28TH FEBRUARY, 2021
Minister: Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
Backsliding is a danger we all face, a reality we come across in our Christian walk. The whole book of Jeremiah was particularly written to address this problem. To backslide means to go back. Our walk in life is a pilgrimage that terminates at a point called destiny. There are only two destinations open to man. It’s either you are on the narrow path or on the broad path at any point in time. You can, however, be on the narrow path and still have your heart shift towards the broad one. This is the point where backsliding starts.
Matthew 7: 13 – 14
God is not interested in quantity but in quality; little wonder He deliberately made the path that leads to life narrow while the one that leads to destruction broad. On the broad path, there are no guiding rules, no constraints and no demands. That’s the path where people who feel they can do just as they like are found. The narrow path is the one that demands quite a lot from us. From the point of being born again, we are supposed to consciously take note of the way we live our lives lest we drift to the other side.
Mathew 12:36
Many of us are so careless with the kinds of words we speak. We forget that we would give account of them on the day of judgment. We should not take God for granted, we should never say it does not matter (Romans 6: 1-2).
Jeremiah 2: 19
We can come into a position where we do not fear God without even noticing it. The problem with our generation is that there is a lack of reverence for God and this shows in the way we behave. There was a man called Pharaoh who questioned the personality of God; he, obviously, did not end well. If we don’t have the fear of the Lord, we would not know how to order our steps. Some things will be acceptable to us when in the real sense are abominable to God. Every backsliding heart will have sufficient excuses to give for its sins and wayward lifestyle (Proverbs 14: 14).
It is wickedness to forsake the Lord; to go our own ways trying to figure things out by ourselves. Backsliding is connected with the objects of our love. As such, we need to check the things that attract us (1 Corinthians 10:23).
The Enemy is always trying to lure us into backsliding and we must be decisive to never allow him win us over. Backsliding can be caused by our busyness as we pursue our daily bread or persecution predicated on the word of God we hold dear (Matthew 13:5,6).
We see an example of backsliding in Demas who abandoned everything and lusted after the things of this sinful world (2Timothy 4:10). When we start losing interest in coming to church or being in the midst of the brethren, we should check our hearts because that’s a sign of backsliding.
Hebrews 10: 35
We should endure all the things we have to endure for the sake of what God has set before us, which is our inheritance and reward (Hebrews 12:2). A man can despise shame by taking on a different attitude. You and I will only escape the challenges of our time if we can keep our hearts and eyes focused. Everything Jesus went through was to get Him distracted from the cross which was His goal. The same things are happening to us now but we have to make up our minds that we will continue this race and finish well.