The semester is nearly over and I’m taking a break both from the finals and the personal alphabet to write about some equally important and “oh-that-woke-me-up” things.
Just a few hours ago, I was with some friends whom I haven’t seen in a while. All of a sudden I just blurted out, “Gee. I miss myself…! I really do…!” And for the rest of the day, I was reminded of this verse, “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34b, NKJV).” Also, this guy’s blog post (clickity click please) made me second-check myself.
Here are the questions left by the author of the blog: What is your list? What are the things that you are supposed to protect? What are you leaving wide open?
To reiterate, “What are the things that I have forgotten and must learn to continue to protect? What are the things that need to be cultivated more?
- My time with God aka “quiet time”.
- My convictions/standards.
- My mind.
- My heart.
- My mouth.
- My relationships with family and friends.
- My giftings.
- My character/attitude.
Hold on. I’m not implying that I can pull this off by myself. It’s impossible. Change does not come from self-will. We can read all the self-help books out there and still remian the same. Change only comes when we allow God to teach us.
I’m in a new environent with a new culture now. Sometimes I felt my convictions were falling apart. There were days when I felt like my faith has jumped right out the window. There were times that courage to speak up has left me. Sometimes I felt like my world hus shrunk to the size of 8″x14″ -sized handouts. Somewhere along adjusting to everything in Medschool, I lost sight and lost taste for the things that matter most. And I really don’t like it.
As C.J. Mahaney writes, “You know how much of the world you can tolerate without becoming intoxicated, and no one else can tell you when you’ve had too much.” He talked about Demas, Apostle Paul’s companion who started out strong but in the end, deserted him and the gospel.
We all know a Demas—someone who, like a spiritual meteorite, burned bright with the love of Christ for a while, then suddenly (or so it seemed) faded from fellowship and turned his back on Christ, or fell into serious sin, leaving all to wonder what happened.
A love for the world begins in the soul. It’s subtle, not always immediately obvious to others, and often undetected by the people who are slowly succumbing to its lies.
It begins with a dull conscience and a listless soul. Sin does not grieve him like it once did. Passion for the Savior begins to cool. Affections grow dim. Excitement lessens for participating in the local church. Eagerness to evangelize starts to wane. Growth in godliness slows to a crawl.
In this way, the person who was once genuinely passionate for Christ—like Demas—is, over time, taken captive by sin.
It’s simply one more step from apparent follower to deserter.
So, are you drifting?
“Oh, it’s not serious,” you say. “I’ve just been in a busy season. Yeah, I’m not as excited about the gospel or the Christian life as I used to be, but I’m fine. I’m still attending church. It’s not like I’ve left God or anything. I’ve just been preoccupied lately. I’ll get back on track soon.”
Was there a time you were passionate for God, characterized by extravagant devotion and love for the Savior? Demas was like that once too.
What about now? Have you fallen in love with this present world?
Sadly, Christians are largely unaware of the peril. Because we’ve ignored verses such as 1 John 2:15 (Do not love the world or anything in the world. NIV), we’ve become completely desensitized to the clear and present danger of worldliness.
Excerpt from Chapter 1 of “Wordliness: Resisting the Seduction of the Fallen World”.
The reason why I shared this and the list above is to remind myself and to let you guys know that falling away can happen to any Christian. Whether you’re an anointed worship leader, or you have discipled hundreds already, or you’re just “new”. It happens. It happened then, and it can still happen now.
But our God is still sovereign, and the Author and Perfector of our faith. He is faithful to complete the work He has started in us. And we have a part to play and that is to be conscious of the things we allow to shape our mindsets. Enjoy life but stay grounded and stay guarded for Satan walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. When we feel like there is no one to run to, God is our Refuge.
Don’t you just feel this huge thankfulness to our God who holds our lives in His hands? Of all that has happened, I have learned this: Before we can engage and influence culture we must first stay grounded. 
So… What’s in your list?
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