When I hear the word stray, I think of a lost dog– one who doesn’t have a home, a wanderer looking for its next meal.

And then I think about people and the spiritual falling away that happens oh-so-slowly over time. It’s not something we plan or even want to do. It just happens. But why do we stray?

The word fall is throughout the scriptures and it always means the same thing: to lose ground from a higher level to a lower level. Revelation 2:4-5 warns us of falling from our first love. This is clarified by saying our first love is actually our first works (what we did in the beginning before we fell).

This will look different for each person because our individual functions in the Body of Christ are different. Initially, new believers look the same, sharing an excitement for God, salvation, learning and applying truths from God’s Word, and definitely in telling others of their new-found faith.

And then over time, God revealed our individual functions– that specific thing we were each called to do in this world to further the gospel of Jesus Christ and build His kingdom.

We have an opponent.

But let us not forget we have an enemy and his goal is to derail us from doing anything that promotes Jesus.

The Bible explains this well in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15). We’re told the enemy immediately comes to steal the seed of God’s Word lest it bears fruit in our life. And if that plan doesn’t work, the devil uses our own cares, responsibilities, and worldly temptations to choke the Word from producing in our life.

The enemy’s devices are always subtle. Thieves thrive by being quiet and secretive, not drawing attention to themselves. So understandably, many Christians don’t recognize what’s been stolen from them until later (if at all).

But why is that?

In Galatians, Chapter 5, the Apostle Paul said, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (verse 1). The word again points to our previous condition before Christ: lost.

Like the stray.

Paul continued, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump… I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (verses 7-9, 16-17).

I almost re-wrote that last passage to say “…so that you do not do the things you once did in the beginning.” (Remember, our first love?)

The problem is that it doesn’t take much to fall away.

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” In other words, just a small amount of yeast added to a batch of dough can change it completely. And the same is true of our lives. Just a little compromise here, a little laziness there, a little indulgence to the flesh slowly saturates and overtakes our whole desire to walk by the Spirit and live a life that completely honors God.

It’s certainly not intentional. But it happens to us all, unless we take note of this truth, resist the temptations, and repent (turn back) when we discover we’ve fallen (even just a little).

Romans 8:1 reminds us there’s no condemnation for those in Christ, so never let the enemy beat you up when you realize you’ve slipped. Just recognize the subtle ways you were detoured away from your first love, and make the adjustment.

You have a function that is needed in the Body of Christ. Nobody can be YOU but YOU. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made [you] free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”