Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back by Christine Caine

Christine has done it again. What a beautifully inspiring book. Christine reminds us to stop looking back and move forward with Gods plan for our lives. "Remember Lots wife." Luke 17:32 - out of all the women referenced in scripture, she's the only one who God tell us to remember. How powerful is that?! We don't know her story, but we do know that when she was fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, she was told not to look back, and she did the one thing she was asked not to do. She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Christine has an incredible way of pointing us to God and His plan for us, all while tying in scripture truths. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

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I am so thankful that I was given the chance to read this book as an early release. I had heard about Christine Caine---I have even heard her speak a time or two, but I had never had the chance to read one of her books.

I had no idea the day I downloaded her book, my world would change.

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

This means those my world may change, my God does not.

Here are some powerful gems I learned from this book---I'm not just a candidate for God's love. No, I am the OBJECT of God's love.

I need to cultivate a SPIRITUAL growth mindset.

And, even though I have just been devastated by a swift and devastating loss, I do not want to get stuck thinking my best days are behind me and not ahead of me. God has so much to do show, so many ways to love me, and so many things to reveal to me even still.

I just finished caring for my mother on hospice, and losing her extremely quickly. One Tuesday she was fine and here. Two Tuesdays later, she was gone. But, this book showed me I don't have to keep looking back (yet it is okay to grieve.) But, rather, when you do hard things, (like preach the gospel message loud and clear at your momma's funeral) you can do other hard things, like continue to share the gospel day to day.

My heart hurts. My body hurts. And, as I am in my own fight with cancer cells, I'm not done. I will not be finished until I'm finished. And God gets that say. I will keep moving forward each day. A little step forward is still moving forward.

*My favorite parts of this book were strategies for moving forward and foes to spiritual growth. Both very impactful.

Christine Caine killed it again! I love her writing style and her knowledge on scripture. She always lights a fire under me to bring God back to the center and keep charging forward. 100% recommend this!

Don't Look Back
Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose
by Christine Caine
Pub Date 09 May 2023
Nelson Books |Thomas Nelson
Christian| Nonfiction \(Adult\)



Netgalley and Nelson Books provided me with a copy of Don't Look Back for review:


The decision to move on is not a one-time event. It's a way of life.


Sometimes in life, we wish time would stand still, particularly when we are blindsided by unexpected changes. We cannot stop the flow of life, and we cannot stop time. Moreover, looking back doesn't allow us to go back. Most of the time, it just keeps us stuck. In a place. In a space. In a memory. In a mindset. In a habit.


Jesus says three little words in Luke 17:32: "Remember Lot's wife." We don't know her name, her history, or her story. During her flight from Sodom and Gomorrah, she was told not to look back, and she did the one thing she was told not to do. As she looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt. She is the only woman Jesus tells us to remember out of the 170 mentioned in the Scriptures.



Bible teacher, international speaker, activist, and bestselling author Christine Caine invites us to stop looking back, to get unstuck, and to keep moving forward into God's promises and purposes.



There may be things God has planned for us that we don't know. We may not know where we are going, how long it will take us, or what we will encounter along the way, but with the strategies Christine Caine gives, we can move on from where we are to where God wants us to be.It's difficult to know where we're going, how long it'll take, or what obstacles we'll encounter along the way, but with the strategies Christine Caine provides, we can move from where we are to where God wants us to be.



I give Don't Look Back five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This is an excellent teaching book that at times was difficult to go through. I did this with a Bible Study where we used the workbook. This book was optional for them, but it goes along real well with it. She tells you how far to read for a section in the workbook. As previously said, it was difficult to get through because, when doing with the workbook, there were questions that were asked that were difficult to answer. That is when I found I hadn’t dealt with something with the problem that had me “stuck” back there. That is the reason why she has you looking back, for we don’t want to be stuck on a problem and not able to move forward as God intended us to be. This is very well written that makes us look at ourselves and where we need to do some changes. Thank you Christine!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from NetGalley for my honest review.

Don’t Look Back became available May 9, 2023.

I LOVED this read, it was so insightful. Christine Caine has done it again with a great informative book that keeps you reading

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own,

This book impacted me differently and yes remembers Lot wife. Christine Caine is an incredible writer and this book is no exception. It is a gentle reminder to all of us to remember to look forward and to look to God. I recommend it to everyone who needs the strength to move forward. It's inspiring, relatable and an incredible read.

It’s easy to look back and hard to move forward. This complexity is exactly what Christine Caine addresses in her new book “Don’t Look Back”. In her compassionate tone she’s known for, she takes the hand of the reader as a close friend night and walks right into the touch issues many tiptoe around. Through honest reflection and personal stories Christine shares biblical truth and guided the reader through so we too can stop looking back and learn to move forward. Definitely recommend to anyone that struggles to move forward after a difficult season.

Excellent excellent book steeped in Scripture. This is the first book by Christine Caine that I’ve read, and now I’m adding all of her work to my “to read” list. “Don’t Look Back” is centered around Lot’s wife and the dangers of getting stuck in the past or what could have been instead of moving forward into what God has for us. So good!

Annie F. Downs interviewed Caine on her podcast, and she goes deeper into some of the topics. Definitely recommend! https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bX9884IcqvIR0RSrHZSXc?si=wb1stInKTSCqm7Jfu8VZkw

Christine has done it again. She writes so well, thought provoking and challenging. Scriptural sound motivation to move forward.

Thanks Nelson books for the advanced copy.

Christine Caine wrote a beautiful and challenging book based on the story of Lot’s wife, a short but powerful story in the Bible. Her words are together convicting and encouraging, and completely backed by Scripture. I have so many highlights to revisit, and I think it’s perfect for any season of life.

I was so excited to get this one from NetGalley! Very encouraged in my current season!

“I’ve learned that just because something has died, God’s promises, plans, and purposes for my life have not. In fact, they are still very much alive. I know there are times when life upends us and we have to accept, but I have found that if we can separate the circumstances we’re facing from God’s overall purpose for our lives, then we can have the hope we need to keep moving forward.”

What I liked:
- Beautiful reminders
- Scripture to back up those reminders

Meh:
- Repetitive at times

Anything Christine Caine writes makes me want to go through the book with a highlighter and scribble notes in the margins, because I never fail to glean SO much from her. So many truth bombs and gems. I definitely feel like I will need to re-read this one already, because i KNOW I will get even more out of it. A very timely word.
Absolute gold. It's well-written, encouraging, faith-building and thought-provoking.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in return for my honest review.

In Don’t Look Back, the story of Lot’s wife becomes a cautionary tale for those tempted to look back, to live in a more lovely past, to reject a change we didn’t see coming. Although Lot’s wife is an unnamed character in the Bible, when she takes the stage for a chaotic moment in Genesis 19, we find her running from the God-ordained destruction of her hometown.

Believers are called into a delicate balancing act–to learn from our past, even to mourn the end of an era without becoming stuck there. Christine Caine shares her own story as reassurance that she’s writing from personal experience. I came away from the book with vivid hope. What feels like an interruption to my well-laid plans may just be an invitation to something I could never have envisioned on my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Books for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Well thought out. Well written. Many suggestions, many possibilities for serving God. A book to be re-read.

'Don't Look Back' is a very timely message for this season. Christine Caine's passion and message was felt on every page. It makes you look at your life to see if you are indeed like Lot's wife as mentioned in Genesis 19 &Luke 17:32. Christine Caine emphasizes to keep pressing forward in Christ even when challenges arise, instead of being stuck in the past. The stories shared were inspiring, moving and very encouraging. I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I am so glad I read this book in my season of life. She shares so many great stories you can identify with in your own life. I appreciated the challenges she encourages us to write down to journal and pray about. Highly recommended for all seasons of life for anyone.

Christine Caine's latest release, Don't Look Back, focuses on moving forward and not looking back. Christine centers on a key phrase illustrated in the Bible in Luke 17:32, "Remember Lot's wife." If you are not familiar with the story of Lot's wife I would suggest reading Genesis 19. The premise of remembering Lot's wife is to remember not to look back or risk getting stuck in the past. Remembering Lot's wife serves as a reminder that looking back, yearning for the past, prevents us from moving forward into the promise and purpose God has set before us.

Christine writes with compassion and understanding in the difficulty it is to move forward especially if the terrain is new and unfamiliar. Christine illustrates her own struggles and how putting her trust in God each day has enabled her to move forward in faith.

This book is a great reminder of how looking back can prevent us from truly embracing God's promises and love for us. Christine writes with a sincere voice and teaches that if we would put each foot forward in faith, God will be there, leading us to something far greater than what we left behind. I would recommend reading this book, it is a motivating and encouraging message about the faithfulness of God in our lives.

Happy Reading!

What a well put together book with many thought provoking points and questions. There is just so much to this book. I liked how the author said that we will discover (in the book) where we may be stuck and uncover ways to get unstuck. So that we can move forward into God's promises and purposes for our future. Well said and the book does carry out what is promised. I also really liked that each chapter ended with several questions and at least 2 actions to follow up on. Great questions throughout but especially the ones before the conclusion. Adding personal experiences kept it from being too dry without taking over the whole book. A good balance in my opinion.
The inclusion of adoption was not only interesting but also gave a new look at that very point in relationship to God.
One of my favorite points was "How long are you going to mourn?" Speaking about how you are looking back at what was before and longing for it. Also answering some of the reasons why Lot's wife is mentioned so strongly in the Bible. Why God is telling us to remember her in a cautionary way.
Another great point to me was that we need a Growth Mindset instead of a Fixed Mindset. And that includes a Spiritual Growth Mindset as well. In that Growth Mindset we were shown that some people like the widow and her son who were going to eat and die had been operating in thoughts of lack. It's a good thing she turned that around and shows that we can too. It's not too little and we have to be careful that we don't operate in that Fixed Mindset, despising small beginnings.
It was also pointed out that as we age we need to make adjustments. Another Growth Mindset to my way of thinking. We don't have to quit just adjust our ways and continue.
Hitting the nail on the head was that our world has changed big time but Jesus has not !

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This is by far my favorite book by Christine. I had issues getting into her previous ones. I really enjoyed the stories and her references to covid really hit home for so many people. Lots of good scriptures and comparisons to Lot’s wife. Also not too long so was easy to stay in depth with the story.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to read a Christine Cane book. Don’t Look Back was the perfect mix of inspiration, biblical application, and the author’s personal experience. This book has given me a lot to reflect on and pray about in my own life. I couldn’t have picked a better time to read it. I did receive an advanced reader copy of this last month, so now the book is actually published. I want to thank NetGalley and Nelson Books for the ARC.

A very relatable book about not getting stuck by looking back and how to keep moving forward. Christine Caine starts with Lot's wife, who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Each chapter looks at the various ways we can look back and get stuck in our own lives and offers encouragement to keep moving forward. Caine tells stories from her own experience to illustrate her points along with Scripture to back them up. I really enjoyed this book and definitely see areas in my own life that I've been stuck to work on!

Don't Look Back is a reminder of Lot's wife, who out of the entire Bible only has two verses about her, but yet Jesus reminds us of her. Why? Because she looked back on what was lost and not ahead trusting in God. The book highlights God's powerful path He made for our lives. Moving forward out of the places we have gotten stuck. Moving forward when our plans seem to have crumbled beneath us. Was a timely read. I appreciate the ARC

Christine Caine has long been a hero of the faith for me - what she has pioneered for women has honestly been transformational. That being said, I have consumed a lot of her work, so I feel well versed with the material she delivers.

And this just might be the best book I have read by her. The story line, the practical steps, the questions interspersed throughout to engage the reader at a deeper level, all of it. The wisdom and maturity that Christine has gained as a result of the life she lives jump off the page for the reader to engage with.

I could not recommend this book enough. The message is both profound and timely, and I found myself savoring each chapter and doing the work to process through situations I experienced in my own life.

Where you look you will go
To follow Jesus we have to go where He is leading
However messy our life is, God can use us.
Using Lot’s wife as an example, Christine encourages us not to become stuck in the past, but to refocus and move forward with purpose with God’s help
Found the book easy to read and very encouraging and motivational.
Encouraging us to keep pressing on in our faith.
God is calling you forward, the only direction you were ever created to go.
Thanks @christinecaine @nelsonbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

I really enjoyed this book. The message about getting unstuck and moving forward is really timely. The stories that she told will tug at your heart while also challenging you. Highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

I love Christine Caine and I am a listener of her podcast, so I was so excited to get an early copy of her newest book, Don’t Look Back. I think I highlighted more than 90% of this incredible book. This is so needed in our time that we live in today. Always look forward, don’t look back! Remember Lot’s wife!!!

Classic Christine Caine back again! Don't Look Back is a reminder of Lot's wife, who out of the entire Bible only has two verses about her, but yet Jesus reminds us of her. Why? Because she looked back on what was lost and not ahead trusting in God. Not only that, but Christine guides us not only in moving ahead, but how to do so with passion and purpose, not in our own will, but God's powerful path He made for our lives. Moving forward out of the places we have gotten stuck. Moving forward when our plans seem to have crumbled beneath us. What an inspiration and motivation to just keep moving forward! Highly recommend!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I have been on the lookout for words of wisdom to help me stop ruminating over my past mistakes that often steal my peace of mind if not my joy. When I read the synopsis, I knew Christine Caine's latest book might hold some secret knowledge.

Christine uses the story of Lot's wife as a starting point for a discussion on how Christians become stuck in their pasts in her book, “Don’t Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose.” People tend to lose themselves in their past, which stymies their life's purposes. Out of an estimated 170 women in scripture, Christine said Lot’s wife is the one woman Jesus want us to remember. Now she explained for all the Bible students out there that Jesus did say we'd remember the actions of the women who poured out perfumed oil over Him, but it was the act of pouring expensive perfume that would be memorialized in scriptures. It is Lot’s wife, a cautionary tale, He would have us remember as we live the Christian life.

In Genesis 18, two angels attended the pre-incarnate Jesus as He met with Abraham. The Lord tells Abraham he will become a great nation in this passage. At the same time, He alerts him to another reason for coming to him. He said in verses 20-21, “…The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” God wanted to destroy those cities, but Abraham spoke on behalf of any of the righteous people who are in that region. His nephew Lot and his family lived in this prosperous city.
God had richly blessed these cities, but the people had turned from Him in their sin and depravity. Abraham and the Lord came to an agreement that He would spare those cities for just 10 righteous people. The story continued in Genesis 19 with the two angels arriving at Sodom. Lot sat at the gate and met them. The angels had planned to spend the night in the town square, but Lot persuaded them to come to his home. The men of Sodom demanded that Lot send out the men (really angels) to have sex with them. Lot knew what these people were like, so he told them he’d send his virgin daughters out to the men in exchange. His daughters were engaged to be married, and yet Lot is willing to send them out to these vile men. The people of Sodom were past the point of no return.

The two angels told Lot, his wife, and daughters they must flee. They told Lot to gather the rest of their family and leave that place. Lot ran to tell his daughters' fiancés about the coming destruction, but they didn't believe him. They thought he was joking. At dawn, the angels tell Lot, “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

Lot asked the angels if he and his family could run to a close, small town, and the angels agreed. They make it to this small village. They're in the clear. Then, Lot’s wife looked back toward Sodom as God destroyed it, and she became a pillar of salt.

Jesus talked about Lot's wife in Luke 17 while telling the people about the Kingdom of God. He warned that Christians needed to stay alert and prepared for His return. Life will look like it did in Noah’s day and in Lot’s day. And then Jesus said, in verse 32, the second shortest verse of the Bible: “Remember Lot’s wife!”

The story of Lot's wife is a powerful one, and yet Christine had never heard this unnamed woman mentioned at any conferences she spoke at or attended. She said Lot's wife had turned into a substance that preserved food in ancient Israel. Salt also is what Jesus used to explain how we are to behave in this world as ambassadors for Christ. Jesus said in verse 33, “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”

Lot’s wife didn't want to lose the life she left. Christine had compassion for her. She said, like so many who have fled their homes, Lot's wife may have had plans for the future. She and Lot had made many memories in this once prosperous city. She no doubt had familiar routines and loved the home she created. Why was it so bad that she looked back? Christine said it's how Lot's wife looked back: “foolishly, longingly” on that wicked place. She disobeyed God.
Christine wrote this book during and after the pandemic. She found herself, like so many of us, comparing how things used to be with how things are now. She said we can let our feelings and emotions direct our paths if we’re not vigilant. We can stay stuck in reverse never moving forward. God wants us to rise up and move in faith knowing He hasn't changed. He will work His kingdom purposes through us.

Christine shared an amazing number of stories throughout this study, some personal and some shared by ministry members. She also shared several stories out of scripture. All of these people lived by faith and let God use what little they had to multiply those gifts. People like the widow of Zarephath who had a bit of flour and oil she used to make food for Elijah, even though she might not have a last meal for herself and for her son. God multiplied them. Rahab, then a prostitute, had used a simple cord of scarlet to save two Israelite spies. In faith, she trusted God and used the cord again, saving herself and her family’s lives. David, in faith, used five, small stones to kill Goliath. Finally, consider all those times Jesus proved His power to multiply the smallest things – the faith as small as a mustard seed, the lunch of a boy to feed 5000 people. They chose to obey God, and they set their eyes on eternity, not on their temporary circumstances.  

Christine reminded me that I need to fix my eyes on Jesus, "the author and perfector of my faith." He can help me stop looking back and start moving forward. I can pray and ask Him to help me move through grief, pain, illness, hardships, mistakes, heartbreak... pretty much every obstacle that impedes my path as I run to finish the race well.

Maybe like me, you’ve tried to move on from past mistakes, and you want a "do over." Me, too! I think of people in my past and how a younger Susan behaved. I feel like the enemy has these pieces of evidence he likes to dredge up to remind me who I was. "What must so-and-so think of you? They must hate you. How can you live with yourself?"

As these are things I can't change, I turn them over to God who forgave me long ago. I can't ask some of these people to forgive me because they are no longer in my life; however, I can pray for them. I can ask God to bless them. (I have asked Him for a chance to apologize to people in the future, so of course I'm waiting for that time as well.)

Christine Caine did not have an easy life before she founded a global ministry. She suffered abuse as a child. She learned she was adopted during a time of forced adoptions in Australia. God called her into the mission field and into specific ministries where she has teamed up to help so many people. She and her husband Nick founded A21 ministries, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that looks to put an end to human trafficking. She also started “Propel Women, an organization designed to empower and activate women in their passion, purpose, and potential.” Zoe Church Europe, still another ministry she help found, has lead pastors who reach people with the Gospel message in different countries, while also giving humanitarian aid. God definitely multiplied those gifts she and her husband gave back to Him.

Christine's book reminded me that no matter how messy my mess is, God can use it for His mission. He can multiply whatever I have to give. I need to rise up and press on through whatever obstacles life throws in my path. Just take one small step forward. No turning back. I don't want to become stuck in the past and hesitate to the point of procrastination. Christine's last section talked about Revelation, and the reasons we Christians need to stay focused on the task at hand, drawing people to Christ. I want to stay alert and ready for God's latest assignment because someone else's life depends on it.

This book is a classic Christine Cain book, with touching stories, a personal touch, and most of all making us to continually see God in a way we didn't before. I always feel refreshed after reading one of her books, she lights a fire for me in a different way each time and I am so thankful for that. The title "Don't Look Back," is based on the story of Lot's wife. Someone that before I would just pass by the story about, but now, I see a whole new outlook because of her. A couple of quotes that stood out to me from this book were:

"I din't want to look back. I want to remember Lot's wife and keep moving forward into the promises of God for my life..."

"What's more, to be clear, I'm not even asking you if you've been faithful at what you're doing, because faithfulness does not always equal fruitfulness. I can be faithful at something but not be fruitful, but I can't be fruitful at something without having been faithful."

"We have to risk believing and proclaiming the promises of God before we see the promises of God."

Lot's wife didn't trust God enough that her new life would be blessed, fruitful, and better than the one that she currently had. Cain says that it was disobedience to God for her to choose to look back, but she longed for something more than she longed for God. Because she wanted to preserve the past, God turned her into a pillar of salt, which is the very thing that is used to preserve things. She was lingering on what was, instead of what's to come. We are constantly wishing for more, never satisfied, and when we are asked to take a leap of faith and follow God's plan for our lives, we stop, we overthink, we are untrusting. If Jesus stopped at your house and asked you to leave every dollar, piece of clothing, home, car, job, family to follow him - would you do it no questions asked or would you hesitate?

I would definitely tell my friends to read this book!

Received an advanced readers copy (ARC) from NetGalley

Don't Look Back is a book that was written for the post pandemic times where our minds often linger to the past, to the old mindsets, to past relationships, to what was but is no longer. The Spirit of God is always forward moving and this book gives us a reminder of how looking back like Lot's wife can keep us from our calling and destiny.

Don't Look Back invites its readers to reflect on areas we are holding back. There is an invitation to slow down and reflect, as well as an encouragement to keep moving forward in the directional calling of God. Christine invites us to take an honest look at areas of comfort that may lead to disobedience. She shares her life story to raise the reader's awareness towards the various areas of our life we need to release (and pick up) in order to embrace the good works God has prepared for us.

This book is structured for self-reflection.
The repetitive invitation to remember Lot's wife in each chapter allows readers to reflect on areas of our life that we are preserving when God says go.
This book is a book of encouragement.
To keep pushing forward through the uncomfortable.

This book is a book of realignment back to God's heart. To remind us that the God of this universe loves us. If there have been failures or past detours, God can redeem all things if we choose to look forward and follow Him.

Don't Look Back can be read individually or in a small group. Reflection questions at the end of each chapter is helpful in directing the afterthoughts of this chapter and driving in deep discussion points if read as a group.