“Don’t Look Back”

“But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” 

Genesis 19:26

We remember the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 when God told Lot that He was going to destroy those cities because of their wickedness. He sent angels to rescue Lot and his family and warned them to flee but not to look back at the city as they left it behind. They fled but as they got a way off, Lot’s wife turned around and looked at the burning cities. Did you ever wonder why Lot’s wife looked back? Was she just heartbroken about leaving her home? Was she not totally convinced that God knew what He was doing? Or could it have been that she longed for her old life so much that she risked disobeying the Lord’s command not to look back? For whatever her reason, disobey she did, and God turned her into a pillar of salt. (That had to be a sight to see, right?)

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:18-19

Lot along with his wife and two daughters were miraculously hand selected by God to be saved from His fiery judgment of the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God wanted to spare them, but Lot’s wife still looked back. Her life could have continued on for many more years, but it was cut short because of her disobedience and longing for her old life.

“Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.”

Ecclesiastes 7:10

Sadly, some people living today do the same thing. God saves them out of a life of sin and for a while they revel in this newfound salvation. Then after some time has passed, they begin to think about their old lives and miss the allure of that life. They forget about the hopelessness and how that lifestyle leads to destruction.

Then there are some who are constantly reminded of their sinful past by Satan himself. He keeps whispering in their ear “You can never do anything for the Lord, remember what you did?” He reminds them of their past to keep them discouraged and of no use to the Lord or His work. Don’t listen!! Don’t let Satan sidetrack you and stagnate you. He would like nothing more than to see you sitting on the sidelines discouraged and licking your wounds and saying, “God can never use someone like me.” YES, HE CAN! Think about it, if He didn’t use sinners who would He use? We are all sinners. But He can only use repentant sinners.

“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.”

Philippians 3:13-14

Remember David? David sinned with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed. I doubt that any of you have done something that drastic. But yet God called David a man after His own heart. What?!! Yes, David repented and went on to do great things for the Lord. What if after he had sinned, he just said, “I’m no good to God. I can’t do anything now. I’ve messed up so I might as well curl up in the corner and wait to die.” No, David repented, God forgave, and he moved on. Don’t you think that David was reminded of his past sin? Of course. Psalms 51:3 “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” But he didn’t let it paralyze him and make him ineffective in doing what God wanted him to do. I read this quote and thought that it about summed it up. “I must believe in His goodness, and that what He’s saved me for is so much greater than what He’s saved me from.”

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

So, the past can distract us in many ways. But don’t give place to the devil. Defeat him today and let go of the past. Don’t let it stop you from doing what God wants you to do. Get busy and rebuke Satan when those thoughts begin to present themselves. You know who is behind them and he doesn’t want you to be an effective Christian. Put your hand to the plow and “Don’t Look Back.”

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:18-19