From Regret to Resolve

This message introduces a four-week journey focused on learning how to reflect on our past without becoming trapped in it, teaching that while many people either rush forward without reflection or remain stuck in regret, God invites us to move from regret to resolve. Regret has a way of replaying past decisions, failures, and missed opportunities, convincing us that our best days are behind us and that our future is merely damage control, but the gospel refuses to let regret have the final word. Through Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3, we see that even a past marked by sin, misplaced confidence, or self-righteousness must be released and counted as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Paul does not deny his past, but he refuses to let it define him; instead, he presses forward, forgetting what lies behind and straining toward God’s upward call, reminding us that we cannot step into God’s future while gripping what He has already forgiven. Releasing the past allows God to redirect our future, because what we hold onto often becomes the very thing that traps us, like the salt trap that enslaves the monkey unwilling to let go. God does not waste pain—He reframes it for purpose, as seen in Joseph’s life, where betrayal and suffering became preparation to preserve many lives, and in Peter’s story, where failure did not cancel his calling but clarified it through restoration and grace. When we see our past through God’s purpose, regret is transformed into resolve, pain into testimony, and failure into formation. True resolve is born when we stop rehearsing regret and start pursuing Christ daily—not through performance, but through presence—learning to forgive ourselves, forgive others wisely, obey where we’ve been hesitant, and trust God where we’ve been wounded. By living from grace instead of shame, we can confidently say with Paul, “By the grace of God, I am what I am,” and press forward into the unfinished story God is still faithfully writing.

Reference Scriptures

Philippians 3:2–16 – Paul releasing confidence in the flesh, forgetting what lies behind, and pressing toward the upward call of Christ

Isaiah 43:18–19 – Forgetting former things; God doing a new thing

Genesis 50:15–21 – Joseph declaring, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good”

Romans 8:28 – God working all things together for good for those who love Him

Psalm 23:1–5 – God leading through the valley to the table

John 21:15–17 – Jesus restoring Peter and reaffirming his calling

1 Corinthians 15:10 – “By the grace of God I am what I am”

John 5:6–8 – Jesus asking, “Do you want to be made whole?”

Hebrews 12:11 – Discipline producing righteousness

Philippians 1:6 – God finishing the work He began

Isaiah 53:5 – “By His stripes we are healed”