Dr. Samuel Donkor (Snr Pastor, ANFGC)

Reaching New Heights – Part I

How do we reach New Heights?
Simply put it is about reaching new levels.

Col. 3:1-4 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory’’.
This passage tells us how to reach new heights. But before we explore its depths, I want us to take an example from the Old Testament of a life that reached new heights from a very poor beginning. Jacob did not start right like Samuel or Joseph.

• His dad and mom had their favourites. Esau was dad’s boy (Gen. 25:28) and Jacob was mom’s boy (Gen. 25:28)
• Jacob wouldn’t share his food with his own brother unless he paid for it. Like many of us our relationship with out brothers was not always the greatest. (Gen. 25:29-340
• He deceived his father for the blessings of Abraham. (Gen. 27:18-29) “But he said, your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing’ (Gen.27:35)
• Death was hanging upon his head. (Gen. 27:41)
• He had to leave home to save his life. (Gen. 27:43-45)

• How many of us can relate to this man? His life has touched the highs and lows of life. The highest point was when he received to blessings of Abraham. But the lows were too many.
• Won’t share his food with his own blood brother.
• Manipulated his brother to take the birthright.
• Deceived his father to take the Abrahamic blessings.
• Now a death sentence is hanging upon his head.
• Results in self banishment, self-exile.
• A refugee, not political, nor economic but criminal.

Look at your own life! Your Life!

• Your high point – when you accepted the Lord as Saviour. Like Jacob you inherited the blessings of Abraham. (Gal. 3:13,14) “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus that we might receive his promise of the Spirit through faith.
• Just like Jacob how can you too turn your many lows into a life of triumph! One of Success? Reaching higher heights? How do you take flight and soar above your many lows?

• The Dream (Gen. 28:12)
  • In spite of Jacob’s lows – once he received the blessings of Abraham he became the favourite of God.
  • Heaven opened toward his life!
  • Angels ascend up and descend down from his dwelling place. (Angels ascend up with your requests and Angels descend down with answers.
  • God promises to be with him always!
  Your Life!
  • The moment you accepted Christ you inherited the blessings of Abraham Gal 3:14
  • All your needs were taken care of. (Rom. 8:32) “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?” Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
  • You are blessed with every spiritual blessing! (Eph.1:3) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ!
  • Like Jacob – God has promised never to forsake you! (Heb. 13:5) “For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
• How Jacob converted all his promises and blessings into reality in his life! You too can convert all your promises and blessings into reality in your life!

Jacob’s Vow

• He vowed to build God a house.
• He vowed to pay all his tithes. (Gen. 28:22)

How do you build God’s house?

• Are you involved in ministry?
• Do you contribute to God’s church building program
• Do you pay your tithes?

“And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” (Gen. 32:10) “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which you have shown your servant, for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff and now I have become two companies”.

Reaching New Heights - Part II

 

Philippians 3:12-16 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind”.
It appears that the past is a major roadblock to reaching new heights. The past can be a major hindrance to our moving forward! So what the great apostle did was to “forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead”.

1.The Past A Formidable Enemy
The past can be a formidable enemy to progress. It can stop you from reaching new heights! Therefore, stop your past from stopping you from reaching new heights! What is the past? Simply, those things which are behind. Everyone has a past! Is your past holding you back? Are you making steady progress? Are you at a stand still in life, marriage, career, ministry, finances, in business? Could your past be undermining your forward thrust? 2. In What Way Can The Past Hinder Us?
The past is a melee of experiences, good, bad, not so good, not so bad, disappointments, heartaches, sicknesses, pain, tears, joy, triumphs, defeats, failure, success, poverty, richness, joblessness, unemployment, victory, love and hatred etc.
For the purposes of our study let us sum up life experiences in two words. Success and Failure! Success can undermine your reaching new heights! Just as much as Failure can! How? Both are dangerous to your future advancement!

 

PAST SUCCESS:

The danger of past successes.
Past success breeds over-confidence, complacency and pride. There is nothing as dangerous as over-confidence: failure is assured! Because of the past success you will never adequately prepare!
Joshua 7:2 “ Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few. 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”

• They had just conquered great Jericho. God had removed the wall like a mountain surrounding the fortified city and given them a great conquest!
• Now to fight a village of a few hundred or a few thousand inhabitants; they said only a handful of our men will take care of them!
• Now they were humiliated before they had the sense to seek the Lord! Do you see how past success stopped them from reaching new heights?
• Past success can make one complacent! The more past successes you have in your life the greater the danger of complacency. You can become so over confident. You are likely to trust in yourself, abilities, gifting and skills! Past successes can fuel pride in your life and you know that nothing is more dangerous than pride.
  Prov. 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall”.
  Prov. 29:23, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour.”

Nothing can be compared to what James says about pride. James 4:6, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.”
Now you see how past success can stop one from reaching new heights!

 

PAST FAILURE

Past failure breeds insecurity, loss of confidence, fear! Past failure can overshadow a man with a deep sense of unworthiness or a sense of worthlessness. No one who thinks like that will dare try to reach new heights! The overwhelming sense of unworthiness will breed insecurity. And an insecure man lacks the confidence to face new challenges! Therefore, he can never reach new heights. Such a person will be bound by the spirit of fear which comes from past failure(s)!
Do you know that a fearful man cannot access divine power? Goliath used fear as a weapon to keep Israel in defeat till David showed up!

• 1 Samuel 17:24 “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.” This man presented himself for 40 days!
• 1 Samuel 17:16, 10, 42-47. Fear is such a negative emotion it will cause you to stop acting and trying! You will give up and accept life as is instead of reaching forth to new heights!
• 2 Tim. 1:7 “For God has of given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
• 1 John 4:18 – “Fear involves torment”!
• Now you see why the past can undermine your future? Therefore the Word of God says we must forget the past! What do we forget?
• You cannot forget the past unless you do what Paul says - A deliberate effort to let the past become a propeller instead of a hindrance. The successes of the past should remind you of the goodness of God! The failures of the past should draw you closer to God, to tap grace to overcome. By so doing, you’ll reach out to higher heights!

HOW TO USE THE PAST?

• The past can be a springboard for reaching new heights. It all depends on how you use it! See how David used the past!
• He used the past to overcome discouraging words! 1 Sam 17:32-37 I have depended on this great God and He never failed me and He will not fail me this time!
• Ps. 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” As long as you see His dealings in your past both successes and failures become a spring board for reaching new heights.
• Rom. 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”