With the coming of the dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished…." As soon as they (the angels of the Lord) had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop…."
(Gen. 19:15,17 NIV)
Keep Failures Behind You
These scriptures refer to the deliverance of Lot and his family just before God destroyed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angel told Lot's family, "…Don't look back, and don't stop…" (v. 17).
There's a spiritual principle in these scriptures we can each learn from. It's the principle of not looking back to the failures of the past, but looking ahead to the brightness of the future, as we pursue our God-given dreams.
As I read these scriptures, I am reminded of Moses and the children of Israel at the Red Sea. God had just delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. But when the Israelites got as far as the Red Sea, they realized Pharaoh and his army were in swift pursuit, trying to take them captive again (Ex. 13:18-22; 14:1-9).
The Israelites found themselves at a crossroad! They could obey God and continue journeying to their promised land. Or they could disobey God, be recaptured by Pharaoh's Egyptian army, and be subjected once again to the bondage of the past.
The children of Israel couldn't afford to look back - or even to linger - or they would forfeit the promised blessing. If the Israelites were to obtain victory, they couldn't afford to look in any direction but straight ahead to what God had promised them!
When the circumstances of life encompass you, set your face like flint on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith (Heb. 12:2). He will guide you safely to victory!
If failure and defeat try to dog your tracks, and if bondages of the past try to haunt you, just keep looking to Jesus and to the joy God has set before you in His Word. With God, the future can be bright with promise and hope!
The Bible says, "…lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet…" (Heb. 12:12-13).
In other words, keep marching straight ahead to victory! Keep your feet firmly planted on the pathway to victory and your eyes riveted on the promised blessing. You can obtain your dreams in God if you won't look back and you won't quit!
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications