And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62
To enter the kingdom of God is to turn from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, from the power of the devil to the power of God. Once we start living a holy life by faith in Jesus Christ, there is nothing to look back for. All that lies behind us is death, misery, destruction and hell. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature! God makes all things new. To look back at our past life of sin might open the door to temptation to return to our former ways of lust and pride.
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
2 Peter 2:20-22
Once we come out of sin and start living a righteous life, we are doubly accountable for how we live. In our past life we may have been in darkness and ignorant of what we were doing. Now that we are free from sin and have experienced the freedom of a life in Christ, it is inexcusable and unthinkable that we would return to our vomit. We know too much now to turn back. We are morally accountable for the truth that God has taught us since we were saved. If we return to a life of sin, we will have more damnation than if we had never come out of our sins.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
It’s good to remember past lessons we’ve learned, for good or for bad. Yet Paul says to forget those things that are behind. Forget in the sense that we can’t let our past mistakes define who we are today in Christ. There is a glorious future and present for us in Jesus. That should be our focus and not our past. We can’t live in the past. Our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west. God will remember our past life of sin no more as long as we stay faithful to Him from here until eternity. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He will give you strength for the present and the future, because you belong to Him.
Remember Lot’s wife.
Luke 17:32
After being told not to look back, Lot’s wife did indeed look back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God takes our faithfulness to Christ seriously. We should as well. There is NOTHING GOOD in our past life of sin. Nothing worth remembering or focusing on. We are told to think on pure things like the Word of God. Don’t look back on the things of the world. They are crying out to you and tempting you to return to what you once forsook. Don’t give them an inch! Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Submit yourselves unto God. Keep His commandments and read His Word daily. It will give you strength to say NO to bad temptations.