Press Forward — What’s Ahead Is Better Than What Was

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:14 (NKJV)

Focus is not passive. Focus is a decision.

The Apostle Paul didn’t say, I glance toward the goal or I think about the prize. He said, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Pressing implies resistance. It implies effort. It implies that something is trying to slow you down — distractions, disappointments, delays, or even memories of what once was.

But here’s the truth you need to hear this season: what’s ahead of you is better than what was — if you’re willing to press.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

That upward call means God is not calling you backward. He is not calling you to relive old seasons, old mindsets, or old versions of yourself. He is calling you higher — which requires focus and forward movement.

One of the biggest things stopping people isn’t failure — it’s familiarity. It’s comfort with the past. But Paul reminds us that the prize isn’t behind us. The prize is ahead, and it requires intentional focus to reach it.

Every time your mind drifts to what didn’t work…

Every time you’re tempted to replay old disappointments…

Every time fear whispers that the past was safer…

Come back to this truth: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Pressing means you refuse to let yesterday define tomorrow. Pressing means you don’t allow regret to steal your momentum. Pressing means you choose purpose over pain.

This January focus isn’t about doing more — it’s about aiming better.

You don’t press without vision. You don’t press without hope. You don’t press unless you believe that what God has ahead of you is greater than what you’re leaving behind.

And it is.

The upward call is higher thinking. Higher faith. Higher obedience. Higher clarity. The prize isn’t comfort — it’s transformation.

So ask yourself honestly:

What am I holding onto that’s pulling my focus backward?

What distractions are keeping me from pressing forward?

What’s stopping me from believing that my future in God is better than my past?

This is your moment to realign with what God has for you in your ‘next’.

Lift your eyes. Fix your focus. Strengthen your resolve.

Say it again — and live it out:

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

What’s ahead of you is better than what was — but only if you’re willing to press.