by Mrs. Anastasia Rebello
Introduction
Praise the lord. Just a few weeks ago I was asked to preach on this topic in another prayer group & last week when I was asked to minister in our prayer group I felt it would be appropriate to share the same Word here too. After all, at some point of time in our Christian faith we all backslide without even realizing. As I deeply reflected on this verse from the Bible taken from the book of Jeremiah 3:22, I realized the intense love God has for his people. Even though Israel had been unfaithful, like a woman unfaithful to her husband, God in his abundant mercy was calling her back. Today you & I may be in same state as Israel, and God in His abundant mercy and love is calling us back. Just like the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-27) ,our heavenly Father is calling us back. Sometimes we do not even realize when we have backslidden. Like when we made our first retreat or our first encounter with the Lord we were on an emotional high, we felt this experience would last forever. But when we went back to the world & faced the mundane activities of life, we found it difficult & then we began to go back to our former ways of life.
Remember the story of the frog that I shared with you in my talk on Media I would like to repeat it again.
Place a frog in boiling water and it will jump immediately because of the hostile circumstance. Place a frog in a kettle with water at room temperature, it will stay there. Slowly very slowly increase the temperature. This time the frog does not leap out, It stays there, unaware of the environment changing, Continue to turn the burner until the water is boiling. Our poor frog is boiled quite content nevertheless dead.
Luke 21:34-36 “ Be ready at all times”
Sometimes we are like the frog who content with whatever is happening around us. We refuse to make the right choices in Christ due to pressure from society. So when we backslide we do not even realize it.
Meaning of Backsliding
The word “backsliding” means to turn away. It literally means turning away from:
- Our first love (Rev 2:4)
- From the gospel (Galatians 1:6)
- To satan (1 Tim 5:15)
- To evil (Psalm 125:5)
- or simply to the world.
Scripture defines backsliding in several ways like serving two masters, forsaking the Lord & going our own way or like salt which has lost its flavor (Mathew 5:13). Sometimes we might wonder how can one who attends prayer services, goes to church daily can ever back slide.
Even people who consider themselves spiritual can backslide. Please do not think this talk is for someone else, but it is for each one of us present here. Before I get to the reasons of backsliding I would like to read from Scripture how people backslide. The Bible is full of backslidden people. In book of Judges you will find several times how the people of Israel worshiped foreign gods in spite of the mighty miracles Yahweh had done for them at the time of the Exodus. Even today sometimes we receive mighty miracles but soon forget what God has done & go back to our old ways. Lets read from the book of Judges 3:7-11
You will see four distinct stages as you read this passage. When people backslide the first thing that happens is they SIN, which is then followed by Punishment, then Repentance & finally peace. We too go through these stages even when we back slide.
Reason for Backsliding
Backsliding can be compared to a decay of a fruit ( A Spiritual Decay). It does not happen overnight. It is a very slow & subtle process. It not like a you wake up one morning up & commit adultery. Sin begins sometimes with only a thought. (Example David & Bath Sheba). As we fail to focus on spiritual things we start to focus on things of the flesh. It begins with the heart & mind & then to the action. Some of the few of the many things that cause backsliding are:
- Lack of prayer in our lives gives way for other interests to take precedence. Innocent hobbies like sports, television, newspaper reading etc. I m not saying they are not needed but so also is the Word of God needed in our lives. Sometimes we have time for everything but not for prayer. A Christian needs spiritual food. If we fill ourselves with only junk food like Mac Donald’s burgers can we be healthy. Of course not, so also for our spiritual growth we need the Word of God to build us up.
- Spiritual Pride also causes us to backslide. We think we know every thing probably because we belong to the Charismatic renewal or we go for Mass daily or unlike others we spend several hours in prayer and we can do no wrong. Here when we are in this backslidden state, we still verbally identify ourselves with God (Hosea 8:2). We are open to no correction from others. Example: All our types of prayers become mere rituals. At this particular point of time the inconsistencies in the backslider’s life can be compared to morning dew which comes goes may disturb him for some time (Hosea 6:4) ,but more often he will be blind to his own spiritual state. An overconfidence in ones former understanding with God can falsely convince an individual that God will overlook his present conduct. The further he or she strays the more distant the voice of God becomes. For example when I first met Jesus I had a beautiful time of prayer at 3 in the morning. The Spirit use to wake me up daily & I would prepare the Scripture I had to read the previous night. But as time went by I became relaxed & I found waking early very cumbersome especially when I traveled. Whichever country I visited I would still be woken up at three o’clock in the morning. So last year I discussed it with a person who was close to the Lord & was told why don’t you bargain for the time? I was very happy because it was precisely what I wanted to hear. I was then given the time of 5 am in the morning. At first I was thrilled, but soon I realized that my will had become more important than God’s will in my life. I realized I had become complacent. I am still struggling in this area today. With the Lord one cannot rest on past glories. It is a day to day struggle.
- Personal Weaknesses: Some are prone to falling away by reason of choice. They find it better to give in to their weaknesses than to resist the temptation from the evil one. (Drinking, illicit sexual relationships, Pornography, smoking…). Others due to acceptance from the world because they are scared if they do not behave in a particular fashion they might be left out. Hence they backslide.
How do we overcome backsliding?
Acknowledge that you have fallen is the first step. Scripture compares a backslidden condition to a disease. When we have a disease there are symptoms even before we get to a doctor. But unless I admit I am sick I cannot be treated. So also when we backslide, we realize that there is no hunger for God’s word & stubbornness becomes a very dominant characteristic in our lives.
No Guilt If we believe that God is love then we must also believe that God will forgive & accept us back just like the prodigal Father accepted his son. There are several examples of backslidden people both in new & old testament. But I would like to take the example of Peter & Judas. Peter denied the Lord thrice but yet repented & became the first Pope; Judas though he knew the Lord well yet could not believe in His forgiving love for him so committed suicide. Some of us fall into the category of Judas & believe that we have no hope, so we continue to believe in our guilt & let all the plans that God has for us jeopardize. My brothers & sisters for Christians there always hope. St Paul in
Phil 3:13b says “I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF YET TAKEN HOLD OF IT, BUT ONE THING I DO: FORGETTING WHAT LIES BEHIND AND STRAIN TOWARDS WHAT IS AHEAD”
Perseverance & Prayer is one of the keys steps in overcoming the backslidden condition. Do not give up. The more you soak yourselves in God‘s word you will be able to rise out of your situation. Starvation from God’s word will be detrimental for your soul. So read God’s word & claim His promises. We cannot ascend the mountain of God in neutral. ( Example: Try driving a car up a hill in the neutral gear)
Conclusion: Christianity is not a one time trip to the altar, but a day by day walk of life AND FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. Scripture speaks more of the Promises than of back sliding . Once we begin our walk in the Lord problems do not cease. Satan will try to deceive us, In fact he will work over time. The only way to avoid backsliding is OBEDIENCE to God in every area of our life. It will not be easy, but always fruitful. As it is said a Journey with God through life in His ways could be very painful, but always fruitful.
These are few of the fruits that you will receive when you walk in God’s ways.
- Long Life & Divine health (Ex 15:26)
- God’s presence (1 Kings 11:38)
- Victory over the enemy (1 Samuel 7:3)
- Inner strength & Satisfaction (Ex 18:23)
I end my talk with His word that wherever you are today & whatever state you are in God is calling you back and wants to heal you of Backsliding. I conclude with the verse from Hosea 14:4-7
“ I WILL HEAL THEIR BACKSLIDING, I WILL LOVE THEM FREELY……”
AMEN.