FIDO

Phil 3:1-14

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(KJV)

No, I’m not talking about your dog.  Someone shared with another person a bumper sticker that had recently been seen.  It simply had in large capital letters F I D O.  In smaller print it gave the interpretation:  “Forget it.  Drive on.”  Evidently, it was intended to be an encouragement to someone in calamity traffic.  You can get cut off, you can get honked at, someone may even bump you.  The advice was simply this:  There are some things in life you have to forget!  Forget it and drive on.  You can’t let every bump in life distract you from the main freeway of accomplishment. Let me share with you a few things you need to forget and just move on.

Rumors

The Bible implores us not to believe a rumor until we’ve thoroughly investigated it.  There’s nothing any more distracting than to hear some fabrication with a veil of truth over it.  Abraham Lincoln, on one occasion said, “If I pursued every rumor I heard about me I would never be able to fulfill the awesome task of this office!”  So it is with preachers.  Every now and then you are going to hear something.  It may be something personal about you, something about your church, others, the organization, you name it.  Forget rumors and drive on.  By the time something is repeated four or five times it often doesn’t have even the semblance of truth.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:6 that in the last day there would be “rumors of wars.”  I don’t think that simply means physical battles among nations.  You are constantly hearing of someone at war, some church having trouble, some preachers having a disagreement.  James even said our members war against one another.  Don’t let your conversation be filled with rumors of the latest trouble in your congregation, in somebody’s family, or elsewhere.  Forget it and drive on!  the prophet said, “There came a rumor from Assyria…”  There’s always a few Babylonian rumors floating around.  Leave  them alone and don’t bury them in your tent.  They’ll bring death every time.  Jeremiah 51:46-47 speaks of the heart fainting because of rumors.  Then he said they come year after year.  If the devil ever sees you’ll have a heart-faint over rumor, he’ll see that they come on a regular basis.

Give it a surface check, then forget it and drive on!  Don’t let the devil turn your mind into a garbage can.  First thing you know you’ll hear a rumor; “So-and-so is a charismatic.  They’ve left the truth.  They don’t believe the standards anymore.  You know the only reason I’m telling you this is so you can pray about it.”  The next thing you know you’ll be saying, “Is there anything else I need to pray about?”

Hurts

Another thing you need to forget is hurts.  You’ve often heard it said that hurt is reality; bitterness is reaction.  You are going to be hurt in life.  You can’t continue to muse upon the bruises of life.  Remember, He was “bruised for our iniquity.” Jesus will take the  bruising for you.  There’s a lot of things you just have to turn over to Him.  You remember Joseph of the Old Testament?  He named his first child Manasseh.  The name Manasseh means, “The Lord made me to forget.”  Joseph could have nursed a lot of hurts from his past.  He was hurt in his home, hurt by his brothers, hurt by Potiphar’s wife, hurt by being forgotten.  He said, “I’m going to settle this at the first birth.  I am going to tell my past to shut up.  Every time I look at my son that I love I am going to remember I forgot!”  It’s a tremendous thing when you can make a monument out of your injuries and embrace it as a first-born.  Make it serve you instead of destroy you.  If you have been hurt, you may as well forget it and drive on.  Bitterness may or may not affect the person to whom it is directed.  One thing is sure, though:  It will destroy you!  Remember, worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.  Your character is what you have left when you’ve lost everything you can lose.  You can imagine that a thousand things are after you.  Too many folks go through life running from something that isn’t after him.  If you’ve been hurt, you may just have to forget it and drive on!  You’ll have to join the man who said, “I’m not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday, and I love today.”  Those who can’t forget are worse off than those who can’t remember!

Fear of Failure

Another thing you need to forget is the fear of failure.  The fear of failure is the kiss of death in the courtship of achievement.  Have you ever seen anyone destroyed by a fear of failure?  Never accomplishing anything?  Learn from the mistakes of others.  You can’t live long enough to make them yourself.  Jesus said in the last days men’s hearts would fail them from fear.  There are many who have had spiritual heart failure just because they were constantly fearing failure.  One man said, “If God has told you to go beyond the fifty yard line, don’t tiptoe up to the forty-nine yard/2 feet/11 inch mark.  Don’t see how close you can get to the line without going over it.  That’s about as smart as a scuba diver seeing how little air he can leave in his tank and still get to the surface.  Sure, things will come to accost you.  There will even be temptations.  You may as well gird your mind for temptation.  It’s coming.  J.J. Oliver said on one occasion, “An occupational hazard of being a Christian is that you will be tempted.  It isn’t sin.  In fact, in some ways you should be encouraged when you experience temptation.  As John Vianney stated, ‘The greatest of all evils is not to be tempted because there are then grounds for believing the devil looks upon us as his property.'”

We ought to be able to say, “Hallelujah!  Here comes temptation!”  This is a blessed opportunity to prove again that He that is in me is greater that he that is in the world.  Certainly, you are going to be attacked in life.  Certainly, you are going to be tempted in life.  But, victory is ours!

I read some time ago that the Apollo Mission was only on course, 1% of the time while on its journey into space.  Well, how did it make it?  Simple.  Constant mid-course correction.  We all need that!  One preacher told of someone in the church who discussed a new idea the parson had.  This old-timer said, “Preacher, that won’t work here.”  The pastor then suggested something else.  He said, “We’ve tried that and it failed.”  The pastor replied, “Well, dear brother, if we can’t attempt anything you’ve already tried, and we can’t do anything new, then tell me….What can we do?”

With reference to failure, do you think Jeremiah was considered a success?  I think not.  The weeping prophet apparently had no converts and in all probability, died feeling like he had missed it.  How do you think John the Baptist felt just before the sword made its cleavage on his neck?  Allen Nelson once said, “We don’t deal well with pain, problems,  and suffering.  We can’t find where they fit.  If we had a place for them we could calmly pick them up and put them where they belong among the other events of life.  But, no, we curse the pain, scream at the problem, and get depressed over what appears to be unkept promises.  That’s why we often do not deal with obstacles and turmoil.  We have no place to put them in our good person scheme of things.  However, problems and pains are elemental ingredients in the process of brokenness.”  Someone observed years ago, “Adversity introduces you to yourself.”  Just suppose He chose for me to be, or to appear to be, a failure.  Do you not think we should attempt to even do that to His glory?  Sometimes you just have to quit listening to the negative voices within yourself and go straight ahead.  Forget it and drive on!

There you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen.  The Apostle Paul said, “Forgetting the things which are behind, I press…..”  There are times when you have to press.  That means to exert great effort in order to forget.  But it’s got to be done.  Past experiences have a way of nagging us and defeating us.  God has sent us to nag the devil, nag the world, and to defeat both of them.  Don’t let him turn the tide on you.  Life has a way of riding you.  The time has come for us to take the saddle off of us and put it on life and ride life for a while.  Life, you’re not going to make me miserable.  God trusted me.  He allowed me to be alive today.  I’m going to do my best to His glory.  And as far as all these rumors, hurts, and fear of failure, I’m going to forget it and drive on!  Negative emotions, I’ll meet you at the Eastern Gate -check you there – and shout around the throne forever.  I’m on my way down the freeway of life to the city built four-square.  I may as well just call ol’ Fido to come go with me!