I'm a Backslider

I'm so very thankful that a friend tweeted this blog by Joe Thorn (http://www.joethorn.net/2012/10/16/25-marks/) this afternoon. I was in the gym looking through my twitter feed and when I saw the tweet, it immediately drew my attention. So I went on to read it and found myself slowing down on the elliptical and trying to remain together as I read through the 25 Marks of a Backslider.

I have included the 25 evidences of a backslidden condition as follows:

1. When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian’s life, backsliding is present.

2. When the quest for biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there can be no mistaking the presence of backsliding.

3. When the biblical knowledge possessed or acquired is treated as external fact and not applied inwardly, backsliding is present.

4. When earnest thoughts about eternal things cease to be regular and gripping, it should be like a warning light to the backslider.

5. When the services of the church lose their delights, a backslidden condition probably exists.

6. When pointed spiritual discussions are an embarrassment, that is certain evidence of backsliding.

7. When sports, recreation and entertainment are a large and necessary part of your lifestyle, you may assume backsliding is in force.

8. When sins of the body and of the mind can be indulged in without an uproar in your conscience your backslidden condition is certain.

9. When aspirations for Christlike holiness cease to be dominant in your life and thinking, backsliding is there.

10. When the acquisition of money and goods becomes a dominant part of your thinking, you have clear confirmation of backsliding.

11. When you can mouth religious songs and words without heart, be sure backsliding is present.

12. When you can hear the Lord’s name taken in vain, spiritual concerns mocked and eternal issues flippantly treated, and not be moved to indignation and action, you are backslidden.

13. When you can watch degrading movies and television and read morally debilitating literature, you can be sure you are backslidden.

14. When breaches of peace in the brotherhood are of no concern to you, that is proof of backsliding.

15. When the slightest excuse seems sufficient to keep you from spiritual duty and opportunity, you are backslidden.

16. When you become content with your lack of spiritual power and no longer seek repeated enduements of power from on high, you are backslidden.

17. When you pardon your own sin and sloth by saying the Lord understands and remembers that we are dust, you have revealed your backslidden condition.

18. When there is no music in your soul and no song in your heart, the silence testifies to your backsliding.

19. When you adjust happily to the worlds’ lifestyle, your own mirror will tell the truth of your backsliding.

20. When injustice and human misery exist around you and you do little or nothing to relieve the suffering, be sure you are backslidden.

21. When your church has fallen into spiritual declension and the Word of God is no longer preached there with power and you are still content, you are in a backslidden condition.

22. When the spiritual condition of the world declines around you and you cannot perceive it , that is testimony of your backslidden stance.

23. When you are willing to cheat your employer, backsliding is apparent.

24. When you find yourself rich in grace and mercy and marvel at your own godliness, then you have fallen far in your backsliding.

25. When your tears are dried up and the hard, cold spiritual facts of your existence cannot unleash them, see this as an awful testimony both of the hardness of your heart and the depth of your backsliding.

(taken from Revival, Richard Owen Roberts)


Church-goers alike (I included) piously act as though backslidding is only for "those" people who don't attend church and do "bad things". How foolish we are! Some items on the above list we treat as obviously "bad things" such as cheating your employer because we immediately think that would unmistakeably mean stealing money from a cash register or such. But have we neglected to think about the break that we were not to take, or slipping out earlier because no one will notice or such and such does it everyday, etc. Hear the truths of Scripture: "Our hearts are deceitfully wicked above all else, and desperately sick; Who can understand it?"(Jer. 17:9)

I say those things not to point fingers at anyone or slam anyone, but to gauge my own heart. These evidences are much more revealing of my own heart than anyone else's.

I was humbled, mortified, and ashamed as I read through these evidences, but my heart broke when I got to the last one. "When you tears are dried up and the hard, cold spiritual facts of your existence cannot unleash them, see this as an awful testimony both of the hardness of your heart and the depth of your backsliding." You see, my heart gets hard quickly. If I'm not in the Word, my heart grows hard. When I get hurt, my heart gets hard. When I don't spend quality time with the Father in prayer, my heart grows hard. It is then that I hate myself the most! I grow so disgusted with myself - I know how to fix it, but now my prideful, hard heart will not admit to defeat and throw myself at the foot of the cross where I should be. Oh beloved, it's not too late! Just as I have so many times before; just as I do now - daily, throw yourself at the foot of the cross and cling to the One who came and lived a sinless life, die on the cross to pay for all the crap listed above that we do, and not only died for us, but gave us His righteousness so that we may stand before the Father. With news like that, why do we waste years in a backslidden state?

Today is the day - let's make it count to the glory of the Father!

Sola de Gloria!

(More thoughts to come...)

First Meeting of Girls Gone Wise Bible Study 9/30

Last week was our first Fall discipleship class. This will be our 4th semester of discipleship classes. That is incredibly hard to believe given the amount of prayer, time, and planning that occurred years before the first class ever started. It's hard to believe that Michael and I have already been at Gainsville 3 years and are now standing on this side of the whole debate on Discipleship classes.

With all that to said, this semester I'm finally getting the chance to lead a girls Bible study that ranges from girls in middle school to girls who are in their later years of college (and a some older) :-) Saying that I'm totally excited and grateful these girls have come would be an understatement! In previous semesters, I have had the privilege to teach children - how to study the Bible and who God is! What an awesome opportunity it has been to teach them; however, my God-given desire is for girls and to see them turn radically to Christ and find Him as their all-sufficient Savior!

Last week in our introduction, we looked at what the culture defines as wild and wise. We looked at the hottest and latest fashion/teen magazines for "guidance". To say the very least, our culture is full of selling wild and foolishness disguised as wisdom. As I thumbed through the magazines, I wish I could say that it shocked me, but sadly, this was not the case. For some of the younger girls, they were somewhat shocked, but my high schoolers were not phased in the least. Don't get me wrong, they knew it was foolish and, thankfully, none of my girls dress like the examples we saw, but still...As a matter of fact, I face it everyday as I look at my students and other students walking in the hallways. What are they thinking? I wish I could grab hold of them and shake them. I want to wake them up! I want them to see that their path leads to destruction.

What keeps me from shaking them and asking them, "Why do you dress like that?" or "Why are you hugging and kissing all over that guy one day and another one the next?" or "Why are you using that kind of language?" The questions could go on and on, couldn't they?

What keeps me from doing that?

Their heart.

It is dead.

I weep as I write those words. O God, save them. I hear Paul's word through God's inspiration echo "And you were dead....dead...in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world."

Those apart from Christ are dead. I was dead.  When we are dead, what do we do? According to Scripture, we walk following the course of this world. We cannot expect non-Christians to suddenly act like Christians apart from being in Christ. Likewise, we SHOULD not expect or tolerate Christians who "follow the course of this world." The Bible identifies that as sin.

Now before you think that I'm suddenly going to start a whole think on hypocrisy, I'm not. As I challenged the girls on Sunday night, we looked at Ephesians 5. Our primary focus was on Ephesians 5:15, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise." I asked our girls to look back at verse 1. "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children." We looked at what "therefore'' was there for. In light of the Gospel - God, in his grace, sending Jesus to die on account for our sins and fully taking on the wrath of God that was rightfully due to us, taking it upon Himself and exchanging our sin for His righteousness so that we could fellowship with Christ - now, in light of that - "Be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." In the following verse Paul outlines things that believers, true followers of Christ, should not do. This is not a checklist that Christians should do this and not do this, but it all rests in verse 1 - be imitators of God. That is what true followers of Christ are to be - Imitators! With all my heart I desire to be an imitator of God. With all my heart I desire for our students - the girls sitting in this Bible study to be imitators of God. Please pray that we would be faithful followers and imitators of our Most Holy God. After all God Himself said, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15)

In closing, I know that some of you reading this are and have been praying for our bible study and for that, I'm incredibly grateful for. I desperately covet your prayers -  I need them as I am unable to faithfully teach them apart from the Spirit's work and for them, as only God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit can change their hearts. I sense the Spirit eager to work and that causes my heart to fill like it will explode!

Homecoming Week

So I know I'm weeks late, but I wanted to make sure I posted pictures from Homecoming Week. I have to say it's one of the advantages of working in a high school.

 I personally have two days that tie as favorites for me...

The first one - tacky day! Love it! Love the fact that I can wake up and pull one of EVERYTHING out of my closet and put it on! And to top it all off, I don't have to care about what I look like, which equals awesome for me :-)

Love the boots, right?

Love this picture! We were taking a picture and next thing I know, I'm being lifted off the ground!

 

The second one...Decade Day! This year my style was 80's workout!

On my way to school...Michael wasn't up so I couldn't get him to take a quick snapshot before I left the house!

Ashton and me before class started.

Me, Layn, and Kirsten

Twin day has never really appealed to me honestly, but it's because I have a twin everyday of the year. However, I had inspiration this year. If only every teacher could be like Mr. Steven Peeler...

And of course, I represented the Gamecocks on Favorite team day since it's football season and all...