Session 14

You aren’t who you used to be

From Genesis: A 7-Week Devotional

We have all been in a rough situation. We know it is not good, but we find it hard to leave. Maybe you have a group of friends, a relationship, or a job you know God is calling you away from. You know that you are sinning—gossiping, having sex outside of marriage, or being dishonest to get ahead—but you like the people and don’t want to leave. So, instead of leaving and never looking back you get far enough away to not sin. But, you stay close enough to be in the action.

When God calls us away from a harmful situation, it is easy to get pulled back in. It’s tempting to stay connected to those friends, or that ex, on social media. It’s easy to fall into the trap of calling them just to talk when we are lonely. But, if we keep looking back, we are setting ourselves up for pain.

While fleeing the city, Lot’s wife did exactly what she wasn’t supposed to do. “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). We may not turn into salt, but we often turn into people we don’t want to be.

We can get sucked back into a situation and turn into an angry person. We can turn into a person no one wishes to be around. We can turn destructive and destroy our lives, as well as the lives of the people around us.

God wants better for us. He created us with a plan and a purpose. We can trust that when He calls us away from something, He is calling us to something greater. Let’s not let looking back hold us back. When we move out of our past, then we can live in our calling.

Reflect:

• Is there a situation you left but decided to go back to?
• How did it feel when you left a bad situation and did not go back?
• How are you handling a situation you feel stuck in right now? What step do you need to take to let it go and not look back?