Pressing on to your next level | Aug | 30 | 2026

Paul’s words in Philippians set the direction: he has not already achieved everything or reached perfection, but he presses on to possess that for which Christ Jesus first possessed him. The next level is not random ambition. The goal for the next level begins by going to God and asking, “What is it that You desire for me?” God’s instruction gives strength to keep standing when the winds, storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes of life are blowing.

The goal for the next level turns the invisible into the visible. The half marathon picture shows that a goal requires a plan, exercise, and a mindset that says, “I’m still going.” The goal triggers new behaviors, guides focus, and sustains momentum. The contrast is plain: whoever aims for something has a chance to hit it, but whoever aims for nothing will hit it every time.

The Israelites show how comfort can become complacency. God had already promised them the land, yet they stayed too long at the mountain because life had become easy. God’s command at Horeb was, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.” The promise of God did not permit them to remain where they were. God told them to break camp, move on, and possess what He had already set before them.

Paul’s command to forget what is behind guards the journey to the next level. Lot’s family received a rescue from Sodom, but the condition was clear: do not look back. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt, showing the danger of turning again toward what God has brought someone out of. The rearview mirror is small, but the windshield is large, because focus belongs in front. “Face your front.”

Faith must be exercised like muscles. God gives the believer the faith needed, but faith grows strong through daily use, not through sitting still. The olive oil image shows that olives must be crushed and pressed before the oil begins to flow. Pressure does not have the final word when God is releasing blessing, new beginnings, healing, provision, and the grace to become a blessing to others. God is birthing a new thing, and the call remains the same: do not look back, do not give up, keep pressing on to the next levels.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Set God’s goal, not random goals. God’s direction gives a goal more than excitement. God’s instruction becomes an anchor when circumstances become difficult and the journey feels long. The goalpost must not move merely because life becomes uncomfortable. [09:14]
• 2. Comfort can become dangerous complacency. The Israelites had food, water, and safety, but they had stopped moving toward the promised land. God’s promise never gave them permission to settle at the mountain. The call to “break camp” confronts every place where comfort has replaced obedience. [19:46]
• 3. Do not look back at bondage. Lot’s wife shows that physical escape is not the same as a heart that has moved forward. The past can look attractive when it is remembered selectively, even when it brought pain and destruction. God’s deliverance calls for a forward facing life. [30:01]
• 4. Faith grows through continual exercise. Faith is not built in one day, just as muscles are not built in one day. Daily obedience strengthens what God has already placed within the believer. The pressure to keep pressing becomes the place where spiritual strength is developed. [35:28]
• 5. Pressing forward releases greater blessing. The crushed olive releases oil only through pressing. God can use difficult pressure to bring forth a new flow of blessing, healing, and provision. The blessing God gives is meant to make His people a blessing to others. [37:16]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:21] - Faith for the Next Levels
• [08:41] - Setting God’s Goal
• [10:02] - Paul’s Call to Press On
• [12:33] - The Half Marathon Goal
• [16:05] - Goals That Change Behavior
• [17:40] - Overcoming Complacency
• [19:46] - Break Camp and Move On
• [22:37] - What Is Your Next Level?
• [26:23] - Forget the Past and Press Forward
• [28:22] - Lot’s Wife and Looking Back
• [34:49] - Exercising Faith Like Muscles
• [36:32] - Pressed Like Olives
• [38:25] - Blessed to Be a Blessing
• [1:00:55] - Church Outreach and Giving
• [1:03:22] - Announcements and Weekly Gatherings
• [1:09:47] - Press On to Your Next Levels

Bible Reading

Philippians 3:12–14
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [26:23]

Deuteronomy 1:6–8
“The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’” [21:58]

Genesis 19:17, 26
“And as they brought them out, one said, ‘Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.’ But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” [30:08]

Observation questions

1. In Philippians 3:12–14, what does Paul admit about his present condition, and what “one thing” does he choose to do? [11:29]
2. What three commands does God give Israel after telling them they had stayed long enough at Mount Horeb? [19:46]
3. What made life at the mountain comfortable for the Israelites, and how did that comfort affect their willingness to move forward? [18:44]
4. What was the clear condition given to Lot’s family as they escaped Sodom, and what happened when Lot’s wife looked back? [28:31]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says Christ Jesus had already made him His own, yet Paul still had to press on. What does this show about the relationship between God’s grace and a believer’s daily effort to follow Christ? [11:05]
2. Israel had God’s promise of the land, but they still had to break camp, travel, and take possession of it. Why might God’s promises call for movement and obedience rather than passivity? [21:34]
3. Lot’s wife had physically left Sodom, but her looking back revealed a divided heart. What are some reasons a person may be tempted to return to something God has delivered them from, even when it caused harm? [31:54]
4. The image of training for a half marathon connects a goal with a plan, changed behavior, and persistence. How can a God-given goal help a believer make wise changes in everyday life? [16:05]

Application questions

1. What area of life may God be calling you to take to a next level—your walk with God, health, family, work, ministry, or relationships? What is one clear goal you can prayerfully set in that area? [24:59]
2. Have you become comfortable at a “mountain” where life feels safe and familiar, even though God may be calling you to move forward? What would “breaking camp” look like in a practical step this week? [21:23]
3. Is there a past habit, relationship, hurt, failure, or form of bondage that keeps drawing your attention backward? What would it mean for you to “face your front” instead of continuing to look back? [33:04]
4. A goal should trigger new behaviors. What daily practice—prayer, Bible reading, exercise, budgeting, forgiveness, serving, or accountability—would help you keep pressing toward the goal God has placed before you? [16:08]
5. When you miss a day, face a setback, or feel rusty in your faith, how do you usually respond? What would it look like to get up, dust yourself off, and keep going rather than giving up? [34:15]
6. Faith grows through regular use, just as muscles grow through exercise. Where is God inviting you to exercise the faith He has already given you, even if the step seems small? [35:28]
7. Pressure can feel painful, but olives release oil when they are crushed and pressed. What current pressure could become an opportunity to trust God, grow stronger, and become a blessing to someone else? [37:16]