It’s a funny thing about life, when things are going well, and we feel like we’ve finally hit our stride, this is when we begin to worry. Some of us are very suspicious when things are going our way, and it’s usually because the memory of a “WHAMMM!!!” still lingers in our minds. We remember the time when we thought things were as good as they could get, then suddenly something came out of nowhere and brought us to our knees. The dread of that thing happening again keeps us anxious. Rather than being content and thankful in the moment, we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whether we realize it or not, this is living in the past, and we can’t run the race of faith if we’re constantly looking back.
In Genesis 19, God gives us the record of how He rescued Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot moved to Sodom, a place he initially believed to be a paradise, but it turned out to be the furthest thing from it. The people living there were corrupt and wicked to their cores, and God sent His angels to destroy it. Our Heavenly Father instructed the angels to save Abraham’s nephew from this destruction, and in Genesis 19:17(NLT), the angels told Lot and his family, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” Lot’s wife disobeyed the angel’s instructions. Genesis 19:26(NLT) says, “But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
Lot’s wife’s actions revealed the disobedience that was in her heart. It proved that she had pledged her allegiance to what was behind and not to what laid ahead. This was her demise, and it is also a very insightful lesson for those of us living today. She was turned into a monument of stone, lifeless and unable to move. This can happen to us when we allow mistakes of the past to paralyze our efforts to move in the strength and purpose of God. We attach too much value to what was lost back then, and this impairs our vision for the future.
All of us have made mistakes in the past. We’ve not been as diligent as we should about our relationship with God and about our spiritual growth. In Ephesians 6:11(NLT), God tells us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” Many of us put on a few pieces, but we were laxed at times. We didn’t protect ourselves with the Spirit’s sword, which is the Word of God, and this left us vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. We left an opening exposed, and hopefully, we’ve learned a lesson from that.
Ephesians 1:3(NLT) tells us, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” Through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are fully equipped, complete in every way, but many of us do not walk in this completeness. We put on more of Christ little by little. It’s a process, and God hopes that we will place our hand in His hand and be led by Him. He wants to walk with us through every aspect of life so that we learn spiritual lessons well.
There are undoubtedly going to be hiccups. Jesus Christ said to the disciples in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” The Master’s instruction to us is to take heart, to be encouraged in him and don’t sink in our minds and hearts because of the many obstacles here. He has overcome the world, and through him, so have we. He’s given us victory, and 1John 5:4(NLT) tells us that we remain in this place of victory through our faith in God.
Proverbs 4:26(NLT) tells us, “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.” This is God’s direction to us, so that we keep our feet moving forward in His truth. We may not feel like skipping through fields of daisies every day, but we should always have confidence that God is with us, He sees and knows all, and He is faithful to help us in our times of need.
We should never focus on what is in the past, because the past will never come again. Neither should we be afraid about the future because our future belongs to God. Our future is IN God, and therefore, we have nothing to fear. When things are going well, we should remember the goodness of God and how He delivered us the last time. It’s an optimum time to learn more about Jesus Christ so that we are spiritually prepared for whatever comes our way.
1John 4:4(NLT) declares, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” The spirit that is in the world is satan, and through Christ, we have already overcome the darkness, sin, and evil that satan tries to use against us. Don’t look back and allow the past to trap you. Look forward to what God has in store for your life. Every encounter, situation, and experience are opportunities to see God’s love greater. It’s a chance to show that we believe and know in our hearts and minds that He’s made us more than overcomers, because He’s given us the power and authority to be victorious over any obstacle or adversity in life. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Don’t Look Back”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.