Repentance: Turning Back to the Shepherd
Day 4 — Repentance: Turning Back to the Shepherd
Read
Psalm 23:1–4 (HCSB)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff —they comfort me.
Romans 6:6–7, 10–11 (HCSB)
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin's dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin's claims.
10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Reflect
Throughout this week, we've been examining how self-deception baits us into sinful behavior and how sin slowly begins to trap and enslave us. We considered the life of Solomon, a man who had tremendous knowledge of God's Word, wisdom, and provision, yet still allowed his desires to lead him away from following God. And yesterday, we examined how continued spiritual compromise can distort our identity in Christ, creating turmoil and chaos not only in our lives but also in the lives of those we're responsible for leading and caring for.
Self-deception produces compromise. Compromise produces sin. And sin traps us in the deception of a warped, distorted, or false identity.
The more we continue following self-deception and sin, the further we move away from the protection, provision, and promises of our Good Shepherd. And eventually, we may find ourselves experiencing the very opposite of what He desires to provide for us.
Think back to the promises of Psalm 23. David describes the Lord as his Shepherd, the One who allows him to lie down in green pastures, leads him beside quiet waters, renews his life, and guides him along the right paths.
I love the picture David gives us because it reminds us that everything our Good Shepherd does is for our benefit. He leads us, provides for us, protects us, and comforts us. He knows where we need to go and what we need along the way.
But what happens when we're no longer following Him?
What happens when we continually choose our sinful desires over His Word, convincing ourselves that what we want is better than what He provides?
Self-deception and sin lead us AWAY FROM where the Good Shepherd wants to lead us, bringing the opposite results: exhaustion, turmoil, and chaos.
Instead of following Him toward green pastures and quiet waters, we begin wandering further away from His guidance. And we may eventually find ourselves, and often those we love, feeling lost, anxious, fearful, ashamed, and isolated in what feels like a desolate wilderness surrounded by tumultuous waters.
Consider the sinful desires we've examined throughout this series. Sexual immorality, anger, selfish ambition, gossip, slander, envy, and unhealthy escapism. Each begins with a desire that we convince ourselves is reasonable, justified, or necessary.
But the more we entertain those desires, the more influence they begin to have over our thoughts, actions, priorities, and relationships.
We convince ourselves that we need them to be happy, successful, accepted, or fulfilled. And eventually, those sinful pursuits begin shaping how we see ourselves and what we believe we cannot live without.
We become trapped by the very things we thought we were controlling.
And while we're busy rationalizing or justifying our behavior, we may fail to recognize the damage it's causing.
Think about the personal experience I shared yesterday. Early in my marriage and ministry, I felt a need to prove myself through accomplishments and performance. I wanted others to recognize what I was doing and be impressed by what I could accomplish.
The more I took on, the more overwhelmed I became. Yet I continued convincing myself that I could handle everything and that my pursuits weren't affecting me or the people around me.
But beneath the surface, I was experiencing exhaustion, fear, turmoil, and chaos. And my wife and children were being affected by my lack of emotional, spiritual, and physical presence.
I had convinced myself that what I was doing was too important to set aside, even though those pursuits were drawing me away from the people and responsibilities God had entrusted to me.
And that's what makes sin's deception so dangerous. We can become so convinced that our desires are necessary that we fail to recognize how far they've led us away from God's truth.
Sometimes the consequences are obvious. Other times they're developing behind the scenes, affecting relationships, influencing our decisions, and slowly creating damage we won't recognize until later.
But regardless of how visible those consequences may be, the direction remains the same.
When we choose to follow sin instead of our Shepherd, we're moving away from where He desires to lead us.
YOU CANNOT FIND REST AND PEACE WHILE ACTIVELY DISTANCING YOURSELF FROM THE SHEPHERD.
He can't lead you to green pastures or quiet waters if you aren't following Him.
Now, that doesn't mean following Jesus guarantees a life without difficulty. David himself reminds us in Psalm 23 that there will be dark valleys. There will be seasons of trouble, suffering, and uncertainty.
But there's a significant difference between experiencing difficulties while faithfully following the Shepherd and experiencing the turmoil and chaos that come from continually choosing sin.
When we're following Jesus, we can trust that He's with us, guiding us, protecting us, and providing what we need, even through difficult circumstances.
But when we're choosing self-deception and sin, we're actively resisting His direction and following a path that leads away from His Word.
And if we desire to return to the rest, calm, and peace of our Good Shepherd, something has to change.
If you desire rest and calm over the exhaustion and chaos caused by sin, it will require REPENTANCE.
Repentance means turning away from following self-deception and sin and turning back to follow Jesus.
It's recognizing that the path we've chosen is leading us away from God and making the decision to stop following it.
It's acknowledging the sinful desires we've been justifying, the compromises we've been making, and the ways we've allowed sin to influence our identity and behavior.
But repentance isn't simply recognizing that we've done something wrong. It's turning away from that sin and returning to the One who calls us to follow Him.
And here's what I want us to recognize.
WE CAN BREAK FREE FROM THE TRAP OF SIN'S DECEPTION BECAUSE JESUS IS VICTORIOUS OVER SIN!
Sometimes we become so trapped in sinful patterns that we convince ourselves there's no way out.
We begin believing that we've gone too far, that we've made too many mistakes, or that the things we've done have permanently defined who we are.
Maybe we've struggled with the same sinful behavior for years. Perhaps we've repeatedly attempted to change but continued returning to the same patterns.
And eventually, we begin believing the lie that this is simply who we are.
But that's another deception of sin.
Paul reminds us in Romans 6 that our old self was crucified with Christ so that sin's dominion over us might be abolished. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, sin no longer has to rule over those who belong to Him.
Consider what that means for someone who has become convinced that their sinful desires are essential to their identity.
You may have allowed sin to shape your decisions, damage your relationships, and lead you away from the path God called you to walk. But that sin doesn't have to continue defining your life.
Your past choices don't have to determine your future obedience.
And the sinful patterns that have trapped you don't have to remain your master.
SIN MAY HAVE TRAPPED YOU, BUT IT CANNOT KEEP YOU ENSLAVED, BECAUSE JESUS PAID THE PRICE AND HE HOLDS THE KEYS.
That's the hope we have in Jesus.
We don't have to remain trapped by the lies of self-deception or continue following the sinful desires that have been leading us away from God.
Because Jesus has already accomplished what we could never accomplish on our own.
He defeated sin through His death and resurrection, making it possible for us to be freed from sin's dominion and live in obedience to God.
Paul tells believers in Romans 6:11 to consider themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
And that's an important reminder about our identity.
When we belong to Jesus, our identity isn't determined by the sinful desires we've pursued or the mistakes we've made.
Our identity is found in Him.
Repentance frees us from living in the false identity of sin and allows us to live our identity in Jesus.
But we must be willing to turn away from the things that have been leading us astray.
We cannot continue following sin while expecting to arrive where the Good Shepherd desires to lead us.
We must recognize the deception, acknowledge the sin, and choose to turn back toward Jesus.
And perhaps that's where you find yourself today.
Maybe you've recognized a sinful desire or behavior that has been controlling your decisions. Maybe you've begun seeing how your compromises have affected your relationship with God or the people you love.
Perhaps you're experiencing exhaustion, turmoil, or chaos because you've been pursuing something you convinced yourself was necessary.
Or maybe you've become so ashamed of your choices that you've started believing you cannot return to God.
If that's where you are, remember the truth of what Jesus has accomplished.
Your sin may have trapped you, but Jesus has already provided the way to freedom.
You don't have to continue believing that your sinful desires define who you are.
And you don't have to remain on the path that's leading you further away from Him.
If you want to be free, recognize Jesus' victory over sin, repent of your sin, and follow Him out of the trap.
Our Good Shepherd leads us toward rest, calm, and peace. But we must be willing to stop following self-deception and sin and turn back to follow Him.
Because the freedom we're searching for isn't found in continuing to pursue our sinful desires.
It's found in Jesus.
Respond
- What sin or sinful pursuit has been leading you away from your Good Shepherd and producing exhaustion, turmoil, or chaos in your life or relationships?
- Have you been believing the lie that you're too trapped, ashamed, or far from God to turn back and follow Him?
Today's Challenge: Identify the sin you need to turn away from and take one step of repentance by choosing obedience to Jesus instead.
Pray
Ask God to reveal where you've been following self-deception and sin rather than His guidance. Thank Jesus for His victory over sin, and pray for the willingness to repent, turn away from sinful desires, and follow your Good Shepherd toward the life He desires for you.