Chapter 9 Falling Away From God

Heart Shift

Falling away from God always begins with a heart shift. When we do not uphold the greatest commandment, our heart is shifting. Deuteronomy 6:5

Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB95

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

When our hearts get away from this and we begin to love something or someone like this our hearts are shifting. This is why we compromise biblical standards. For example, a couple may become intimate before marriage. A person may cheat on their taxes or in their business to gain wealth. We may seek revenge on someone who has hurt us. You get the picture. We want what we want and put that above what God commands. This is the second evidence of falling away from God.

Obedience Shift

When we begin to slip in our love relationship with God, our obedience to Him slips as well. Here are a few questions Blackaby recommends to ask yourself to see if you are slipping:

1. Are you loving others as Christ loves you? John13:34

John 13:34 NASB95

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

2. Are you forgiving others as Christ forgives you? Mark 11:25

Mark 11:25 NASB95

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

3. Do you pray daily? Luke 19:46

Luke 19:46 NASB95

saying to them, “It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.”

4. Do you tithe and practice justice, mercy and faith? Matthew 23:23

Matthew 23:23 NASB95

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

5. Are you intentionally making disciples? Matthew 28:19-20

Matthew 28:19–20 NASB95

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

6. Are you sharing the gospel? Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

7. Are you displaying unity with other believers? John 17:23

John 17:23 NASB95

I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

Worship Shift

Common Idols

Jeremiah 17:5 NASB95

Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Trusting in man above God. We do this when we listen to “experts” rather than the Word of God.

Matthew 15:8–9 NASB95

‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ”

Trusting in tradition and religion apart from relationship with God.

Matthew 6:24 NASB95

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Trusting in wealth to satisfy you above God. God is the only one who can fulfill you.

Matthew 10:37 NASB95

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Trusting in family above trusting in God.

Luke 9:23–24 NASB95

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

Trusting in yourself above God

John 5:39–40 NASB95

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

Trusting in Biblical head knowledge without knowing the One who wrote the Bible.

All of these are common idols that people follow. Have you ever followed these? Are you following these now?

Substitutes for God (Blackaby outline)

Presence

Put our trust in methods, programs, or people to accomplish spiritual growth rather than trusting in God.

We substitute emotional hype, entertainment, or ritual rather than intimate worship

Neglect quiet time in His word and prayer.

Purpose

Observing sacraments as tradition and ritual rather than what they were intended for.

Spending our resources on pleasures while ignoring the needs of others.

Inviting people to church to meet an attendance goal rather than to help them grow in their faith.

Ways

Walk by sight and not faith.

Don’t deny self

Prideful rather than humble.

Manipulate people to serve rather than praying to God to send laborers.