Key Verse: "“...He has ceased to be wise and to do good”" (Psalm 36:3)
We rejoice when we see a new
believer enthusiastic to grow in his walk with God. How sad it is when one who
started well has cooled off and no longer has any appetite for the things of
God! What a tragedy when a soul turns back, for Jesus said in Luke 9:62: “no man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God.”
Those who turn back are never
really happy. They may return to their old ways and their old friends; they may
go back to all that the world can offer and try to stifle the inward voice that
calls them back to the Lord, but they can never quite silence their conscience
once they have known what it is to
be wise and to do good!
Why do people who start out so
hopefully turn back? Consider some reasons:-
1. A DEFECTIVE START
If a man leaves off he must
obviously have made a start, for how can he give up what he has not started?
There is, however, what we may call a defective start. There are many people
who once attended church, and took part in some form of Christian service, who
were never born again (John
3:5). They had a form of godliness, but no inward reality (2 Timothy 3:5; 1 John 2:19).
There are many who, when they started, confessed their
allegiance to Christ but did not really get right into the kingdom (Mark 12:34).
They have only been Christians in a nominal sense; they have never
received the Lord Jesus (John 1:12), nor trusted Him as Saviour (Acts 4:12).
2. NEGLECT OF PERSONAL DEVOTION
AND FELLOWSHIP
Here is a reason why many lose
out spiritually. They start out well in the Christian life and then flounder,
for the simple reason that they do not feed upon the Word of God (Colossians
3:16); do not regularly spend time with the Lord in prayer (Luke 18:1); and do
not cultivate regular attendance at the house of God (Hebrews 10:25).
Is it any wonder that those who
neglect these means of grace break down spiritually? If we neglect food, fresh
air and exercise we soon break down physically; and if we neglect Bible
reading, prayer and worship with the Lord’s people there is bound to be a spiritual breakdown.
3. SUCCESS, PROSPERITY AND THE
ATTRACTION OF THE WORLD
We have all seen Christians become
slack when they began to get
on in the world. They have been promoted in their job and have moved to a
larger house, bought a bigger car, have prospered and have become what
the world calls successful.
And when this has happened they have grown cold, careless and dull spiritually.
The world’s pull is very powerful, and it is easy to go the world’s way instead
of God’s way (2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15-17).
4. OVERWHELMED BY ADVERSITY OR
PERSECUTION
Sooner or later every Christian
is persecuted for Christ’s
sake and is chastened by the Lord for the purposes of sanctification. Jesus
told us that in the world we would have tribulations and that if we seek to live faithfully we will be persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12; John 16:33).
The
Bible also teaches that every Christian must expect suffering, trial and
testing. This is all part of God’s
permissive purpose and plan in training us and making us the people He wants us
to be (Hebrews 12:6-11). But sometimes, when persecution is fierce or
adversity is severe, God’s
people fall and are turned aside.
5. INDULGING IN SOME KNOWN SIN
If a Christian harbours some sin
then most certainly sooner or later he will be out of fellowship with the Lord.
For example: if a Christian man marries a non-Christian girl, in all
probability through this act of disobedience (1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians
6:14) he will become worldly. Sin always puts a barrier between us and the Lord
(Isaiah 59:1-2).
6. DECEIVED BY FALSE TEACHING
Everywhere today Satan has his
ministers (2 Corinthians 11:15), false teachers who propagate error and seek to
turn aside even the elect of God (Matthew
24:11; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). Be on your guard lest the subtle endeavour of
some Christian Scientist
or Spiritualist turn you aside from your hope and from the simplicity that is
in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3; Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
7. JUST PLAIN DISCOURAGEMENT!
Yes, some Christians simply get discouraged, and it is well to remember that discouragement always comes from
the Devil but it does
come! He sees to that! Very often it succeeds in turning aside the Christian
who in his heart of hearts desires to love and serve the Lord. How?
Little by little. No-one leaves
off all at once. A zealous Christian does not suddenly say, I am going to give it all up! No,
it is a gradual process. It begins in secret. It begins in the heart,
secretly and unobserved by any human eye (Proverbs 14:14; Judges 16:20).
With remorse. No-one ever leaves
off following the Lord happily, contentedly. Every backslider constantly
remembers the better days.
Suppose someone reading this
article ceased to be wise
and to do good, has
grown cold, indifferent and out of touch with the Lord: can he or she make a
fresh start? Thank God, yes! What must be done? Three things:-
Make a full and frank confession to the Lord Himself, and be assured
that He will forgive, cleanse, restore and reinstate (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John
1:9).
Return to the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul (Isaiah
55:7; John 21:15-17).
Trust Him to keep you, to support you, to sustain you and to give you
strength day by day (Hebrews 13:5-6; Jude 24).
May the good Lord grant us
strength to stand firm in the faith and do not move from the hope held out in
the gospel of Christ Jesus. Amen.
THE TRUTH MEDIA
...building the body of Christ
No comments:
Post a Comment
We hope you were blessed by what you read. Your kind comments motivate us, and please help to encourage someone by sharing.
From your friends at The Truth Media Blog. God bless you!