How Do I Return To God After Walking Away?

As a child, you may have been forced or persuaded to go and apologise to a friend, classmate, or sibling after you had hit them, taken their toy, or had been mean to them. And there was always that one adult who ensured you carried out this act of raising the white flag, whether you wanted to or not.

However, as you grow older, you find that there is no longer an adult watching over your shoulder. And whilst we indulge in this “freedom,” at some point we also grow to realise, we must now begin to bare weight to the consequences of our actions and keep ourselves in check. In other words, we begin to learn about a thing called self-control.

Sadly, we are not always masterminds of this which can result in us walking away from God, filled with shame, guilt, frustration, anger, etc. But the question is, how do we return to God after we have wronged Him? Whilst some make it seem easy, this is one the most difficult things faced by a struggling Christian and back in the day, the people of Israelites struggled with the same thing!

After Joshua’s death, the Israelites turned away from God doing “that which was right in [their] eyes” (Judges 17:26), choosing to go against God’s way, and in turn, they were defeated by the Philistines. The Bible describes them as being slaughtered with 30,000 killed in battle. (1 Samuel 4:10). 

Samuel who was favoured highly by God gave them the following advice:

“If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths (i.e. Canaanite goddesses) and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

1 Samuel 7:3

 

The Steps To Your Return

1. Make The Decision To Return

It will do you no good to be in the in-between, for you are either for God or against. Sadly (because it would make things easier) there is no putting God on hold whilst you ‘enjoy the world.’

Have you ever had that friend who was dating someone toxic? And being a good and honest friend, you share your concerns but they do not agree. The fact is you could keep sharing your concerns with your friend but until they see the problem for themselves, you are at a standstill. In the same way, until you have made the decision yourself to choose God, you will be like a wave carried out in the sea with no direction or control, simply drifting.

2. Return Wholeheartedly

Nothing done half-heartedly has given us the best results.

David is 5 years of age and has found two coins when playing outside. His father asks for the coins to protect David from choking. David gives one coin to his father and the other is kept in his left hand which David hides behind his back. 

Like David, you may be holding on tightly to idols such as bad habits and bad relationships. But like David’s father, the intention was only there to protect and because he loves his child. God loves you. So stop holding on to these worldly things and listen to God when He asks you to let go of something. 

3. Establish A Routine 

Commitment is not a joke and requires constant vigilance, whether it be running a business, a marriage, or a friendship, they all require regular maintenance. When a machine is bought by a company, to ensure it is profitable, it has routine checks and regular maintenance in place. Similarly, this is necessary for our daily walk with God.

What are your daily checks and routines that align your hearts with God? I share a few of mine below:

• Set a time to read your bible EVERY DAY. Do not skip and do not leave it to the last minute.
• Feeling tempted? Do not ignore it, pick up your bible, and study like your life depends on it. Like an engine light flashing in your car, deal with it sooner rather than later.
• Spend hours watching TV? Replace it with something more productive. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is their schedule and habits. There is no time for idleness and what you do will show where your heart lies. This does not mean you can never watch your favourite show, but if you find yourself watching more TV than getting to know God…

4. Fast And Confess Your Sins

1 Samuel 7: 6, shares how the Israelites then ” fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”

Fasting always sounds more intimidating than it is. But I find the act of fasting itself beautiful because it is a deliberate act to spend more time with God and sacrificing something to Him. If you are familiar with His greatest act of love then you will begin to see how our sacrifice makes us feel and draws us closer to Him. Ultimately we should put God’s Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) and fasting is a way of doing this, but be mindful to be so focused on the works, we forget the why. Your heart and attitude during fasting is key.

A popular proverb says “Confession is good for the soul…” God already knows your transgressions, but like the man on the cross, confession brings healing. Because we must confess so that we can be forgiven.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

David teaches us wonderful example of repentance and confession in Psalm 51, whereby he confesses and asks God for forgiveness following his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11). 

Today you can decide to return to God. It begins with one decision that can only be made by you. Let yourself be watered so that you can grow.

Please share your plan or own process in the comments below and feel free to reach out via my Instagram page if you need a bit of encouragement or someone to talk to.

Till next time…