NO LOOKING BACK.
🎉 Icebreaker: Past, Present, And Future
Spend some time allowing everyone in Life Group to share their answer to one of the following questions:
PAST: What is one of your favorite memories or stories from the past?
PRESENT: What is one past experience that has influenced your present?
FUTURE: What is one lesson from the past or from the present that you can use to influence the future?
🗓️ Announcements:
LEGACY MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT CLASSES
Monday, September 29th - 7 PM
National City Campus
NORTH PARK PRAYER NIGHT
Saturday, October 4th - 7 PM
North Park Campus
MAN CAMP
Thursday, October 9th - Saturday, October 11th
Whispering Winds Camp 17606 Harrison Park Road Julian, CA
CREATIVE INTERNSHIP
Thursday, October 11th - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
North Park Campus
CELEBRATE RECOVERY
Thursdays - 7 PM 8:30 PM
National City Campus
3 Lessons From Lot’s Wife.
1. The Past Becomes an Idol When You Edit Out the Pain.
Selective memory can be spiritual sabotage. When we only remember the “sweet” parts of the past and cut out the struggle, we’re tempted to run back to a place God rescued us from. But God never wastes pain. It’s often the very thing He uses to shape our testimony and sharpen our dependence on Him.
True freedom is found in burying the old life and walking into the new one the Spirit is beckoning us toward (Romans 8:12–14).
The past is harmless when it honors God’s faithfulness, but it becomes idolatry when it distorts the truth.
Reflection Questions:
What moments from your past do you tend to edit or rewrite?
How can you allow God to use even your painful experiences as part of your testimony?
How have past pains shaped your growth and testimony?
What would it look like for you to give your “old life” a “decent burial” this week?
2. Your Glance Back To The Past Will Destroy Your Family’s Future.
What you look at, you lead toward. Lot’s wife wasn’t just glancing for her own future. Her backward glance carried her family’s destiny as well. Leadership in your home isn’t just about your words; it’s about your direction. If your life is angled backward, you unintentionally anchor your family to the past. Hebrews 10:39 reminds us: “We don’t belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” Faith is always forward-facing.
Your gaze toward the future is not just about you. It’s about the generations watching and waiting for you to let go of the past.
Reflection Question:
What are subtle ways you might be “looking back” that may be affecting your family’s faith?
What patterns, habits, or stories from the past are you sensing God wants you to let go of?
What new rhythms or decisions can you establish this week that point your family forward in faith?
3. Looking Back Keeps Your Heart Bitter, Not Better.
Bitterness is the fruit of a backward gaze. Salt is supposed to season, but Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt that was stuck, lifeless, and bitter. When we fixate on what was lost, who hurt us, or what we think should have been, our heart calcifies. But Isaiah 43:18–19 is the invitation: God is actively creating something new. If our eyes are behind us, we’ll miss what’s springing up right now.
Looking back can fossilize your spirit, but looking forward releases fresh faith.
Reflection Question:
Is there a situation you need to release so bitterness doesn’t take root?
Is there someone or something from your past you need to forgive so your heart doesn’t grow hard?
What practices help you release old wounds and make space for new joy?
What “new thing” do you sense God is creating in your life right now?
THIS WEEK’S DECLARATION: “This week, I refuse to live trapped in the shadow of my past. I will not glorify what God has called me out of, and I will not allow regret, nostalgia, or pain to dictate my steps. I declare that my eyes are fixed forward, my heart is open to God’s Spirit, and my future is full of His promises.
I choose to lead my family, my friendships, and my community toward life, not backward toward destruction. I will not shrink back—I will move forward in faith. I declare that bitterness has no hold on me. My heart will remain soft, my spirit will stay expectant, and I will walk in the new thing God is creating right now. This week, I will live with courage, walk with clarity, and trust God with confidence because His plan for me is greater than anything I left behind.”
