We Should Never Go Back To Anything That God Has Said NO

I want to tell you something if you've ever prayed for God to take you out of a certain situation don't go back to it if you've prayed for God to remove you from a toxic situation or an unstable environment don't go back to it if there is anything you've asked God to save you from and he does don't go back to that very thing that once held you in bondage don't go back to anything you had to pray your way out of and for those who've prayed for deliverance or freedom once you have been delivered once you've been set free draw a line there and refuse to go backwards refuse to look back let's say you were in a sinful relationship he then prayed and prayed for the strength to make it out of that relationship it was hard because you truly loved the person but you knew it was not a relationship the Lord would want you to be in eventually by the power of the spirit you have enough strength to leave the relationship you are free from that relationship for a few months and life is going great however you start to feel the desire to re-enter a relationship with that person God is calling you to flee why return to the same thing you prayed for God to deliver you from while that desire may feel good for a little while in the end it will lead to destruction you are flirting with bondage by giving in to that evil desire it makes it easier for you to give in to more evil desires in the future eventually in the end you may completely decide to walk away from the Lord and according to Peter it would have been better for you never to have known the Lord than to know him and then choose to turn away from God after following him when you reject God after trying a relationship with him in a sense you are saying you have tasted and seen he is not good one of my favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption and one of the main characters in the movie is Ellis Boyd Redding he's known in the movie as red is one of the best smugglers in the prison and can get anyone just about anything they need inside the prison walls one of the reasons red is so good at smuggling is that he has been inside the prison for a very long time when we first meet red he's up for parole after about 30 years of being in prison he tells the parole board that he's been rehabilitated and wants to be set free from prison unfortunately the board denies his parole he would have done anything at the moment to get out of prison five years later he goes in front of the parole board and they give him the same answer finally after 40 years of being in the prison they let red out on parole he received the freedom that he always wanted however after being out for a few weeks he hates it he is so familiar with living in the cell that he starts thinking about trying to find a way to return he even thought about buying a gun to break his parole so he'd be sent back he desired to go back to the very prison he hated we often do the same thing as Christians we are imprisoned to some sort of sin God breaks those chains free however we eventually feel the desire of the prison calling for us and we run back first Peter 2 verse 20 to 21 speaks to this it says for if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they are again entangled in them and overcome the last state has become worse for them than the first for it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them Peter is talking about false teachers specifically those who teach that you can live a life however you want after coming to Jesus those who teach that there is no need for repentance it is better for that person to never claim that they knew the Lord than to turn to God and then turn away to be clear this is not saying that any Christian who has been drawn back into sin they have already overcome by the power of the spirit will not receive forgiveness however if you claim to know the Lord then completely forsake Him and turn back to your old worldly sin you are outside of the Lord's grace and mercy you are a dog that has returned to his own vomit to eat we need not only think of this on the level of sin such as drug addiction or re-entering a forbidden relationship this happens on much smaller levels as well maybe God has broken you free from a food addiction or gossip well you may say to yourself it's not a big deal if I gossip about my friend's bad habits one more time it is actually a big deal in that moment you are forsaking the work that the spirit has done in your heart this could be a slippery slope that leads you to forsaking the Lord in other areas of your life if not careful you may end up forsaking the Lord altogether we have a wonderful opportunity to live a life of Freedom through Jesus Christ while the Temptation we face can give us a thrill and falsely make us feel alive sin will put us in the very cell we already escape from but let me tell you this the blood of Jesus has set you free from that sin you are forgiven you are set free do not return to the very sin that has destroyed your life in the past don't go back to anything you had to pray your way out of Philippians 1 verse 6 says being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ the Amplified version says I am convinced and confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will continue to perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus the time of his return take a moment and consider what does the bible mean when it says this very thing what is this very thing why should we be confident of it why is this very thing so important that it's associated with the beginning of a good work that will be completed until the day of Jesus Saints I believe that when the Bible talks about this very thing it's talking about your salvation and the reason I believe this is because when you are saved and when you accept Jesus Christ into your heart you don't automatically become detached from your flesh you don't automatically become this perfect person who never gets angry or upset that's not the case work on your salvation by seeking more of Jesus Christ by meditating on his word by pursuing a closer relationship with him by yielding to the Holy Spirit [Music] foreign [Music]