Genesis 19:26
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
INSIGHT
-Look-back means lack of focus or to recall. Lack of focus can stem from stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, drug use, stroke, anaemia, head injury, dementia, poor nutrition, frustration, fear, inclination to the past, low self worth & lack of faith.
-Lot & his family were saved when the angels destroyed the city of Sodom & Gomorra. His wife having been warned; lost focus, looked back & became a pillar of salt. Her lack of faith & inclination to the past became a mast of salt that others may see. Just like the dead Sea which comprised of pillars of salt & could not support any aquatic habitations, she lost her life. Likewise, when Moses led the Israelites to war against Amalekites, he let down his hand in some instances & Amalek prevailed (Exo 17:11). When we lack focus in life & look back, we become like pillars of salt & our dreams die. When we let down our hands & refrain from prayer & thanksgiving, the enemy prevails. Let us put our focus on God & fight our battles in prayer. He renews our strength & re-energises our focus that His purposes may be accomplished in our lives.
PRAYER
Lord our Savoir, save us from looking back in our lives, that we may always focus on You. As we begin a new week lead us in realigning our desires with Your will. Help us Father, to focus on what You called us to do & strengthen us when we are weak. May Your peace be upon our leaders, schools, families & country. We give You all the honour & praise. Amen
Jeremiah 46:5
Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty ones are beaten down; They have speedily fled, And did not look back, For fear was all around,” says the Lord.
INSIGHT
-The Lord gave Jeremiah a prophetic message against Egypt whose mercenaries seem ardent to engage in battle. They fell in consternation & confusion. Thus were compared to pretty heifers amidst fat bulls who turned back & fled away in defeat without looking back. The Lord reveals this to give hope to His people; that He will never leave us nor forsake us & will be with us till the end of time.
PRAYER
Lord our Father, we believe in You & Your word that You will never leave us nor forsake us & will be with us till the end of time. No evil plan fashioned against us shall prosper & every evil tongue pronouncing judgement against us is defeated. We put all our trust in You, Lord. Help us & preserve us. Amen
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul reveals that he has not yet been perfected & does not look at his past but presses on in his mission by the guidance of Christ. When we are focused & don’t allow our minds to be diverted by things of the past; we grow in wisdom. Looking back at the difficult moments we have overcome, the troubles we have met & the drawbacks in our lives, we may loose hope & discouragement sets in. Thus, our lives halt from progress & stress levels rise giving way to diseases. We should always remember that Christ has given our lives meaning & should always seek His guidance in our purposes & goals. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”( John 8:12).
PRAYER
Lord our Father, we thank You for the gift of life & this far we have come. We have gone through many challenges & difficult moments but You have shed Your light in us. Establish our thoughts & purposes that our lives may gain new meaning. Instil in us wisdom & hope that we may be propelled in Your grace. We thank You & praise You. Amen
Luke 9:60-61
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus says that anyone who puts his hand on the plow (follows him); then let’s himself be distrusted is not fit for the kingdom of God. Fitness is a result of working out. Working out our salvation in Christ allows us access to the kingdom realities of the Father. Our deliberate evil acts of ignorance in the name of grace draws up back into perpetual sins which delay some blessings in our lives. We have to set our priorities right. To prioritise between bidding farewell to others & burying the dead or following Christ. In seeking first Gods kingdom & His righteousness all other things are added unto us. Jesus said “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; & My Father will love him, & We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23). The kingdom of God is about indwelling of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, Who integrates us into His kingdom model. The kingdom of God requires one to keep His word i.e. application of understanding & knowledge of the Word. For without application of wisdom; one remains the same & is not a true follower of Christ.
PRAYER
We humbly beseech You Lord our Father, with thanksgiving in our hearts. We welcome You into our hearts to make Your home with us. We are not willing to look back, help us. Strengthen us in our process & progress of salvation; & cleanse our thoughts & hearts from all unrighteousness. We give You all the glory, honour & praise, now & forever. Amen
Luke 17:31-33
“In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
INSIGHT
-Jesus refers to Lot’s wife who looked back as He exposes an occurrence of the last days. The idea being holding fast our faith in seeking Him, those who were in Judea were also cautioned to run to the mountains, a place of prayer (Mat 24:16).
SUMMARY
-Look-back means lack of focus, lack of faith, to recall or to dwell in the past.
-Looking back is catastrophic as illustrated on various instances. Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt in efforts to restore what was lost in the fire. The fire may have already burnt the difficult moments we have overcome, the troubles we have met & the drawback we have previously experienced. Just like apostle Paul, who reveals that he has not yet been perfected & does not look at his past but presses on in his mission; by the guidance of Christ, we should seek Gods guidance in all we do. When we are focused & don’t allow our minds to be diverted by things of the past; we grow in wisdom. As King Solomon wrote, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom & that wisdom is supreme, God always directs us in His will when we seek Him. Jesus reveals that, anyone who puts his hand on the plow (follows him); then let’s himself be distrusted is not fit for the kingdom of God. He also reveals that the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is about indwelling of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, Who integrates us into His kingdom model. The kingdom of God thus requires us to keep His word. In keeping his word we apply His wisdom for without it; we remains the same & don’t become true followers of Christ. In seeking first Gods kingdom & His righteousness all other things are added unto us. As the Egyptian troops fell in consternation & confusion in Jeremiah’s message, we should also realise that the Lord know all we are going through, our heart desires & is working them out for our good. Let us put our focus on God & fight our battles in prayer. He renews our strength & re-energises our focus; that His purposes may be accomplished in our lives.
PRAYER
Our Father who at in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power & the glory. Forever. Amen