GET UP!!!

Philippians 4:12-14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Get up!!!

Much like myself, the Apostle Paul realized that there was so much more in him than what he knew of. There was more to his purpose than what he had already achieved. He knew that he had not yet completed his journey. Destiny at this point had yet to be reached. Paul knew within himself that he had not yet become all that he could be. Even with all the accomplishments that had been attributed to Paul, he knew that not only was there more to do, but that his past was nothing to hold on to. Paul wrote in the 7th chapter of Romans about the struggle of man. He identified with all of us right here. Even though we want to do the right thing, we don’t. And when we desire to do good evil is always lurking. Paul illustrated the reality that as saved, sanctified and filled as we are... we are still subject to fall. At some point in this journey we will miss the mark and fall flat on our face. At some point we are going to find ourselves right smack in the middle of where we don't want to be. It is impossible to succeed without failure. How would we know what it was to gain if we had no idea what a loss was. How do we know to climb without knowing you’re not at your highest? Paul wrote to the church in Philippi that even though I have made it this far I still have farther to go. But had Paul focused on his failures, he would have missed the blessing of success. Many of us know that where we are, is not where we are supposed to be and instead of moving forward we highlight, and underline, and magnify, and sit and sulk in the fact that we have fallen beneath our expectation. We have not maintained the focus needed to win and along the way we fell off course. Well the great apostle tells us what to do here. He, as great as he was, as gifted and anointed as he was, told us that even he has yet arrived. We look at where others are and assume that since they had the same opportunities and chances as you that you should be in the same place. We measure our success to others and begin to gauge ourselves unfairly. See what God has for you is for you and no one else. God is not only trying to bless you but he intends to use you. And until we are willing to make him priority we cannot operate in the capacity that He himself has chosen for our lives. Some of us measure ourselves not against the state of others but against the state of ourselves. "I should be better than this; I can't believe I failed again". "Woe is me".... Regardless of why you are not where you should be the Apostle Paul writes to you That this one thing I do, FORGETTING those things that are behind me, my successes, my failures, my ups, my downs, what people said, what they thought, where I used to be....Paul says I PRESS toward the mark. See at this point its clear we have yet to hit the mark....... This race is not yet over. Don't count yourself out. Oh no its time to GET UP. Shake the dust off. Roll your sleeves up, tie your laces and get back in the fight. Nowhere in Scripture did it say once you have fallen you can’t get up. Peter found himself in a pretty interesting situation. Walking on water was not at all common to man. Naw in fact it was a little frightening to the disciples to see a man walking on water towards their boat. Little did they know the only reason the seas began to rage their boat began to rock in the first place is because Jesus was getting closer. See when we draw close to God, He gets closer to us. The devil can’t stand this so before you actually get close enough to touch God, all hell breaks loose in your life. Every test and trial becomes over whelming, nothing seems to go right. Too much going on in life to stay focused on your relationship with God. Satan has no intention of allowing you to actually connect with God. And the more determined you are the more he fights. We have to start telling the devil just who he is. Remind the accuser that he is a liar, tell him he has no control and mean it. Peter while looking out in the water recognized The Christ was in route to his location, and said Lord if this is you, bid me to come. See Peter knew that regardless of this storm he had to get back with Jesus. Peter walking on water, doing the unthinkable, reaching the unreachable, revisited his pride and the Bible says he considered the waves. Yes his pride told him that what was going on around him was for his consideration. His pride led him to look at the stuff and wonder how to handle it. Family we cannot handle the storm it’s not for us to consider. The situation began to overwhelm Peter and instead of staying focused on just getting to the master he began to sink. That’s why we are where we are today. We have lost sight of the mark. We have allowed life to steal our focus. And Christ wants us back. Brother, Sister I know you have fallen, but it’s time to get up. When peter again realized that the waves were too much for him, he reached out for the master crying lord save me and the Bible says that Jesus immediately stretched out his hand, and caught him. My brothers and my sisters it time to get up. No more sinking. As Jesus told the man at Bethesda, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. Get up...... Amen