"DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 19:17,26 AMP

When they had brought them outside, one [of the angels] said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, or stop anywhere in the entire valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], or you will be consumed and swept away." [26] But Lot's wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.

The story of Lot's wife is one that saddens my heart. It's sad because, it paints a clear picture of the position of many Christian hearts today. God has been drawing our attention to certain things, and I pray that we will pay attention and yield to the teaching of the Spirit. Here we go...

This story begins properly in Genesis 18 through to 19. We see God passing by Abraham's house to pay him a visit, and release to him the promise of the birth of Isaac. Before He left, He talked to Abraham about how the people of sodom and gomorrah had done many evils in His sight, and that the outcry of their evil deeds had come before Him. Here's how God put it:

Genesis 18:20-21 AMP
And the LORD said, "The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now, and see whether they have acted [as vilely and wickedly] as the outcry which has come to Me [indicates]; and if not, I will know." 

At this point, Abraham an intercessor by heart and by calling, began to intercede on behalf of the possible righteous people in that corrupt nation. God heard him, and the final decision was that if 10 righteous people were found in that place, only 10, the city will be spared. Unfortunately, not even 10 people were found.

So the angels sent by God to go and check out the place got there, and boy oh boy! sin was "chilling" everywhere on the streets. Lot, being a righteous man recognised that the men were not ordinary men and took them into his home. For the sake of Abraham the Bible says, his life was spared, and he was given the instruction to run with his family away from the city, because it was about to be destroyed. His sons-in-law to be thought it was a joke, just like in the days of Noah, and refused to go with them.

The specific instruction as seen Genesis 19:17, was to run and NOT LOOK BACK. As they were running, Lot's wife, with her heart still in sodom, decided to look back, ignoring the instruction given, disobeying even, resulting in her doom. It still baffles me how her husband and kids did not go back to look for her lol!😅😅 I guess It was an "each man for himself" kinda situation.

What God drew my attention to is how many of us Christians today, are caught in the fast paced life of the world, leaving very little to no room for the things of God. How, you ask?

You see, God is saying that, the reason why people will be left behind if the rapture were to occur today, the reason why people will not make it to heaven, is because they have ignored the Word of God that says, "we are not of this world" [John 15:19 KJV

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.]

Jesus was telling His people, that you no longer do as the world does, you no longer live your life according to the standards of the world, you have been chosen, set apart for a greater glory.

1 John 2:15-16 AMP says, "Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one's resources or in the stability of earthly things]-these do not come from the Father, but are from the world".

So when Jesus says that we are not of the world, it means that we do not live life obsessed with the lust of the flesh, boastful pride, chasing after everything in this world; things that people who do not know God live for the sole purpose of achieving. The Bible says, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).

For Lot's wife, her treasure was in sodom, and that's exactly why she could not leave like that, she had a longing for the city, probably wished in her heart that it still remained. This is the state of most of us Christians today. When God comes for His glorious church, unfortunately He will find that many have the world in them more than the Word of God. Lust, pride, love of money and many things is what drives them. The kind of Christians that say, "Heaven is the goal, but not right now". These people will not be totally willing to leave the Earth, the pleasures of the world, their money, job, even familes to go and be with the Lord, or even do God's work while still on earth.

Heaven is an after thought to them. They believe it's real, they believe God will come back for His people but they're like, "naa not right now, let me enjoy kakra". What are you enjoying? Are the pleasures of this world so appealing that you will forfeit being with the Lord in glory or obedience to God just to, "stay a little longer"? The Apostles walked to their death with smiles on their faces, because they knew that "to be absent from the body is to be present before the Lord". Yes, they went about doing God's work, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, bringing hope to the hopeless, setting captives free. They were productive people through and through, hardworking men, but they did not lose sight of the ultimate goal. Their ultimate desire was to be with the Lord, at all cost!

Child of God, you and I need to WAKE UP!! Don't allow the things of the world and the fast paced life snatch you away from the presence of God. Heaven should be your focus, always and forever. Not because it's the next best thing after Earth, but because it's the only best thing ever. I know someone who once jokingly said, when they go to heaven, they are going to be eating waakye with Jesus, the best waakye ever; and he was so excited about it.🤣lol!

Someone is dreaming about walking the streets of gold with a plate of waakye in his hand, having a chat with Jesus, and you are daydreaming about driving your Mercedes Benz on this dusty Ghana road...ah! You dont have vision koraaa😂😂😂. Dream big wai 😄😄

This is not to say, fold your arms, don't work, claiming you're waiting for Jesus' return. The Bible says whatever your hands find to do, do it well (Ecclesiastes 9:10), and God is not amused with a lazy man. So work hard, take care of your family, live, but don't lose sight of God. Keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, heaven remaining your priority.

Our goal as Christians is do the Lord's work wherever we find ourselves, and also work on our salvation with fear and trembling. Don't get distracted. Focus. Set your mind on things above, and not on things below, so that when the Lord of the harvest appears, the world will have nothing on you and you will be free to be with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:2-4 NIV

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

HEAVEN IS THE GOAL, JESUS THE WAY!

Prayer:

Father I thank You for such a time as this. We have been granted the unprecedented privilege of hearing You speak to us. May Your name be glorified. We, who You have called, come before You in all humility and receive mercy. Lord at a point in our walk with You we stopped following, and got lost, burdened by the cares of this life, and forgot that we were not of the world. We allowed ourselves, to be indoctrinated by the pleasures of the world, and forgot who we were. We return in repentance. We pray that in Your mercy You will teach us once more Your ways, and help us to live life with our eyes on You and heaven. May we never be comfortable in this world, and always remember that we have been called to a higher calling. We have no power of our own, we depend on You Holy Spirit. Thank You Sovereign Lord, In Jesus' precious name we ask, AMEN.