You can't run a race backwards

1 Corinthians 9: 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Philippians 3: 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The thing about a race is that you have to stay on course. It's really hard to win a race if you are incapable of following the track. Your eyes need to stay fixed on the goal ahead, if you are to reach the end. You cannot stray to the left or to the right and expect to get there. Moreover, it's really difficult to get anywhere if you are always looking backwards instead of forward. You cannot see the path before you, if you are constantly living in the past. Now don't get me wrong; looking back with fondness at beautiful memories is fine, but spending all of your time looking at your life with regret is completely different. Regret is a stronghold because regret places your focus on the wrong things. Regret prevents you from living your life in the way God intended. Living your life focused only on the would've, could've, should've in your life is like trying to run a race backwards; it just doesn't work; trust me, I've spent a lot of my life living backwards.

You cannot change the past, but you still have the future to look forward to. It's not too late to get back on track, and live your life in the way God intended. God calls us all to greater things than this, so we must persevere and press on. God calls you into a life of abundance. He calls you into His presence to walk in His joy and peace. The path ahead is glorious, even you are struggling in the present, but you cannot move forward if you are still living in the past. Let go of the past and accept the things you cannot change because God accepts you as you are, and in this way you will find the freedom that comes from living a life in Jesus Christ. I pray you all experience and live in the love, and joy, and freedom and peace of God. I pray for extraordinary favor for each and every one of you.