Parents want their children to excel in academics and extracurricular activities. For instance, if your child usually gets good grades, mostly A's and B's, but suddenly their academic performance starts to decline, and they show a shift in focus towards activities like excessive phone usage, making too many friends, and attending parties, as a parent, do you simply watch from the sidelines, thinking, 'I know my child can do better; they'll improve next month,' without taking any action? When you notice your child slipping in their academics, you immediately start to intervene and guide them back on track. No parent waits until things get worse to step in and help correct the course.
Our relationship with Christ works in a similar way. We are His children, and He is our Father. The Devil is always looking for ways to lead a brother or sister away from their Christian path and into a life of backsliding. King Solomon, known for his wisdom, wrote about backsliding in the Book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 14:14 (KJV) 'The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: And a good man shall be satisfied from himself. ‘
What is Backsliding ?
We can describe 'backsliding' as a pause or a step backward in our spiritual development.
God's plan for every Christian is to grow spiritually, progressing from being spiritual infants to becoming spiritual children, then young adults, and ultimately, spiritual parents.
Unfortunately, we all have moments of living our way instead of Christ’s way. But overall, the general trend is to move upward in our spiritual growth. The number of upward steps far outweighs the number of downward steps. In backsliding, Our spiritual lives are paused. Spiritual growth stops and backsliding has commenced. The tragedy is that we don’t remain at the spiritual level where we stopped. We go into what James calls “retrograde motion” by which we turn from Christ and slide down worser than we use to be.
James (James 1:22-25) calls these people “forget full hearers” because they actually begin to forget the lessons and the things that they have experienced in Christ
James 1:22-25 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. '
If you're committed to building a relationship with Christ and growing spiritually in your walk with God, it's essential to self-examine and recognise the signs of backsliding and take steps to return to where you once were. There are 5 Signs (there could be many, I picked these 5 Signs) which leads us to backsliding.
1) BackSliding Starts with Mind
Satan mainly focuses on our 'minds.' Just as he targeted Eve's mind with deception, convincing her with absolute certainty that her actions were right, he uses the same strategy to lead us away from God's will.- 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV) 'But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. '
Victory over sin means victory in thoughts —Romans 7:23 (NIV) 'but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. '
Backsliding begins in the mind — Satan is deceiving us by making us believe that the world/time/place we live in now is not good and that a better place existed in our past life of sin. Israelites were made to believe the life in Egypt was better than what God gave in the desert. Hebrews 11:15 (NIV) 'If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. '
James 1:13-16 'When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. '
First ... by their Own evil desires and enticed (by their own evil desire and enticed)
Next ... temptation (after desire has conceived)
Then ... sin (gives birth to sin; and sin)
Finally .. Sin to death (when it is full-grown) gives birth to death
The warning: “Be not deceived” Don’t be deceived
That's why Jesus compared having a lustful thought to committing adultery. He meant that when someone looks at another person with lust in their thoughts and mind, they have already committed the sin. Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV) ' “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. '
Romans 12:2 NIV “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Don’t take advice from people, rather take advice by looking to word of God and meditate and renew your mind with God’s ways so that it’s pleasing and perfect to do God’s will.
2) Backsliding Starts with Deceptions
Deception begin in the mind, and beyond that, there are deceptions related to self-projection and self-exaltation.
Self Projection
Paul writes Galatians 6:3 'If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. '
Many times we think we are very holy in front of God, we may go to Chruch, do things which are perfect from external view, so we tend to compare other person and console ourself to be a better person as we are righteous. Sometimes our minds make us believe “they are something when they are not”
Pharisees / Sadducees always thought that they were perfect in the Laws, their intent to question Jesus was more to test him and trap him, their questions were not meant to become perfect. They always thought they were clean and perfect in laws, but in their heart, their attitude / motives / intent they were corrupt in-front of Jesus. Jesus warned us to be careful of the “yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6 '“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” '
The yeast refers to the attitude we have that we are better than others and not worst sinners. Our behaviour changes when we have this attitude, that’s why Jesus refers this as Yeast - A small attitude of us can lead to deception and we get blinded.
Self Exaltation
When we think we are something, we tend to give way for Self-Exaltation - its act of excessively promoting or elevating oneself, often with an inflated sense of superiority or importance.
Self-exaltation is demonic in nature and the hero-worship leads to blindness, manipulations.
Here we see how Satan taught to himself that he will ascend to heaven and raise above God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 (NIV) 'How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” '
Satan’s character is always the same 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 '.. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. '
3) Backsliding Starts with Pride
Self Project / Self-exaltation soon slowly, silently leads to Pride. We hardly recognise that we are living in a prideful way. When we self exalt ourselves more, we give room to keep our actions first and discredit the grace of God to make it all with our own strength.
Pride creeps in us after we self project - Galatians 6:3-5 (NIV) 'If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. '
God oppose the proud, when he opposes it means the Grace thats given to us is taken away. Making us to fight on our own where we fall and fail in our works.
James 4:6 (NIV) 'But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” '
Proverbs 3:34 (NIV) 'He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. '
When we humble God gives us his grace and with his Grace we are lifted high, James 4:10 (NIV) 'Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. '
Jesus in his sermon on the mount says, if we have a meek attitude that comes from our humility (Which is a total opposite of Pride), we will inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 (NIV) ' Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. '
4) Backsliding Starts with - Unlearning our Past / Old Baggage
After we come to christian living, we seek God’s forgiveness of our Sin. Some sins roots are so deep that our Sins are gone only at a surface level but the roots are still there. These tiny roots tend to make us slide back to old ways.
We need Victory over Sin - It is not eradication but emancipation!
Eradication - removal of the sin
Emancipation - removal of the sin from root so that it has no hold in your life.
Many times when God shows the sin of life he will show the roots from where it started, you will need to come to him and ask for forgiveness to remove all that’s from the root.
Romans 7:21 'So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. '
1 John 1:9 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. '
Each of us have our own traditions / family upbringing these lead to these Old baggage as well. For instance, Many Christians look for auspicious days to do any event, it comes from our old roots of how we have been brought prior to conversion, some of us carry old traditions even after we are born again. Where as Bible says, all the days that God created are good Galatians 4:8-10 (NIV) 'Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces ? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! '
When we receive deliverance and born again, we are a new person. But the new person of us always looks to old to say old is better and starts to follow the same, thats what Paul highlights in Galatians 4:8-10 (NIV)
When we engage in actions aligned with the world's ways and assume they are right because they are common, they may still be considered wrong in God's view. Therefore, only the Spirit of God can discern our path and guide us toward correction.
I can share a personal experience from a few years ago. I made an offering to help build a church, and it's customary to list donors' names once the church is constructed. When they approached me to include my name, I declined. This decision was based on my understanding of giving in alignment with God's principles. At first glance, it might seem like a worldly practice to put a donor's name on display correct. God calls us to give without having the left hand know what right hand does. When we put our names on a donor board, it can resemble the behaviour of Pharisees who boast about their deeds. By doing this, we risk losing the grace of God for our actions.
We need to have a mindset to unlearn what we have learnt in the old. Learn the new living in Christ thru the spirit of God. Pray more for God to make yourself flexible to learn that attitude. Pray to God to show you the areas of old which is causing this backsliding, so his holy sanctification can make us grow better Hebrews 8:13 (NIV) 'By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.'
5) Backsliding Starts when we are Hearers and not doers of word
We hear a lot of Sermons / God’s advice and tend not to act on that.
One of Satan's most powerful weapons against us is procrastination. He convinces us to delay our actions, leading us to say, 'I'll do it later,' and then we often forget about it, becoming passive listeners instead of active doers of the word.
If we don’t obey instantly there is no point of the word convicting us. Think of this, when we fail to obey God’s word, we make a mockery of his work in Cross. It’s a Sin.
If we love God and want to grow in God then we will Obey, John 14:15 (NIV) ' “If you love me, keep my commands. '
Implicit Obedience - Obedience happens when you recognise that God is guiding you towards correction, and it naturally follows. When you have the desire to improve, that's when you actively listen to God and obey without delay.
Obedience thru God’s discipline - Many times God gives us chance after chance and then he disciplines us to correct us Hebrews 12:5-6 'And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” '
Practice Obedience like how David teaches in his Psalms 119:57-58,60 (NIV) 'You are my portion, Lord ; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. '
How to return back from Back Sliding ?
I encourage you to do a self examination of these 5 areas to see if you have signs of backsliding and we just have to follow what Jesus taught on the “Parable of Lost Son” in Luke 15:11-22
Repent to God if you have backslidden from him.
He is waiting eagerly to take you back.he is a father of compassion. Remember he does not desert us in our waywardness, if we repent and ask his forgiveness he is willing to restore and bless us
Once we return from our Backsliding he Promise us to restore as he called out in Hosea 14
Hosea 14:4-7 '“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon. '
I will heal their waywardness - He will stop the backsliding due to our waywardness
love them freely - God’s love will be back to us, if he loves us he will give us more Grace
for my anger has turned away from them - God’s wrath is turned away when we ask for a repentance from Heart.
I will be like the dew to Israel - Dew supplies the water needs for even the small plants, even when there is no water. God’s manna will be given to us every day to strengthen us to be like the Israelites.
he will blossom like a lily - Lily does not come quite daily, comes only on July to Aug
his young shoots will grow - God will restore us to Grow like a child. When God restores Israel, His people will be a blessing to others, not blessed only unto himself.
God’s splendor will be manifested in our lives with abundance is restored (revived like olive tree… grow like the vine… scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon).