Sheep Don't Stay in the Mud

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." — 1 John 3:9

What happens when a sheep falls in the mud?

I learned a great lesson from one of our guys who was running sheep in West Texas. We were driving around and came to this huge pond that was half dried up. Near the shore in the dried-up mud, there was the carcass of a sheep that had died.

I asked, "What happened?" He said, "The sheep got down to drink some water, but the mud was so thick, and his legs were so skinny that they acted as spikes in the ground. The wet mud clumped all over his wool and he couldn't get out."

He said, "You can learn something from sheep. When they get into mud, they either get out or they die trying to get out of the mud."

Believers are the same way. If you are a child of God and you have truly been changed from a goat to a sheep, if you slip into sin again, you will not be happy. You will not be fulfilled, satisfied, and have peace in your heart. Either you will get out or you will die trying to get out of that lifestyle.

This is different from a hog. When a pig falls in the mud, they say, "Honey, I'm home." They just wallow in the mud and have a great time. They were meant for this.

A sheep will not do that. They don't act like hogs, and they don't want to die like a hog. They have other plans.

Here's the question: When you sin, does it bother you? Do you fight to get out? Or are you content wallowing in it?

Your answer reveals whether you're a sheep or a hog.

Sheep hate the mud. If you're genuinely saved, you will too.