When we talk about someone who has “fallen away from God”, it doesn’t usually happen overnight. When we look back at a ‘wayward Christian’s’ pattern of behavior, we can often see where they started letting sins add up in their life. Perhaps they got their feelings hurt by a sister in Christ, or they allowed themselves to get lazy when it came to their Bible reading or prayer life. Whatever the reason, this is a dangerous and slippery slope to be on. The Bible is full of people like this, stories for us to read and learn from. We should be so careful to guard ourselves against this progressive “falling away” type of behavior.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 4:5-6
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Unless you really stop to think about this verse, you may not realize that it portrays a progression. The words “forget, decline, and forsake” all are negative terms, but when you look each one up in the Strong’s Concordance (a Bible dictionary which gives you the root meaning of words in their original language) you find something interesting.
Forget: to be oblivious of something due to a lack of attention.
Decline: to stretch out, bend away from, or turn aside.
Forsake: to leave, give up, or refuse.
Walking away from God is a progressive downturn in your life. It starts with forgetting to read your Bible. Failing to pray. Paying less attention to Church things, and being oblivious to what God has called you to do. This then leads to a “bending” of your convictions, and willingness to turn a blind eye to sin. Eventually the result, if not turned around, will be walking away from God and your Church family.
Don’t let things fester. Mend relationships with fellow Christians. Stay faithful to what God has called you to, even when it’s exhausting. Realize there is always someone watching you, looking to you as an example. Even when you doubt, keep the faith. Read the Bible. Fall in love with God anew, and ask him to restore the joy of your salvation. (Psalm 51:12)
None of us are perfect. But God truly wants to work all things for good in our lives. He can take the most bleak of situations and turn it around. But it all depends on our faithfulness to Him and following His leading.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psalm 1:1-4
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
