2019ll die soon enough, so there\u2019s no need for you\nto live like it\u2019s already happened. Time is running short for all of us, and\nthe only chance you have to invest in your own afterlife is now while you live.\nDon\u2019t waste your time. Serve<\/em> Jesus, fight<\/em> the fight; run<\/em> the race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can spend your time walking backwards if you like, or you can\nmarch ahead like Jesus who, \u201cFor the joy\nset before<\/strong> Him<\/em>\u201d endured the\ngreatest trauma known to any living being in history. Nothing stopped Him<\/em> from going forward. May we all,\nwithout distraction, move forward like soldiers, undeterred by the experiences\nand events of yesterday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In July, 1986, George Holtyzer of Belgium, walked 418 miles in about 6 \u00bd days\u2026backwards! Have you ever tried to walk backwards? It\u2019s hard. It\u2019s so hard that most people give up before they\u2019ve gone very far at all. Even George. As impressive as his effort might\u2019ve been, he quit in less than a week, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pastors-notes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}