WHEN GOD SAYS "NO" - DON'T LOOK BACK
I remember a time when I left a bad situation that was very toxic for me, but then made the mistake of going back.
That’s not common sense. That’s not wise, by any means. That was me not paying attention to God, like I should have. I sure learned my lesson from that.
Once God sets you free from ANY toxic situation or person, you are free indeed, and don’t you dare look back. You’re not GOING that way. You weren’t MEANT to be there. Otherwise, God would not have freed you from that situation in the first place.
And let me just share with you what happens when you don't listen to God and you go back, anyway. Even the Bible talks about it. Go ahead back to it, if you think you are smarter and wiser than God, and your life and miseries will be a hundred times worse, I guarantee you. Because you've not respected yourself, and lowered yourself to go back to the prison you were in.
Oh, I thought I was doing just the right thing, too. I thought, “Well, it won’t hurt to test it and see if I was right or if the situation might change.”
No! No, no, NO!!!
Don’t lie to yourself. You’re not testing the situation; you’re being tempted by the devil, to go back and be miserable again. Satan does not want our happiness. He would rather we struggle through life thinking we KNOW it all, and don't even NEED God. But nothing could be further than the truth. We learn and grow every day, and this is why we need to read our Bible, because it is the wisest book in the world.
God's Word will never lead you astray, because it was given by God himself. Not entrusted to just anyone! But purposely written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to HOLY men of old. Did you catch that? Not just handed down to anyone. GIVEN to write by holy men of the ages, under the Authority and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, to write, as HE led them.
2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:16: Passages like 2 Peter 1:21 state that prophecy came NOT by the will of man, but as HOLY MEN WERE MOVED by the Holy Spirit. That's the gospel, through and through and that's why it can be trusted.
Similarly, 2 Timothy 3:16 notes that all scripture is "God-breathed" (theopneustos) and profitable for instruction. Is God a liar and with sin? No. Is the Holy Spirit a liar? No. Neither have a character that is sinful or a liar. God cannot lie, as He is perfect. We can trust him. That's how we know He is Trust-WORTHY.
I made that mistake yesterday and I sure learned my lesson real quick.
Now I’m free again, and happy as could be.
The devil will use all these things to tempt you when you think you’re free because he wants you to go back and wallow in darkness, like a dog goes back to its own vomit. If you were meant to stay in whatever situation you wanted to get away from, then God would not have freed you! Think about that.
You prayed to get free, yet here you turned around and went right back to the slop, like a pig rolling in mud all over again. That’s not the way it was meant to be, friends.
Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
2 Peter 2:22: “It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’”
When God says "no" it’s for a good reason. He’s protecting you.
He says "no" to protect us, not to hurt us!
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
When God closes a door, and we keep trying to force it back open, that only tells God where our heart truly is. If it’s not in a place where we really want to do God’s will, then it’s someplace else. Plain and simple! And that someplace else is a real good way to find nothing but destruction for your life.
That is why God’s trying to protect you. He has seen the road AHEAD of your journey.
God knows when we’re lying. He’s not oblivious to THAT. We’re not fooling anybody, and especially not God. We’re either committed to Him or we’re not. There’s no middle ground. That’s like saying you’re almost pregnant. Won’t work.
God knows EXACTLY when we’re lying to Him... even if we try to fool OURSELVES into thinking we’re doing nothing wrong.
We’re really not that stupid. We absolutely DO know the difference between right and wrong, and if we’re being deceitful. We’ve PLANNED it out ahead of time, then DELIBERATELY executed it. We’re only hurting OURSELVES when we can’t admit the truth.
It all comes out, anyway. Sooner or later, we’re forced to own our responsibility in what we’ve done wrong, and repent of it. Otherwise, there will be no forgiveness, and no real fellowship with Christ again.
Lot's wife looked back. Her heart was not interested one bit, in doing God's will. She was interested in staying in the sinful city of Sodom and Gomorrah. That was her sin.
Her husband was the one that wanted to do God's will, but her heart was not in it and so she was not allowed to go further. This is NOT the type of person we want to tailor our lives after. A half-committed follower of Christ.
Jesus said either you’re on fire for me, or you’re cold; but you cannot be lukewarm, or I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:16.
I don’t blame Him. What Jesus was really saying here, is that if you’re going to follow Me and say you love Me, then do it. Don’t give me half your heart, when I’ve given you ALL OF MINE... even unto death.
And who of us wants a spouse who only loves us half-heartedly? Neither does God. That’s not loyalty. That’s playing with God’s feelings.
He never went through all that torment on the cross, only to have half a commitment from us; not after He gave us His ALL for us, no matter the cost!
Sometimes, it’s just not meant to be. We should never try to force a door open that God has closed. That never works. All that brings is confusion, lies, chaos, and we lose the precious peace, God was trying to give us.
When God says "no", He means it.
And "no" might be the biggest blessing of your life.
Choose peace. Choose truth. Choose Jesus.
Walk forward. Don’t look back.
God is cheering you on.
That’s not common sense. That’s not wise, by any means. That was me not paying attention to God, like I should have. I sure learned my lesson from that.
Once God sets you free from ANY toxic situation or person, you are free indeed, and don’t you dare look back. You’re not GOING that way. You weren’t MEANT to be there. Otherwise, God would not have freed you from that situation in the first place.
And let me just share with you what happens when you don't listen to God and you go back, anyway. Even the Bible talks about it. Go ahead back to it, if you think you are smarter and wiser than God, and your life and miseries will be a hundred times worse, I guarantee you. Because you've not respected yourself, and lowered yourself to go back to the prison you were in.
Oh, I thought I was doing just the right thing, too. I thought, “Well, it won’t hurt to test it and see if I was right or if the situation might change.”
No! No, no, NO!!!
Don’t lie to yourself. You’re not testing the situation; you’re being tempted by the devil, to go back and be miserable again. Satan does not want our happiness. He would rather we struggle through life thinking we KNOW it all, and don't even NEED God. But nothing could be further than the truth. We learn and grow every day, and this is why we need to read our Bible, because it is the wisest book in the world.
God's Word will never lead you astray, because it was given by God himself. Not entrusted to just anyone! But purposely written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to HOLY men of old. Did you catch that? Not just handed down to anyone. GIVEN to write by holy men of the ages, under the Authority and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, to write, as HE led them.
2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:16: Passages like 2 Peter 1:21 state that prophecy came NOT by the will of man, but as HOLY MEN WERE MOVED by the Holy Spirit. That's the gospel, through and through and that's why it can be trusted.
Similarly, 2 Timothy 3:16 notes that all scripture is "God-breathed" (theopneustos) and profitable for instruction. Is God a liar and with sin? No. Is the Holy Spirit a liar? No. Neither have a character that is sinful or a liar. God cannot lie, as He is perfect. We can trust him. That's how we know He is Trust-WORTHY.
I made that mistake yesterday and I sure learned my lesson real quick.
Now I’m free again, and happy as could be.
The devil will use all these things to tempt you when you think you’re free because he wants you to go back and wallow in darkness, like a dog goes back to its own vomit. If you were meant to stay in whatever situation you wanted to get away from, then God would not have freed you! Think about that.
You prayed to get free, yet here you turned around and went right back to the slop, like a pig rolling in mud all over again. That’s not the way it was meant to be, friends.
Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”
2 Peter 2:22: “It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’”
When God says "no" it’s for a good reason. He’s protecting you.
He says "no" to protect us, not to hurt us!
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
When God closes a door, and we keep trying to force it back open, that only tells God where our heart truly is. If it’s not in a place where we really want to do God’s will, then it’s someplace else. Plain and simple! And that someplace else is a real good way to find nothing but destruction for your life.
That is why God’s trying to protect you. He has seen the road AHEAD of your journey.
God knows when we’re lying. He’s not oblivious to THAT. We’re not fooling anybody, and especially not God. We’re either committed to Him or we’re not. There’s no middle ground. That’s like saying you’re almost pregnant. Won’t work.
God knows EXACTLY when we’re lying to Him... even if we try to fool OURSELVES into thinking we’re doing nothing wrong.
We’re really not that stupid. We absolutely DO know the difference between right and wrong, and if we’re being deceitful. We’ve PLANNED it out ahead of time, then DELIBERATELY executed it. We’re only hurting OURSELVES when we can’t admit the truth.
It all comes out, anyway. Sooner or later, we’re forced to own our responsibility in what we’ve done wrong, and repent of it. Otherwise, there will be no forgiveness, and no real fellowship with Christ again.
Lot's wife looked back. Her heart was not interested one bit, in doing God's will. She was interested in staying in the sinful city of Sodom and Gomorrah. That was her sin.
Her husband was the one that wanted to do God's will, but her heart was not in it and so she was not allowed to go further. This is NOT the type of person we want to tailor our lives after. A half-committed follower of Christ.
Jesus said either you’re on fire for me, or you’re cold; but you cannot be lukewarm, or I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:16.
I don’t blame Him. What Jesus was really saying here, is that if you’re going to follow Me and say you love Me, then do it. Don’t give me half your heart, when I’ve given you ALL OF MINE... even unto death.
And who of us wants a spouse who only loves us half-heartedly? Neither does God. That’s not loyalty. That’s playing with God’s feelings.
He never went through all that torment on the cross, only to have half a commitment from us; not after He gave us His ALL for us, no matter the cost!
Sometimes, it’s just not meant to be. We should never try to force a door open that God has closed. That never works. All that brings is confusion, lies, chaos, and we lose the precious peace, God was trying to give us.
When God says "no", He means it.
And "no" might be the biggest blessing of your life.
Choose peace. Choose truth. Choose Jesus.
Walk forward. Don’t look back.
God is cheering you on.
