Looking back, it’s easy what you should have done at various junctures in life. In fact, if you could go back in time and visit your past self, you would have all kinds of helpful advice. But as we turn to a new year, what if you were paid a visit from your future self? What advice would your future self give to you? Because if you could make the changes your future self recommends, you’ll be glad you did.  

If you could go back in time five or ten years to deliver your past self a message, you know exactly what you would say. Change this habit; Prioritize that goal; Pay attention to your cholesterol; Dump him; etc. You could save your past self so much worry, heartache, and money if you could share some of your current wisdom with your younger self. But what wisdom would help your present reality? What if you could get a message from your future self? What if your future self showed up to deliver you a message today? What would the future you tell you to do? 

One of the things that makes it so hard to listen to the future you is that the past you is speaking too loudly. Maybe the past you is condemning you with accusations of failure, guilt, or shame. The Apostle Paul was no stranger to this reality. In fact, his past self was even worse than your past self. But he learned how to tune out to his past self and listen to his future self, the future self that was resting in heaven with Jesus. In this message, we’ll discover how focusing on our future allows us to move past your past. In light of your future hope, what would the future you tell you to do?  
 

Many times, instead of eliminating the obstacles that keep us from moving forward in life, we try to compensate for them and keep going. We end up dragging our baggage and sin from one stage of life to the next. But God wants us to get rid of everything that hinders us and slows us down from becoming the future person that he has in mind. Don’t compensate for what you must eliminate. In light of your past, what would the future you tell you to do? 

Hopefully, you’ve learned quite a bit from your future self in this series. But your future self has one problem. It’s still you. The same you that has created all of the problems in your life up till now. The good news is that there’s someone else who is ready to offer advice. He’s not just from the future; he’s the beginning and the end. We’ll wrap up the series by considering our question from a different angle. Considering that Jesus has the words of eternal life, what would the future you tell you to do?