Like the Apostle Paul, every one of us has a past — moments we wish we could rewrite, choices we wish we could undo. But Paul reminds us that real faith doesn’t live in yesterday’s failures — it reaches forward to tomorrow’s purpose. Bishop D. G. Hargrove challenges us today to do what Paul did: forget what’s behind, press toward what’s ahead, and keep Christ as the center of our focus. Because faith isn’t about having arrived — it’s about refusing to stop pressing toward the mark.
Some messages don’t just encourage you—they re-center you.
Bishop Hargrove preached from a prison epistle with a press-forward spirit. Paul was in chains, but his heart wasn’t fixed on the chains—it was fixed on Jesus. And Bishop made the call plain for all of us at North Cities: don’t settle, don’t stall, don’t drift—press on.
For our church family in Garland, TX—and for friends across Rowlett, Wylie, Murphy, Plano, and Richardson, and throughout Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County—this word is a roadmap for spiritual endurance in a distracted world.
The Text: A Strategy for a Life That Keeps Growing
Bishop anchored us in Philippians 3:13–15 (KJV):
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…”
Paul’s strategy isn’t complicated. It’s disciplined:
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Humble self-assessment
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Singular focus
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Necessary forgetting
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Driving pursuit—pressing toward the prize
And Bishop didn’t preach this as theory. He preached it as a testimony—fresh out of a hospital stay, with the enemy whispering, “You’re finished.” His answer was unmistakable:
“No—I’m just getting started.”
Humble Self-Assessment: “I Have Not Apprehended”
Paul begins with humility: “I count not myself to have apprehended.”
Bishop emphasized the difference between being used by God and being complete in God.
Humility isn’t weakness—it’s spiritual strength. It draws God near. It keeps a heart teachable. It keeps a leader usable.
Bishop said it plainly: never confuse spiritual experience with spiritual completion.
God may have used you. God may have blessed you. God may have brought you through. But that doesn’t mean you’ve “arrived.”
Truth Lands Best in the Showcase of Humility
One of Bishop’s most practical lines was this:
If you really want to show truth, display it in the showcase of humility.
Arrogance repels—even when it’s correct.
Humility invites—and it carries truth with grace.
That’s the posture North Cities wants in every home, every ministry team, every life group, every conversation—especially in a region like the DFW metroplex where pressure, pace, and pride can quietly creep in.
Singular Focus: “This One Thing I Do”
Then Paul narrows his life: one thing.
Bishop called it a “singular focus”—a controlling priority that keeps the heart from splitting into competing agendas.
And he said it in a way Garland, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, and Wylie believers need to hear right now:
Our priority is Jesus Christ.
Not the noise. Not the endless arguments. Not the rotating headlines.
A divided heart produces distracted disciples. So Paul says, “this one thing.”
Bishop tied it to Matthew 6:33—seek first the Kingdom. When the tempo of your life gets off, the fix isn’t scrolling more. It’s returning to the Word, returning to prayer, returning to the center.
And yes—he got practical about witness, too: how we treat people is part of our testimony. We don’t just “go to church” in Dallas County; we represent Jesus at restaurants, on the job, and in everyday moments.
Necessary Forgetting: Refusing to Live Controlled by the Past
Paul says: “forgetting those things which are behind…”
Bishop made this crystal clear: Paul wasn’t talking about memory loss. He was talking about refusing to live controlled by the past.
That means:
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letting go of past sins under the blood
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refusing to be ruled by regret
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not replaying yesterday like it’s your identity
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not living in tomorrow like it’s your master
He warned about one of the enemy’s most effective tools: regret.
Because regret traps forgiven people in prisons God already unlocked.
Bishop gave a vivid picture: Jesus died between two thieves—and if we aren’t careful, we live between two thieves:
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Yesterday (regret, shame, bitterness)
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Tomorrow (fear, anxiety, “what if?”)
But the Spirit calls us to live in today—in the now—where grace is supplied, peace is present, and purpose is possible.
Driving Pursuit: “I Press Toward the Mark”
Then Bishop landed on the heartbeat of the message:
“I press.”
Pressing implies resistance. It implies effort. It implies stamina.
There will be days you feel like quitting—press on.
There will be days you’re tired—press on.
There will be days you’re discouraged, misunderstood, or disappointed—press on.
And Bishop reminded us what the prize actually is:
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not applause
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not trophies
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not public recognition
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not comfort
The prize is Jesus.
To know Him. To see Him. To finish faithful.
Everything else fades. Jesus doesn’t.
So Bishop called North Cities to perseverance that fits real life: marriages under pressure, job uncertainty, relationship strain, seasons of health challenges, and the steady grind of discipleship in a distracted age.
What “I Press On” Looks Like in Garland and Beyond
This message wasn’t just for Sunday morning. It’s for Monday afternoon in traffic. It’s for a weary parent in Murphy. It’s for a student in Plano. It’s for a believer walking through anxiety in Richardson. It’s for a family rebuilding after setback in Rowlett or Wylie. It’s for anyone in Collin County, Dallas County, or Rockwall County and beyond who needs a faith that doesn’t quit.
Pressing on looks like:
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staying humble even when you’ve been used by God
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keeping Jesus central when the world is loud
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burying shame under the blood and moving forward
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refusing to be trapped by regret
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taking the next faithful step even when you’re tired
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remembering: you haven’t arrived—but you’re not finished
Bishop’s closing invitation was simple and strong:
“Lord, I’m pressing on.”
