What does your face point toward when you wake up? What does the first hour of the morning reveal about the direction your life is oriented?
Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)
Imagine an athlete preparing for a competition. Every morning when he wakes up, he has one major focus in mind, and that is, “there is something ahead that needs to be prepared for”.
That focus influences everything about the athlete. It influences when he wakes up, what he eats, how he trains, and even what he pays attention to.
Perhaps he had a terrible session the day before, didn't perform as well as he expected, or lost previous competitions and felt disappointed at some point. When he wakes up in the morning, he lays every other thing aside and realigns his focus because he knows that there is something ahead.
In the same way, there are moments in your walk with God where you must make a conscious decision to put your focus ahead and not look back. You may have made a mistake; you may have experienced disappointment, but you can tell yourself that you will not allow what is behind you to determine where you are going. Set your face towards what God has placed ahead of you.
Luke 9:51
New King James Version
51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
The phrase “set his face” used in this text is taken from the Greek word “sterizo”, which means to establish, to make immovable. Jesus knew what was waiting for him. He knew the suffering that lay ahead, yet he didn't turn away. His focus was firmly set.
This is something you must understand. The quality of your forward movement is determined by whether your face is actually forward. You cannot move effectively toward what is ahead while constantly giving your attention to what is behind.
Looking back does not necessarily mean physically returning to where you came from. Sometimes, looking back means allowing the old to occupy your attention while you are trying to move ahead.
Sometimes, the past can be very loud. A mistake can keep replaying in your mind. A disappointment can make you afraid to try again. A failure can make you question whether you are actually capable of becoming what God has called you to be. You may even find yourself comparing where you are now with where you thought you would be by this time. But you must constantly set your face forward.
Luke 9:62
New King James Version
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Plowing is an act done by farmers, and it requires steady attention. If the farmer keeps looking back while plowing, his attention will be divided, and the work will not be done properly. Jesus used the plow as a picture of following Him.
Once you've decided to follow Christ and you consistently keep looking back to your past, your attention will keep being taken away from what God is calling you into. This doesn't mean you shouldn't learn from your past experiences; rather, it challenges you not to allow what is behind you to control how you move towards all God has for you ahead.
Philippians 3:13-14
New King James Version
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul had a very significant past. He had persecuted the church and had been involved in causing great harm to believers. He also had experienced great suffering and hardship in his ministry, but he says something very powerful: “forgetting those things which are behind”. He refused to allow his past, whether past failures or even achievements, to become the thing that determined his present direction.
Another thing he also says: “Reaching forward to those things which are ahead”. He knew that there was still more ahead of him. This must be your disposition as a believer every single day.
Lastly, you must understand that setting your face is a daily act. It is a consciousness you must have every morning when you wake up and every night when you go to bed.
What does your face point toward when you wake up? What does the first hour of the morning reveal about the direction your life is oriented?
From today, you must learn to set your face towards what is ahead and do not look back, not because you are strong enough to do everything on your own, but because you know who goes ahead of you.
Prayer
Father, help me to set my face firmly towards all that You have prepared for me. Help me not to be distracted by past failures or disappointments. Keep my eyes fixed on You, knowing that You have gone ahead of me.
