"12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)
This was the text scripture of the message from the National Head, Apostle Emmanuel A. Quaye, as he spoke on the theme “Pressing on the Higher Grounds” at the October edition of the National mega watch night of the church.
Apostle admonished that there are many people today whose victories are in the past and their stories always tend to begin with statements like “when we were”, “when I was” etc, but God is calling us to establish ourselves to give us victory ahead as we press on.
The National Head explained that when Apostle Paul was talking about pressing on to higher grounds in Philippians 3, he was not in the most beautiful moments of his life. These were moments when Paul was chained, and imprisoned, with his freedom taken against him but Paul pressed on.
Apostle advised the church that the world is in turbulent times with crises in leadership, economies, politics, war, etc. In homes, some are facing challenges with finances, and marriages, among others but the church shouldn’t give up because He who has called us is faithful and will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24). The Christian shouldn’t give up in these times but press on to higher grounds!.
He mentioned that higher grounds could mean different things to different people. For some people, it is realizing their potential, for some people, it is prevailing the stagnation in their life, for others it is about moving on to things that are more valuable, and for some, it is about an elevation to a new dimension in the spiritual realm.
Apostle Emmanuel Quaye advised that to be able to move on to higher grounds, we have to put things of the past behind us. Sometimes Christians struggle to move on from some failures, we are unable to forget the mistakes of the past and that could challenge the higher grounds God has prepared for us. He used a message from Hebrews 12:1-2 (Throw Off Everything That Hinders) to admonish us to let everything from the past that could be standing blocks to the higher grounds God has prepared for us. Paul, the Apostle had challenges in his past, the death of Stephen and the times that he arrested innocent Christians. But Paul prayed and allowed these things to go because he understood that the race ahead of him required spiritual fitness.
The National Head used the unending challenges that Joseph faced to advise the church. When God visited Joseph and became an important figure in Egypt, he remembered all that God has done for him and did not allow the negatives to distract him. When Joseph gave birth, he named his son “Manasseh” meaning God has helped me to forget my pain.
Let’s continue pressing on to higher grounds!
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