Mensa Otabil - Don't Look Back
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Today and tomorrow, I’m going to talk about what to focus your eyes on. Today, I’ll focus on the message «Don’t look back,» and tomorrow I’ll talk about «Look forward.»
Genesis chapter 19, verse 17: «So it came to pass when they had brought them outside that he said, 'Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.'»
Today’s passage is an instruction that the angel of the Lord gave to Lot and his family after they had been rescued from Sodom and Gomorrah. It had been their place of residence for a while, and they had grown their family there. Now, the city is about to be destroyed, and so God sends an angel to save Lot and his family from the destruction that was coming. The angel spoke to them and said, «Don’t look back.» Well, eventually, if you know the story, Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. But that’s the instruction God gave to them, and it’s an instruction that I believe is appropriate for you today: don’t look back.
In life, it’s easier to look backwards than forwards. Back represents our past and past experiences; forward is the unknown. So many times we rely on what has happened in the past and have no hope for what is going to happen in the future. I’m going to talk about three things you shouldn’t look back on.
First, don’t look back at sins you have repented of. God’s grace forgives us of our sin, and our memory of our failures is not greater than the blood of Jesus and the grace of God. If you truly repent of your sins and you ask God to forgive you, He forgives you, and you have to trust Him when He says He has forgiven you. So, if you’re going to make any progress in life, accept God’s grace of forgiveness. Accept His love for you and don’t look back on your past failures. It may have been terrible, but if it has been washed by the blood of Jesus, don’t look back at it.
Secondly, don’t look back at opportunities you have missed. Everybody misses opportunities; I miss opportunities, and I’m sure you miss opportunities too. Sometimes it’s because we couldn’t judge it right; we didn’t know the outcome. Nobody knows how the future is going to be, so something you should have done, you didn’t do; a decision you should have made one way or the other, you made incorrectly. It’s gone! If an opportunity is gone, it’s gone. You can beat yourself up daily, looking back at what you missed and pondering, «If I had done this,» or «If I had done that,» or «If I had married this person instead of that one.» You missed that opportunity; you are here now. Stop looking back because there are great things ahead for you, and God has better plans for you. Don’t look back at sins that God has forgiven you of, and don’t look back at missed opportunities.
Number three: don’t look back at old conflicts that make you bitter. Think about things in your past—quarrels or something somebody did that disturbs you or makes you feel bitter. Yet all of a sudden, the memory comes back, and you feel like charging back into some kind of battle. Listen, it’s gone! It may have happened when you were a kid, or it may have happened in school. Don’t look back at old conflicts. If you want to fight, there are future battles that you need to focus on—real battles that can give you real victory.
Finally, don’t look back at what went wrong in 2020. It’s gone! In 2021, look to God, and He will help you. Don’t look back; don’t look back.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, turn my eyes from my past defeats. Help me to accept the grace and redemption you offer me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»
Don’t look back. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.