“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13)

One of the ways the devil attacks us is through regret

 Everyone makes mistakes and the devil will bring them up to accuse and discourage. It is very easy to go back and relive memories about what we aren’t proud of. Regret can be devastating if not kept in check. If you do have regrets, give them to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you as you move through your regrets and, if you have not repented from something, do so now. If you don’t get things taken care of, the devil will have a foothold. “…and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph. 4:27 NIV)

 Watch and recognize where the attack is coming from

 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

 Remember that God completely forgives when you ask Him to

 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

 Therefore…

 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (Psalms 34:4-5)

 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10)

 Quote:

 “Never be a prisoner of your past. It was just a lesson, not a life sentence .” – Anonymous 

“Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.” (Psalm 25:12 ESV)

What to do when you need to make an important decision:

• Don’t lean on your own understanding 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV)

• Take them to God in prayer

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jer. 33:3 ESV)

• Ask God to give you wisdom 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

• Seek good counsel

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14 ESV)

• Listen for God’s promptings

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isa. 30:21 ESV)

• Be led by God’s peace

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 ESV)

Quote:

“We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do things, we can accomplish those goals.” - Stephen Covey

“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb. 2:18 ESV) 

God will provide a way for you to escape temptation

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 ESV)

Therefore..  

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” (James 1:12-16 ESV)

Quote:

“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2 ESV)

The Holy Spirit will teach you

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

 Teach others according to your gifting

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;” (Rom. 12:6-7 ESV)

 Teach others to observe all God’s commands

 “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20 ESV)

In all your teaching show integrity 

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” (Titus 2:7-8 ESV)

 Therefore…

 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6 ESV)

“May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.” (Deut. 32:2 ESV)

Quote:

“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.” - John Wooden

“The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:12-13 ESV)

Casting blame is nothing new

You can read about blame casting in Genesis 3:12-13. When confronted by their sin, Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed both Eve and God, “The woman you gave to be with me…gave me fruit…”  Since then, nothing has changed. There is still a lot of blame-casting these days! You see it everywhere, especially in the news, everybody is blaming everybody else about this and that and no one is willing to take responsibility for their own actions. Using politics as just one example, the left blames the right and the right blames the left for everything! I saw a quote (it didn’t have who had written it), and I thought it was insightful. It said, “Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. Worst people give you a lesson and best people give you memories.” There is a lot of wisdom here. In other words, instead of blaming, look for the good. 

Be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving of one another 

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:31)

Therefore…

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:3-5 ESV)

Quote:

“You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.” – John Wooden

“But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8)

Be optimistic 

When problems come along, people view them from opposite perspectives. Sir Winston Churchill, said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” The beautiful thing about being children of God is that we can expect God to work out every situation that comes along. That means we should always be optimistic, because God is good and faithful. 

God is a stronghold in the day of trouble

“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.” (Nahum 1:7)

Make God your confidence

“For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)

Trust in God’s Word and don’t be afraid

“In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid What can mere man do to me?” (Psalm 56:4)

Watch and wait expectantly 

“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation My God will hear me.” 

Therefore…

“I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” (Psalm 91:2)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.” (Psalms 27:1-3)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

Quote:

“If I regarded my life from the point of view of the pessimist, I should be undone. I should seek in vain for the light that does not visit my eyes and the music that does not ring in my ears. I should beg night and day and never be satisfied. I should sit apart in awful solitude, a prey to fear and despair. But since I consider it a duty to myself and to others to be happy, I escape a misery worse than any physical deprivation." -  Helen Keller

“Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do” (Eph. 6:6 The Message).

Work heartily as for the Lord

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24 ESV)

To everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV)

Therefore…

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 ESV)

“For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:35)

Quote:

“What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow.” -  Martin Luther

“God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.” (1 Thess. 4:7 NLT)

Holy: “A characteristic unique to God's nature which becomes the goal for human moral character. The idea of “holy” is important for an understanding of God, of worship, and of the people of God in the Bible. Holy has four distinct meanings. First is “to be set apart.” This applies to places where God is present, like the Temple and the tabernacle, and to things and persons related to those holy places or to God Himself. Next, it means to be “perfect, transcendent, or spiritually pure, evoking adoration and reverence.” This applies primarily to God, but secondarily to saints or godly people. Next, it means something or someone who evokes “veneration or awe, being frightening beyond belief.” This is clearly the application to God and is the primary meaning of “holy.” It is continued in the last definition, “filled with superhuman and potential fatal power.” This speaks of God, but also of places or things or persons which have been set apart by God's presence. A saint is a holy person. To be sanctified is to be made holy.” – Holman Bible Dictionary

Be holy in all you do

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” (1 Peter 1:15)

Holiness pleases God 

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable…” (1 Thess. 4:1-4 NIV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Cor. 7:1 NIV)

Quote:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” - A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col.1:13-14)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18 KJV)

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil

“The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (1John 3:8)

God has given you authority over the devil

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20)

Therefore…

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Heb. 2:14)

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NIV)

Quote:

“Outside of Christ, I am only a sinner, but in Christ, I am saved. Outside of Christ, I am empty; in Christ, I am full. Outside of Christ, I am weak; in Christ, I am strong. Outside of Christ, I cannot; in Christ, I am more than able. Outside of Christ, I have been defeated; in Christ, I am already victorious. How meaningful are the words, "in Christ." - Watchman Nee