I Have Returned

1 Peter 2:25

NKJV

“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

God has been bringing the book of 1 Peter alive to me over the past week, and in combination with reading ‘A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23’, it's no coincidence that God has brought this verse to my attention. As I reflect upon this verse, I'm reminded of the ways I used to live, of how I was like a sheep going astray. Bad habits, bad motives, sinful bondage, evil thoughts and crude words, and pursuing my own life rather than the one God created for me. I was textbook a sheep going astray.

Now, I can look back and praise God for His grace and constant, patient, insistent pursuit of me. Had it not been for Him, I would not be in IGNITE right now, and instead be going to college and hating my life that I chose. God knew what was best for me, and I'm grateful that He brought me to a breaking point to come to His calling. Where the Sheperd of my soul is, is just where I need to be, and He is here. Even now, I go astray each day, falling to sin and turning away from the only one who truly desires the best for me. My old self-life still springs up daily, and some bad habits still remain. It's so easy to fall back into old patterns and be stuck in the fleshly ways. Something which seems so simple, yet is so difficult, is changing the way I start my day. For the longest time, getting right out of bed early to have devotions and exercise has been a desire on my heart. Some days it's easy and it happens, yet more often than not, the flesh wars against the Spirit right as my eyes open and I will lie in bed much longer than I should, and sleep in much longer. I lose precious time which can determine the way my whole day goes. In Proverbs, God speaks a lot about this, and it comes down to purely being a sluggard. To being lazy. While this is a constant battle, I can trust and rest that even on the bad mornings, I can return to the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul from the ways I've gone astray. I know and trust that God will do the work needed in me so I can be victorious, not only in this aspect of life, but in all areas of struggle and constant defeat. He knows me better than I do, and knows just what I need to overcome the enemy. God will shift my priorities in my heart so drastically that it will be inevitable to progress in my faith and life. Progress is relative to priorities and once those are aligned with God's word and will, I will live a victorious life. All along the way, through bad days and good ones, God will continue to shape and mold me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. It's simply a matter of time and surrender.