10 Steps to Avoid Backsliding

The Christian life is not always an easy road. Sometimes we get off track. The Bible says to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ daily so that no one turns away from the living God. If you have found yourself backsliding, or drifting away from the Lord, these practical steps will help get you back on course today.

Time Required: A Lifetime

Here's How:

1. Examine your faith-life regularly.
   Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
2. If you find yourself drifting away, turn back immediately.
   See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)
3. Come to God daily for forgiveness and cleansing.
   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 (NIV)
   Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14 (NIV)
4. Continue daily seeking the Lord with your whole heart.
   And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. I Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
5. Stay in the Word of God; keep studying and learning daily.
   Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)
6. Stay in fellowship often with other believers. You can’t make it alone as a Christian. We need the strength and prayers of other believers.
   And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
7. Stand firm in your faith. Expect difficult times in your Christian life.
   All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22 (NIV)
   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
   Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
8. Persevere.
   Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
   1 Timothy 4:15-17 
9. Run the race to win.
   Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training ... we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 
   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness... 2 Timothy 4:7-8 
10. Remind yourself of what God has done for you in the past.
    Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised … we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
    Hebrews 10: 32, 35-39

Tips:

1. Develop a daily habit of spending time with God. Habits are hard to break.
2. Memorize favorite Bible verses to recall in difficult times.
3. Listen to Christian music to keep your mind and heart in tune with God.
4. Develop a Christian friendship so that you'll have someone to call when you feel weak.
5. Get involved in a meaningful project with other Christians.