Strive Against Backsliding

Ministered @ Grace Community Church, Arroyo Hondo New Mexico

Opening Scripture: Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Strive: To contend, to struggle in opposition against the flesh’s will and against the ebb and flow of the world and their ungodliness. To devote serious effort or energy to live holy and godly lives in the fear of the Lord.

We are ultimately striving against backsliding to Hell which is so easy to do. When you give up or give in to compromise, your already backsliding. When you give up on God, or give up in reading the Holy Bible, or give up on prayer, or give up on going to Church: you are already backsliding to Hell

An analogy to the reality of backsliding is like being in a boat, rowing against the current and when you stop, your going with the ebb and flow of the current, going back wards.

We’re striving against the currents of the antichrist system of our day physically and spiritually. Such as every ungodly and worldly agenda that is against the Holy Bible. Even the false doctrines circulating today of: “eternal security.” That doctrine brings forth a false ideology which states:

“you cannot backslide” “Once saved always saved” therefore, we have no responsibility to live right. “Repentance is only for one time and your safe no matter what you do, as long you believe in Jesus Christ and ask God to forgive you because He will forgive your past, present and future sins.”

The Holy Bible teaches against such claims, Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves. the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.

It is still possible to backslide to Hell. Even the Apostle Peter preached by the Holy Spirit in exposing the truth about Christians who backslide in, 2 Peter 2:22 The dog is turned to his own vomit; the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Notice the Holy Bible calls backsliders dogs and pigs, they are not sheep. Sheep on the other hand knows God, hears the voice of Jesus Christ, and follows Him (John 10:27). Sheep will not follow the voice of a stranger, nor strange doctrine. Neither is a backslider (a dog or pig) nourished by sheep food (The Holy Bible).

The Apostle Paul also addressed backsliding Christians, to the Roman church by the leading and anointing of the Holy Spirit, not just in the first Century, but also ministers to us today,

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;

full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own way

It’s so simple… Stay close to Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes on Him always, holding onto Jesus Christ for dear life and learn to walk in the Spirit of God and deny yourself:

Luke 9:23-26 And He (Jesus Christ) said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Galatians 5:16-21 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

The Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to sin, does not lead anyone to violate the commandments of God

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.