Keeping your eyes on the Prize
Keeping your eyes on the Prize
We usually keep our hearts and minds on the things that are most important to us.
LOTS WIFE ILLUSTRATES THIS BY HER LONGING FOR WHAT SHE WAS LEAVING BEHIND.
Gen 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
Gen 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
Gen 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Gen 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
Gen 19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
Gen 19:20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
Gen 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
Gen 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
God Destroys Sodom
Gen 19:23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Gen 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Gen 19:27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
Gen 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
There is a difference between to seeing and looking and longing.
LOT’S WIFE LONGED FOR WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND
Her backward look must have been more than momentary, for the destruction of the cities did not begin till Lot was safe in Zoar.
When Lots wife looking backward, she revealed what her heart longed for, her heart was still in Sodom.
There is great difficulty in quitting evil after long habits.
The worst thing that can happen when Christian is to look back!
To turn back toward a life of sin after finding Christ as savior is one of the most miserable ways to live, and can have horrible consequences.
LUKE 9:62 AND JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, NO MAN, HAVING PUT HIS HAND TO THE PLOUGH, AND LOOKING BACK, IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
As Christians, it is vitally important that we are always looking forward, not back.
Why? It is a fact that where we are looking is where we are heading.
The saddest stories in the Bible are those of individuals who turned back, who turned away from God.
Such people as King Saul, Lot’s wife, Judas, and Apostle Paul’s co-worker Demas.
IN JOHN 6:66 WE READ “FROM THIS TIME MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES TURNED BACK AND NO LONGER FOLLOWED HIM.”
Jesus said of Judas that it would have been better to have not been born than to have turned away from Christ.
ISRAEL LONGING TO GO BACK INTO BONDAGE AFTER CROSSING THE JORDEN
Num 11:4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
Num 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
Many believers desire a better tomorrow but remain emotionally, spiritually, or mentally tied to yesterday.
Past failures, regrets, disappointments, successes, and even familiar seasons often become invisible chains that hinder forward movement.
God’s future cannot be fully embraced while one’s hands are still holding onto the past.
The best is yet to come
LOOKING BACK HINDERS FORWARD PROGRESS.
ILLUS: Several years ago, experts restored the famous painting of the Dutchman Rembrandt entitled, “THE NIGHT WATCH.” The magnificent painting had hung for years in Amsterdam without proper protection and had acquired a heavy layer of dust and grime.
The restorers were shocked as they cleaned it to find all kinds of small detail that had been hidden for a long time. The colors and long obscured figures suddenly came to life again once all the contaminants were removed.
They did nothing to change what the master had made, all they did was remove the contamination and this brought out much of the master’s picture that had been completely ignored before. It was like a new painting once cleaned!
Neglect had allowed the contamination that obscured the master’s plan! Sin is like this in a Christian’s life.
Those who look back to the world will not be able to see God up ahead!
God wants you to have Him as the number one priority in your heart, your inward actions.
The normal Christian life is to be one of spiritual growth and progression...
Looking Forward (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV)
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.
FOUR THINGS TO HELP YOU TURN YOUR HEAD AND LOOK FORWARD
You will only grow if you keep looking forward.
Growth means that you change some things. For Christians, it may be some habits. For churches, it may be some methods and traditions.
You will only win the race when you look forward to Jesus.
Jesus is there to coach you. He is your cheerleader. He will help you win the race. But you have to keep looking to Him – not to anyone else, or anything else. Jesus needs to be your Source.
You have to believe that the future is brighter than the past.
You have to take all of your negative thoughts and submit them to Christ. Christians need to think forward because God thinks forward.
You have to know that God’s love for you didn’t end when you accepted Jesus.
He just doesn’t want you to stay right where you are. There is much more ahead of you in God’s love than behind you
The only way to receive that crown of life is by becoming and then living the Christian life—reaching forth and pressing toward the mark.
Leaving yesterday is not denial of past experiences but alignment with God’s future.
God does not waste seasons, but He does not allow believers to live in them forever.
Progress in destiny demands that old chapters be closed so new ones can begin under divine direction.
As you step into this new season, make a firm decision to release regrets, failures, and even past achievements.
By pressing toward God’s high calling, you will secure a tomorrow filled with purpose, clarity, favour, and fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
Freedom from yesterday requires intentional surrender and faith.
Looking and moving forward requires focus and discipline
The future belongs to those who pursue God wholeheartedly
