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True faith should never look back; in God we trust,

God’s power created man from the ground’s dust,

Faith will govern the lives of those who are just,

To please God, faith is not optional; it is a must.

True faith should never look back; we run the race,

The race we run by faith, tis God who sets the pace,

When we forge forward by faith, our lives He’ll bless,

Shun doubt completely; doubt ends lives in a mess.

True faith should never look back, God’s love won’t cease,

When we act by faith, Faith in God in us will increase,

When we match with God, Satan’s plans and attacks will freeze,

For God owns everything; all in heaven and earth is His.

True faith should never look back; in God we confide,

When we obey God, in His loving arms, we abide,

God takes us seriously. He doesn’t want us to take him for a ride,

If we live faithfully, blessings will come like a mighty wind or tide.

Hebrews 11:15 (KJV) – “¹⁵ And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.”

The heroes of faith were not mindful of their past because they desired a better country. Faith should never look back. It should not look right or left; it should only look forward. Many of us are saved but still remember the things we used to do before we got saved and wish to return to them.

When God called Abraham to go to a foreign land, God told him to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s land to a land that God would show him(Genesis 12:1-3). He obeyed God, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). He did not regret leaving his original home. He had the opportunity to return because family and culture are very dear to most people, but he did not. Instead, he looked for a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). He knew that happiness on earth is temporary. He chose to sacrifice temporary pleasure for eternal happiness.

Genesis 19:17 (KJV) – “And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”

Lot and his family received an instruction from God to escape from the city of Sodom. God commanded them not to look back. They did not wholly know their destination, but God knew. God knew He had prepared a better place for them than they already had.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the increased wickedness in those cities, and He wanted to end that wickedness. In that wicked city, Lot and his family found favor in the sight of God, and God desired to save them from its destruction. Therefore, He expected them to flee and not look back because looking back would slow them down and make them desire to return to that morally polluted city. Lot’s wife did not heed this instruction. She looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

God desires us to be forward thinkers always. He desires us to have a laser-like focus in whatever we do. There is a reason why God created our eyes at the front of our faces and not at the back of our heads or sideways. This is because what lies ahead is more important than what lies behind and on the side. The windscreen in a vehicle is always larger than the side mirrors and the interior rearview mirror. Besides the windscreen, other mirrors are rarely used. Drivers only use them when changing lanes or reversing.

The average or slowest runner will outdo the fastest runner who keeps looking back. Therefore, this applies not just to moving physically but also to moving spiritually. Many backslide because of looking back. Many go back to sins that they had once left because of looking back at the pleasures they enjoyed while they were in that sin. They don’t look forward to the glory that lies ahead. God may save someone from a life of robbery, but they start looking back, desiring the easy money they used to get. Christ may save someone from a life of fornication and masturbation but start treasuring sinful memories.

Looking back slows down our spiritual progress. Not only does it slow down our spiritual progress, but it also slows down our health, academic, social, mental, and financial progress because spiritual progress impacts all these. Many have ruined their lives by returning to toxic relationships they had once left.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” When Christ saves us from our sins, we become a new creation. Therefore, our lives need to differ significantly from our past lives before encountering Christ. When Christ performed various miracles, He changed the past conditions of the people He performed miracles on and gave them new conditions.

For example, when He healed the blind, He changed them from a lack of vision to a condition of vision. Therefore, it was logical to expect them to do things differently because they had gained the ability to see. If they used sticks to guide them where to walk, they would no longer be valid because Christ gave them vision. When Christ healed the lame, He gave them the ability to walk. He moved them from a state of immobility to a state of mobility. Those who could not walk were blessed to walk everywhere they desired to. Therefore, they had no excuse for not going around to preach the gospel because God gave them the ability to walk.

An encounter with Christ is not merely for improvement but for complete transformation. There should be a notable significant difference between the past you and the present you. Matthew 5:16 (KJV) – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify you Father which is in heaven.”

People need to marvel at you because you have declared that you desire a better country and city. Looking back erases the work of infinite love Christ has done for you. It takes you back from positive transformation to stagnation or degradation.

It is like, someone who Jesus once healed of blindness, taking a knife and cutting off their eyes, returning to the state of blindness. It is like someone who was once lame and has been given the ability to walk, take a machete, and cut their legs. We can also liken it to wearing a dazzling clean white garment and rolling oneself in the mud. It is like dressing up in your favorite outfit and diving in the sewage to swim. These examples may sound too bizarre, but sin makes your life worse than all these examples.

Luke 9:62 (KJV) – “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Jesus told this to a man who requested to go back and bid farewell to the people at his house (Luke 9:61) after He had requested the man to follow Him. Christ understood that if the man goes back to do that, he may be discouraged by the people at his house or delayed. He knew that the few minutes or hours of going back to bid farewell would make the man miss out on some of the blessings (By the way, if church service starts at 8:00 and you arrive at 8:05, you’ve missed out on five minutes of divine blessings.

The tragedy is if you have done that for a long time, you may not know what you are missing out on until you start doing things the right way). Jesus told the man that whoever looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. God has prepared a beautiful place for us all. Ellen White writes that Heaven is more glorious than you can imagine. John the revelator could not fully capture the glory of Heaven in the minds of the readers of the book of Revelation. Someone who looks back is not fit for that glorious city because they are already comfortable in this dilapidated, degraded, and disastrous world.

Some of the reasons why people look back:

1.  Uncertainty of the future – Many are unaware of the blessings God has in store for them, and therefore they desire to go back. In Genesis 12:1-3, when God commanded Abraham to get out of his country and his family to a land that the Lord would show him, Abraham did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). However, he trusted that the Lord was going to take him to a better place than he was before. As a result, God blessed him because of that act of faith. If he had disobeyed, He would not have experienced those blessings. Uncertainty robs us of numerous blessings from God. God convicts you that the Seventh Day is the Sabbath, but you are uncertain of your future since you have a job that requires you to work on Sabbath. God calls you out of a particular sin, for example, drinking alcohol, but you are uncertain of your future without those friends you used to drink with.
2. Challenges they face when moving forward – When the Israelites faced hunger in the wilderness, they complained and desired to be taken back to their life of slavery in Egypt. They argued that in Egypt, they had all the food they needed (Exodus 16:2-3). God was giving them a better place than Egypt, a land with milk and honey where they would be liberated (Exodus 3:8). The few challenges that the Israelites faced in the wilderness made them willing to forfeit the enormous blessing that God had in store for them. Esau’s hunger might have been extreme (Genesis 25:32 (KJV) – Behold, I am at the point to die), but the birthright he despised (Genesis 25:34) was bigger and better than the food he exchanged for it. Heaven can’t be compared to the best this world can offer, but we choose this world rather than Heaven. As we move forward in our Christian lives, numerous challenges are coming. Be prepared to face opposition from your family and friends. Be prepared to face opposition from church members. People will consider you to be insane for choosing the righteous path like they considered Noah. However, all these challenges you face will combine to produce something beautiful. Romans 8:28 (KJV) – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Not every individual thing is good, but all things combined will work out for good for those who love God. When you try to eat plain rice alone, it may not taste that good, but when you combine it with stew, it tastes better. All things combined will work out together for good. Bread alone doesn’t taste good to most people, but it tastes better when you make a sandwich (combine it with other things). Therefore, do not fret because of your challenges when following Christ. Together they will result in something good.
3. Sometimes change is difficult to implement – People want change, but very few are willing to embrace it. This is because change compels you to get out of your comfort zone. It prompts one to get out of what they were used to and get into something new. Change is sometimes very uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). It was uncomfortable when Abraham was commanded to get out of his country and from his family (Genesis 12:1-3). When God introduced circumcision (Genesis 17:10), it was uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable when Joseph was sold into Slavery in Egypt by his brothers (Genesis 37). It was uncomfortable when Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit (Genesis 39). It was uncomfortable when Moses took the Israelites from Egypt to the wilderness (Exodus 14). It was uncomfortable when God allowed the devil to take away all that Job had, including his health (Job 1&2). It was uncomfortable when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19).

When Christ changes you, it may not always be comfortable, but it is more than worth it. When God gives us a transition, He often makes us pass through the wilderness, prison, or crucifixion experience to prepare us for the noble and magnificent things ahead. You may have been accused falsely at work and lost your job, but God leads you to open up a business that provides thousands of jobs to people.

Your heartbreak may lead you to write a poem or compose a song that will encourage millions of people and, in return, make millions of money out of it. You may have tarmacked in search of a job, but God leads you to open a Multinational Corporation. You may fail in class, but God ends up changing your failure into success, like Dr. Ben Carson.

Let God work in your life, and the results will be astonishing. Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) – “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Ask God to guide you through the change He is taking you through, and tell Him to give you the grace and strength not to look back.

Looking back should never be an option for a converted Christian. Isaiah 43:18 (KJV) – “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” When memories of sin come to you, making you have a desire for that past deplorable life, pray against them. Instead of remembering past things, focus on future things. This is what God promises in Isaiah 43:19 (KJV) – “Behold, I will do a new thing.”

The only thing you should remember is God’s commandments because this is your entire duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13). For example, Exodus 20:8 (KJV) – “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

When you remember the Sabbath day, you will acknowledge that God is your Creator (Genesis 2:1-3), your Savior (John 3:16), and your Sanctifier (Exodus 31:13 and Ezekiel 20:12). If you remember the Sabbath day, you will acknowledge that you are dependent upon God. He who used His word to bring the entire universe into existence will use His word to bring the future you desire into existence.

Therefore, do not remember the past unless you are using it to evaluate how you can better your future so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Forget the ‘goodness’ that evil once brought you in the past but don’t forget the past miracles that God did to your life (Deuteronomy 5:15 (KJV) – And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm).

Philippians 3:13 (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.”

“No one will make any upward progress without persevering effort. He who would overcome must hold fast to Christ. He must not look back, but keep the eye ever upward, gaining one grace after another. Individual vigilance is the price of safety.” – Maranatha, Page 47.4, Ellen G. White.

Hold fast to Christ. Do not look back.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, help me to never look back to my past life of sin. Please help me to accurately evaluate my past experiences and derive valuable lessons from them. Lord, guide me as I move forward and help me overcome all challenges that may come with moving forward.

Activity

1. Write down the mistakes that you made in the past and make a decision not to repeat them.
2.  Write down the past evil things that you feel like going back to and pray over them, asking God to help you not to get back to them.
3.  Write down the challenges you face when living a Christian life and ask God to help you overcome those challenges.

Author: Mark Alex   

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