Confessions of a Restored Backslider – Part 3

Stating the obvious and claiming the same that we all have or will hold the title of “Restored Backslider.” 

It really doesn't matter what sin has control of you or which sin you are battling, what does matter is that SIN is in control and you are out of control.  You will never control sin, you will not conquer it, sin will control you, the only hope that any of will ever have over sin is in Jesus. 

Those who have gone to Alcoholics Anonymous are familiar with the statement, “One drink is too many and a thousand is not enough,”recovering Drug addicts who have attended NA meetings have a similar statement.  Sadly, the truth for believers is a short variation of the same concept, “One sin is too many, period!” (James2:10, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in onepoint, he is guilty of all.”)

The fact is that everyone is born a sinner and the only difference between some and others is that some have accepted Christ as Savior and others not.  If it was not for Jesus, we would all be hopelessly and helplessly enslaved in sin yet today.  The good news is that the Scriptures teach us that once we have received Christ as Savior all of our condemning sins are gone.  I have listed a few passages of Scripture as a sampling of what the Word of God tells us about the sin that once had enslaved us:

Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Micah 7:18-19, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. (19) He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.  You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”

 

In these passages of Scripture and others we find that one of the blessings in our relationship with Christ is that He has separated us from our past sins and their penalty.  Although He has freed us from the penalty of sin He did not separate us from the enticement of sin nor did he free us from the entrapment of sin.  That battle is a part of our walk and is our responsibility while we are here on earth.  We do find that God has made a way for us to escape from the sins that are used to ensnare us, sins that will ultimately separate us from the relationship that we have with Him (not the salvation that we have in him). 

For every choice, sinful or not, there is always a decision to make and therein lies the avenue to sin.  Sinful choices are generally selfishly made; many of them are usually preplanned and they are those that will lead you down a path that is away from God, away from the escape that God has already provided.  The battle against sin must be taken seriously to avoid the snares the enemy has placed in our way to entrap us.  God has already promised to do His part to prepare us a way out to “deliver us from evil.”  The way that He provides for us also causes us to run to Him.  It causes us to flee the call and entrapment of sin.  “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)  There is one thing to note here with this passage and that is that it is NOT that God does not give us any more than we can handle, but that He helps us to handle that which we have been given.  We do not have to face any situation alone and the way can be easier to face if we go through it with God’s help.  We see that God makes a way to escape or bear it; the responsibility is ours in that we have to want that escape route and we have to choose to use it.  We need to use it long before we are entrapped by sin. 

In the Word of God we find a precious illustration of God the Father in that He is always willing and waiting for us to return to Him, just like the father of the prodigal son.  He wants to lovingly welcome back the backslider who returns to the faith; He passionately welcomes each "faithless child" back home with a loving embrace as they return to Him.  He is not shaken, He is not taken aback, and we find that he loves us as only He can.  Mercy is once again extended towards us because God is who He is and He is always there, always ready to restore.  We find that the Scriptures say,"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory." (Philippians 4:19). 

What the majority of believers must come to realize after salvation is that our greatest need in Christ according to Philippians 4:19 is restoration.  This is because we are prone to back slide.  We all mess up, we will all backslide and the only path to restoration is in JESUS.  The Old Testament illustrations that we find in scripture is that we believers are not that much different than Israel.  This is found in their relationship with Him, we have already noted this passage, “Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding?  They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.” (Jeremiah 8:5 NKJV)  The Prophet of God throws out the question from God, “Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem (All Believers), in a perpetual backsliding?  Note the substitution?  If we are honest with ourselves and with God we can clearly see it and ask:

“How many times have I failed Him?”     -    “Unknown?” 

“How many times can it happen again?”  -     “I don't know?” 

Even with these questions in mind, this one thing I do know is that He has and He always will offer and provide us a way of restoration.  We find in the Word of God truths that God promises not only to forgive us but also to help us and to return us back to the state of proper son-ship that He desires for us.  We find healing for the Backslider in Isaiah 57:14-15, “And one shall say, ‘Heap it up! Heap it up!  Prepare the way, take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.’ (15) For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” 

The truth here is that we are all prone to backslide, there is only one cure for our tendency to backslide and that is Jesus.  He is the one who provides us a way of escape and that way of escape is always in Jesus.  His grace is unlimited, His forgiveness is ongoing and His mercy, as always is most graciously, everlasting.  This, my friend, is my confession to you, as one who is not just a saved and forgiven but also of on who is constantly tempted to backslide, it is a “Confession of a Restored Backslider.”

Confessions of a Restored Backslider – Part 2

We mentioned in part one of this blog that Backsliding is a problem that all believers have faced at one time or another.  There is not one believer (at least not an honest one) I know of who cannot honestly stake claim to the title of “Restored Backslider.” 

I am reminded of an example from Scripture that can be found in the 16th chapter of the book of Judges, “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.  (2) When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city.  They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.”  (3) And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.  (4) Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.  (5) And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, ‘Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.’” (Judges 16:1-5)  This passage is soon followed by one of the saddest verses in the bible, Judges 16:20, “And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”

Here was one of the great Judges of Israel, one of their leaders not knowing that sin had taken him far from God.  In the above passage we read “But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” This would imply that he was familiar with the Holy Spirit, that he was aware of the presence of God upon him and in his life and yet he woke up this one morning unaware that he was now far from God.  How could this have happened? 

No one wakes up on any given morning and says “I think I will start down a path of sin today”.  It is evident in this passage that he had already made the steps to do so.  Delilah had tried to find out the source of his strength and he played her game.  That is how the enemy works; subtly getting us to listen to his music and we are soon dancing his dance.  Soon we are caught up in the minstrel’s tune not knowing that we are slowly moving away from the Savior.  Slowly led away like a lamb to the slaughter, moving farther and farther away from God, farther and farther away from the One who truly cares for us.  It is quite evident that many believers follow this same path as Samson.  They follow a path that will lead them away from the light of Christ into the darkness of sin.  They march blindly into sin’s bondage leaving the freedom that we have in Christ behind.

I have spent untold hours talking to and counseling believers who have found themselves lost out on the sea of despondency, their lives facing shipwreck on Sin’s reefs of despair.  Just when they think that they had victory over Sin they find that it once again has victory over them.  As believers we often find ourselves overpowered by the enemy and as if without a fight trapped back in bondage.  This is so because we had given in one step at a time.  Sin’s victories are sometimes subtle, sometimes blinding, yet always overbearing and we find that it doesn't take long before we are caught up in sin and back in over our heads. 

How do we get so far off course so fast?  One small step at a time, that’s how.  It often begins with one extra lingering look at a woman or a man that you shouldn’t have taken for those who struggled with porn.  One sip, an “innocent” drink that you shouldn’t have accepted for those who struggled with alcohol.  And so the list goes on for whatever addiction that you may have been or are currently struggling with.  “It always begins with one seemingly simple… (list your vice here).”  It does not take long in any confrontational situation for God to begin to convict the counselor of his own backsliding issues.  You can hypocritically take a “Pharisaical stand” by saying, “…‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector,” (Luke 18:11) or you can take note and deal with the issues in your life. 

I can let you know this that God will deal with both parties regarding the issue of backsliding whether you are the counselee or the counselor.  The warning that we get about our backsliding will not go unnoticed once God has warns us.  We find that God has warned us of this through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:1-5, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.  (2) Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  (3) For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  (4) But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  (5) For each one shall bear his own load.” 

This warning is given to all believers.  It is a special call especially to those who serve as ministers, leaders or counselors because ministry has caused some to fall into the trap of examining themselves in the light of others and not Christ.  They will find that the Grace of God will expose their sin if it goes unaddressed and that the Grace of God will not allow anyone to continue in sin.  It will be this same Grace that God that will aggressively extend in love toward His children to make them uncomfortable so that they too, by His Grace will seek the forgiveness of God for their sin as well.