Mission Venture Ministries

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. (Hebrews 2:1-3) 

The day to day fellowship with other Christians is an essential component of Christian growth. If we, like the writer of Hebrews, live with the expectation that the day of Christ’s return is soon, we’ll grasp the importance of encouraging one another on in our walk of faith. But if we give up meeting together, how can we expect to give support and receive encouragement? 

Besides gathering in smaller home groups, the book of Acts confirms that the early believers came together for larger congregational meetings (Acts 2:44). Their commitment to one another was so profound that they pooled their resources and shared what they had with those in need (Acts 2:44–45). 

It is an obvious sign that a believer has begun to drift away from God when they cease coming to church in order to pursue other interests. As the writer of Hebrews warned, if we do not pay attention to what we have heard, we will drift away from it (2:1). 

Sunday morning is a great time to receive encouragement from the Bible if you go to a church that believes and teaches that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

We should however also be in its pages every day, reading and meditating for ourselves. When our interest in what God has to say decreases, we are already slipping into trouble. The only way to keep our way pure is by following His Word as stated in Psalm 119:9, “How can a person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word.” 

If reading the Bible is neglected, the need for prayer usually fades as well. Prayer is the way believers communicate with God, so if we stop talking with Him, the God who once seemed so close soon starts feeling very distant. 

When this happens, the Holy Spirit starts to warn us, but if the person who is drifting continually excuses their wandering ways and deny their need for God, then their conscience gradually becomes numb. And as the person becomes more desensitized to wrongdoing they start paving the way for more sinful behavior and less and less guilt. 

This is a very dangerous situation to get into because the drifting person’s conscience becomes anesthetized, their spiritual ears are also deadened, and truth cannot gain entrance because they have invited wrong attitudes and philosophies into their thinking process. What’s more, their heart hardens to the things of God, shrinking away from testimonies about divine power, grace, and mercy, they avoid situations that might reawaken the conscience and stir their spirit into repentance. 

Therefore the writer of Hebrews writes in chapter 3:12-13 that “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” 

No matter how far away from God the person has drifted, they are always welcome back. That’s the lesson from Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son, the foolish young man who followed a pleasure-filled path that ended in ruin, before returning to his father and finding redemption (Luke 15:11-32).

Perhaps ruin has not yet come to you, but you know that your heart has grown cool to the things of God. Whatever drifting story you may have, make this the day that go back to the Lord and re-dedicate your life to Him. Romans 13:11 states that “now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed,” meaning that throughout our Christian life, our focus should always be on Christ, and spiritual vigilance is necessary because Jesus might come at any moment and “sleep” is a vivid picture of drifting and indifference. 

As with any sin, the first action toward getting back on course is to acknowledge that you have drifted away from the Lord. Then you should confess and repent, which means turning in the opposite direction and running toward God with all your strength and determination. 

Every day we choose whether to row or drift. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). 

Peter gives a warning to be on guard against attitudes and ideologies that would carry you away from truth (2 Peter 3:17). Instead, grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; because, to Him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore (1 Peter 3:18). 

Life is full of un-expected events; therefore we cannot afford to drift away from God and His Word, since He is the only one that can bring us safely through anything that comes our way. 

So remember to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

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