My oldest child recently got her learner's permit. She was so excited and actually made a calendar to count down the days until she could get it. For her 16th birthday, I printed a copy of the driver's manual, hole-punched it, and put it in a nice binder. It was a bit lengthy – slightly over 125 pages. She devoured the book and studied it nonstop during her spring break. There were quizzes through the state DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) website which had actual questions that would be on her written test. She took quizzes every day, and in that week alone did about 25 to 30 quizzes. She was so happy, and I was so proud that she took her written exam and passed the first time.
One of the things that she learned (and we all know) is that when we are driving, we need to look where we are going – not where we have left. We can get into serious accidents if we aren't looking ahead. First of all, we need to focus on the destination ahead, and secondly, we need to pay attention to anything that could put us in danger on the way to our destination.
Looking back while driving a vehicle (when you shouldn't be looking back) usually happens when you're distracted or aren't paying attention. However, it's a different situation altogether when you look back on purpose.
Moving Forward Toward a Hope and a Future
The house I used to live in had a lot of memories. We lived there for about fifteen years. A lot happened there. It is where we faced many challenges, and its the place that I associate with finding out news I never wanted to hear. When we moved from that house, I heard the Holy Spirit instruct me to not look back. Even though there was good that happened there, some of the challenges were very intense.
In Jeremiah, the Word tells us that God wants to give us a hope and a future. How can we move forward toward hope and a future if we are looking back? (Photo via Pixexid)
I recently read somewhere that the past isn't meant to be a parking space. Sometimes, it isn't just our physical eyes that need to look forward; our spirits and souls must look forward as well.
If you have ever heard someone ask, "Are you present?" or, "Hello, are you with us?" They mean are you thinking in your head and living a different present reality than what is actually going on right now? I have often been so caught up in my thoughts that I have lived in my head and have missed what was going on around me.
I'm not trying to suggest that we not honor the places God has brought us from, the victories, what we've learned/are learning from the past, and the people we ought to honor. I am saying that we can't dwell in the past or look backward. It's a heart issue.
A Complete 180-Degree Turn
There is a very well-know story in the Bible which is found in Genesis 19. Abraham's nephew Lot had been living in Sodom and Gomorrah. This was one of the most, if not the most, wicked places in that day. Through a series of events, there were angels that went into the city to help Lot and his family escape the city and the complete destruction that was coming.
As they were being escorted out of the city, the angels instructed Lot, his wife, and his family to NOT look back, or they would be destroyed. This may partly have been because there wasn't time to waste; they needed to get to safety in a hurry. But, even more importantly, there was a spiritual component regarding the posture of their hearts. Were their hearts leaning toward the corruption and sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, or were they looking toward righteousness and the provision of safety?
As Lot's family was hastily en route to a safe haven, Lot's wife showed the true posture of her heart. In Genesis 19:26 (TPT), we find out exactly what happened. It says, "But Lot's wife turned and gazed longingly on the city and turned into a pillar of salt."
Lot's wife physically turned her position because she was spiritually turned in her heart. She went from looking forward to a complete 180-degree turn backward. She disobeyed the instruction of the angels, even though she had already been told of the consequence of that disobedience (Genesis 19:15–17). She gazed in her heart toward the place that was so corrupt and wicked – a complete 180-degree turn from gazing toward righteousness and a place God had prepared for their future.
A Pillar of Salt vs. a Pillar of Righteousness
Lot's wife received the consequence of her actions and became a pillar of salt. It is interesting that she became salt. Salt preserves.
I believe that in the days in which we live, the Holy Spirit is emphasizing to us the lesson from Lot's wife that has been preserved for us. (Photo via WannaPik)
Lot's wife wasn't preserved as a mound of salt, but as a pillar of salt. A pillar stands high and is for supporting something, often a structure. The lesson for us is that in our walk with the Lord during this life on Earth, there are pillars or supporting elements for what God has designed and instructed for our good. Just as the Israelites built altars out of stones piled high to commemorate something monumental, this salt pillar also commemorates something monumental: We are to listen; we are to listen carefully. We are to obey instruction from the Lord. We are to look forward; we are not to look backward. We are to renew our minds so that our heart posture is facing righteousness instead of evil. As my mamaw said when I was growing up, "We live in this world, but we are not be of this world!"
It's crucial that we examine our hearts and where we are truly facing. In Proverbs 23:7, it says that as we think in our hearts, so we are. What are we putting into ourselves. What are we thinking on? Where are we facing? That is where we will end up. God does have great plans for each of us – a hope and a future. However, we have a part to play. Lot's wife could have ended up in safety like the rest of her family, but she chose to look back instead of looking forward.
Look forward today. Make sure your gaze is toward righteousness, your heart fully facing and following Jesus. Don't look back and become a pillar of salt. Look forward and become a pillar of righteousness.
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Crystal G.H. Lowery
Based On Faith
Email:Â click here
Website:Â www.basedonfaith.org
Crystal G.H. Lowery is a Christian estate planning attorney and is the owner and founding attorney of Law Office of Crystal G.H. Lowery, LLC. Crystal is also an author as well as the founder of Based on Faith, an organization whose vision is to become an international resource that increases biblical knowledge of faith within the Body of Christ through comprehensive teaching, discussion of law, and the prophetic.
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