Focus. Forget. Forward
Ever feel like you’re running but getting nowhere? Spiritually, emotionally, mentally exhausted — like something’s holding you back?
The Apostle Paul gets it.
In Philippians the apostle Paul 3:13-14 (NLT) gives us a rally cry that cuts through distraction and regret:
“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize…”
Three simple but powerful moves: Focus. Forget. Forward.
Let’s break those down — and apply them practically, especially if you’re leading others.
1. FOCUS – Choose Your One Thing
“I focus on this one thing…”
We are overloaded and bombarded with tasks, trials and to-dos. As a leader, pastor, parent, or friend — your mental focus sets the tone for your life and those around you. Paul wasn’t scattered or trying to juggle everything. He was laser-focused on one thing: knowing Jesus and pressing on toward what Jesus had called him to do. He’s going to run HIS race – he’s not focusing on the runner to the left or right and what they are doing.
He’s here, now, for this, and this alone. He’s focused. He’s going to run!
You don’t need 50 or even 5 goals. You need one main direction. Concentrate. Run one race. Stay in your lane.
The words ‘I do’ don’t even appear in the original Greek here.. Paul just writes… ONE THING…
JESUS…
Jesus
Jesus
Ask yourself:
- What’s taking up most of my mental space right now?
- Is that helping me become more like Jesus — or just making me more tired?
As a runner I have trained my mind to keep going when my body wants to quit — looping phrases like “I’ve got this!” — so Christians need to remind themselves: “I can do all things through Christ.” (Philippians 4:13)
Practical To-Do:
- Take 10 quiet minutes today. Box breathe slowly. Ask God, “What’s my one thing right now?” Write it down. Keep it visible.
2. FORGET – Let Go of the Past
“Forgetting the past…”
Paul’s in jail listing everything he’s lost along the way since he’s followed Jesus. But he says it’s all worth it. Because he’s got Jesus – he knows Jesus – and he just wants to know him more and more, and become more and more like him. He lets it go.
Forgetting doesn’t mean pretending it never happened. It means refusing to let it control you.
Regret and resentment are two of the biggest anchors that hold us back. Maybe it was your mistake. Maybe it was someone else’s betrayal. Either way, the rearview mirror is there for occasional glances, constant focus there will lead to a crash.
Paul had every reason to get stuck in the past — persecution, bad decisions, friends letting him down as he stood alone before accusers. But he let it go. Not because it didn’t matter, but because Jesus mattered more.
John Maxwell writes in Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn:
“I vividly remember a counseling session I had years ago with a man who was alienated from his brother. They hadn’t talked in years. As I listened to my client, I could feel the anger mounting in him as he recalled the details. It came to a crescendo with these words, “Look what he’s done to me. Look what he’s done to me!”
In silence, I waited until he calmed down and was ready to listen, then said, “Look what you’re doing to yourself!”
Had he been wronged? Yes! But he was taking a bad experience and making the loss much worse. The number or severity of your losses isn’t as important as how you experience those losses. Yes, all losses hurt. And they make an impact on us, an impact that is rarely positive. Losses change us. But we must not allow them to control us. ”
Ask yourself:
- Am I carrying regret or resentment in the back seat of my life?
- What would it look like to release it today?
Forgiveness — of yourself or others — is how you release rather than resent. You may not “feel” like doing it. But why want waste any more time replaying what Jesus already died to redeem.
Practical To-Do:
- Write a letter you’ll never send to the person (or to yourself) you need to forgive. Say what needs to be said. Then pray: “Jesus, I release this to you. I won’t carry it anymore.” Burn it.
3. FORWARD – Pursue the Prize
“Looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on…”
Faith is movement. It’s pursuit. It’s pressing on when the feelings fade and the path gets uphill.
You have to be intentional to grow. He’s not staying the same. He’s not passive, he’s in passionate pursuit. Straining.
“I press on… I’m not where I want to be yet … I want to win the prize, the upward call…” More of Jesus. More for Jesus. More like Jesus.
Paul didn’t coast in his comfort zone. He strained forward. Thirty years after encountering Jesus on the Damascus Road, he was still going, still growing, still hungry, still running his race.
Ask yourself:
- Am I drifting or pursuing?
- What is God calling me to do next?
Remember and realise – this is NOT about striving for approval — you’re already loved. It’s about responding to that love with a life that moves closer and closer to it.
Practical To-Do:
- Set one clear spiritual growth goal this month. Read a book. Join a group. Start journaling. Ask someone to mentor you. Book into LAUNCH this June. Grow forward.
What’s Holding You Back?
Maybe it’s a voice from the past. A failure that plays on loop. A relationship that left scars. A comfort zone that keeps calling you back.
Now hear this: The future God has for you is always ahead of you — not behind you.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18–19)
That new thing won’t come from the old you. It requires focus. It requires letting go. And it absolutely requires forward motion.
Let’s Pray
Jesus, I give you my past — the regrets, the pain, the mistakes, the missed chances. Help me forgive and release. Help me stop looking back. Focus my heart and mind on you. And give me the courage to press forward into the future you have for me. Amen.
Final Encouragement
Leadership isn’t about never falling. It’s about always getting up — and choosing, day after day, to keep running toward Jesus.
So, what’s your ONE THING?
Focus. Forget. Forward.
Let’s go.