What are the 5 Ds of
backsliding? Deception, discouragement, distraction, disillusionment and
denial.
When believers are
deceived, discouraged or distracted, they become lukewarm in the faith. In time
to come, they may become so disillusioned with the faith that they may even deny
God.
Deception
is a prominent feature in these tumultuous end times. Of the various end time
characteristics—deception, persecution and turbulence—mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), deception seems to be the most prominent.
Even the elect—supposedly mature leaders—can be deceived. If leaders are
deceived, don’t you think the flock will fare even worse?
How
many times did Jesus warn believers in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24) not to
be deceived? Four.
- Take heed that no one deceives you (vs. 4).
- For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (vs. 5).
- Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many (vs.11).
- For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (vs. 24).
Like
a serpent, deception slithers through the whole Bible from Genesis to
Revelation. It is one of the most effective tools that satan employs in
spiritual warfare against believers.
Though
Eve was warned by God not to eat the forbidden fruit as she would then die, she
disobeyed. She was beguiled by the cunning serpent (satan) (Genesis 3:13). “You
will not certainly die,” the serpent said to her. “For God knows that when you
eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil” (Genesis 3: 4-5).
Joshua
was deceived by the Gibeonites because he did not inquire of God (Joshua 9:14).
After the miraculous crossing of the river Jordan and victory at Jericho,
Joshua presumed that the Gibeonites were from a distant land and signed a peace
treaty with them. Actually they were inhabitants of Canaan whom Joshua was
supposed to defeat.
The
apostle Paul cautions: “I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his
cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to
Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an
angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
The
apostle John tells us “not to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world” (1 John 4:1).
Deception can rear its ugly head in the form of false teaching or counterfeit signs and wonders.
The
extent and seriousness of the problem posed by deception through false teaching
is worrying. What’s so dangerous about this deception posed by false
teaching?
Because
of destructive heresy (2 Peter 2:1), the eternal destiny of believers may be at
stake. Here are two examples:
- If one believes that confession is redundant and live by it, one’s eternal security as a believer may be at stake. http://bit.ly/1rcYJzl
- Similarly, if one believes that one’s future sins are automatically forgiven and live by it, one’s eternal security as a believer may also be at stake. http://bit.ly/1dXOjBB
Next,
let us consider counterfeit signs and wonders. May God grant us discernment to
know that NOT all the supernatural experiences or manifestations that we see in
church today are of the Holy Spirit.
How
can we ever attribute the following scenarios in church to the work of the Holy
Spirit? A person slithering on the ground like a snake? A person barking like a dog? A person crowing
like a cockerel? A person fidgeting non-stop and jumping around like a monkey?
In these instances, the people involved have lost control of their senses.
Let
us not get carried away by supernatural experiences or manifestations per se.
Just as not all that glitters is gold, not everything supernatural is of the
Holy Spirit. http://bit.ly/1kLjwYF
Apart
from deception, discouragement by adverse circumstances—such as retrenchment, loss of loved ones, financial loss or repeated rejections in love—can also cause believers to backslide. When the cares and worries of the world weigh on them, and they are
unable to cope, they may no longer be fervent or fruitful.
In
the Parable of the Sower, the seed which fell among thorns represents those who
receive God’s message well at first but later get choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. The
result is that they fail to mature and bear fruit, unlike the seed which fell
on good soil (Luke 8:14-15).
“Watch
out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing
and drunkenness, and by the worries
of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day
will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray
that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before
the Son of Man.”
(Luke
21:34-36)
In both passages—Luke 8:14-15, Luke 21:34-36—the
parallel theme to be observed is that worries
and pleasures can draw us away from God.
Believers
who are distracted
in their faith walk are those who enticed by the riches and pleasures of the world.
They were once fervent in the things of God. But because of the allure of gold, glory or girls, they deviate from
God’s intended path for their lives. http://bit.ly/19kPTIi
Believers may also become disillusioned in their faith walk. Some find the things of God no longer attractive to them compared to worldly pleasures and riches—that which their senses can savour in the here and now. Others perceive that since God cannot help them overcome their problems, their faith no longer means anything to them.
A
combination of factors leads to the final stage when even a straw would break the
camel’s back. That is when denial sets in.
It
has to be admitted that no one is perfect. Believers do fall into sin, get
distracted, feel discouraged or disillusioned from time to time. However, failure
to remedy the situation may lead to the worst state of spiritual decline—denial
of one’s faith.
If
we endure, we will also reign with him;
if
we deny him, he also will deny us;
if
we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for
he cannot deny himself.
(2
Timothy 2:12-13)
Though
believers may be faithless in that
they are discouraged by circumstances or distracted by the flesh and the things
of the world, God is faithful. He gives
them second chance or innumerable opportunities to turn around. The father
heart of God is clearly seen in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus shows us
that God’s abundant grace is freely given in the account of the woman who was
caught in the act of adultery. But when believers deny God, it seems the point
of no return has been reached. http://bit.ly/SFapBp
RELATED POSTS
EIGHT WAYS TO FIGHT
FALSE TEACHING
How
to develop discernment and escape the clutches of destructive heresies
TESTING THE SUPERNATURAL
How
can we discern whether a particular supernatural manifestation is of divine
origin or of the devil?
SUBTLE ENTANGLEMENTS
Somewhere
along the way believers too get entangled in various pursuits which either
impede progress or lead them off the intended spiritual path.
GOLD, GLORY, GIRLS
Nobody
says it’s going to be easy to stay faithful. It’s difficult—especially for
those who seemingly have everything in life.
CAN TRUE BELIEVERS DENY THEIR
MASTER?
When
people tell me that those who deny Christ were never really converted in the
first place, I am truly puzzled. How are we going to reconcile this misguided
stance with the evidence from scriptures, biblical examples and contemporary
examples that show that it is possible for believers to deny God?
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