There’s an old saying in Christian circles. ‘If God seems far away – guess who moved’?
When my eldest son was seven years old, he said to us one day, ‘I think I’m a backslider’. We explained to him what a backslider was, and he said very seriously, ‘yes, I’m one of them’. Of course, we prayed with him and encouraged him, but it actually took him three months to get back the assurance of a right relationship with God.
Children seem to be willing to own up to their faults much easier than adults. We adults need to realize that the first step in renewing our relationship with God is to recognize that we have drifted away and own up to the problem.
The Bible tells us that when we come to Christ, we become a new creation. It also tells us to put off the old self and be made new in the attitudes of our minds, and to put on the new self, of righteousness and holiness. (See Ephesians 4:22-24)
So, our spirit has been made alive to God, but our body and soul (mind, emotions, attitudes, motives, perceptions of life and behaviours) need to be renewed, and this is a process that continues all through our lives.
Often, when people have drifted away from God or fallen into sin, they find it very hard to approach God for fear of being rejected.
We need to remember that Christ has paid for all our sin and we are already forgiven. He simply asks us to turn from our sin and walk in His ways. The Holy Spirit will be our helper, guide and teacher, to lead us all the way.
Thank God, He is amazingly patient and gracious with His children, and will willingly receive us back into His arms.
Don’t forfeit the incredible benefits of a life lived in close relationship with God, for any reason.
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