When we initially accepted Christ, one is normally filled with excitement and passion. In many cases this does not last as we tend to become “tired” of living the righteous life given to us by Christ. There is a warning in the Bible that warns us about this state that we can fall into.
Ephesians 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Disobedience to the Holy Spirit greaves the Holy Spirit. The problem is that the more we do this, the less we will hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us and it could have tragic consequences. We are warned about this in Hebrews.
Hebrews 6:4-6 - 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
We need to prevent this from happening for our own sake. We could lose our salvation.
Here are some of the reasons why we could fall into this trap of the evil one. Remember he wants you to grieve the Holy Spirit and deny Christ.
1. Not weighing up the cost
Unfortunately many false prophets/teachers, for the sake of counting conversions, will tell you that “Come to Christ and your problems will be solved”. Although this is spiritually correct, our existence on earth will be troubled.
John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus Himself warned us that we must calculate the cost of discipleship.
Luke 14:27-30 - 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish”.
It is a very difficult situation to be in. You and I have to make a decision whether we believe being saved from eternal death is worth the sacrifice. It is a choice. We have a free will to make the choice. Eternal death is not an option for me.
1 Kings 18:21 - Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
There is however a promise from God.
Matthew 19:28-29 - 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Think seriously before you make the choice. When you choose to follow Christ, always keep the reward of eternal life in your heart. It is far easier to follow Christ than we think. It may be filled with trouble but:
Matthew 11:28-30 - 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
And if you are angry at the pastor/preacher that misled you, forgive him. God will judge him.
2. Not turning your back on sin
One of the wonderful attributes of God’s character is forgiveness. When we accept Christ, all our sins are forgiven, past, present and future.
Hebrews 10:16-18 - 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 8 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
There is however a condition. We see this in the following Scripture:
John 8:10-12 - 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Hebrews 10:26 - 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left
.
Our responsibility is to break with the past. Whether we like it or not.
James 1:21-24 - 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Ask the Holy Spirit to tell you what sins there are in your life that you need to repent for. Repent and do away with the sin.
3. Friends
One of the things I always tell someone that I proclaim the Gospel to, is to warn them that they may have to forsake their friends that have a bad influence on them. Being in the wrong company for a continued period of time will change you to their ways. It is about striving for holiness. Here I am not talking about witnessing for Christ.
Proverbs 12:26 - 26 The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Leviticus 19:1-2 - 19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.'
1 John 3:6 - 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
We will never achieve the ultimate in this life, only in the hereafter. However we should work on it and avoid anything or anyone that may affect our holiness. As a Christian we should choose our friends well. People that can build us spiritually and help us grow in holiness.
Again it is a personal choice. It is also a journey. As long as we can look back and see that we have grown spiritually every day, we are progressing on this path. Also remember, it is the Holy Spirit that assists us in the process. We cannot do it in our own power.
4. Wife/husband
One of the saddest things I have seen in relationships, are people who get married when:
· They are unequally matched
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 - 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
In the life of Solomon, the wisest person, he had a number of wives who worshipped idols. In the end he adopted their idols and was lost. Let that be a warning to us. The most successful marriages have a common foundation. When this foundation is Christ, any storms you may encounter, you will be able to overcome if you are willing to follow God’s guidance.
· They get married without God blessing their union
When we are in love with someone, we only see the best of the person. You are also at your best. You have no idea what the person is all about. You also don’t know what changes in your partner will happen in the future. The current trend is that most divorces happen within 3 years of marriage. In Hollywood even less. If you follow your emotions, you are making an irrational decision.
Only God knows who is best for you. Get quiet in front of the Lord to seek His guidance. It is critical to submit to God so that God can choose your partner for life. And when you submit, you must be willing to obey God in the answer. Even if it means breaking the relationship with your partner. It is better to have the relationship ending in time than go through a messy divorce.
I speak out of experience. Making God choose my wife for me is the reason why we have been married nearly 47 years. An almost unknown statistic in today’s world. But I must admit that I started praying for a Godly wife since I was about 9 years old!!
James 4:7 - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
· They do not value each other
The biggest mistake partners make is not to value the other person. The Bible is clear that we should value them above ourselves. Not doing this destroys self-confidence. It may even end up with one partner cowering under the dominance of the other. Tragedy is that both partners suffer.
1 Corinthians 12:25 - so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Ephesians 5:21-23 - 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
· They do not build each other up.
Many marriages end up in divorce as there is not a mutual desire to build each other up to their maximum potential. Many partners find themselves in “abusive” relationships, and yet get married to such a person. Many of them think they will be able to change the partner. Not on. It will get worse as time goes by unless the partner gets radically saved. Get out of such relationships. If they value you, they will not abuse you. God does not expect you to be in such a relationship.
Mutual respect is required. Each partner also has to live out their God given roles in the marriage. Whether we like it or not, partners are one in Christ.
Matthew 19:5 - and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
By denying the partner his/her ordained role, the marriage will not be complete. The union will suffer. Someone has to lead. Someone has to help and support.
1 Peter 3:7 - Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
5. Entertainment
In the 1950’s and 1960’s the Satanists claimed they will get our children through music and films (including TV, social media, and internet). They knew that when people look at the rubbish that the producers produce, they would create a scenario where we will accept their lies over time. This is a reality today. There are more people addicted to sex, pornography, occult activities and violence because of the media.
What are you watching? What are you addicted to? How much time do you spend watching e.g. TV versus what you spend in reading the Bible and having quiet time? We must avoid this practice as much as possible. I am not saying watching films, TV or listening to music is a sin, but beware that it could take the place of the passion you should have for the Lord.
1 John 2:15-17 - 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
John 15:19 - If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Jesus even prayed for us in this regard.
John 17:15-17 - 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[a] the truth; your word is truth.
6. Busyness
The experience I have had over the years as a child of God is that the evil one wants us to be so busy that we neglect our relationship with the Lord. We must be aware that busyness can make us drift from the Lord. In today’s times, businesses want to own you with no regard to your responsibility as a partner, parent or spending time with the Lord.
In the story of Martha and Mary, Martha was the busy one while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus absorbing His presence. See what Jesus said:
Luke 10:40-42 - 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
We must not shirk our responsibilities, but we need to make time for the important things in Iife, the presence of God. We cannot take anything with when we die. All we take with is our relationship with the Lord. Be careful that the worries of life do not distract you.
Luke 8:14 - The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
7. Keeping the Gospel to yourself
I find it interesting that Jesus encouraged His followers to proclaim the Gospel. It was His last words and we must understand that these words were very important.
Matthew 28:18-20 - 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In the armor of God, proclaiming the Gospel is likened to the feet. In my personal experience, proclaiming the Gospel fires up one’s passion for God. When you see how the Holy Spirit changes people’s lives, you cannot stand apathetic. It motivates you to do it again and again.
Ephesians 6:10-16 - 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
It is also within the perfect will of God that everyone should be saved.
1 Timothy 2:1-5 - 2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
One word of warning: The time of the coming of the Lord is very near. Make sure you are ready to meet Him.
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