The Danger of Drifting, Part 2

By Charles F. Stanley

A. Introduction: How do you know if you are drifting spiritually? Here are some of the signs: you’re not reading the Bible daily, you pray quickly or not at all, you don’t share your faith, you aren’t giving faithfully, and you don’t attend church as often as you once did.

B. Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-4

C. Our salvation isn’t just a one-time decision.  The Holy Spirit wants to live the life of Jesus Christ through us.  This type of life involves prayer, reading the Word, giving, sharing your faith, and believing His promises.

D. Anyone—a pastor, a student, a homemaker, a young person or an older person—can drift away from God.

E. What are the consequences of drifting?

1. Your conscience becomes numb.
2. You step out of the will of God.
3. You shrink away from spiritual things (1 John 2:28).
4. You lose your ability to hear Him.
5. You don’t lose your salvation, but you can fall into the sin of unbelief (Heb. 3:12).
6. You suffer internally, if not externally.
7. Your drifting grieves God’s heart.
8. You miss God’s best.
   • God can pick up the pieces of your life, no matter how broken you are.
9. It affects every area of your life.
10. You have a negative impact on others.
    • God wants us to be salt and light, so He disciplines us when we drift (Heb. 12:6-8,10).
11. You make a shipwreck of your life.

F. How can you prevent drifting?

1. Anchor yourself to the Word of God through reading and meditating on it (Ps. 119:15-16).
2. Be obedient to the Bible.
3. Submit to Him when He shows you an area that needs correction.
   • Surrender your life to Him each morning.
4. Stay on guard (2 Peter 3:17-18).

G. How can you get back on track when you’ve been drifting?

1. Recognize you’ve been drifting.
2. Confess and repent.
   • Don’t just repent of sin, but realize what you should have been doing.
3. Trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to follow Christ.

H. Closing: God gives us a clear warning about drifting. If you are drifting, I pray that you will be wise enough to stop and let place you back on His path. Once there, you’ll experience His best.