Moving Forward!

I find myself constantly thinking about the past and wishing that I could somehow change certain, well many events that happened. Such things like wishing I payed more attention in high school, went straight to a four year college out of high school got my degree and started my career early, and one I think about the most wishing I didn't waste so much time on the wrong men. Do you ever think like that? We spend so much time dwelling on the past that it makes it really hard to move forward. I am so guilty of this. On my journey of a more positive outlook on life, this is one lesson I want to learn. The following is another article I found to be a great read. Hope you find it enjoyable and helpful as well. Thanks for stopping by!

:-)~Ms. Ray

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Moving Forward with God

By G. Craig Lauterbach

The key to success in life is learning to hear God’s voice and then obeying it. Dr. David Yonggi Cho, pastor of the world’s largest church (800,000 people) in Seoul, South Korea, has been asked many times why he feels his church has experienced such growth. Without hesitation his response has been, “I pray and I obey.” In other words, he listens for God’s voice and then he does what God instructs. You can’t go wrong with that formula! In fact, you’ll find people get into trouble when they start doing what they want to do.

Take a moment to read Genesis 19:15-29. “When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 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.’ Then Lot said to them, ‘Please, no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.’ And he said to him, ‘See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.’ Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” (NKJV)

In our text, God sends two angels to rescue Lot and his family from the destruction that both Sodom and Gomorrah are about to reap. These cities had embraced a homosexual lifestyle and now the consequence of their sin would soon be realized. In response to Abraham’s prayers, his nephew Lot along with Lot’s household, are given the opportunity to escape. With all of this in mind let’s look at what it means to move forward with God.

The Desire

Why is it that some advance in the things of God while others choose another direction? The answer to this question can be reduced to one word, DESIRE. Look at Lot’s sons-in-law. In Genesis 19:14 we read, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (NKJV) Lot’s sons-in-law saw the angels. The entire account tells us the arrival of these heavenly messengers caused a significant disturbance in the city. In fact, it even prompted the homosexual community to bang on the doors of Lot’s home, demanding that the two visitors be handed over for sexual gratification. Out of shear desperation, Lot was even willing to give the crowd his daughters in order to protect his guests. Think about that for a moment. Lot’s daughters were also the wives of these sons-in-law. Don’t you think those husbands were aware of what was going on with their wives? They knew what the angels had said yet when Lot gave the command to leave, they laughed. Why would anyone do this? This is the reaction of an individual who has no desire to change and a refusal to change always results in unbelief.

If we are going to move forward with God, then we have to let go of what WE want in life and take hold of what GOD desires. He knows the future. That means if we will follow Him even when it challenges our comfort level, in the end it will produce protection and provision. Wouldn’t you want someone leading you who already knows what’s down the road? Lot’s sons-in-law were not willing to do this and the outcome was tragic for their lives. They missed their blessing because of a lack of desire.

The Distraction

Some people don’t move forward because they’re always looking back. This is the trap Lot’s wife fell into. She heard the Word of the Lord. She believed the Word of the Lord. She even obeyed the Word of the Lord, but when she began to think about what she had in Sodom, she became distracted. Instead of looking ahead through the eyes of faith, she looked back. Looking back caused her to see what she once had, rather than what she was in possession of. Looking back caused her to see what she was loosing, rather than what she would gain. She was holding on to her past. Is your past distracting you from moving forward with God? Listen to me. It’s impossible to move forward if you’re constantly looking back. Did you hear me? I’m going to say it again. It’s impossible to move forward if you’re constantly looking back. Can you imagine driving your car to work and instead of looking ahead, you’re continually watching the rear view mirror? What would happen? Obviously nothing to live and talk about. This same principle applies to you and I. If we are always looking back at what we had, or even calling to remembrance our past mistakes, we will eventually find ourselves spiritually and emotionally trapped.

Look at the words of the Apostle Paul. Philippians 3:13 reads, “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.” (NKJV) I heard a preacher once say, “The future holds more power to change your life than the past that has already shaped you.” That is a profound statement. Let’s analyze it for a moment. All of us have both positive and negative memories from our pasts. Things we wish we could change and things we would do again and again. The fact is we can’t revisit our past. Whether good or bad, it’s done, but what we can do is trust God with our here and now. Every decision we make from this point on can be a life changing choice for the better. Lot’s wife missed her blessing. She started good, but she didn’t finish her journey. Why? Her past distracted her from moving forward. How can we move forward and receive the blessing of the Lord?

The Dedication

In order to move forward with God, we need to bring our desires and distractions to Him. He knows the longing of our hearts. In fact, He knows them better than we do. He made us and if we will trust Him with our dreams minus the demands of who, what, how, or when, eventually He will fulfill the promise of His Word over our lives. In our text, Lot and his two daughters received God’s blessing. Because they were willing to believe the Word of the Lord and because they were willing to obey the Word of the Lord, they were able to receive the Word of the Lord. Plan and simple, their lives were spared. In Proverbs 3:5-6 Solomon wrote, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV) If we will make a conscious choice to dedicate our lives to the Lord, He will honor that commitment by leading and directing our steps. With God calling the shots, we will never have to settle for mediocrity. In James 1:17 we read “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (NKJV) God always gives His best. With our limited understanding it may not seem like that at the time, but when everything is said and done, our testimony will be one of praise and thanksgiving.

This kind of dedication sets people free from their pasts. Past failures and past mistakes become a faint memory when we focus on our future and the God who holds it. The ability to forgive others, and ourselves becomes a reality for the man or woman who has dedicated their life to the purpose and plans God has predestined for them. Receiving and releasing forgiveness will flow as easily from us as it does from God. Why? Because His desires have now become our desires, His ways have transformed our ways, and His thoughts now purify ours. This is the fruit of a dedicated man or woman. Jeremiah 29:11 proclaims “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV) This is God’s Word for you and for me. He wants us to experience His peace. He desires to keep us from evil. He wants to give us a future and a hope. If we will place our lives in His hands, we will move forward with God.