backslid

Backsliding
(It can cause a spiritual avalanche!)

Spiritual backsliding is more than skipping church to recover from a late night out, or staying home so you can watch cartoons. You can loose your fellowship with God, growing indifferent, even numb to important matters. At the worst, you might abandon your faith completely. This is serious stuff! And it happens to every believer at some point. Now, it�s not as if we don�t have excuses. Lots of things can lead to backsliding: holding grudges on someone, disobeying God by willfully sinning, leaving sin unconfessed, and falling out of regular worship, prayer and fellowship. Have you had any of these experiences lately? How have they effected you and your relationship with God?

Excuses don�t cut it with a perfect God. Proverbs 28:13 says �He who covers[or tries to justify] his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.� Have you been covering, or just plain ignoring any of your sins?

Through His word, God promises us that, �If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness� (I John 1:9). That�s the first step to getting back on the path He has laid out for us. Take a moment to confess that to God, asking him for His forgiveness and His transforming power in your life. Read Psalm 40:1-3 and Epehsians 3:17-19. They talk about how Christ will turn your life back around when you put Him first. Don�t worry about trying to be perfect on your own. That isn�t how God wants us to do it. Just �Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths�(Proverbs3:5-6). Isn�t that an awesome promise?

By R. Lambert, with help from the Billy Graham Christian Worker�s Handbook.

If you are backslidden, you are not necessarily destined to return to right standing with God. Backsliding and Apostasy are much the same. Backsliding makes one in danger of going to Hell instead of Heaven even after having once been saved.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

Other scriptures include: Genesis 3:1-4; Exodus 32; II Corinthians 12:3; Ezekiel 18:20-24; Matthew 12:18:23; Matthew 25:1-12, 14-30; Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75; Luke 15:1-7, 11-32; Luke 17:11-19; John 15:1-7; Romans 11:16, 24; I Corinthians 9:27; I Corinthians 10:12; I Timothy 5:9-15; Hebrews 6:1-6; Hebrews 12:1-17; Hebrews 3:13; II Peter 2:18-22; I John 5:16; Jude 5:15; Romans 6:1-11; Revelation 2:1-8; Revelation 3:1-5; Matthew 24:42-51.

The goal here is not to undermine the Christian's confidence in God. The goal here is to inform the backslider that they are on dangerous ground. A backslider to me is not saved but my Baptist cousin says it like this, "Being 'Saved' and 'Adoption' are the same you see. If you are saved then you are in the family of God. You are God's Son or Daughter and promised an inheritance. Now if you go against the wishes of your adopted parents, your inheritance can be changed or removed. You're still a son or daughter but you will not receive your inheritance because you have gone your own way. It is the same with salvation. You are God's child but their are boundaries you must be aware of so that you can receive the promised inheritance. The inheritance being eternal life or eternal death." My cousin Rusty is a Baptist minister in Kentucky. He believes Once Adopted Always Adopted but that the inheritance can be changed due to disobedience.

Backslider, turn back to God or you will not inherit eternal life. Let's rededicate...

" LORD JESUS, I AM A SINNER, IN NEED OF A SAVIOR, I BELIEVE IN MY HEART THAT YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD AND THAT YOU DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ME AND PAID THE PRICE FOR MY SINS, I CONFESS WITH MY MOUTH THAT YOU ARE THE LORD AND THAT YOU WERE RAISED FROM THE DEAD ON THE THIRD DAY AND YOU NOW SIT ON THE RIGHTHAND OF GOD IN HEAVEN MAKING INTERCESSION FOR ME. I ASK YOU TO FORGIVE ME OF ALL MY SINS. I REPENT AND TURN MY BACK ON SATAN AND THE WORLD. I WILL FOLLOW YOU THE REST OF MY LIFE. I THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOR COMING INTO MY HEART AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR. I BELIEVE I AM NOW SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH AND WILL LIVE WITH YOU FOREVER. IN JESUS NAME I PRAY. AMEN. "