I PRESS ON

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There are words in the Scripture that feel less like ink on a page and more like a hand reaching out to our weary soul. For centuries, one such declaration has echoed from the heart of the Apostle Paul, a cry of defiant faith that has fueled revival, sustained martyrs, and given hope to the hopeless. It is found in Philippians 3:14:

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

This is more than a verse; it is a lifeline. It is a message for every person who has ever felt the crushing weight of their past, the exhaustion of the journey, or the pain of the present. It is the anthem of unstoppable faith, and it speaks directly to the part of you that is longing to keep going.

Before Paul was an apostle, he was a monster. This is not an exaggeration. His name was Saul, and he was a man with blood on his hands. He stood by and approved as Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, was stoned to death. He breathed out threats and murder, trying with every fiber of his being to destroy the Church of God. His past was a battlefield of hatred, violence, and religious pride.

If a past could disqualify someone, it was Paul’s. The ghosts of his former life could have haunted him forever, whispering accusations in his ear. But the God who met him on the road to Damascus did not disqualify him—He redeemed him. He did not hold his past against him—He called him forward.

How could Paul move on from such a dark history? He gives us the secret himself, just one verse earlier in Philippians 3:13: “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

This “forgetting” is not a passive amnesia; it is an active, moment-by-moment choice fueled by grace. It is the refusal to keep looking backward when your destiny lies ahead. Regret is a prison that will keep you locked in a cell of your own making, replaying your failures on an endless loop. But grace, my friend, is the key. Your past may explain some of your scars, but it does not define your soul. God has already turned the page. He invites you to do the same.

Paul uses a word that is full of tension and grit: “I press…” This is not the language of someone strolling through a park. This is the language of an athlete straining every muscle, lungs burning, heart pounding, pushing against the pain and exhaustion. To press means there is effort, there is struggle, there is a fierce determination to move forward against all odds.

The Christian walk is not always easy. There are seasons that will test the very limits of your endurance. There are seasons of weariness that settle deep in your bones, making every step feel heavy. There are seasons of delay, when the promises of God feel distant and your timeline is shattered. There are seasons of heartbreak that crack the foundation of your world. And there are seasons of opposition, when it feels like everything and everyone is against you.

In those moments, the temptation is to quit, to coast, or to just sit down in defeat. But Paul gives us a different response. Not “I quit.” Not “I coast.” Not “I sit.” He cries out from the depths of his being, “I press!” Why? Because there is a prize, and it is worth it all. The finish line is not just an end to the struggle; it is the beginning of a glory so profound that it will make the hardest race feel like a distant memory.

Listen to the magnificent scope of this race: “…for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

God did not save you from your past to call you to a life of mediocrity. He did not pull you from the fire to watch you blend in with the shadows. He did not break your chains so you could simply give up when the road gets hard. He called you to walk in power, purpose, and victory. He called you to come up higher.

Revelation 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

No matter where you have been, no matter how low you feel right now, there is a higher calling over your life. It is a calling to holiness—an intimate, set-apart relationship with Him. It is a calling to ministry—a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. It is a calling to be a light in the darkness—a beacon of His love in a broken world. Do not dare settle for the lowlands of compromise and comfort when God has called you to the mountain peaks of His glory.

We must never forget where Paul was when he penned these powerful words. He was not writing from a place of comfort and ease. He was in a cold, dark prison cell, chained and awaiting his fate. This was a man who had been beaten, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, and repeatedly imprisoned. His body was a roadmap of suffering for the cause of Christ.

And yet, from that place of pain, he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). This is not the statement of a blind optimist; it is the roar of a man with bold, unshakeable faith. His joy was not based on his circumstances, but on his Christ.

He pressed on through unimaginable physical and emotional pain. That means you can press on through the fog of depression. You can press on through the crushing weight of loss. You can press on through the paralyzing grip of fear. Why? Because Christ is your strength. Paul’s most famous declaration follows in this same letter: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). The same strength that sustained Paul in prison is available to you right now.

My dear friend, there will be times when you feel like quitting. But in those moments, remember this: He who called you is faithful. So keep praying, even when the words won’t come. Keep praising, even when your heart is aching. Keep believing, even when you cannot see. Keep pressing.

The reward is not just a crown you will receive in heaven. The prize is also in the pressing itself—in the process of becoming everything God designed you to be.

If you have fallen, get up. The ground is no place for a child of the King. You are an eagle. Fly higher. If you are tired, lean on His strength, for His arms are strong enough to carry you. If you are discouraged, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

The prize is still ahead. Your calling is still intact. The race is not over.

Press on.