Don’t Drift
Ever been out in the ocean or on a lake and just started drifting? Maybe you were napping or just shut your eyes for a few, or maybe you drifted too far from the shore and opened your eyes and didn’t know where you were. I would think that would be scary to many people.
The danger of drifting is not limited to the physical realm… He 2:1, we find a warning against drifting. Sadly, it is not uncommon for Christians to drift toward destruction! One is the drifting like on the ocean or lake, but the other is drifting away from the Lord. Don’t drift away from God.
Are You Drifting?
Would you know it if you were? Shouldn’t all Christians search themselves and their walk with God to see if somehow, they are drifting away?
There is a great danger for you if you do not get back on the path of walking with God. Take this seriously please.
Things We Should Know About Drifting
Drifting will not require you to make effort. Just stop rowing against the wind, and always be aware of where you are, what you are doing, and what you are believing in. As for the Christian the Bible tells us that: “We must give the more earnest heed…” – He 2:1. Pay attention to what is in your life, what should be in your life, and what you need to remove from your life.
It is an unconscious process most times
We don’t always know we are drifting. If we are in the ocean where there are currents that move us…we just drift, but that happens in our life as well. The currents of life move us around and if we don’t put down our anchor we can drift as well. It is like being in a plane where the wind tosses the plane around and if it didn’t have instruments it would get off course. That is people…we let the winds of life toss us around and when we do…we get off course/our path with God. I do want to say this concerning churches. There are many great and godly churches who only teach the truth of the word of God, but there are also many who, for whatever reason, compromise the truth, pick and choose what they want to teach so they feel like they don’t want to offend anyone…but when they do this they are definitely offending the God of creation. God doesn’t change and because God doesn’t change then whatever He has called sin will always be called sin no matter who or whatever law mankind decides to make so people can live in sin and think they are okay. God’s word is the law not mankind making changes to what God says. To those pastors, teacher, and all kinds of leaders in the world who think they can change God’s word and it is somehow ok…don’t do it. God will hold you to account for all those lies you tell.
Never Drift Upstream Against the Tide it Will Always Go Against You
You must constantly be “adding to your faith…” – 2Pe 1:5 . You must continue to grow – 2Pe 3:18. The moment you stop growing, you start going backwards or downwards.
Don’t allow yourself to go downstream for the speed of destruction comes quickly.
The dangers increase with the speed of the drift. Think on t his: When we can hear the noise of the waterfall, it is already too late and we could go over. When we lose sight of land, it is more difficult to discern that we are drifting or how far we have gone. Also it is the same as us: As we move farther and farther from the Lord, we care less and less about what we do, and most times we don’t consider the consequences that we will face either here on earth or when we stand before God.
When we Drift it can be Dangerous to Others
A ship, just drifting, is a hazard to all other vessels at sea. Even us, as parents, who are just drifting in our life, will soon loose golden opportunities to teach our children – Ep 6:4.
Don’t Get a Shipwreck Life
A boat that is adrift can crash on the rocks or go over the falls, and to those who drift spiritually through their own neglect, there shall be no escape from a just punishment – He 2:1-3.
Do you realize that if there were no danger of drifting then no one would need to warn you of being able to drift…in life, but even more in your spiritual walk with God. So………….are you drifting?
Common Signs of Drifting
A diminishing desire to study God’s study, prayer, and doing right in your life. The Bible is a unique book – a source of information not found anywhere else. It is full of the truth that can help guide you. Without God’s revelation, how could we truly know our origin, purpose, destiny? Why would we ever want, or choose to, not follow God? Why? It tells us of sin’s dreadful consequences, and how God saves us from sin. But, if we want to live in sin and unforgiveness God will allow it, but we won’t like our ending.
When one loses their desire to study God’s word, they are drifting! Prayer is an awesome way for us to stay 100% connected to our Lord.
Jesus, who loved His Father, often prayed – Mk 1:35; 6:46. Jesus expressed concern that His disciples not grow weary to pray – Lk 18:1. When the Christian prays less and less, he is drifting more and more!
Drifting Can Cause People to Not Want to be With God’s People.
This includes people who chose to not attend services to worship God…or go less and less when there is no legit reason to not go. One should always have the attitude of the Psalmist – Psa 122:1. If we no longer rejoice in the worship of God in the presence of brethren, we are drifting! We are, also, to be concerned with edifying one another – Ro 14:19.
When a Christian prefers the companionship of people of the world, rather than fellow Christians, he is drifting toward the rocks of spiritual destruction!
Don’t Stop Sharing the Gospel
When one obeys the gospel, he knows God has blotted out his sins, made him a new creature in Christ, and he wants to tell the world about Jesus – Ac 8:4; 1Th 1:8. When a Christian no longer has the desire to take the message of salvation to others, he is drifting! We must check ourselves all the time so that we do not drift away from God.
Do You Get Thrilled More Over the Things of This World?
Such as greater thrill over worldly honors; for example: Parents of one young man were excited beyond measure over a worldly honor he had received, but they never got thrilled over the things that were of a spiritual nature. Yes, we can be happy and honor those who get awards and such, but do we do the same for the spiritual things? Think about sports and such for a moment. How do people act at games and how excited they get over a team? Do they also do that over the things of God which matter? Just saying. — The apostle John warns us against the love of the world and the things in the world – 1Jn 2:15-17. Such as increasing enjoyment in worldly pleasures. Paul described some who were “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” – 2Ti 3:4. If we reach the point when we find more pleasure in some worldly activity than meeting with God and sharing Jesus with others we definitely are spiritually adrift! If we are to remain close to God, it will not be easy. Here are some remedies against drifting.
Keep Rowing in the Right Direction
Spiritually speaking, this involves diligence – 2Pe 1:5,10. We all need to have and live a diligent lifestyle in the Lord. This includes also abounding in our Christian graces – cf. 2Pe 1:5-8. There is no place for “retirement” in living the life of a Christian! – cf. Php 3:12-15; 2Co 4:16.
Oh Those Undercurrents we Face
We must always be on guard for undercurrent of temptation. Have you ever been to the beach and went in the ocean and felt the undercurrent of the waves. Your feet get displaced and if really bad undercurrents you can get swept out. We all must be aware and avoid undercurrents in every area of our life with the temptations of life. Why? For we have a fleshly nature which wages war against the soul – 1Pe 2:11; Ga 5:16-18
We Absolutely Must Go Against the Tides of life and the Temptations we will face in life.
What kind of tides: There are many tides to sweep us away. Things like: Popularity, peer pressure, the praise of others, modernism, skepticism, humanism, denominationalism – false doctrines of all kinds, liberalism and worldliness in the church – probably the greatest enemies of the church in our lifetime, neglect — indifference, apathy, lack of interest and concern.
If one drifts away from God, and goes along with the world and it’s ways…then they will certainty be lost – Mt 7:13-14
We Must Be Strong in the Lord and Rooted Deeply
We must be rooted and grounded in Christ – Col 2:6-7. Minds must be anchored to the truth – Ep 4:14-15. We must possess an unshakable hope – cf. He 6:18-19, We must always be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ – Ep 3:16-18.
Are we drifting? I think that all of us drift at times, but we need to search ourselves all the time to see if we are, and if we find ourselves going any direction but the direction of God…we need to reboot ourself and change to do what God says. The danger is real, we would be foolish to say otherwise because many have drifted away from the Lord, we would be arrogant to say it could not happen to us! Life happens and all of us choose, at times, to not do what we know to be right.
Are There Signs in Your Life of Drifting Away?
Are there signs of drifting in your life? Honestly ask yourself: Is my desire to study God’s word and prayer diminishing? Is my desire to be with God’s people not what it has been in the past? (But know this there are people for many reasons that can’t get to church and one is health reasons. Yes, people need to be there, but there are numerous reasons why they can’t be…but you sure can watch church, talk church, and live church.
Have I/we lost my/our desire to save those who are lost no matter who they are, where they live, or the sins they committed in their life, what they have up to this time believed or not believed, or the color of their skin, or are we just too rapped up in the world and what we can get out of it? Which is more important to us…God, or the world’s ways? We must choose. A not choice is a choice in the eyes of God. Choose wisely. We must confess that we are drifting, then may we encourage one another to give earnest heed as warned by the writer to the Hebrews: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him…” (He 2:1-3)
Our salvation in Christ is simply too great for us to neglect!