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Backsliding is a term used when one who has given their life to Christ, turns back to sin forgetting about
the grace, love, and salvation that were given.

The Holy Spirit lights a fire in your heart and you set off to do God's will in your life. So what happens?
You forget to pray and the fire starts to dwindle. You stop listening to God speaking to you and the fire
dwindles even more. Your relationship with God disappears. You start hanging out with the old crowd at
work and instead of telling them about Christ you talk about the new secretary. Your neighbors start
having problems and instead of coming to their aid you talk about them behind their back. You miss your
weekly tithe, over look the hungry man on the corner, and forget about your true home in lieu of earthly
pleasures and material gain. And before you know it the fire is out, snuffed, not even a smolder remains. I
know the signs it has happened to me as well. Your heart turns to the old cold stone it used to be.

Then one day it hits you. Your child may ask why you have stopped attending church? Are you mad at
Jesus? Or you find yourself in financial trouble maybe close to losing everything. You may start drinking
too much and becoming distant from your family. Your weakness becomes too much to bear. Your every
waking moment is spent with your heavy burden. It increases in size with every passing moment. It is a
growing, living evil consuming your very soul. Your life starts crumbling around you.

At this point you may think that through your abandonment God has abandoned you. THINK AGAIN!!
God has not left you. He is simply patiently waiting for your return.

He still offers His GRACE.

He still offers His FORGIVENESS.

He still offers His LOVE.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them
me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." John 10:27-29

Come back into His pure light. He waits for you there. Run back into His arms. He will embrace you once
again. Let Him wash away your guilt with the blood of Christ. Jesus will renew your spirit and wash you
clean once again. Do not let the lion devour you, let Jesus hand satan another defeat.

"Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for
thou art the Lord our God." Jeremiah 3:22

A good friend of mine just recently confessed his weakness to his wife. He admitted his sins and
confessed as to how ashamed and guilt ridden he has been over his weakness. He is a good man that I
know loves his family dearly. I could sense his deep sorrow and embarrassment. I felt sorrow for him. He
will need his family and friends now more than ever if he is to defeat satan. But most of all he will need
Jesus. Satan will continue to use his weakness against him. However, Jesus will not let the evil one win.
When you trust in Christ, Christ will never let you down. EVER!!

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep,
and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains,
and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your
Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18:11-14

My friend is on the right path now, but the path will be long and hard. Jesus never promised that the path
would be easy. He only promised that at the end of the journey paradise awaits. It takes a brave person
to swallow their pride, confess their weaknesses, and step back out onto the path of God's Holy Light. To
my friend I would like to say walk tall and know that God is with you always. Trust in Him and your
journey will end in paradise with our Lord. For our God loves you, your family loves you, and your friends
love you. Lean on us in your time of need. All of us are there to help you along your journey. Everyone
backslides, everyone sins. This is the reason Christ suffered. This is the reason our Lord hung on that
cross. Christ did these things for us so that we may be presented sinless to our Father. Do not let His
sacrifice go in vain in your life. Remember the Father's precious gift and let Him rekindle the fire in your
heart once again.