Backward Motion

1 Timothy 4:1 NLT “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.”

Sadly, there are many believers today who are going downhill in opposite direction to the profession of their faith in Christ Jesus: they are backsliding. A Christian in a backsliding state is living as a mere man. No one plans on doing it, but it happens. Show me any Christian who has fallen away from their faith, and I will show you a Christian who took a series of steps into gross or open sin before the time they fell. The Bible warns “those who think they stand, to take heed, lest they fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). The Bible specifically warns believers about falling away. The apostle Paul alerted Timothy about strange things and behavior of the last days (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT). We need to keep our guard up. We need to be careful, because any believer could potentially fall away spiritually. There are a lot of people who may be in church and think they are walking closely with the Lord. But in reality, they are backsliders. The Bible clearly warns against the sin of backsliding (Jeremiah 3:22 NLT, Jeremiah 2:19 NLT). Maybe you are one of those who are no longer as active today spiritually as you were some years ago. You still go to church, when you can find the time. You still read the Bible, when you can get around to it. And you still obey God, unless it conflicts with what you want to do. It is time to examine yourself, if you are still in faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). As Christians, we are either moving forward or backward. We are either climbing or slipping. And the moment that we stop progressing as believers will be the moment that we begin to backslide. Be careful!

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