We are all human. We have flaws. We make mistakes. The good news is that God knows this. Wherever you may be in life and no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, if you have checked out of your relationship with Him, it’s not too late. The Lord is waiting for you with open arms. This is encouragement for the girl who has backslid.

Spiritual Battleship

The Word tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that as Christians, we are in a battle. It’s not a battle against someone else here on Earth (not against flesh and blood) but it’s a spiritual battle. It’s against the ruler of darkness and the spiritual forces of evil. The devil has an agenda to steal, kill and destroy. He is an expert at spiritual battleship. It makes him burn hot with rage when he sees you cultivating a beautiful bond with the one who saved you. He hates seeing your spiritual growth and increase. The devil will do anything in his power to grab your attention and coax you into stepping off your path with Jesus. Satan is jealous! He watches closely and knows the temptations that will entice you. A snare set in a trap that will lead you to sin. He studies carefully and when he sees an opportunity, he dangles the carrot before you. And when you take a juicy bite of that carrot – Boom. He’s taken a shot that has blown a hole in your ship (a.k.a – You’ve just taken a step away from Jesus). The more holes in our ship and the more steps in the opposite direction of Jesus the better. He wants to ensure that he has something to accuse us of before God. He is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).

Maybe your carrot is the temptation of a new relationship with someone who seems to check all of your boxes but they aren’t a believer. Maybe your carrot is an invite to go out on the town with “friends” who aren’t a good influence. Or it could be getting involved in workplace gossip, drinking too much, making an idol out of receiving male attention. It could be always putting work before your family or secretly sliding back into that old habit you once had that you know is not bringing you peace in your heart. We could fill in the blank with anything that takes precedence over Jesus and our walk with Him. Anything that steals our peace and creates distance between us and a relationship with the Lord. The enemy’s battle plan is ruthless.

The Patch for a Hole In Your Ship

The good news is that no matter how many steps you have taken away from Jesus, He is still standing there where you left off. He’s waiting for you to turn back around. Look back and find His arms already open and warmly anticipating your return. Returning to the path of righteousness is the patch for the hole in your ship. Every time. This means putting an end to the behaviour that is causing you to sin and turning away from it. It also means going before the Lord to repent. Not to make you feel guilt or shame, but to acknowledge that your succumbing to temptation has caused you to be pulled away from His presence. When you give it to God, Satan no longer can accuse you of it. What a relief!

Acts 3:19 describes this in detail through the Amplified Version:

So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

Acts 3:19

The key to this is to change your inner self. Don’t allow Satan to tempt you to repeat old patterns of behavior that pull you away from the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this. To help you redirect your thoughts when you are feeling tempted to sin. The bible tells us that God doesn’t allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13). Find strength in that. You have the resources to change these patterns. The Word of the Lord and prayer are powerful tools.

Don’t be afraid to come to the Lord to ask for forgiveness. You don’t have to worry about not being good enough. He says that you are His and because of this fact alone, you are enough. He made you and His works are magnificent. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God has so many wonderful things in store for your life and He doesn’t want you to get stuck because shame and guilt are circling around you. Take the heaviness off of your shoulders and give it to the Lord. He will restore you and blot out your transgressions if you come to Him in humbleness, repent and turn away from old ways. He wants to do a new thing in you. Friend, allow Him to create the space to do it.

For the girl who has backslid – know that it is not too late. Even if you have taken the bite. And it could have been a big bite. Even if you feel like your ship is sinking. God’s love for you doesn’t change. He loves you because He created you. He gives us chance after chance because He is a loving and merciful father. Get close to the Lord and thank Him for His grace. Humble yourself and repent. He already knows what you are going to tell Him anyway and He is beaming over you with love and adoration. His daughter has come home.

Closing Prayer

I pray that today you find encouragement in this message. If you know that you have stepped away from the Lord to pursue worldly things please know that it is not too late for you to return to your Heavenly Father. He is waiting for you. He loves you and nothing can change the way He feels about you. You are His daughter. I pray that you will find a quiet moment to thank the Lord for the grace and mercy that He extends to all of us and that the Holy Spirit would help you find the words to pray and ask for forgiveness. I pray that once you do, the perfect peace of Jesus washes over you and you are renewed once again. I declare that this will be your encouragement to press in and seek the Lord and His plans for your life like never before and that you will see beautiful things happen in your life because you have made your Heavenly Father a priority. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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