Beware the Good Ol’ Days

After you’ve been a Christian for a number of years, the Devil will say, Remember the good ol’ days? . . . Remember those parties? . . . Remember that one girl (or that one guy)? . . . Remember that one night?

But what he won’t say is, Remember that time you were throwing up everywhere? . . . Remember that time you got that DUI? . . . Remember that time you actually contemplated suicide? He will take a few good times and bring them to your memory, and then he’ll say, Wouldn’t it be fun to do that one more time?

The first step toward going back is looking back. That is what the children of Israel were doing after God delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. They said, "Oh, for some meat!" . . . "We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!" (Numbers 11:4–6).

That is one reason we need to study the book of Numbers. Believers who are living in the last days will face many of the same temptations and challenges as the children of Israel did. The Scriptures warn us that if we go back to those things of the past as the Israelites did, it will be worse than it ever was (see 2 Peter 2:20). It will turn bitter in our mouths.

When you go back to your old life before Christ, it is like a dog that returns to its vomit (see Proverbs 26:11). It will be worse than it was before. Don’t go there—either in person or mentally. Don’t look back. Put it behind you.