Lest We Slip
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
Last week, Jason and I decided to take a day away from the craziness that is our lives and take a nice hike. Just the two of us doing one of our favorite things on one of our favorite trails. It was very relaxing. . .right up to the point where my feet got tangled in a branch, and I went crashing to the ground. As my right knee struck a jagged rock and pain shot up both arms as I tried to catch myself, I was reminded of a sobering truth—even experienced hikers can stumble, trip, or slip.
The same can be said of experienced believers. They can be doing all the right things—going to church when the doors are open, spending time with God daily, striving to live right, etc.—and still slip away spiritually speaking? I know that now, but I learned it the hard way.
If you’ve been following my ministry, you know the past few months have been difficult and trying, but I haven’t shared with you just how close I came to throwing in the towel. Never in my life have I felt more helpless and hopeless than I did in December. It was as if my faith collided with a brick wall, and as I stared around at the debris of that shattered faith, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to try to put it back together again or not.
I was tired. Tired of trying to live right and being met at each turn with disappointment.
I was frustrated. Frustrated because I knew God was good, but it didn’t seem like He was being good to me.
I was confused. Confused by all those who shouted, “There is joy in serving Jesus” because I was feeling anything but joyful.
In short, as I surveyed the scattered pieces of faith on the ground, I began to doubt everything. Was God even real? If so, did He really love me? Was He good to everyone or only those He deemed worthy? And if that’s the case, what did one have to do to be worthy? What was the point in living right anyway? While the world was out having fun and seeing their dreams come to fruition, I was watching mine fall apart. Is it supposed to be that way? And if so, is it worth it?
As I poured out my anger, frustration, and confusion to God, I wondered how I could have fallen so low. I was raised in a Christian home and a good church. I’m in church services, revivals, and mission conferences all the time. I spend time with the Lord every day. I do my best to live right, dress right, talk right, and walk right. I’m a Christian author, speaker, and Bible teacher. I’m a missionary, for crying out loud. How did I slip? How was it possible for the foundation of my faith to erode from beneath my feet?
Our key text in Hebrews answers that question. We must give earnest heed to those things we have heard. You see, while I was spending time in God’s Word, I spent more time in my head, rehearsing my doubts and frustrations. I gave more heed to my feelings than I did the truths in my heart. In fact, I gave so much heed to my perceptions and the lies of Satan that I began to question the truths I’ve held in my heart for years. By failing to take heed of those things I know to be true, I allowed lies and misconceptions to take their place. Pretty soon, they were all I could think about.
Sure, I went to the church services and did my daily devotions, but in truth, I was only going through the motions. I wasn’t heeding what was being said. I was angry with God for letting me down, and in that anger, I rebelled against Him by turning a deaf ear to His teachings. The way I saw it, they obviously hadn’t helped me much before, so what did it matter? I’m telling you, my attitude was beyond ugly.
Fortunately, God is gracious and patient. I won’t go into detail about the many things He used to soften my heart and get me back on the right path, but one of those things was this verse in Hebrews. I heard it a week or so ago during a Sunday morning service. As soon as the pastor read the verse, God tugged at my heart. I reread the verse, and suddenly things were clearer than they’ve been for months. I knew I had been slipping, but I couldn’t understand how or why. Suddenly, I had my answer. Not only that, but I also knew what I needed to do to make things right.
Praying, attending church, and spending time in God’s Word are great things, and they are things we—as believers—should do. But we must go beyond that. We need to step outside the box of going through the motions and take heed of what we’ve learned in the process.
It’s not about hearing the sermon but applying it to our lives.
It’s not just about reading the Bible, it’s about using it as our guide through life.
It’s not about giving God a list of wants and requests but rather a chance to get alone with our Father and Friend and to get to know Him more.
It’s not just about hearing the truth, but it’s about hiding it in our hearts and clinging to that truth when circumstances leave us feeling helpless and hopeless.
Taking heed to what we’ve learned is like having a railing on the hiking path of life. Sure, there will still be rocks and slippery places along the way, but we can cling to that railing and keep our feet secure beneath us. Life doesn’t have to leave us bruised, battered, and jarred. We need only cling to the truths we know.
“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.”
“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.”
“When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.”
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXeN4uIEqNs&w=640&h=480]