How many times over the past 2 years I have begged the Lord to allow me to sweetly experience what Paul desired as, ”forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before“
Phil 3:13. Furthermore, I cannot count the times that someone has sent those words to me trying to encourage me to “move on” and somehow forget the negative. Lord knows, I have tried….
Only recently did the Lord show me that Paul’s sincere desire and ability to forget and move on from the negative in v. 13, was first preceded by a desire to intimately know Him “being made conformable unto his death” in v. 10.
Phl 3:10 - “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
In other words, Paul had to first meet head-on the Cross in order to forget and move on. It’s very clear according to the scripture in CONTEXT that our completely identifying and addressing sin (the negative) is always required before there will ever be CLOSURE (the positive) in the life of the believer. Question- Did Christ look to “ESCAPE” the negative or did He courageously “ENDURE” the negative? As Christians and Church leaders, are we instructed to deal with the negative or detour the negative input in life in order to experience the powerful positive output of Christ’s Life?
Let me illustrate further this truth…I recently seen a statement made on social media, that “you will never be able to escape a negative situation if you keep talking about it.”
While this attitude appears to be accurate on the surface and “moving on“ provides a temporary relief, however, I am really wondering if this philosophy and attitude of covering up or ignoring a negative situation is not more harmful rather than helpful to the believer, when it comes to addressing the habitual social sins tragically effecting Christians, the Home, and the Church, as a whole today. For some Pastors and Churches, escaping or covering up an embarrassing negative subject that may temporarily effect the “positive” atmosphere of their ministry is exactly what they are looking for…but in reality and scripturally… are we really achieving a POSITIVE OUTPUT if we fail to completely address the NEGATIVE INPUT?
Just look at Christ‘s example declared in Heb 12:2 - “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Once again, Christ did not look to escape the cross, BUT He endured the cross (negative) resulting in the rest, fellowship, and power of the “throne of God” (positive). God help us to deal with the negative so we can delight in the positive!
Let’s look at this scriptural truth from our everyday practical experience…
I started doing research on some things that we use on the daily that require a negative to achieve the positive. The first example that came to mind is one very common… a battery has a negative and a positive, and when searched on Google as to why, it states, “Because they are necessary for current flow.”
Both are necessary in order to operate whatever device you are wanting. They are necessary if you want the object to reach its full potential.
A car battery is known to have 2 terminals: a positive and a negative. The battery cannot complete its circuit without both types of these ‘electrical charges.’ This negative charge is also known as a ‘Ground.’ In other words, if you are not grounded, you cannot function. Sometimes being negative, or really just honest with yourself, is the only way to be ‘Grounded’ and for you to function properly.
There are so many other examples in life that we could use to demonstrate, but to save time we’ll just cut to the chase…. it is necessary to have a negative for the positive to reach its full potential.
Psychologists tell us to forget, preachers tell us to forgive by the philosophy of forgetting. We can forgive, but let’s be honest and say that as flesh it’s nearly impossible to forget. That is where grace comes in because by the grace of God we can take any bad situation and use it for good. Most often, those who encourage us to forget are the ones who are trying to cover theirs or someone else’s tracks of wrong doing.
It’s even found in scripture where we are called to “consider” or think on our sufferings and in doing so we are giving glory to the One who helped us overcome them.
Romans 8:18
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Another passage tells us to “rejoice” in our grievances because the result, again, will be our Lord and Savior receiving praise, honor, and glory because He will be revealed through our trials.
1 Peter 1:6-7
”Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”
There’s a song I grew up listening to and even in the chorus it states, 🎶 Roll back the curtains of memory now and then, SHOW me where your brought me from and where I could’ve been! 🎶
We have no problem shouting and jumping the pews when we remember where we were when the Lord saved us spiritually but why don’t we do the same when we recall Him saving us physically and mentally?
One man or woman made holier through suffering, makes a difference in the life of the world today.
-Elisabeth Elliot
Please, do not silence me from taking you back to the nights when I prayed that I wouldn’t wake because the pain was too unbearable; The early mornings I woke up and couldn’t breathe because my tears had stopped up my airways throughout the night; The days I couldn’t stand going through old pictures because it made me angry, restless, and devastated.
The only prayers that got me through when I was hurting was that my pain would be used to help someone else, and then it would be worth it.
I’ve felt more God on people who have faced suffering and told their story, because suffering creates empathy. You know pain; you know longing; and even though you don’t remember putting one foot in front of the other, you did because God gave you the resilience to.
Just as the negative is necessary for the positive to reach its full potential, suffering is necessary for us to reach our full potential. There are people left to get saved and grow through the suffering you’ve experienced.
Two years ago today began the journey of some of my darkest days spent alone. I refuse to keep it to myself because I know the devastation that engulfed me, and I’ve seen His working first hand in, and through my life! May we as believers embrace our negatives rather than ignore them!
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”
1 Peter 4:12-13
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
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