THE LINC COLLECTIVE

Scriptures
Philippians 3:12–16; Ephesians 3:20; Hebrews 4:12; Hebrews 11:10; Joshua 14:10–12; 2 Corinthians 3:18

Blog Post

Reflections of a Pioneer: Pressing On Into What God Still Has

There is a holy tension in the life of faith: deep gratitude for what God has done, paired with an unrelenting hunger for what He is still going to do. We celebrate the altars behind us—the answered prayers, the provision in impossible seasons, the doors God opened, the people He restored, and the faithfulness that carried us when we could not carry ourselves. But we do not build a house at yesterday’s altar. We remember, we give thanks, and then we move forward.

Paul gives language to this pioneer spirit in Philippians 3: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect… but I press on.” These are not the words of someone who had done very little for God. Paul had seen churches planted, lives transformed, miracles unfold, and the gospel advance through resistance and suffering. Yet he refused to mistake progress for arrival. He knew that the grace that had brought him this far was also calling him further.

That is the invitation before us: honour what God has done by believing there is more where that came from.

Sometimes we assume maturity means becoming less expectant. We imagine that, over time, faith becomes quieter, safer, and more reserved. But biblical maturity does not eliminate hunger; it deepens it. The longer we walk with God, the more we should know that He is faithful. The more we have seen His goodness, the more courage we should have to ask for the impossible.

Caleb is a beautiful picture of this. At eighty-five years old, after decades of wilderness wandering and waiting, he stood before Joshua and said, “Give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:12). He did not ask for a comfortable retirement. He did not ask to preserve his memories of former victories. He asked for the hill country—for the place that still required faith, courage, and battle.

May that spirit live in every generation of the church. May the young carry a wild confidence in what God can do. May those who have walked with God for many years carry a deeper, steadier, fiercer expectation than ever before. The kingdom has no expiry date on courage. There is always another prayer to pray, another person to love, another dream to steward, another act of generosity to release, another mountain to take by faith.

Yet pioneers do not only know how to move forward; they also know what to leave behind.

Paul says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” This does not mean pretending the past never happened. It does not mean denying pain, ignoring wisdom, or despising the victories God has given. It means refusing to let yesterday become the lens through which we interpret tomorrow.

Our greatest victory cannot define our future, and neither can our greatest failure. A past breakthrough can become a limitation if we insist that God must work the same way again. A past disappointment can become a prison if we allow it to convince us that God will never move again. But Jesus is not confined to our memories. He is present, powerful, and at work now.

There may be things we need to leave in the wilderness: disappointment from a prayer that seemed unanswered, fatigue from a season that demanded much, fear from a relationship that hurt us, pride from a former success, or a mindset that says, “This is just how it has always been.” The Spirit gently invites us to lay these things down—not in shame, but in surrender.

There is grace for what we carry, but there is also freedom in releasing what was never meant to travel with us into the next season.

Perhaps this is why Paul’s words are so powerful: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Our future is not built on striving to prove ourselves. We press on because Christ first took hold of us. Before there was a calling to fulfil, there was a Saviour who reached for us. Before there was a mountain to take, there was mercy that found us. Pioneering is not self-promotion; it is a response to the call and kindness of God.

Abraham carried this same posture. Hebrews tells us that he “looked forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). He lived as a pilgrim, building altars but never settling permanently in temporary places. He understood that the promise was bigger than what he could see in one lifetime. His faith reached beyond his own comfort, beyond his own generation, and toward the eternal purposes of God.

We too are called to build generationally. We are not merely seeking a better moment for ourselves; we are preparing a path for those who will come after us. Our faith in our homes, workplaces, communities, and churches becomes a signpost to the next generation: God is faithful, Jesus is worthy, and the future is full of His purpose.

Pioneers ask a different question. They do not only ask, “What worked before?” They ask, “Where is God at work now?” That question keeps our hearts tender and our eyes open. God may be moving through a young person’s prayer, a new business opportunity, a courageous conversation, a fresh expression of worship, or a dream that feels too large to explain. He is still speaking. He is still building. He is still calling ordinary people into extraordinary faithfulness.

Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us. The “more” is not merely a bigger platform, a fuller calendar, or a more impressive story. The more of God is His glory revealed in His people—hearts revived, families restored, communities transformed, and generations awakened to the name of Jesus.

So do not settle at the edge of what God has already done. Give thanks for every miracle, every breakthrough, every testimony, and every altar. Then lift your eyes again. There is more grace. More mercy. More courage. More faith. More ground to take. More people to reach. More of Jesus to know.

You have not arrived—and that is not condemnation. It is invitation. The Pioneer of our faith, Jesus Himself, is still leading the way. He is calling us beyond yesterday’s oil, beyond yesterday’s fear, and beyond yesterday’s limits.

Press on.
Not because the journey is easy, but because Christ has taken hold of you.
Not because you have all the answers, but because God is faithful.
Not because you can see the whole road, but because the One who calls you is already in your future.

The best is not behind us. In Christ, there is always more ahead.