Help, I think I am backsliding!

Believers don’t just end up backslidden, it’s a process. What does it mean for a believer to backslide? It means that they are no longer diligently following God and His commandments, and they are regressing back to the way of the world.

As you know, it takes time and a process for something hot to become cold. It proceeds from hot to lukewarm and then to cold. There are three levels at which a Christian is at any given time: HOT, LUKEWARM, or COLD. God doesn’t like lukewarm (see Revelation 3:15-16). God stated He prefers for us to be cold or hot, not lukewarm. Let’s look at it closely for a minute. Why would God prefer cold to lukewarm? 

The lukewarm state is what leads to a Christian backsliding. A cold Christian is already cold toward godly things, but a lukewarm state means that you are neither here nor there. It means you are neither for God nor are you totally on the devil’s side. This state is a deceptive and dangerous state. No one knows who you are for, yet you are far from the truth. A lukewarm state makes you vulnerable to any false doctrine. A lukewarm Christian will eventually go cold if no necessary actions are taken to avoid the progression.

How do you know if you are lukewarm?

• You can conveniently live as both a believer and non-believer (1 John 2:15-16).
• You are a Christian but do not have a vibrant relationship with God.
• You are not well rooted in God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:3).
• You commit sin and do not feel remorseful about it.
• You are not committed to the things of God; you are more like a self-seeker (1 John 2:15-16).

To avoid backsliding, you have to manage your salvation daily. Know the failing points. Living things die when they are not nurtured.

How to nurture yourself back to life?

• Cry to God to restore you. Do it now. “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them”(Hosea 14:4).

Ask God to forgive you for walking in the way of the world. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

• Reach out to a strong Christian friend or leader at your church and ask them to pray with you and follow-up with you. Read our lesson on “Building a Lasting Relationship with God” and put it into practice.
• Read your Bible and pray daily.
• Stay away from bad friends. Surround yourself with those who bring you closer to God.
• Join a Bible study or house fellowship group.

Once a Christian gets to the backsliding stage, it is often very difficult to win that person over again. Do all it takes not to get to this stage. Luke 9:62 tells us, “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

Do you need our help to get back on track? Chat with us today.