Going Back Is Not An Option!
Gen.19:15-17 (NIV)
15 With the coming of 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.”
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.
17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
Sometimes things that we are familiar with will keep us from pursuing things that are in our future. If you are not growing, it may be because you are satisfied with you have. I am content with my natural possessions but I’m not satisfied with my pursuit of God. I want more! Our desire should be to have more of God in every area of our lives.
We should thank God for where we are and where He has brought us from but we should want to go to deeper in the presence of God. As for me and my house, going back to what was is not an option!
Observation 1: Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs (Vs. 14-15)
God will give you partial insights into something that are coming. This is totally up to God how He prepares us for shifts that may occur in our lives. When God gets ready to make another shift in our lives, there is always a shaking. What we think comes to consume us is only to make us move forward. You can’t stay where you are if you expect God to take you higher. The angels of the Lord warned Lot that something was going to happen and they could not stay where they were. They had to move and Go higher!
God will allow you to get to different places so He can give you revelation. The revelation that God wants to give us in this season has generational consequences. God is positioning you for your next level up. (Vs. 16) As you go through each season, it should reveal something about yourself and it should reveal a deeper revelation about God.
There is another level coming (Vs. 17) God brings you out of one level to take you to the next. When you are not making progress means that God is trying to get your attention so you can make the right move.
Despite the warning signs from the angels of the Lord, Lot had a desire to stay close to a place that represented a lifestyle of sin. This place was called Zoar. Zoar was described a small place outside of Sodom and Gomorrah and I believe it reminded him of what was.
God wants us to move from the low points in our live that remind us of what was and move to a place of safety and represents our new life. There are somethings that you will not be able to possess until you leave familiarity behind.
Observation 2: God Will Provide Instructions to Move Forward (Vs. 16-20)
Lot hesitated because of what he was familiar with. The land that he chose ended up being a curse to himself and his family. Instead of holding on to his godly heritage, he was wooded into the mindset and lifestyle of the Sodomites. The Sodomites represented everything that was opposite of God which included, unholy alliances, wicked lifestyles and the absence of Jehovah God.
I believe there was a small part of Lot that wanted to move forward and do the right thing. But there was something about Sodom. There are some areas in our lives that are similar to Sodom. It represents the old lifestyle, old habits and attitudes. What do you need to leave behind to move forward? Lot had a divine opportunity to leave the land that He chose as the better portion. (Lot had attached himself to his uncle who was Abraham back in chapters 12-13.) Little than Lot knew, the portion he chose would have a long lasting effect on his life and family.
In order to move forward, we must acknowledge God in everything we do without hesitation. Moving forward requires one to remember what happened. Moving forward will require you to move when God says move. Moving forward will carry you into your destiny.
Observation 3: What’s Coming Is Better than What Is behind You! (Vs. 21-22)
What Lot did not realize because of his procrastination was God wanted to save his life for a greater purpose.
Lot was saved because of the intercession of his uncle, Abraham. This tells me that it is important to pray and intercede for our families. It is important to pray when we don’t understand what God is doing, but trust his guidance.
God wants us to come to the realization, that what is ahead is better than what is currently going on.
When we experience the loss of material things in our lives, don’t dwell on what you lost but put yourself in a position to receive something greater than you never possessed. I believe that God will allow you to experience the loss of something so that you will know that He is a God who restores. I believe that God will allow us to experience seasons of sickness to know that He is a healer. I believe that God will test our faith so that we will put it into action. I believe that God can restore everything that is broken in our lives but we have to allow Him to do the needed thing.
When you place your trust in the Lord, He will give you what you need. When you are obedient to the Lord, He will also give you desires of your heart. I am determined to not go back to what was but I am determined to follow Jesus until the end. I am not going back to my old way of living because He has given us new and renewed life.
Going back is not an option for me!
