Sheep were created to follow. Question is: who are we choosing to follow?
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isa 53:6 NIV
When we turn to our own way, as this verse says, we are choosing to follow anything and anyone except our Good Shepherd. As I mentioned this week, we listen to, are influenced by and end up following those three enemies: the devil and his demons, the fallen and corrupt world system and our own broken, selfish person we used to be apart from Christ. We choose to follow the wrong voice and our lives bear evidence of the pain, struggles and heartbreak.
It is a real war within us, Sweet Sheep. I’ve heard it said that it is like we have two wolves living within us, and depending on which we feed, that one will be more powerful in us than the other one. This is a good example, but it is not complete. Yes what we choose to see, hear, smell, taste and touch with these five worldly senses, will definitely help determine whether we are following Jesus and His Holiness, or those three enemies and their wickedness. But we are so much more than just those senses. We must first choose what we are “feeding” our spirits. So what determines what we choose to “eat”? It is which voice we choose to believe.
Think of a steep, high mountain. Which is easier to do: climb up that hill or roll down to the valley? Gravity is real, yes? So rolling down takes no work from us at all. Walking up, step by step, takes time, energy, as well as lots of intentional effort. So now see this mountain this way: up on top is holiness; down on the bottom is sin. Do we see a little clearer why we need this Good Shepherd and deep Faith in Him? As we choose to listen and believe His Voice, Jesus helps us up that mountain. We need His Loving direction of how to maneuver up towards the peak. We need His Comforting encouragement to keep on keeping on, even when we feel tired. And we need His nourishing Grace, even when we do roll down into the muck and mire. Only He can clean us up so we, together, can start the climb once again. And why is it only Jesus Who can do this for us? Leave your comments below and we will talk about it tomorrow…
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
July: 26- Jas 2:19; 27- Dt 31:8; 28- Jn 14:15; 29- Jn 8:11
August: 30- Ro 8:1; 31- Pr 4:23; 32- Pr 18:21; 33- Ps 118:24; 34- 1Jn 4:4
35- Mt 16:24
36- Isa 53:6
<>< Peace, Diane
