Many fail to recognize how subtle compromise can be in their lives. No one falls away from God overnight; rather, it is a gradual process that occurs over time. Understanding this trajectory is essential for maintaining intentional spiritual growth and preventing a slow decline in one’s faith.
The moment you stop moving forward in your Christian walk is the moment you begin to slide backward. Faith is not a static experience; if you put your spiritual life in neutral, you will inevitably drift downhill because the journey is an uphill climb. Addressing fragmentation in your faith life is a crucial part of long-term spiritual development.
As the saying goes, “The Christian life is like a greased pole: you are either climbing or slipping.” By identifying common myths about spiritual growth, you can better navigate these challenges and remain steadfast in your commitment to Christ.
Applying Yourself Spiritually
In fact, the Bible tells us that in the last days some will fall away from the faith (see 1 Timothy 4:1). The question is, do you want to be one of those people? You don’t have to be. It begins with applying yourself spiritually and avoiding taking unnecessary chances.
The evangelist Billy Sunday said, “One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake!”
The Bible says, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else” (James 1:13 NLT).
Along these same lines, the writer of Romans pointed out, “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Romans 6:16 NLT).
For sin to flourish in our lives, we must cooperate. And far too often we don’t take responsibility for our actions. We are living in a time when no one accepts responsibility for their actions anymore. It is absolutely shocking to see the crimes people are getting away with and what is happening in our courts.
In our crazy, upside-down system, no one is responsible for anything they do. We are all victims. We are all dysfunctional. However, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, then you need to recognize that you must take responsibility for your actions.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam offered what appeared to be the first recorded excuse in the history of humanity. After he fell into sin, he effectively said to God, “It isn’t my fault. I’m not responsible. It’s the woman you gave me.”
Next was Eve, who offered the second recorded excuse in history: “The serpent deceived me. … That’s why I ate it” (Genesis 3:13 NLT).
Protecting Your Mind
When Satan wanted to lead Adam and Eve into sin, he started by attacking Eve’s mind. Paul warned, “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent” (2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT).
In our minds we reason, contemplate, dream and fantasize. The Bible says, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT).
We are living in a time when we’re barraged with images. We can access hundreds of television channels with worthless things to watch. Or, we can go off into cyberspace and explore all kinds of things. People are filling their minds with this content, and some of it is evil and perverse. And sooner or later, what we consume will work its way into our lives.
Just as what we eat affects the way we feel and act, what we feed our minds affects the way we behave. Thoughts translate into actions.
Certainly, we are living in a day when immorality seems to be at all-time high. Lust and passion continue to devastate countless lives every day. Scores of fatherless children are growing up without morals and absolutes as people treat sex casually and don’t stop to think about the consequences.
When I was a teenager back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was a time of great revolution and change. We were pushing away all the boundaries and discovering things for ourselves. And what a Pandora’s box that turned out to be.
The Bible tells the story of Samson, who had all the potential to be someone great for God and lead his nation out of the state of backsliding they had fallen into. Humanly speaking, he had superman qualities. There was no one physically stronger than he was. Mentally, he was sharp, clever and alert.
Though Samson was strong in some ways, he was very weak in others, because he never learned to control himself.
Flee From Sin
Make no mistake about it: Sin is powerful, and it’s intoxicating. We think we can handle it, but we can’t. The Bible tells us, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22 NLT).
Flee from sin. Don’t toy with it, because sooner or later, it will pull you in and trap you. That is what happened to Samson.
Of course, we all will sin. We all are going to fail and have our lapses. Maybe you’re thinking, “But my conscience is hard. It’s calloused.” The good news is that Jesus Christ can resensitize your conscience. He can bring you back again. He can forgive you. Only God can do that for you, but you must turn from your sin.
The best prevention against falling into sin is a committed relationship with Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ is who He ought to be in our lives, we won’t be looking for other things to take His place. We won’t be looking for sin to fill the void in our lives, because we’ll be satisfied in our relationship with Him.
However, if you are a fence sitter, if you are a compromiser, if you are trying to live in both worlds, then it is only a matter of time until you go down.
This article originally appeared on Greg’s blog and is reposted here by permission.