BACKSLIDING

Backsliding





To backslide means to turn away from God.
Let us look at Jer. 2:19:


“19 Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
To abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.
I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”


As you see it is a very terrible thing for a human to do. Turning away from God is a selfish and stubborn act. Let’s look at a few verses that explain the root of selfishness:


Prov. 14:14-

“14 Backsliders get what they deserve;
Good people receive their reward.”

This is a scriptural reference to good people receiving their reward; it is telling you that backsliders are not good in contrast and that they get what they deserve.


Hos. 4:16-

“16 Israel is stubborn,
Like a stubborn heifer.
So should the Lord feed her?
Like a lamb in a lush pasture?”

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This scriptural reference refers to humans as being like stubborn heifers; Israel consistently rebelled and turned from God no matter how good he was to them. Both of
The above scriptures give you an idea of how a human can be selfish and not good and turn from God.




The only answer to stop from “getting what you deserve” is to return back to God and not be like Israel, a stubborn heifer…Lets look at Jer. 3:14, 22-


Reference 1:
14 “Return home, you wayward children,”
Says the Lord,
“For I am your master.
I will bring you back to the land of Israel*—
One from this town and two from that family—
From wherever you are scattered.


Reference 2:
22 “My wayward children,” says the Lord,
“Come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”




In both scriptural references God tells us that we are wayward children and those we need to return home. Meaning we are lost and need to return to him.
Returning to him is the only way to keep from the judgment of a backslider!




Fact: There is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ!














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How can people turn their backs so easily on God?



Lets look at Judges 2:17-




“17 Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.”




In this scriptural reference Israel rebelled against the Judges of the land by worshiping other Gods besides the one true God. God called this “Prostitution”, he said that they turned from the original ways of their people- they obeyed Gods commandment to not worship false idols, or to love no other Gods besides him. As you can see there are many reasons people would backslide so quickly, a few being, rebellion, lack of faith, not following family traditions and biblical patterns for family, peer pressure, and more…



Can you think of things that could deter you? Make sure your faith is strengthened in those areas ASAP so that you do not have to face judgment for turning your back on God!











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How can we help those who have backslide?



Let’s read James 5:19-20-



Restore Wandering Believers


“19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.”


We are to encourage backsliders to come back to church, back to bible study, back to fellowship- any way that we can help to bring their zeal back for God and lead them back on the path of righteousness.


That is our job as Christians to look out for our brothers and sisters, like lost sheep are backsliders, so we must lead them back home to the Shepard!






















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Questions



What does it mean to be a “Backslider”? _____________________________________


What are 2 root causes of backsliding? ___________________________________


What is the cure for a backslider? _______________________________________


In what way can you backslide in modern times? _______________________________________


How can you help a backslider? ________________________________________


What is a way that you can keep from backsliding? ________________________________________

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