The changes Jesus brings into a newly saved believer’s life are unforgettable. The feelings of love and peace are like nothing ever felt before. Their minds and hearts are in a happy place, and they feel that nothing could bring them down from such a high. They have finally felt what they’ve spent their whole life looking for: love. Life is perfect.
But then life happens, and they are re-introduced to things and people that were given up when God changed their lives. If they are not vigilant, the old sinful things they let go of initially begin to reappear. The people that they avoided following their salvation become familiar faces again. If care is not taken, they find themselves going to those places they said they wouldn’t go and doing those things they said they wouldn’t do again. Then, one day they realize that they have drifted away from God. They may ask themselves, “How did I get here?” Guilt and shame may eat at them so badly that they decide to let go of God and return to the world. And there they are. They have drifted back into the hands of the enemy, the one they were delivered from.
So, how do I know so much about these things? Because I’ve been there. I was initially saved and delivered but gradually found myself drifting because I was spiritually weak, lost, and confused. I didn’t completely understand what it meant to live for the Lord. When I found myself at a crossroads between choosing to sin or obey God, I fell back into sin. I didn’t know how hard it can be to resist temptation.
New saints who are spiritually immature and haven’t learned to discern the difference between God’s voice and the voice of the enemy may think that every thought they have is from God, especially if it feels right. An example of a case in which it may be difficult to discern between the voice of God and the enemy occurs in the Book of Acts, where we read about Paul casting out an evil spirit from a young woman. She went about many days, crying, “These men are servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. Acts 16:17 (KJV).” What she said was true, but her intentions were wrong. While it appeared that she was glorifying God, she was bringing fame to herself, perhaps intending to profit later. Had Apostle Paul not known that the young woman was speaking by the power of the enemy and if he had not cast the evil spirit out of her, she would have led many people astray.
In the same way, the enemy says things to us that seem right when he aims to get us to doubt God. If we take heed to what he says, we may drift back into our old and sinful way of life. We have to discern what spirit is behind the thoughts in our minds. Doing so will keep us from making the wrong decisions. This is done by reading and knowing the Word of God and allowing the Spirit of God to have full course in our lives.
The drift from God often starts with an erroneous thought. If we don’t develop the right mindset about God and how He wants us to live, we can fall victim to the enemy’s lies. We must allow the Holy Spirit to change how we think. When we decide to live for the Lord, our minds need to be regenerated. The Bible tells us to not be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind Romans 12:2 (KJV)
Before coming to know the Lord, many of us spent years with the wrong thought processes. We had a mind full of “stinking thinking.” We thought about life based on the world’s system. But we must come out of that old way of thinking when we come over on the Lord’s side. Our minds need to be changed and re-created. That transformation is made when we read and believe God’s Word. We are clean through the Word (John 15:3 KJV). The Word of God shows us the right way to think about God and how we should treat people.
The Bible helps us walk upright before the Lord and teaches us what we should not do. If we want to be victorious in our walk with the Lord, we must let the Word of God dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16). It is from the Word of God that we get the wisdom and strength we need when faced with temptation. We do not have to drift back into our old way of life. God has given us the tools we need to resist the enemy. He wants us to trust Him and stand firm on His Word.
If you have let go of God’s Hand and have drifted back into a world of sin, come back to God. He didn’t want you to leave Him in the first place. He sent His Son to die for your sins so that you could be with Him forever. The enemy wants you to think that living solely for God isn’t possible and that everyone has to sin. But sin should not have dominion over you (Romans 6:14 KJV). There is deliverance in Christ; you can have it if you believe. Repent of your sins, get the Holy Ghost in your life, pray and read God’s Word daily. Then, get into fellowship with a group of victorious believers who have their minds set on living for God. Yes, you can have victory over the “Drift.”
Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for forgiving me and accepting me back into your loving arms when I drifted back into sin. Thank you for a church where I can fellowship with stable Christians who are determined to make it into the Kingdom of God. I love You, Your Word, and Your Way. It is in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, and Savior, that I pray. Amen.
