Question 1

What should I do when I have fallen away from God?

Accepted Answer

Amos 5:4This is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: “Come back to me and live!”When we realize we are not where we ought to be with God, we need to remember: God’s Spirit is always speaking to us. God hasn’t lost track of us. He is calling us to return! Turning around begins by our recognizing we have strayed and then sincerely asking for forgiveness. God has already said he will welcome us back!Romans 3:23-24Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.Satan uses the truth of our condition to enslave us; God uses the truth of our condition to enlighten us. Satan says, “Yes, you are a sinner; there’s no hope for you.” God says, “Yes, you are a sinner, but I have taken care of your sin. Trust in what my Son has done for you on the cross.”Psalm 32:5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.It will happen to you as it does to almost everyone from time to time. You will suddenly realize you are farther from God than you should be. It worries you; maybe it scares you. Don’t ignore that internal warning. Find out what happened—have you simply been neglecting your relationship with God? Or more likely, have you been indulging in a sinful habit that you don’t want to give up? When you recognize that you have done wrong, confess it to God, trusting that you can be forgiven and that your relationship with him can be restored. Confession is the act of acknowledging that your sin has separated you from God. Forgiveness is God’s act of bringing you back together. Confession should include your verbal confirmation that you want to move back toward him.2 Corinthians 7:10The kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.True repentance involves choosing to forsake our sin and turn toward God. A new life with God in Christ begins when we first repent and trust Jesus as our Savior. Repentance also renews that life every time we have lost our way. If you have never repented and trusted Jesus as your Savior, you’re not backslidden, you’re dead (see Ephesians 2:1-9). If you know Jesus is your Savior, but you have wandered or stepped into sin, it’s time for confession, repentance, and acceptance of the forgiveness he offers.

Question 2

How can I avoid backsliding?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel 37:23They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.Like the ancient Israelites, we are prone to create idols, get caught up in sinful thoughts, and act contrary to God’s instructions. Instead of accepting our daily wandering, we can make it a habit to remind ourselves that we belong to God and that our lives will be best when we are serving him.Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.When we regularly acknowledge God’s presence, his instructions, and his faithfulness as we are making choices in every area of life, we are less likely to wander off into destructive detours. Self-reliance without God-reliance is an unreliable way to live.1 Peter 1:14You must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.If the enemy can no longer have you, he will work to immobilize you and nullify your spiritual progress. Backsliding is always a return to familiar territory while forgetting how lost, desperate, and confused you once were. You don’t have to relive those days. Rather, ask, “God, what do you want me to do today?” and give him some moments to speak to you.Matthew 26:41Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!Attentiveness and prayer are good inoculations against temptation. They don’t mean temptations will not come; like effective vaccines, they prepare us to recognize and resist the invitation to sin.1 Corinthians 10:13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.Backsliding, like all sin, is not excused by pointing out that it happens to everyone. Everyone stumbles, and many fall, but we each must rebound from our failures. God’s faithfulness means he is unwavering in his love and interest toward us. Rather than wallow in temptation, we can ask him to show us a way out, a way through, or a way back to him.

Question 3

What is the effect on others when I backslide?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 18:7What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.When you sin, it always affects someone besides you. You might even tempt someone who is watching you sin—then your sin has doubled in effect. Like a pebble tossed into a quiet pool, one small sin may reach out in ever-widening circles of influence. God warns that the consequences for tempting someone else to sin will be terrible.

Question 4

How can I care for someone who has backslidden?

Accepted Answer

Luke 15:7There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!Jesus used the picture of a shepherd finding a lost sheep to describe his joy when we turn toward God in repentance and faith. Our attitude toward the wandering of others ought to be one of concern and prayer, never writing them off as lost. God rejoices in rescuing those who have lost their way.Luke 15:17-19When [the Prodigal Son] finally came to his senses, he said to himself, “At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’”God can use various means to stop and redirect a wanderer. The son in Jesus’ story was brought to repentance through hard circumstances and the memories of home. Those means can be used as part of a prayer list for backsliders we know.James 5:19-20My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.God may give us opportunities to participate in the rescue of a wanderer, but sometimes those closest to us may have to be reached by someone else. In either situation, our praying ought to be relentless. And when a backslider returns, God gets the ultimate glory.