Hebrews 12:5-7 (KJV) Says, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Hiim: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?" Hebrews 12:11 (KJV) Says, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
When we first accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us we are on fire for God. We feel as though we can't spread the good news of the gospel far and wide enough, and are more than excited to do so. We also have the desire in our heart and our Spirit to live righteously, and are eager to do so. We attend church on a regular basis, and yearn to hear God's word, and fellowship with other believers.
As time goes on, however, many of us tend to fall into disobedience, and experience a spiritual dullness. It may have began with missing a couple of church services in a row, or giving into some temptation. It may have began because we allowed ourselves to become extremely busy in our everyday lives, and failed to set aside time to spend with God. For whatever reason, there are a number of individuals who find themselves backsliding. (A backslider is someone who has been saved, but is living their life in disobedience to God and experiencing a Spiritual dullness).Then there are those who are under conviction about accepting Christ, and have the desire to attend church to see what He is all about, and so they do just that. I have known individuals in both of the positions that I mentioned above, and both speak of attending church, and having the same experience. In fact, in the past I spent a few years as a backslider myself.
As the above scripture from Hebrews tells us God will correct us as His children, when we are in need of it. As the above scripture also tells us, we may not enjoy correction from God, but we will be grateful for it in the end. It will bring us back to a place of righteous living which gives us divine peace and contentment in our lives. If we are in or have been in either one of the above positions, we can bank on the fact that God will be dealing with us. He will deal with the Spirit of those who have been saved in an attempt to get them back on the right path, and He will deal with the hearts of the lost in an attempt to get them to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I have had the opportunity to speak with many people who have experienced either being under conviction, or backsliding, or both. A number of those I have spoken to each revealed the exact same experience to me, and they did so with a look of bewilderment on their faces. Most everyone of them looked me in the eyes and with all seriousness said the exact same things, "Every time I go to church the preacher is preaching right to me," He is looking at me the entire service," "It's like he can read my mind, and he knows what I'm thinking." "It's like he knows what I've been up to," "I almost walked out of church Sunday, and I'm not going back, if the preacher is going to single me out."
When we make statements like this we are missing the truth of what we are experiencing, and that is God working to save the lost, and to bring back those who have gone astray. Let me assure you that the preacher is not selecting one individual out of the congregation to aim his sermon at. God may well have put a particular sermon on that preacher's heart because you or I needed to hear it. You can be certain the preacher hasn't got a list of sins and names that he utilizes when preparing his sermons, but God is all knowing.
Years ago I was living the life of a backslider, and had not attended church in quite a while, when I got a phone call from my younger sister inviting me to church to witness her baptism. I wouldn't have missed that for the world so off I went. I was a nervous wreck from the time I turned into the parking lot until I exited the building. I entered the church and slid into the pew along side my parents, and my other siblings. Guess who wound up with a middle seat. If you guessed me then you are spot on. I was thinking that I could slide out after I saw my sister baptized, but now from where I was seated I knew that wasn't feasible. The preacher began a rather long sermon on sheep that had gone astray. I was sitting there thinking that I knew one of those sheep personally. By this time my leg was bouncing so fast that I was rocking the pew. I spent that entire sermon staring right at the preacher, and I had no doubt he was looking straight at me, and that he was talking directly to me. I witnessed my sister/s baptism after the sermon, and then I could not get out of there fast enough. Looking back now, I know full well what was going on as I sat on the pew that day. The preacher was simply the vessel that God was working through in an attempt to correct one of his children, and that child was me.
Right away, I should have went directly to the alter, and asked God to forgive me for my sins. I should have asked him to lead, guide, and direct me back onto the right path so that I could live the life he had planned for me. I regret that I didn't because I wasted precious time that could have been spent serving Him. The wisest thing I could have done would have been to go down to the alter, bow my head, ask God for forgiveness, and walked out of that church with peace in my heart. Unfortunately, it took a bit longer for me, but I did eventually come to my senses, and do all of those things.
Why do we run from God and his correction? He loves us, He wants what is best for us, and He has a plan for each of our lives that will bring us happiness, divine peace, and contentment. If you are running from God, I urge you not to waste another minute doing so. You don't have to be at an alter or in church to talk to God. You can talk to him right where you are. If you have been under conviction because you know you are living the life of a backslider, get on your knees now, ask God to forgive you, and get back on the right path. If you are under conviction and you want to be saved, get on your knees right now, right where you are, and ask God to forgive you of all your sins, tell him you believe that Jesus was born, that he died on the cross for your sins, and that he rose again. Tell Him you want Jesus to come into your heart, and be your Lord and Savior. I urge you not to waste another second. We are not promised tomorrow, and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the greatest, and most important decision you will ever make.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, send me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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