| _-----Much
can be learned from the ancient hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers”
if we will simply apply it to our lives. Great advice is implied in
the very first word of the title. Onward! A battle cannot be fought
by merely standing still. We must constantly be in a state of moving
forward in our walk with God, or we will become inactive and stagnant.
____ Perhaps we have been guilty of holding
on to a grudge or negative feelings about someone. This becomes a great
hindrance to our spiritual life and prohibits us from marching onward.
Only by letting go of the past can we march onward to the future. It
can also be our insecurities and inhibitions that hinder our work for
the Lord. They cause us to neglect the things we need to be doing while
Satan laughs at our lost time.
_____In John Maxwell’s book on Success
I read about Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins, who was
the only coach to have led his NFL team to a perfect season and a Super
Bowl victory. He had what he called the “twenty-four hour rule.”
After a football game, he allowed himself and the team only twenty-four
hours to celebrate a victory or sulk over a defeat. During that time
they were encouraged to make the most of the experience. But once the
twenty-four hours were over, they had to put it behind them. Good advice!
_____We must learn to let go and march
onward. To live in the present we must let go of the past to press onward
to the future! Only then can we walk in agreement with the apostle Paul
when he said in Philippians 3:14 - I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
What a marvelous reward of our marching onward!
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