Revelation 2:4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!(NLT).
Sometime ago, I was preparing to take my bath when the Spirit of God ministered to me about the subject of 'backsliding'.
The Spirit of God made me realize that we often conclude a believer has backslid when we observe actions like: living in sin openly, erratic church attendance, and so on. However, those are the terminal signs of backsliding.
He made me realize that there's a subtle sign of backsliding that we often don't notice in our lives even as preachers and believers that are going to church regularly, speaking in tongues and full of church activities.
That subtle sign of backsliding is when our priorities change from spiritual to self. When we prioritize the things that please us above what please God, that is a subtle but dangerous sign of backsliding.
Certain things that are pleasing to us may not be outrightly sinful but may not be in God's will either.
It is possible to be committed in church and punctual in all services because you want to be in the good books of the pastor. You don't want the visitation team to come checking on you because of your absence.
You no longer attend church because you want to fellowship with God and the brethren. Before, you evangelize on your own without telling anyone but now, you prefer to pray or give money( though not bad) to support those preaching while you close your mouth without telling sinners about Jesus.
You assume your money and prayers will get the job done for you forgetting that the great commission is a task for everyone.
You changed your priority from preaching the gospel to giving and praying for those who are preaching the gospel whereas you are suppose to be preaching the gospel while not neglecting other things( prayer&support). That's subtle backsliding.
Before you became a pastor, you had time for sound fellowship with God but now, irrelevant meetings, invitations, counseling and "church office work" is your priority. You no longer study the bible for your own spiritual growth but you do because you're looking for what to preach.
You are committed to preaching nice sermons of homiletical exactitude but no commitment to personal spiritual growth. This is a case of being committed to the ministry more than the one who called us into the ministry. Very dangerous. It is just a matter of time, you'll burn out spiritually and stand in front of God's people as a performer.
On many pulpits today, there are many performers today but few life dispensers.
When believers backslide subtly, it is not noticeable because they're full of activities and performance but less of life. It is even worse when pastors mandate members to evangelize whereas they just sit back in church office attending to other things. Check your priorities once again.
The moment we don't prioritize the very things that matter to God and we place them at the lower rung of the ladder for what pleases self, it is a sure sign of backsliding.
Hear the voice of the master: "Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first..."Revelation 2:5 NLT.
Father, restore me.