7 Warning Signs You Are Drifting From God

One of my deepest concerns with this generation of young adults and teens is that they do seem to easily drift with their spiritual lives. What was once deeply important is now lukewarm at best. Stephen Altrogge did a great job helping anyone understand the drift. You also may want to look at one of my blogs called The  Anatomy of a Loss of Faith.

7 Warning Signs You Are Drifting From God

Most Christians don’t suddenly fall into sin. A guy doesn’t simply wake up one day and say to himself, “Boy, today is a great day to start a raging heroin habit,” or, “You know what, I’m in the mood to commit adultery today.” That’s not how it happens.

Big sin is always the sum of a thousand tiny choices.

That’s why the author of Hebrews says:

Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

One of our greatest temptations as Christians is simply to drift away from Christ. We’re not actively running away, just slowly drifting along with the lazy, warm, comfortable current of the world. And the scary thing is we don’t usually notice when we’re drifting. We raise our heads and suddenly realize that we’re a mile away from land.

How can you tell if you’re drifting? Here’s a list of early warning signs:

• You spend little, if any, time reading God’s Word and praying – “I’m just too busy right now to read and pray.”

• The gospel doesn’t affect you like it used to – “I’ve heard it a thousand times before…it just seems a little old.”

• You don’t spend much time fellowshipping with other Christians – “I’ve worked hard, I’m tired, the last thing I want to do is go and be with other people.”

• The sins that used to bother you don’t really bother you anymore – “This show isn’t that bad. It doesn’t really tempt me too much.”

• You find yourself quieting your conscience more frequently – “I know it was wrong, and I’ll pray about it tonight.”

• You keep promising yourself that you will stop – “OK, this is the last time I look at porn.”

• You find yourself making excuses for things – “I’m only chatting on Facebook with the guy; it’s not like we’re sleeping together.”

The good news is if you find yourself drifting, you can put a stop to it! God loves to help us stop drifting. He loves to give us the power to change. If you find yourself drifting, there are three things to do:

• Repent of your sins and receive the wonderful, complete, free forgiveness from Christ. Christ delights to forgive drifters.

• Tell a close friend of what has been going on.

• Return to the things you used to do, and don’t let condemnation stop you. Go to God’s Word, prayer, fellowship, fighting temptation and listening to the promptings of your conscience.

Don’t let yourself drift. Drifting is dangerous. Sometimes, it’s lethal.

Help us reach the next generation of families

Donate
Back to Top

Stephen Altrogge

Stephen is a husband, dad, writer. I drink too much coffee and know too much about Star Wars. I created The Blazing Center. I've also written some books which people seem to like. You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook . facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephenaltrogge . twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenaltrogge

  • About HomeWord

    HomeWord helps families succeed by creating Biblical resources that build strong marriages, confident parents, empowered kids and healthy leaders. Founded by Jim Burns, HomeWord seeks to advance the work of God in the world by educating, equipping, and encouraging parents and churches. Learn More »

  • Support Our Mission

    HomeWord is non-profit, donor supported ministry. If you would like to partner with HomeWord in our effort to help more parents and families you can make a donation. Your investment will allow us to expand this ministry by offering more resources to families and churches in need.

  • Contact Information

    • HomeWord
      PO Box 1600
      San Juan Capistrano, CA
      92693

    • Send us an email

    • 800-397-9725
      (M-F: 8:30am-5pm PST)

Close