Backward or Forward?

“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.”  Proverbs 14:14

We don’t hear the term “backslider” much anymore in Christian conversation.  However, it is still a problem within the hearts of God’s people.  A backslider is a believer who has been careless in his or her commitment to Christ and thus has slipped back or “backslid” into some former behavior pattern followed before he or she became a believer in Christ.  The effects of returning to some of those old sinful ways may not be felt for a while, but if one has truly been born again, he or she will find that the old ways no longer give them the satisfaction in life that the old ways once did.  He or she may go further into those old patterns of selfish living looking for that excitement that sin once brought them like a drug addict who needs more and more drugs to get high, but the backslider will only be able to find the peace and contentment that he or she seeks in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If one claims to be a follower of Christ but lives a lifestyle that is not much different than that of the unsaved and feels no sense of wrongdoing, then it could be because he or she has never really committed his or her life to live for Christ.  A true believer has the Holy Spirit within who will let the believer know without a doubt when he or she has sinned.  Folks have used the analogy of believers having a little “red flag” go up in their spirit to alert them that they have stepped out of the bounds of righteousness and into some sin.  All believers sin.  Just because we have repented and place our trust in Christ does not make us sinless.  But it certainly does make us more aware of our sin.  The goal of the true believer is to more righteousness and less sin.  It is a battle because we still have that sin nature with which we were born.  Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16 that if we walk, that is, conduct our lives, in the Spirit, then we will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  That makes perfect sense because if we are hearing and heeding the Holy Spirit rather than Satan’s lies, it will be easier to do right than to do wrong.  We have all seen on television a character who is having to make a decision.  On one shoulder is a red devil and on the other is an angel.  They are both trying to persuade the person to follow their influence.  This is meant to be funny, but it is a clever representation of the battle between good and evil which is no laughing matter.

The “good” man referred to in the above verse, is the one who stays true to his or her commitment to Christ and thus doesn’t need to go looking for some other avenue of excitement.  Living the Christian life is exciting.  Always being on the lookout for what God is doing in one’s life and in the lives of others is an adventure in itself.  One of my former pastors said to find out what God is up to and get in on it.  We are talking about the Creator of the universe, the One who spoke the world into existence, and who made a man and a woman and gave them dominion over the earth.  I do not know of any person, celebrity, politician, or extremely wealthy man or woman who has those kinds of credentials.  Being a part of God’s plan is a privilege.  Dayspring’s co-founder, Roy Lessin, wrote that “God has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation”.  That sounds pretty exciting that the Lord would choose you and I to be a part of the plan for His kingdom.

Reading God’s word and having Him speak to us personally through His word opens our eyes to a world of love, joy, grace, and mercy.  His word also gives us a glimpse into the future and makes us privy to things the world knows nothing about.  Having an intimate, personal relationship with the One who cares about us more than anyone is a love that can’t be found anywhere except in Christ.  Being able to converse with our Creator through prayer is one of the most valuable privileges that is extended to the believer.  Laying down at night to sleep and knowing that the King of kings and Lord of lords is watching over us gives us a great peace.  Why trade eternal contentment, joy, and peace for a momentary pleasure of sin that always turns out to be toxic.  Why take a step backward when we can go forward?