If I am going to be a victorious believer in today's world, then I must continue to follow the guidelines in the Bible.  If I am going to walk forward without failure or despair, then I must heed the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13, "But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."

Paul has learned the secret of a happy Christian life.  He was too busy pressing toward the mark that Christ had placed before him to become entangled with the cares of yesterday.  God commands us to forget the things which are behind us.  He knows that any "looking back causes us to stumble in the present."

Luke 9:62 says that "No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back (living in the past) is fit (capable) for the kingdom of God."

Proverbs 4:23 also says to "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are all the issues of life."  This says "above all else" - we are to guard our hearts.  We are to keep our hearts free from the hurts and fears of the past and to keep emotional turmoil out.  This is a necessity because the last part of the verse states that all the issues of our lives come out of our hearts.

This means that I live this very day in either a good or bad way depending on the dictates of my heart.  This also means that I need to allow inner healing to touch my heart and emotions.  I can be released from the imprints of the past.  The Holy Spirit's healing will allow me to forget the past and to move forward in confidence.