But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
— Deuteronomy 4:29-31
SOMETIMES God’s children backslide and find themselves captive again in the enemy’s territory. To the church of Ephesus Jesus said: “I have this against you: you have left your first love.”
If you can point to any time in your Christian experience when you walked closer to the Lord than you are walking today, when you experienced His presence and power in your life in a greater measure, then you are in a backslidden state.
BACKSLIDING HAPPENS WHEN YOU ALLOW ANY OTHER DESIRE, AMBITION, OR PREFERENCE TO TAKE FIRST PLACE IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR LIFE.
God needs to be first, above everything else. And when anything else takes His place, you are on the road towards backsliding.
But there is hope for the backslider. Even if you have wandered far, you can find God again if you will seek Him with your whole heart and soul. God is patient and will work in your life again. He will not forsake you. He will not destroy you. He will remember His covenant, for He is a merciful God.
Father, may Your Holy Spirit challenge our hearts with the truth of Your Word. Help us to cast down every idol and put Christ upon the throne of our lives.
Amen.