Why some Christians "backslide"?
Why didn't God reward my friend's faithfulness for going to Church regularly for 10 years? Why wasn't God real in my friend's life? To her, He was just a distant Deity that didn't speak, didn't transform her life. My friend couldn't feel God, she didn't find God. Her faithful deeds were meaningless and unrewarded. And now, she doesn't believe in God. She believes that everyone is a god. The universe is god. Her brother turned Atheist. Personally, I think she is too, but she doesn't label herself as that.
There are a couple more stories that I heard, similar to this. Many Christians faithfully go to Sunday service, serves in Church, go to whatever prayer meetings that the Church offers, but there will be a time when they feel they had enough of this, and decided to leave church for good. They feel that God is not real, they couldn't feel God.
So I wonder, why are there sooo many faithful Christians, hardworking Christians that backslided? Were they not at all attached to God? How can they leave God just like that, how can they decide that God is not real after being active in Church for so many years? And on the other hand, there are many Christians who went through so many "faith tests", testing them on their trust on God's provision, God's guidance and God's existence. They were put in a situation that screamed God is fake, God is not on their side. But yet, they still faithfully believe that God is good. They did not stop praying, they did not leave their Church. They did not leave God. All the more, they pray harder, they trust God.
Today in Sunday service, our pastor read us a baptism testimony of a man who was very active in Church for many years. But at one point, he had to miss a few of Church activities because of school. A few missed, become all activities missed. One day he decided to leave Church altogether. He backslided really badly. He engaged in all kinds of "worldly" deeds. But one day, God spoke to him, told him that He never leave him, He was always by his side during all the days he backslided. That man was touched by God's love, now he is back in Church, loving God more than ever.
This testimony intrigued me even more, on why some Christians backslided. It occured to me a while ago that what makes a Christians give up their faith vs Christians who faithfully trust God despite of their trials, is....
THEIR PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.
There is this song that I love, the lyrics goes like this,
"All it takes is one moment
And just one touch from you..."
Indeed, only those who have been touched by God, their lives and heart are transformed. When God has touched your lives, that moment will be so powerful, so real, so undeniable that it becomes your anchor of faith. Whenever these Christians faces struggles, tests, trials, they will recall that "moment", and stay faithful to God.
However, the bad news is that there is not much we can do to initiate that process, to encounter God. We can only pray. More importantly, let us pray for our loved ones, our family, our friends, that they will have a powerful encounter with God. There is one thing on our part that we can do to encounter God, that is we must want God. We must want God, we must want to experience God. There is no way He won't answer that kind of prayer. He wishes to hear that kind of prayers from you. He wants to reveal Himself to you.
It is amazing really, that this same "desperate" God is the same God we read in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus! God is a holy God, no one could approach Him, no one could talk to Him except the high priest! But now, since Jesus came and died on the cross for us, God rip apart the curtain that was dividing the inner court and the people. He grants access for all of us to approach Him, to talk to Him directly! I am always amazed by that fact! So, let us take advantage of this. Cry out to Him, ask Him to let us encounter Him in a personal, real way!
Let's pray
Thank you Lord for always being there for us. I am sorry that we have committed spiritual adultery. We ask for your forgiveness, we want to come back to You. I pray that I will have a personal encounter with You. I also want to pray for others, all other Christians to have that personal encounter with You. Thank you for being mysterious, yet real God. Amen!
There are a couple more stories that I heard, similar to this. Many Christians faithfully go to Sunday service, serves in Church, go to whatever prayer meetings that the Church offers, but there will be a time when they feel they had enough of this, and decided to leave church for good. They feel that God is not real, they couldn't feel God.
So I wonder, why are there sooo many faithful Christians, hardworking Christians that backslided? Were they not at all attached to God? How can they leave God just like that, how can they decide that God is not real after being active in Church for so many years? And on the other hand, there are many Christians who went through so many "faith tests", testing them on their trust on God's provision, God's guidance and God's existence. They were put in a situation that screamed God is fake, God is not on their side. But yet, they still faithfully believe that God is good. They did not stop praying, they did not leave their Church. They did not leave God. All the more, they pray harder, they trust God.
Today in Sunday service, our pastor read us a baptism testimony of a man who was very active in Church for many years. But at one point, he had to miss a few of Church activities because of school. A few missed, become all activities missed. One day he decided to leave Church altogether. He backslided really badly. He engaged in all kinds of "worldly" deeds. But one day, God spoke to him, told him that He never leave him, He was always by his side during all the days he backslided. That man was touched by God's love, now he is back in Church, loving God more than ever.
This testimony intrigued me even more, on why some Christians backslided. It occured to me a while ago that what makes a Christians give up their faith vs Christians who faithfully trust God despite of their trials, is....
THEIR PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.
There is this song that I love, the lyrics goes like this,
"All it takes is one moment
And just one touch from you..."
Indeed, only those who have been touched by God, their lives and heart are transformed. When God has touched your lives, that moment will be so powerful, so real, so undeniable that it becomes your anchor of faith. Whenever these Christians faces struggles, tests, trials, they will recall that "moment", and stay faithful to God.
However, the bad news is that there is not much we can do to initiate that process, to encounter God. We can only pray. More importantly, let us pray for our loved ones, our family, our friends, that they will have a powerful encounter with God. There is one thing on our part that we can do to encounter God, that is we must want God. We must want God, we must want to experience God. There is no way He won't answer that kind of prayer. He wishes to hear that kind of prayers from you. He wants to reveal Himself to you.
It is amazing really, that this same "desperate" God is the same God we read in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus! God is a holy God, no one could approach Him, no one could talk to Him except the high priest! But now, since Jesus came and died on the cross for us, God rip apart the curtain that was dividing the inner court and the people. He grants access for all of us to approach Him, to talk to Him directly! I am always amazed by that fact! So, let us take advantage of this. Cry out to Him, ask Him to let us encounter Him in a personal, real way!
Let's pray
Thank you Lord for always being there for us. I am sorry that we have committed spiritual adultery. We ask for your forgiveness, we want to come back to You. I pray that I will have a personal encounter with You. I also want to pray for others, all other Christians to have that personal encounter with You. Thank you for being mysterious, yet real God. Amen!
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