Dying to Live: Remember Lot's Wife, Pursue Holiness

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Cutting the Anchor to Pursue Holiness

Holiness begins when we stop negotiating with what God told us to leave behind. Like Lot’s wife, many carry a divided heart—physically moving forward while longing for the condemned past. True freedom comes not from clinging to old anchors but surrendering them to chase Christ. Sanctification demands a decisive break, not gradual compromise. Every glance backward slows the journey toward becoming who God declares us to be: set apart, purified, and alive in Him. [48:01]

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14–16, NIV)

Reflection: What “anchor” have you been reluctant to cut loose? How might clinging to it keep you from pursuing Christ with your whole heart?

Day 2: Dying to Live: Funeral for the Old Self

Salvation isn’t a spiritual upgrade—it’s a burial. Paul insists believers “died to sin,” a radical severing from old patterns. Like a trailer abandoned on the roadside, the old life cannot follow the resurrected. Holiness flourishes when we stop romanticizing what God condemned. To live anew, the old self must be starved of attention, its grave marked by daily surrender. Resurrection power waits where the coffin closes. [54:45]

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4, NIV)

Reflection: What habit, attitude, or relationship still feels like “home” to your old self? How can you actively starve it today?

Day 3: Freedom’s Boundaries: Love Over License

Christian freedom isn’t a loophole but a launchpad. Paul clarifies: “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” Sanctification teaches us to measure choices not by what’s allowed but by what aligns with Christ’s character. True liberty isn’t found in how much we can get away with, but in how deeply we can love God and others. Holiness thrives where freedom bows to reverence. [01:00:37]

“‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” (1 Corinthians 10:23, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you prioritized “freedom to” over “freedom for”? How might that choice hinder your growth in Christlikeness?

Day 4: Forward Motion: No Rearview Living

Lot’s wife wasn’t judged for a glance but for a heart still tethered to Sodom. Sanctification requires forward momentum—a daily refusal to idealize the past. Like a swimmer cutting through water, holiness demands active pursuit. God calls us not just from sin but into His presence, where joy and transformation collide. Stagnation begins when we mistake departure for arrival. [58:59]

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26, NIV)

Reflection: What “backward glance” tempts you to nostalgia? What practical step will you take today to fix your eyes ahead?

Day 5: Becoming, Not Just Avoiding

Holiness isn’t a sin scorecard but a reflection of God’s character. Second Peter charges believers to ask, “What kind of people ought you to be?” The answer: those being reshaped daily into Christ’s image. Sanctification is both crisis and process—a decisive death followed by lifelong growth. Every morning offers a fresh choice: dress the old self or crucify it to embrace the new. [01:08:06]

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1, NIV)

Reflection: When you look in the mirror, what evidence of Christ’s shaping work encourages you? Where do you still resist His chisel?

Sermon Summary

Paul’s question in Romans 6 gets right down where life is lived: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Grace is not permission to keep playing with what Christ died to break off. Grace brings a person out of the old life and into a brand new one. Salvation is more than saying a prayer, getting wet in baptism, or wanting forgiveness from sin’s consequences. Salvation changes a person’s relationship to sin.

Holiness is not a list of somebody else’s rules and legalism. The law of love, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit give believers wisdom to ask not merely, “Can I do this?” but, “Should I do this?” Christian freedom is not freedom from holiness. Christian freedom cuts the anchor loose so a person can pursue God without the old life holding them back.

Sanctification means being set apart from and set apart unto. God does not just pull people out of something and leave them with no purpose, meaning, or direction. God saves people from the old life so He can lead them into the new life. Dying to live means the old desires, patterns, attitudes, identity, and ways of thinking have to die. A person cannot keep negotiating with sin while claiming freedom from it.

Lot’s wife puts a picture on that warning. Her feet were moving forward, but her heart was looking backward. Sodom was behind her physically, yet something in her still longed for what God had judged. The old life cannot simply be modified because the old man will resurface if he is allowed to hang around. Believers must refuse to romanticize what God delivered them from and keep moving forward.

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10 put boundaries around freedom: “I have the right to do anything,” but not everything is beneficial. Freedom is measured not by how much somebody can get away with, but by how much a life loves God, loves others, and becomes like Christ. The cross brings a person right with God and right with people, producing love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, and self-control.

Second Corinthians 7 calls believers to cooperate with the work of God by purifying themselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. Sanctification starts with a decisive decision to die to self, but it keeps going as an ongoing pursuit of holiness. God is still forming something new. The better question is not, “What am I allowed to do?” but, “Who am I becoming?” Remember Lot’s wife. Cut the anchor. Do not look back.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace demands transformation, not negotiation
Grace does not make sin harmless or make Calvary cheap. Forgiveness without a changed relationship to sin leaves a person wanting resurrection life without crucifying the old life. Paul’s question presses believers to recognize that dying to sin means more than reducing or managing it. [56:45]
2. Freedom has holy boundaries
Christian freedom is not measured by how close a person can live to the line. Freedom becomes healthy when it produces love for God, love for others, and the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches believers to ask what is beneficial, not merely what is permitted. [1:00:37]
3. Do not romanticize the old life
Lot’s wife shows that feet can move forward while the heart keeps looking back. A person may leave an environment and still carry its values, desires, and attachments inside. God’s deliverance calls for more than a change of location; it calls for a changed heart. [58:30]
4. Sanctification is an ongoing pursuit
Sanctification begins when a person decisively says yes to dying to self. Sanctification continues as that person practices holiness day after day, rather than lying lazy in the water. God keeps bringing His people from plateau to plateau as they pursue Him. [1:07:14]
5. God forms something brand new
Holiness is not merely avoiding the wrong thing; it is pursuing Christ, purity, obedience, and spiritual maturity. God calls people out of the old life so He can form His character within them. Conviction is not condemnation but God lovingly drawing a person nearer. [1:12:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:27] - How to Live Holy in an Unholy World
[41:53] - Holiness Beyond Rules and Legalism
[44:19] - Freedom, Grace, and Sanctification
[46:38] - Dying to Live
[48:01] - Remember Lot’s Wife
[51:33] - Be Holy in All You Do
[53:42] - Grace Is Not a License to Sin
[55:26] - A Decisive Break From the Old Life
[58:30] - Feet Forward, Heart Looking Back
[1:00:37] - Freedom Has Boundaries
[1:02:19] - Something New Is Being Formed
[1:06:26] - Sanctification Is Ongoing
[1:12:27] - Taking Off the Old Man
[1:15:15] - Cut the Anchor and Move Forward

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 6:1-4
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” [52:42]

1 Peter 1:14-16
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” [51:50]

1 Corinthians 10:23
“‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” [01:00:32]

2 Corinthians 7:1
“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” [01:02:19]

Luke 17:32
“Remember Lot’s wife!” [48:01]

Observation questions

In Romans 6:1-4, what words show that baptism is connected both to Christ’s death and to living a new life?
According to 1 Peter 1:14-16, what are believers told not to conform to, and how broad is the call to holiness? [51:50]
What contrast does Paul make in 1 Corinthians 10:23 between having the right to do something and something being beneficial or constructive?
What does Lot’s wife’s backward look picture about a person who has physically left an old life but remains attached to it in the heart? [58:30]

Interpretation questions

Romans 6 says believers have died to sin. How is dying to sin different from merely trying to reduce, manage, or hide sinful behavior? [55:36]
If grace is received as permission to plan for sin and ask forgiveness afterward, what does that reveal about a person’s view of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s holiness? [01:04:13]
Paul says not everything permitted is beneficial. How can a believer tell whether a choice is helping them love God, love people, and become more like Christ? [01:01:30]
Second Corinthians 7:1 calls believers to purify themselves from what contaminates body and spirit. What does it look like for a person to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in that process without trying to earn salvation? [01:02:44]

Application questions

Is there an old attitude, habit, relationship, entertainment choice, or pattern of thinking that has remained attached like a trailer behind the truck? What would a decisive break from it look like this week? [55:13]
Where might the heart be looking backward—remembering an old life as better than it really was, or wishing it were still available? What truth from God can help replace that desire? [58:45]
Think of one area where the usual question has been, “Can I do this?” How would asking, “Should I do this, and what is it producing in me?” change the decision? [42:47]
Is there a freedom or choice in daily life that may be allowed but is not beneficial, constructive, or helpful to others? What boundary could help protect love, peace, self-control, and a clear witness? [01:01:30]
Holiness is not only leaving wrong things behind; it is pursuing Christ, purity, obedience, and spiritual maturity. Which of those pursuits needs more attention in this season, and what is one practical step forward? [01:13:11]
Sanctification is both a decisive beginning and an ongoing pursuit. What regular practice—Scripture, prayer, accountability, changing an environment, or another habit—could help keep moving forward rather than becoming spiritually passive? [01:07:14]
Conviction is God drawing people toward Himself rather than condemning them. When conviction comes, how can it be received as an invitation to come closer to Christ instead of as shame that causes hiding? [01:14:02]

Sermon Clips

29s

#KeepMovingForwardSanctification

“So maybe you're not where you used to be. Maybe you overcome some things, but you keep growing. You you need to keep growing. Maybe God's delivered you from some things that once controlled you. Praise God. But don't turn around and romanticize what God delivered you from. Keep moving forward. Because sanctification is movement, movement forward. Say this with me. Something has to die.”

49s

#BecomingLikeChristDaily

“If you look in the mirror, are you becoming more and more like Christ every day? I don't want to defeat you today and say, oh my goodness, I'm beat down when I leave here. No, I wanna encourage you that as long as you're pursuing God, he will keep doing a work in your life. He will not let you down. He'll walk you into holiness. The spirit of the living God will fall fresh on you every morning when you get up. His anointings are fresh and new every day. He'll walk with you. He'll renew your mind. You break open his word and get you some breakfast out of the word of God and it will transform your day. It'll transform your life.”

41s

#ForgivenessNeedsTransformation

“We want forgiveness without transformation. want freedom without surrender. We want resurrection life without crucifying the old life first. Paul says we've died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Since we're dying to live, we must identify whose funeral it is. The old attitudes, the old habits, the old desires, the old identity, the old way of thinking, the old way of living, not because we're trying to earn salvation, but because salvation has changed us. When”

34s

#ChangeYourSinRelationship

“Sometimes we want Jesus to save us from the consequences of sin without asking him to change our relationship with sin. Y'all want that one again? I see you jotting down some notes. Sometimes we want Jesus to save us from the consequences of sin without asking him to change our relationship with sin.”

32s

#WeHaveDiedToSin

“Paul doesn't say that we're people who have merely reduced down our sinning. He doesn't say that we've learned how to manage the sin and get over it. No. He he goes further and says we have died to sin. That's the beginning of being set apart or sanctified. When Christ saves us, our relationship with sin must change. Did you hear me? Our relationship to sin must change.”

41s

#PursueRightNotJustAvoidWrong

“So God doesn't just call us out of something, he calls us forward into something. And guess what? I got both buttons butt. Amen. I'm still short of few up here, but these are working good. Come on. That's why holiness is not merely avoiding the wrong things, it's about pursuing the right things. Pursuing Christ, pursuing purity. Pastor Rhonda, come on for just a minute. Pursuing obedience, spiritual maturity, and pursuing the character of Christ.”

30s

#SeverTheOldTrailer

“So here's my thought for you. Sanctification begins with a decisive break from the old life. Notice that the word I want you to write is from because it's an action word, but it's a decisive break from the old life. You gotta leave it behind. Amen. Your old life's like a trailer hooked behind your truck. Sometimes you just gotta cut the trailer loose and leave all the baggage behind.”

31s

#FreeToChaseGod

“God's not setting you free to go do your own thing. That would set you free from holiness. But your Christian freedom, the work God is doing is to set you free so you can pursue holiness. can chase after God. It's like it's like dropping an anchor off and cutting the cord to the anchor and saying it no longer has me bound, that I am free to chase after God.”

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