We Can Pull Each Other, But We Have to Protect Ourselves

Looking Back

One of my favorite football players ever is Deion “Prime Time” Sanders. Once they asked him why he looks at the jumbo-tron when he is running away from defenders, headed for a touchdown, he would respond so I could see who is behind me.

Many of us will be tuning in to the Olympics this summer, and if you are like me you will be glued in to many of the track and field events. One of the things they teach you in running track is do not waste energy by looking back. Even in a relay they are looking back to see their teammate hit the mark and then their focus is on the finish line.

Looking back has caused many of us the inability to move forward. The past is such a distraction, we use so much energy looking backward we fail to see obstacles and opportunities in our way. In short, in protecting each other we have to protect ourselves by focusing on the destination given to us by God.

I can hold my son’s hand, but he still has to keep his eyes forward so that he does not trip or run into something that might hurt him further.

The same applies for us, we can hold one another’s hands. We can lead people in the right direction but eventually people have to be okay with refraining from looking at their past. We have to be okay, that despite our past and despite what we are leaving God has a destination for us.

The Obstacles Before the Destination

As they are leaving the bible states in verse 24, “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens”.

I can dodge obstacles if I’m looking forward, but I need you to look forward to. We have to protect each other. People can only do so much for you.

When we look back we get hit with things that can ruin our life because we refrain from looking forward.

Even Jesus states in Luke “and likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back, Remember Lot’s wife”

As long as we focus on what we are missing out on we miss what God is already preserving us from.

Looking back has caused a lot of pain to resurface, looking back has caused a lot of us to miss out on opportunities, looking back has caused our life’s to be ruined. We cannot do anything about the past and the longer we examine the worse our future becomes.

Today we look back no longer!

Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.

God is trying to take us to a new destination, with a new purpose, around new people, for a new cause.

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth;

Stop Bargaining with Toxic Situations

“and you have increased 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”

We can be strange sometimes, our faith becomes weakened by the uncertainty of the future and so we began to act out of fear instead of faith.

Understand you can obey God out of fear, but you can’t expect the full potential of your purpose operating out of fear.

If this is the same God that interfered for the rescue of Lot and his family, would not God have protected him in the mountains?

Some of us are dealing with a Sodom and Gommorah in our lives and we are bargaining with negativity, we are bargaining with abuse, we are bargaining with foolishness. When God is waiting for you to leave so he can destroy this situation and get you to newer heights.

Do not settle for the safety of the valley when God has mountaintop plans for your life.

God acts Immediately

We have to know that God acts immediately. Not only does he overthrow but he destroys!

Understand that we do not have time to go back and forth between the purpose of the future and the hindsight of the past.

The tough part about reaching destinations of peace and safety is the people you care about the most might not get there with you.

When God requires something of us, He means it. Not negating our experiences but when our experiences begin to hold us back we miss out on the blessing of a purpose given by God.

So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, and the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

Applications

"Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar."

Sometimes I have to leave a toxic place and find safety in a place I consider insignificant in effort to heal and be safe.

Zoar means lowly or insignificant. I'd rather have peace in a place of insignificance than be in a significant place filled with chaos.

At some point God runs out of concessions:

They warned him that this city was going to be destroyed.

God had mercy on Lot and his family despite his children and their spouses not taking the warning seriously.

"But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking"

When catastrophe is upon us some folks are not going to believe in your seriousness.

Do not think of yourself too righteous to need deliverance.

The New King James Version Chapter 2

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)

* They grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters.

They grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters.

Being pulled in the right direction does not ensure that you will not be hindered by looking back. At some point regardless of who is holding your hand, or who is pulling you forward you have to be destination minded on your own.

What keeps us from moving forward?

Lingering in toxic situations hoping they'll get better.

Looking back thinking we could have done something different.

God can protect us, we can protect each other but eventually we have to do something ourselves in effort to move forward from terrible situations. Who wants to move forward this morning? Who is tired of being in these toxic situations? Who is willing to Hold the Hand of God, and push forward despite the horror of what we are leaving behind.

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.