In MY VICTORY VERSES, we will explore key Bible verses that have shaped my life recovery journey since 2005. After sharing how these verses impacted me, we will dive into their meaning and how they bring lasting victory. This column publishes on the 3rd Friday of each month in 2025. This is the final column in this series for 2025.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” ~ Philippians 3:12–14 (NLT)
For twenty years, these verses have been my anchor. They’ve carried me through seasons of uncertainty and constant change—job transitions that moved us from state to state, the ongoing roller coaster of recovery, the complicated dynamics of family, and the unpredictable adventure of being married to an entrepreneur. Each time life threw me into unknowns, Paul’s words reminded me to keep pressing forward—not in my own strength, but in the strength of Christ who has already claimed me as His own.
Even today, these verses continue to speak directly into my life. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, and in business—I am pressing in on all fronts. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know the One who holds tomorrow. God has promised to be with me, and His Word reminds me not to fear. My prayer is to walk wisely, to steward my time and energy well, and to one day look back with no regrets.
Paul’s focus was not on what lay behind him, but on what was ahead. That’s the invitation for each of us as we close out another year. We don’t have to live stuck in past mistakes, regrets, or even yesterday’s victories. Instead, we are called to keep moving forward, step by step, toward the prize of knowing Christ more fully and fulfilling His call on our lives.
As 2025 comes to an end, I find such hope in this truth: the race is not finished, and God is not done. With every challenge, every victory, every unknown—He is still calling us onward. Let’s press on together, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
There was a season when TobyMac’s song Move (Keep Walkin’) carried me day after day. Riding the city bus to a job where I was miserable and desperately needed more pay. I was striving so hard to move forward and this song became my anthem of perseverance. My husband and I clung to its message through some really rough times, and looking back now, I see how faithfully God kept His promises. We held on. We kept walking. And with His strength, we made it over that mountain. Today, as I hear the lyrics again, they echo Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12–14—pressing on toward the goal, refusing to give up, and trusting that Christ is with us every step of the way.
I pray this song gives you strength right where you are.