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Don't Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose

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Moving on is not a one-time decision. It's a way of living. There are times in life when we look back and feel desperate to make time stand still, particularly when we get blindsided by unexpected changes. But we can't stop the flow of life, and we can't stop time. What's more, looking back doesn't enable us to go back. More often than not, it just makes us stuck. In a place. In a space. In a memory. In a mindset. In a habit. In Luke 17:32, Jesus drops three little "Remember Lot's wife." We don’t know her name, history, or story. All we know is 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. And out of the 170 women referred to in the Scriptures, she's the only one Jesus told us to remember. With a rallying cry to "Remember Lot's wife," Bible teacher, international speaker, activist, and bestselling author Christine Caine motivates us to stop looking back, to get unstuck and to keep moving forward into God's promises and purpose for our lives. We may not know all God's plans for us. 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. In this new book, Christine will motivate you to Jesus is beckoning us onward into the newness of what lies ahead. Stop disqualifying yourself by getting stuck in the past. It's time to remember Lot's wife and not look back but move forward boldly.

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2025

649 people are currently reading
10632 people want to read

About the author

Christine Caine

131 books947 followers
Christine Caine is a speaker, author, and activist who has been serving the local church globally for over 30 years. She and her husband, Nick, founded the anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign, which works at the local, domestic, and international level to end modern-day slavery. They also founded Equip & Empower, a ministry that is mobilizing people everywhere to live on mission for Jesus. Propel Women is an initiative of the ministry dedicated to coming alongside women all over the globe to activate their God-given purpose. The ministry has also planted three life-giving Zoe Churches in Europe that are not only bringing the Gospel to the region, but also serve the most vulnerable through humanitarian outreach during times of crisis.

Christine is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books and studies and you can tune into her weekly podcast or television program to be encouraged with the hope of Jesus wherever you are.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
Profile Image for Kaitlyn Falk.
109 reviews
July 25, 2023
I had really high hopes for this book, but it seemed a little redundant. The overall premise was good, but seemed like it could have been a sermon or a sermon series… didn’t need to be stretched out into a whole book. Still, I admire her passion and having her read it to me (audiobook) was very powerful!
Profile Image for Susan Mather Barone.
156 reviews18 followers
May 5, 2023
I have been on the lookout for words of wisdom on how to stop ruminating over past mistakes that 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. The Lord told Abraham 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 said we don't hear much about her. She attends and speaks at conference for women and this unnamed woman has never been mentioned. 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, and Christine said she could understand that. 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.
Profile Image for Amanda.
44 reviews5 followers
October 12, 2023
Let me start out by saying I love Christine Caine! However, I did not love this book. It did have some good messages like letting go of what’s behind to take hold of what God has for us. It’s important to look forward and the reminder of Lot’s wife is a good one. However, much of this book was centered around mention of the pandemic. I got tired of hearing her reference the pandemic. Personally, I’m still trying to forget about all that 🙃😂.

In addition to that, there were a lot of lists of things that seemed excessive and exhaustive. because I listened to the audio, I heard Christine recount these lists over and over in the same tone of voice. I sometimes just skipped ahead.

It just wasn’t as inspiring as I had hoped. It was still full of good truths, and I’m sure would be a blessing to someone else in a different phase of their spiritual walk.
Profile Image for Shireen Eldridge.
59 reviews13 followers
May 20, 2023
So good. I love Christine Cain! What a great ideas for a book all about this short but important verse in scripture. She’s inspiring as she shares truth with great examples. If you are in a place in life you need encouragement to move forward, this is a great book.
Profile Image for LAMONT D.
1,207 reviews16 followers
November 2, 2025
Having heard her speak at her church several times over the years and being a very small partner in her ministry (A21) I always will pay attention when Christine has something to say. In this book she brings in many illustrations from her personal life, the ministry and those that have led by example in moving forward with their lives and not being encumbered by looking back. For example, in chapter 6 is a lengthy story about the Zoe Church in Poland that helped hundreds if not thousands of refugees from the Ukraine at the start of the war. And all of this done with meager resources but with a willingness to go with what they had available. What an amazing testimony. This book references the pandemic multiple times and how she personally and the ministry pivoted coming out of the restrictions in travel and personal appearances. I especially like her conclusion that gives us a snapshot of what we can expect from our eternal home as we toil here on earth. Well worth the read for male or female as you endeavor to look forward in your life and trust God for the rest.
Profile Image for Patty Betts.
188 reviews3 followers
February 9, 2025
Fabulous Read!! I could not put this down. Definitely a great book for every believer because I do not think we realize how easy it is to get stuck! What I took away from Christine was to remember Lot’s wife, move forward with what I have, try again and again and again - and know that Christ - my Heavenly Father is literally walking right along side me and in front of me and behind me. My Resurrected Lord rose and therefore - in Him - I can rise too! Thank you Christine - you’re a beautiful soul…
Profile Image for taylor abernathy.
85 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2023
I listened to this as an audio book and absolutely loved it. How important it is to not get stuck in the things of this life and the past, but to rather move forward in and with God was so encouraging.
2 reviews
June 1, 2024
Amazing book focusing on a part of scripture that is often glanced over. These insights about how to move on and not get stuck living in the past are super helpful to be able to move through all of life's changes. It outlines how God uses every experience in life for his glory and purpose. Getting stuck in our past can hinder us from moving forward into the glorious future God has in store.
Profile Image for Stacey Cochran.
595 reviews
May 5, 2023
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
4 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2023
I admire Christine Caine, however I found this book lacking in depth. The first couple of chapters really started out well, and then it felt like it just sort of faded into mediocrity. I felt like Chris was skimming the surface, instead of going Into heartfelt feelings.
Profile Image for Conrad.
136 reviews3 followers
March 23, 2024
Always enjoy reading a new author, and even though I really enjoy and respect her, this book just fell a little flat for me…
Profile Image for Brent Soderstrum.
1,646 reviews22 followers
July 28, 2025
I won this book through GoodReads First Read program.

No, this isn't about the making of Boston's second album in the 1980's. It is about the second shortest verse in the Bible, "Remember Lot's wife". After being told not to turn around when she and her family left Sodom, she did and became a pillar of salt. This book is about moving forward, doing God's will despite good or bad things that have happened in the past. Caine uses many of her stories over the years as examples of successfully following this advice and showing what happens to you when you look back and dwell in the past.

I wish she had explained her missionary group, A21-what it is and what it does. She refers to it, but no explanation is given.
Profile Image for Anna Jo Sigmundik.
41 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2025
This book is about Lot’s wife. I’ve never done a deep study into Lot’s wife but it was cool learning about her through this book. Enjoyed the emphasis and importance on looking ahead and not looking back onto seasons God has taken you out of. If you’re struggling with transitioning out of something I would highly recommend this. Such an encouragement and hope for what lies ahead.
Profile Image for Shelby.
991 reviews3 followers
December 29, 2024
Love that for the third book in a row I'm being told not to look back. It's time for me to move forward. Resume and job apps going out!
This along with Tailor Made! It's time to forgive and move forward.

I'll probably do this again and take more notes with my physical copy.
9 reviews
August 4, 2024
I listened to this instead of reading! It was so good, encouraging and turned my heart toward Jesus!
16 reviews
August 16, 2024
This was such a much needed and wonderful read for me in a season of transition. God has provided me with an invitation to step into something new for His glory and my good (not an interruption). I want to look forward and lean in to what He has in store!
Profile Image for Linda Smiff.
786 reviews20 followers
August 28, 2025
Pretty good but over-simplified. Ableist in many ways.
Profile Image for Heather Smith.
402 reviews4 followers
May 27, 2025
Christine Caine is an amazing evangelist. I love her books and her podcasts. She is such an excellent speaker and story teller. She can grip you and keep your attention.
Profile Image for Laurene  Klassen.
26 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2024
Great audio book!! Love the listening prayer questions at the end and her bonus content for audio audience.
37 reviews
December 23, 2023
I read this book with a group of women who were all launching a child off to college. It was an emotional time for all of us. While this book is not specifically about that it is so beautiful and was perfectly timed for my life. What a great reminder to not look back and hold on to the past. We can learn from it and grow from it, but not to get stuck there, or we might too become a pillar of salt.
Profile Image for Kristen Zimmerman.
47 reviews24 followers
August 5, 2023
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 didn'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
Profile Image for Michael Heidle.
343 reviews2 followers
May 25, 2023
Short, practical, inspirational and ultimately very, very helpful!!!

Stuck in guilt? Stuck in shame?! Stuck in fear? We have all been stuck at one time or another!! We awesome biblical insight and a laser focus on Gods grace in Christ, Christine Cane offers another book to help you get unstuck by Gods grace and move on in the joy of real faith!! Mrs. Cane uses many of her own stories as illustration of her points ( both good and bad) so anyone can relate and then apply her points with grace to overcome to rise from the pit and get moving and keep moving without getting stuck looking back!!
I failed to comprehend how prophetic and timely that I would need precisely this book at precisely this time!! It has and will continue to help me in the really hard weeks ahead! I recommend it highly!!!!
Profile Image for Jessie Young.
416 reviews12 followers
May 5, 2023
I was super excited to read this book. I’ve heard the author speak about Lot’s wife and it was excellent so I had high expectations. I was kinda surprised at the in passing nature in which Lot’s wife seemed to be mentioned in the book. I would have loved to hear more about it. There were some good points in the book but it wasn’t my favorite of hers. It lacked the punch that her books often have.
I received a digital copy from NetGalley. I was in no way required to write a positive review. All thoughts are my own.
Profile Image for Taia.
16 reviews
November 10, 2023
I absolutely adore Christine Caine. I think she’s an amazing writer, speaker, and woman of God. I enjoyed reading this book, however I did find the stories to be very wordy and distracting. I’m someone who enjoys straightforward writing so it kind of felt like sifting through a lot of content to get to the point, but when it got to the point it was great. I’m usually a fast reader but this one took me a while just because there were so many stories to get through that I didn’t feel like I could read even a whole chapter at a time without getting lost.
Profile Image for Sarah R. Loper.
140 reviews4 followers
March 6, 2023
Answer these questions: What makes this book different from all others? And why should anyone care?
Give enough info about the plot of a novel or the facts in a nonfiction book that they have a context for your opinions. Don’t give so much that your post turns into a book report instead of a review. And no spoilers! Be fair to your fellow readers.
Whenever possible, put the good things about a book or author up front.
Criticize the book, not the author, if you don’t like what you’ve read. Explain why.

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.
Profile Image for Andrew.
792 reviews13 followers
June 1, 2025

In Don't Look Back, Christine Caine has written a book about moving forward and not looking back. She begins the book by sharing how in 2020 during the whole aftermaths of the pandemic. She decided to learn how to ride a motorcycle and took lessons. She purchased a Vespa and her instructor reminded her of a powerful saying, “where you look, you will go.” This was life changing for her and it reminded her of where her mind and emotions go. This led her to writing this book and choosing to focus on Lot.



She was instructed to leave Sodom and to also not look back but she did anyways. This cost her to turn into a pillar of salt. Even Jesus said to remember her and this is the only women he said to remember in the Bible. Lot’s wife has the shortest bio and only appears twice. We have to remember she looked back and conducted this is an act of disobedience. She explained how many of us our living in the past and longing for something that once was but isn’t anymore and probably won’t ever be again. We can get struck in our emotions, thoughts, attitudes, opinions, and we wind up struck. She explained empty nest and how she felt it when her daughter grew up and moved. She had to learn how to go through the next phase of her life and not get caught in transitions. She shared how we must move forward and to stop looking back. We have to know our identity comes from God and we have to remember that we are his heirs and where our inheritance comes from. We are chosen, adopted, and we were loved first. We don’t have to live in shame or fear.


I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to move forward and they are tired of living in their past. This book is an excellent read and filled with the knowledge of how we must choose to move forward and not get trapped in the past. I liked how she went into detail about Lot and what we can learn from this story and she relates it to current themes and situations. This book reminds me of the popular song, Bye Bye by Jo Dee Messina. She also boldly declared that she had her rearview mirror torn off and that she wasn’t looking back.
Profile Image for Mrs Lopez Overbooked.
316 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2024
**Five Star Review:**

Christine Caine's "Don't Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose" is an absolute game-changer! This book isn't just about a single decision to move on; it's a transformative guide to living a life oriented towards God's promises and purpose. Christine Caine masterfully intertwines personal insights with profound biblical truths, making each page a source of inspiration and motivation.

One of the most powerful biblical references Caine uses is from Luke 17:32, where Jesus tells us to "Remember Lot's wife." This reference serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of looking back and the importance of moving forward in faith. Just as Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, we too risk getting stuck in our past if we fail to embrace the future God has for us.

Caine encourages readers to stop disqualifying themselves by dwelling on past failures or setbacks. Instead, she provides practical strategies to invite Jesus into our struggles, helping us break free from the places where we often feel trapped. Her call to "stop looking back and start looking to Jesus" resonates deeply, reminding us that our focus should always be on Him and the newness He offers.

The book's rallying cry is clear and powerful: move on from where you are into the fullness of God's plans. Caine's words are a beacon of hope, especially in times of unexpected change or uncertainty. She reminds us that while we may not know all the details of God's plans, we can trust that He is leading us towards a future filled with His purpose and promises.

"Don't Look Back" is not just a book; it's a call to action. It's a must-read for anyone feeling stuck or unsure of their next steps. With Christine Caine's guidance, you will find the courage to leave the past behind and step boldly into the life God has prepared for you. This book is a true blessing, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews

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