From backslidden to repentance
What about the Lord? This will be reflected in the need for other things to gain fulfillment, an increased social orientation in place of private devotions, and an increased desire for recognition and acceptance by flesh and blood. The Word says that "if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2: What do you desire?
What brings you satisfaction? Do you love God, or do you love the world? This will be reflected in a decreased burden for the lost, a decreased burden for revival and visitation often replaced by good works, and more subtly, by good spiritual programs , and a penchant for respectability in place of radicality. How often do you share your testimony? You used to seek opportunities to talk about Jesus.
Witnessing used to come naturally. But now, you almost avoid the subject. And what about revival and visitation? How would you feel if the Spirit fell in power? Are you hungry anymore for a real move of God? Do you permit things in your life, family, or congregation that would have been unthinkable when you were on fire and felt compelled to avoid certain activities, movies and other forms of entertainment?
This type of backsliding is often done in the name of spiritual maturity.
I warn you as one who once fell into this very error: It is a trap and a lie! Absence of divine conviction does not mean absence of divine displeasure. It may actually point to a withdrawing of His presence. This will be reflected by a lack of victory over the flesh, falling back into old habits and lusts, and the inability to resist and drive out the devil from strongholds in your life or the lives of those to whom you minister.
You can fool others, but you can't fool the flesh and you can't fool the devil. As Leonard Ravenhill often asked, "Are you known in hell?
Are you moving from victory to victory, or do you find yourself more and more entangled every day or month or year? Peter taught that "a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" 2 Pet. Ask yourself if Jesus is your Master or if you are mastered by sin. Are you an overcomer, or are you overcome? Is Jesus your Lord, or are you ruled by your belly, your sexual lust, your temper, your greed, your bitterness? Who or what governs you? You once chased the devil; now you tremble at his shadow.
25 Marks of a Backslidden Christian — theranchhands.com
You once cast off fear like a dog shakes off water; now you are paralyzed by anxiety and dread. You once forgave from the heart instantly; now you remember and hold a grudge. What has become of your victory? You are backsliding from the place of spiritual authority. How tragic that Satan has paralyzed you, be it with theological questions or fear of failure or massive self-doubt. What does it mean to be 'born again? Guide to Christian Life.
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More Prayer Resources on Spiritual Life. You may progress from hiking along a treacherous mountain trail, to braving a fierce storm, to battling the enemy, to sailing on a placid lake or strolling through a pleasant field. There are ups, downs, and unexpected turns.
Backsliding refers to going backwards spiritually and morally. When a believer backslides, he falls back in some way into a less desirable condition. His lapse may be a relatively minor one and unintentional. He may simply fall back through neglect by not praying, reading the Bible, and keeping his focus on living for God. This type of backsliding can carry disastrous consequences. It can bring dishonor to the One who laid down His life for us, Jesus Christ.
It can also sadden and bring grief to the lives of loved ones. He may be plagued by guilt or even a feeling of despair or condemnation.
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But there is good news for the backslider! God does not condemn him. The Lord calls that person back to Himself through the work of the Holy Spirit. We can see this clearly in the parable of the prodigal son. In the parable, the father saw his son returning while he was still far off. But the father did not lock the doors or demand that his son leave.
Instead, the father welcomed his return. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Charisma Magazine
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Instead, the father instructed his slaves:. Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. Like the parable of the prodigal son, know that the Heavenly Father truly cares about you and wants you to return.
October 2018
We talked about it, prayed against it, and sought to keep Jesus always before us as our greatest hope and satisfaction. It wasn't like we were about to fall right off the spiritual map by denying Jesus and jumping into scandalous sin, but we knew that we do in fact have hearts that are, as the hymn says, "prone to wander.
If there is one consideration more humbling than another to a spiritually-minded believer, it is, after all God has done for him,--after all the rich displays of his grace, the patience and tenderness of his instructions, the repeated discipline of his covenant, the tokens of love received, and the lessons of experience learned, there should still exist in the heart a principle, the tendency which is to secret, perpetual, and alarming departure from God. But even if we acknowledge that we remain sinners and can find ourselves in a dangerous spiritual state, do we know what such a state really looks like?
I'm not so sure. Some liken it to big public failure, and this leaves them thinking they are safe when in fact they may be in a very bad way. Had they publicly fallen into overt iniquity, they would blush, and be ashamed; they would bewail their wickedness before God and men. But as yet all is secret. They are merely backsliders in heart. In his book, Revival , Richard Owen Robert lays 25 evidences of a backslidden condition. He expounds on each, but I'll just give you the points here. When the quest for biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there can be no mistaking the presence of backsliding.