“ And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plouph and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” ( Luke 9: 62)

In this day of lopsided teachings we can easily get caught up in thinking
that we must always go on the offense in battling the wiles of Satan. But
notice that in the first five pieces of armor there is no thought of
offense: they are for defense, for one to stand and face the foe, and to
be a witness to all. The thought of protection comes to mind continually,
for in these five attributes that come from God is not only that which
makes up salvation, but that which molds, guides, and protects. When we
see how God has provided, it should humble us.

There is another aspect to this armor that many tend to ignore, and it is
to their hurt. There is no armor for the back. This imparts unto us a
very special message. One that we will hopefully apply to every part of
our walk and to the battle that we are engaged in, a message that says,
“There is no retreat, there is no going back.”
        
There are many who will not agree with me, but the Bible never says, “Go
correct your past and then come to Jesus.” One writer deemed this
necessary for salvation; he had to, however, redefine faith and grace to
justify his error. He denied that we are new creatures in Christ, and
that the old man has been crucified, and that we are to reckon ourselves
dead unto sin and alive unto God. He pointed people to self and to the
past, instead of to Jesus and the future. I say unto you, “Do we dare go
back?!”

First let us be clear on one point. We never deserved to be saved, nor
earned the right to be saved, or did anything of ourselves to seek after
God. Salvation is a free gift, and a work of God to those He has chosen.
Once God has drawn us to Himself and instilled His faith within us, there
is no retreat, there is no going back. We see this in the children of
Israel when they came out of Egypt. Even though they desired the leeks
and onions of Egypt, they could not go back. In being a soldier of His
cross we can never return once this great work has begun. To deny this
and to go back, is to fall into the trap of the enemy and to be ensnared
again by a world that only has an outward form of religiousness.
        
“Remember Lot’s wife,” should be our cry. Lot was the brother of Abraham
(Please refer to Genesis 19) and he went down into the plains of Jordan
and dwelt in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These are pictures of the
flesh and our past. They cannot stand in the presence of God for they are
unholy. In the case of these two cities, the wrath of God was poured out
upon them. In our case an atonement (a reconciliation through a
sacrifice) was made and we are now covered by the blood of Jesus and
rescued from that darkness. In the case of Lot, he was forcibly removed
from the city. Listen to the counsel that was given to him by the angel:

“Escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the
plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”  (Genesis 19:17)

What a warning is given here! Do you not value the life that you have in
Jesus? Notice what happens to Lot’s wife in verse 26:  “But Lot’s wife
looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Salt, when it becomes hardened, is good for nothing, and this pillar is a
reflection of the heart of Lot’s wife. She looked back and may have even
thought to go back. Why did she look back? Because the world will always
have an attraction to the flesh and in her heart she had never left the
world. If our past (before we were born again) is recognized as that
which has no place before God, then why go back and attempt to fix it or
clean it up. Could we not be seeking to justify ourselves apart from
Christ? In our feeble attempts to justify ourselves, or maybe I should
say, to justify our past, we may get caught and ensnared again, we may
even lose sight of the Lord. I have never yet seen a man grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by beholding the world or by
dwelling on his sinful past.

Let us look now at the matter of conscience. How is my past connected to
my conscience? There are many actions that can burden the conscience.
It’s to Christ we must flee, and for His forgiveness we must come and
allow Him to cleanse us in order for those guilt stains to be removed so
that we may walk upright and in the joy of His salvation.

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth 
all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not , then have we
confidence toward God.” (Please refer to I John 3:20-21)

Your past is past and the deeds (sinful actions) should be left behind
and forsaken. (Please refer to Hebrews 10: 38-39)  Unless God brings into
your life a situation resulting from past actions there is no need to
even remember them. In the case of such an occurrence then they must be
faced and dealt with. Some things may take an action and others may only
need to be confessed as sin and repented from in heart.

Jesus takes us up as sinners, cleanses us, gives us a new name, and says,
“Come follow me.” There is to be no looking back and no retreat. Our life
is now hid with Christ in God. We are soldiers, bearers of good news, and
we are to be found standing for the Lord. There is to be no wavering, no
going back in heart, but a continual moving onward with our Commander and
Chief. May we never retreat from the battle and always trust God to work
all things for our good.   Amen!

M. H. G.
     

E-Mail Matthew H Goins