What
is backsliding? Backsliding is also known as falling away or committing apostasy. It
is a term used within Christianity to describe when an individual who has come
to faith in Christ reverts to pre-conversion habits or falls into sin and
stays in it. It is when a person turns from God to pursue their own desires and
pleasures.
God created us for
Himself and loves to maintain an ongoing relationship with us. He knows what’s
good for us, and He yearns for us to trust and obey Him. When we turn our back
on Him in disobedience, we hurt Him. Since He is holy and hates sin, we leave
Him no other choice except to punish/reprimand us to bring us back to the right
path, He says, “I correct and discipline everyone I love” (Revelation 3:19
NLT).
Quite often in the
history of the Israelites, we see where they turned their back on God to pursue
the worship of idols, make decisions without consulting Him, or just disregard
His instruction. For these reasons, He allowed them to be defeated by their
enemies and sent them into captivity over and over again, with the expectation
that they’d repent. He said to them, “My wayward children, come back to me, and
I’ll heal your wayward hearts” (Jeremiah 3:22 NLT). Again, and again, He tried
to woo them back, saying of them, “They will never again pollute themselves
with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their
sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I
will be their God” (Ezekiel 37:23 NLT).
Reader, have you ever
made a profession of faith by admitting to God that you are a sinner, and
asking Him to please forgive you because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? If
you did this sincerely, but have since then, over time, gone back to your
former ways, you are a backslider. How did that happen? I’ll assume that
whoever led you to faith in Jesus also encouraged you to seek Him through
prayer and Bible reading, and fellowshipping with other Christians. That’s the
only way you can grow in your knowledge of and relationship with Him.
Look back over your
life, and you might be able to figure out what happened with your Christian
walk. Most likely, you gradually stopped reading your Bible, stopped praying,
stopped fellowshipping with other believers, and renewed relationships from the
past, and resumed doing the wrong things you used to do. In short, you lost
interest in the things of God.
When (if) you made
that profession of faith, you became a new person with a new purpose: “He died
for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for
themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ who died and was raised for
them. … This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:15, 17). As you
see, you chose to begin a new way of life, and the Bible admonishes us to “get
rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all
unkind speech.” Instead, long for the food that will help you grow: “Like
newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a
full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have
had a taste of the Lord’s kindness” (1 Peter 2:1-3).
When you came to
faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit came to indwell you to help you to live right.
If you ignore His voice and continue to do your own thing, pretty soon His
voice is no longer audible to you. Remember that since you were saved from
darkness, the devil’s camp: he will do all he can to get you back. The moment
you became a Christian, you entered into an unseen battle with the devil and
the powers of darkness. God, knowing what you are up against, designed a
complete armor of protection for you. You need to wear it 24/7 to ensure
victory in this war with the devil (see Ephesians 6:10-18). That is why the
Word admonishes us to, “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be
doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which
is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.… These two forces are constantly
fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions”
(Galatians 5:16-17).
So, where do we go
from here? God says, “Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to
it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to
you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief” (Revelation 3:3 NLT). In other words,
start the process all over— repentance, confession, and commitment! Jesus
admonishes you to, “Be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand
at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in,
and we will share a meal together as friends” (Rev 319-20). See, all is not
lost; there is hope, but you have to respond now. What an awesome invitation!
He will not hold your backsliding against you; He wants to share a meal with
you! Are you ready, and are you going to open the door of your heart to Him?
Wow! Despite your backsliding, He offers you the opportunity to come and sit
with Him on His throne (see verse 21).
If you are reading
this, it means it’s not too late, no matter what situation you are in. Whether
you’ve backslidden or have never trusted Jesus for salvation, the answer is the
same—repent and ask God for forgiveness, and mean it. Start or resume your walk
of faith by reading and obeying the Word of God, praying, and seeking
fellowship with other believers.
Please do that today!
May God bless you!
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