Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his foolishness.

Proverbs 26:11

 

Over the years, at this point, I’ve seen a lot. I’ve heard a lot. I’ve watched a lot.

 

Sometimes it saddens my heart when I’ve worked with someone for so long to untangle them from something just to watch them run right back to it.

 

Sometimes it was helping them obey God in ways that were hard for them. Many struggle with people-pleasing, so when God calls one to a certain “letting go” in order to fulfill their mandate from Heaven, it’s not as easy for them as it is for others. It can take months, and even years, to renew minds with the Word and bring people back to obedience to Christ alone.

 

Then one day…they just can’t do it any longer. They can’t fight the urge of the flesh to just “give in” and they run right back to the very things, people, and places that God was trying to remove them from. Some things weren’t innately bad (some were). They were just over, and God had MORE for them. Sadly, they end up rejecting it all, feed what momentarily pleases the flesh, and miss out on that MORE.

 

I can get it because I, too, was that girl. But what happens is you become a pawn for Satan and also ultimately disobedient and that eats away at you leaving you bitter in a situation you had control to change.

 

But just like the dog who runs back to the vomit, we do too. Over and over again.

 

Obedience is hard. Waiting is hard. Praying is hard. Letting go is hard. Changing is hard.

 

We keep behaving the same ways, maybe causing the same kinds of hurts again and again, but we don’t seem to change. We do the same ole’ things and believe we will somehow get different results. So we become the fools returning to the vomit.

 

We might have many excuses, but they don’t stand up against the Holy God who is jealous for you, and me. We might keep putting things above what He has asked of us and somehow think that He will simply keep ignoring it. One day the consequence comes, and we still haven’t realized we are simply the fool going back to the vomit.

 

I can’t rescue anybody from anything who refuses to be rescued.

 

Sometimes you gotta let people walk out their consequences and for this heart…it is super HARD when you know it could have been so different.

 

Many a ministry has been lost simply because someone couldn’t, or wouldn’t, obey the Lord and make necessary changes to walk in His ways.

 

Listen, when God says “Go” please do it. When He says be done with a certain thing or place, please do it. When He instructs you to a new thing…let go of that old thing. When your character or habits need to change, do it. “This is just the way I am” doesn’t hold water when you are a new creation and Christ is living now within you.

 

Whatever you refuse to let go of in order to walk in obedience to Christ eventually becomes a noose around your neck.

 

So, be quick to obey…and let’s all just stop revisiting that vomit.

 

No more repeats…