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                        Drifting Away From Christ!

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By David Wilkerson
July 6, 1992
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          Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the
          things which we have heard, lest at any time we should
          let them slip. "For if the word spoken by angels was
          stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience
          received a just recompense of reward; how shall we
          escape, if we neglect so great a salvation" (Hebrews
          2:1-3).

          Here is a sin that is more vile and shameful than
          adultery, alcoholism or drug abuse. I believe the Word
          of God agrees that the sin of drifting away from Christ
          is the most tragic, dangerous sin of all. It has ruined
          multitudes who once were disciples of the Lord Jesus
          Christ!

          You would be shocked to discover how many famous people
          were followers of the Savior at one Lime but have
          drifted away from their spiritual roots:

          The New York Times recently profiled a professional
          basketball coach for one of the top teams in the NBA.
          He's rich and famous. And as he spoke about his
          childhood, he told of being raised in a Pentecostal
          preacher's home.

          He remembers what he calls "doomsday preaching" and
          talk of the Second Coming of the Lord. Yet today it is
          but a fading memory to him. He has forgotten the early
          days of going to church so often, praying for the sick,
          interceding into the wee hours, witnessing in the
          street, worshipping and crying out with tears, "Jesus,
          I love You!"

          By the language he used, he seemed to want to put a
          distance between himself and his past You could sense
          he was drifting farther and farther away from his
          roots!

          Yet this didn't happen to him over-night. Rather, he
          drifted away over time. it started when he went to
          college. And eventually, everything he was taught and
          had in a relationship with Jesus became only dim
          memories. Now he sounds as if he would like to forget
          it all completely.

          A Broadway theater executive was especially rude to me
          during the time our ministry was negotiating to buy the
          Mark Hellinger Theater. I didn't really know the man -
          but he acted as if he could not stand to be near me, as
          if I had a contagious disease. He didn't even want to
          be in the same room with me. If we were walking
          somewhere together, he'd walk ten feet ahead.

          I was hurt by his actions - and I wondered why he
          singled me out for such cruelty. I thought, "What is it
          about me that makes this man so nervous?" So I began to
          pray for him - and I set out to win his friendship.

          It took a while, but slowly he softened, One day, as we
          sat in a restaurant, he began to open his heart to me.
          And when he did, I was shocked to find out this
          Broadway executive had had a powerful experience with
          Christ when a he was a teenager! The Spirit had come
          upon him powerfully, and he had broken down, weeping.
          He had heard the Lord say, "Give Me your life!" - and
          he received a call to preach the gospel.

          After that, he had a caring heart for people and a true
          love for Jesus. But later, in his early twenties, he
          began to drift. He didn't turn his back on Jesus; he
          simply neglected Him. He quit going to church, reading
          his Bible and talking to the Lord.

          He buried himself in work and ended up on Broadway,
          involved with theater celebrities. Eventually he began
          to distance himself from his experience with Christ -
          and he began to drink heavily. His respect for the
          things of the Lord had lingered; but as he drifted
          farther away, it became easier for him to curse God and
          mock other believers.

          When I came on the scene years later, invading his
          world, it brought up all the old memories: of church,
          God's Word, Jesus, his calling. I was a reminder of
          what his life should have been - and he resented it!

          The last time I saw this man, he had lost his
          prestigious position - and he was staggering past our
          church, drunk. I had been a reminder to him and a
          rebuke - and now, in his need, he couldn't face it.

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              All of Us Know Friends, Family or Acquaintances
                   Who Once Walked Close to Jesus - Yet
                  Who Are Now Drifting Away From Christ!

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          You remember the former days when certain people were
          tender, full of love for the Lord, praising and
          worshipping the Savior in God's house. Yet today you
          know them as different people. Every day they are
          slowly drifting away from everything they once knew and
          loved - leaving Jesus and heading in the opposite
          direction!

          Most drifters do not see themselves as wicked or as
          being in any danger. They say, "So what if I don't go
          to church or act very religious? I haven't changed that
          much. I still love God in my own way. I'm not a drunk,
          and I don't do drugs. I don't run around - I'm a family
          person. I'm honest and I work hard. And I'll do
          anything I can to help somebody." That's true - they
          are usually very kind, loving people.

          But they don't see the danger ahead. It never occurs to
          them they've neglected Jesus! This is like a man who's
          drifting on a boat down the Niagara River - heading
          toward the Falls. He's paddling along, lazily enjoying
          a Sunday afternoon on the water. But people are yelling
          from the shore, "Stop! Row back to shore - you're in
          trouble! Quick, grab your oars!" They even throw out a
          lifeline.

          But the man smiles back and says: "Hey, I'm okay - I'm
          not in trouble, What could be wrong?"

          Beloved, when you are drifting away from Jesus, it
          doesn't matter how "okay" you think you are. You're in
          danger! You are drifting toward total spiritual
          blindness and destruction! You see, the river of
          neglect slowly carries you farther and farther away
          from the Lord. And the farther downstream you go, the
          swifter and more dangerous that river becomes! You
          don't know it, but there are raging falls ahead - a
          place where there are forces beyond your control, a
          place of no turning back, of shipwreck!

          Here is the heart of this matter of drifting away from
          Christ:

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                        No Believer Is Immune to the
                       Sin of Drifting From Christ!

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          "For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and
          every transgression and disobedience received a just
          recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we
          neglect so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:2-3).

          The writer of Hebrews here is addressing the "heirs of
          salvation" (1:14), all devout Christians who love the
          Lord. And he is saying, "Be on guard against drifting!"

          The history of God's people has been one of drifting,
          backsliding, neglecting and forgetting God. Moses and
          the prophets seemed incredulous at the tendency of
          God's people to quickly forget the Lord and drift back
          to their old ways!

          Just before he died, Moses looked back over the history
          of God's children in the wilderness. Nearly an entire
          generation of complaining, backbiting, unbelieving,
          sensual people had been wiped out by God's judgment,
          consumed in the hot desert. And now, standing before
          Moses was a faithful remnant - a tried, tested,
          separated people who had remained true to the Lord.
          Moses told this remnant:

          "Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of
          Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor
          [idol worship), the Lord thy God hath destroyed them
          from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord
          your God are alive every one of you this day.... For
          what nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto
          them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call
          upon him for?" (Deuteronomy 4:3-4,7).

          Moses was saying: "You stayed true in a time of great
          apostasy! You never gave in to idol worship, as did
          those who were destroyed. And no one has had God nearer
          to them than you have!" Now they were about to enter
          into the Promised Land - into the Lord's fullness! I
          believe these people represent a holy remnant today -
          Christ-lovers who have clung to their Lord through
          fiery trials and desert experiences. And the Lord is
          saying to this remnant, "You have not apostasized. You
          truly love Me and My Word. You have the nearness of
          Jesus in your heart!"

          Yet, as Moses looked into the future with his prophetic
          eye, he saw an overcoming remnant drifting from God -
          after a time of great blessings and favor! He said:
          "Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
          lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
          and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy
          life" (verse 9). Moses gave them a warning at the very
          point of their nearness to God!

          He told Israel that God was going to bring them into
          safe cities, put them in good homes and shower them
          with good things. They would have wells they wouldn't
          have to dig and vineyards they wouldn't have to plant.
          But Moses warned that, at that very place of fullness
          and blessing, "Beware lest thou forget the Lord, which
          brought thee forth!" (Deuteronomy 6:12).

          God loves to favor and bless His beloved remnant. The
          wonderful blessings He lavished on Israel in Canaan are
          proof that He delights in pouring out good things upon
          those who walk faithfully in covenant with Him.

          But fullness - favor, blessings, the good life -
          carries a hidden danger for the remnant. You see, it is
          harder to cleave to the Lord in times of blessing than
          in times of hardship and trial! Moses said to this holy
          people:

          "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not
          keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his
          statutes...lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and
          hast built goodly houses,...and thy silver and thy gold
          is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
          then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord
          thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of
          Egypt, from the house of bondage" (Deuteronomy
          6:11-14).

          Moses was saying, "Your temptation will not be idolatry
          or sensuality or fleshly wickedness, as it was for
          those who died before you. Instead, your spiritual
          senses will be dulled by ease, prosperity, blessings
          and fullness, You will be so wrapped up in good things,
          you will forget the Lord! You will neglect Him -- and
          He will fade from your mind. You will drift away from
          Him!"

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              Did God's Holy Ones Heed the Warnings of Moses?

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          Did this remnant still cleave to the Lord? No - not at
          all! They wouldn't listen to the warning because they
          couldn't believe it. They thought, "Never in a million
          years! How could we ever do anything like that?"

          But what the devil could not do to them through
          sensuality and lust, he did through riches, blessings
          and fullness of bread: "But Jeshurun [Jerusalem] waxed
          fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown
          thick, thou art covered with fatness [blessings]; then
          he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the
          Rock of his salvation.... Of the Rock that begat thee
          thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed
          thee" (Deuteronomy 32:15, 18).

          Jeremiah later prophesied to Israel: "Ye all have
          transgressed against me, saith the Lord... wherefore
          say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto
          thee. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her
          attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without
          number" (Jeremiah 2:29, 32).

          Jeremiah was saying: "It is amazing! God has blessed
          you incredibly. Yet now, when you ought to be thanking
          Him and drawing near to Him, you go for days without
          seeking Him. You have forgotten the Lord - you have
          drifted far from Him!"

          This theme appears time after time throughout the
          prophets.' "My people...have forgotten their resting-
          place [refuge]" (Jeremiah 50:6). "Therefore saith the
          Lord God...thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind
          thy back" (Ezekiel 23:35). "Israel hath forgotten his
          Maker" (Hosea 8:14).

          As I was preparing this message, I asked myself, "How
          could Israel do such a thing, after all God did for
          them - after receiving all His benefits and being so
          near to Him?"

          Then I thought of all my drifting friends and
          acquaintances - those I once knew who are now
          backslidden, floating swiftly down the river away from
          Christ. I thought, "How could anyone do that? How could
          they be so blessed of God, and drift away from Him?"

          Then the Holy Spirit stopped me dead in my tracks. He
          turned His light on me and said, "David, what about
          you?"

          I began to search my own heart - and I recognized
          certain things about myself that point to drifting. I
          don't have the zeal for the Lord that I desire; I don't
          have the tears. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is
          weak!

          I fell on my face before the Holy Spirit. He showed rue
          that it is just as easy for any servant of the Lord to
          begin drifting from Christ. There isn't a pastor or
          evangelist who is immune!

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                  Even the Most Devoted Believer Can Begin
                  Drifting - From the Slightest Neglect!

                      -------------------------------

          Each of us hits a dry spell at times. But often,
          instead of running quickly into Christ's presence and
          drinking of His Living Water, we let the day go by.
          Then another day passes. Slowly, we begin to get lazy
          and passive about the things of the Lord. And before we
          know it, we're caught up in the swift current of
          neglect, a dangerous drift - and it becomes harder and
          harder to get back into intimate communion with Christ!

          Slow, daily neglect of the things of God is all it
          takes. Satan knows that God's holy remnant will not be
          seduced by gross sin or perversions of any kind. So,
          instead, he tries to overcome the saints by convincing
          them to drop one church service at a time, or one
          prayer meeting.

          Has this happened to you? You missed something dear to
          your heart, like daily prayer time or Bible study. Then
          you missed it for days at a time...then weeks.... You
          dropped off a little here, a little there - and
          suddenly you were carried away into a drift!

          Many who are reading this message right now have been
          mightily blessed by God, The Lord has brought them out
          of sin and darkness and set them free. He has kept His
          hand on their family. Yet they go day after day without
          praying! And they never crack their Bible except in
          church!

          Be warned! A year from now, you won't be reading any
          messages like this one - because you will have
          abandoned God's house and His people altogether!

          You see, we wouldn't reject the Lord - none of us would
          do that. But we do neglect Him. I ask you: Have you
          lost your spiritual awareness, the urgency to examine
          yourself and say, "Wait a minute - I'm drifting. I'm
          getting lazy about seeking the Lord!"

                      -------------------------------

                You May Already Be Drifting From the Lord!

                      -------------------------------

          Here are the signs of a dangerous drift:

          1. Spasmodic attendance in God's house. You make no
          special effort to get there; other things come first.
          But those who cleave to Jesus realize that once they
          begin neglecting God's house, they cut themselves off
          from spiritual life!

          You see, to stay away from the body is to remove
          yourself from the Head - because the Head is connected
          to the body. And to keep the body's spiritual life
          flowing through you, you have to be connected to it.
          You can't get everything you need all by yourself - not
          even in the secret closet - if you've cut yourself off
          from the body of Christ!

          Some attend only on Sunday mornings. But as they drift,
          even that will go! It will be replaced with Sunday
          trips, television, the Sunday newspaper, backyard
          playtime with the kids. Watch out - it's all a sign of
          a drift!

          2. Less time for fellowship with Jesus, and more time
          for friends and personal things. Those who cleave to
          Jesus will spare no cost to give Him their best time!

          For some it is the early hour: They're up first thing
          in the morning with a cup of coffee and their Bible.
          They meet the sunrise on their knees with Jesus, and it
          makes their day. For others, like me, the best time is
          the midnight hour. I like to close out the day with the
          Lord, so that the telephone and all other distractions
          are gone. Yet whatever time you give Him. it must be
          unhurried, quality time - regular and daily!

          The drifter hits the ground running in the morning. He
          has only "thought prayers." He whispers them here and
          there throughout the day - but his mind isn't set on
          the Lord. Day after day, he just drifts along. He
          really does want to pray and read the Bible, but he
          keeps putting it off. Suddenly weeks have gone by, and
          his drifting has become worse. He has time for
          everything else - but not for Jesus!

          3. An unwillingness to endure the discipline required
          to keep from drifting. Our flesh is not inclined to
          pray, read God's Word or seek His face. These things
          are disciplines. And we have to bring our-selves under
          subjection to do them. We have to get hold of ourselves
          and say, "I will not let myself drift!"

          But if you just do nothing - if you sit by passively,
          doing your own thing - then you will drift away from
          Jesus totally! You may talk like a true follower, and
          you may still act holy - but you will have a dead
          spirit, a hard heart!

          You have to understand that once you set your heart to
          seek God, the devil will try to keep you from communion
          with Him more fiercely than ever. There is a
          "conspiracy of interruptions" that is sent straight
          from hell: You'll yawn more than you ever have in your
          life! Weariness will hit your body. Your thoughts will
          run wild.

          But that's when you have to discipline yourself and
          take every thought captive in obedience to the Lord
          Jesus Christ! (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). Praying doesn't
          mean moving your lips while your mind is somewhere else
          - it means focusing your thoughts on Jesus, and
          becoming still and quiet so He can speak to you!

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                 Let Me Show You the Frightful Consequences
                       of Drifting Away From Christ!

                      -------------------------------

          I can name several consequences of drifting, but I'll
          deal with only two. You may already be experiencing
          them:

          1. God says, "You are headed for calamity - yet I have
          turned My back on you!" "Because my people hath
          forgotten me...I will shew them (my) back, and not (my)
          face, in the day of their calamity" (Jeremiah
          18:15,17), God warns, "You may not have trouble,
          adversity or sickness at this present moment. But you
          can rest assured it will come - in fact, it's right at
          the door! And when calamity does come, who will be
          there to comfort and help you, seeing that you no
          longer desire My company?"

          In all the trials of sickness that my wife, Gwen, and
          my daughters have been through, I could run into the
          outstretched arms of Jesus and find comfort, strength
          and hope. He was always there to embrace me when I hurt
          the most, I had a place to go!

          But those who forget the Lord have no rescuer, no
          comforter. The Lord says to them in mercy, "If you
          drift away from Me, you will cut off your source of
          supply!"

          Scripture says this:

          "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have
          stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have
          set at naught all my counsel...I also will laugh at
          your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
          when... your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when
          distress and anguish cometh upon you.

          "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;
          they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
          for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the
          fear of the Lord.... For the turning away of the simple
          shall slay them. and the prosperity of fools shall
          destroy them" (Proverbs 1:24-32).

          2. God says you will fall into deep sin - ending up
          lewd and wicked. "'thus saith the Lord God; Because
          thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back,
          therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy
          whoredoms" (Ezekiel 23:35).

          The sin of forgetting God opens the door to all other
          sins! If you have forgotten Him, you shouldn't be
          surprised when you fall into all kinds of lewdness:
          adultery, pornography, drinking - things you never
          would have believed yourself capable of! Consider: How
          many wives live with a man who has been running from
          God? Many husbands are slowly dying from drugs or
          alcohol. They once were loving, kind, caring men. But
          now their families know what it's like to find them
          lying in their own vomit. These men have become totally
          different - they've been cursed!

          A man who attends our church goes out at night looking
          for his wife who is a street drunk. She is running from
          God, and has become insane in her lewdness, She wasn't
          always that way - but she has become that way!

          How incredulous the angels must be when an evangelist
          who thunders against sin gets in his car, drives down a
          sleazy street and asks a prostitute to jump in! The
          couple slip into a sleazy motel to engage in lewdness,
          and the heavenly hosts behold wicked indulgence - the
          spirit of a whore! The Scriptures this man preached
          echo the curse: "Because you have forgotten Me and cast
          Me behind your back, you will become lewd - having the
          spirit of a whore!"

          Beloved, God gives His servants these warnings to try
          to stop them from disaster - from ending up in hell!
          And that's where it will all end - because hell is
          where all sin ends! When you drift away from Christ,
          it's even easier to drift away from your husband or
          wife - and finally from your children. If you leave
          Christ, how much easier will it be one day to leave
          your loved ones? You will turn into another person -
          cursed with the spirit of a whore!

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                God Is Convicting Me Through This Message!

                      -------------------------------

          I have good health, a healthy wife, four beautiful
          children and nine grandchildren. Our church is free and
          clear of all debt. Indeed, God has poured out His
          blessings on us in many ways!

          But that is the time to watch out! When you say, "Oh, I
          love my family and my church, and I love to worship
          You, Lord" - beware, lest you take Him for granted and
          begin to neglect the things of God!

          Now is the time to discipline your flesh - to take hold
          of yourself, press in and say, "Jesus, I am more
          grateful to You than ever. Don't let me drift - get
          hold of my heart. Let me stay on fire!"

          Are you willing to look Jesus in the face and say,
          "Lord, I can sense a little drifting in my spirit - I
          can see the subtle signs." Ask God to give you the
          honesty to say, "Yes, Lord - I see how easy it is for
          me to drift away into coldness, lukewarmness and
          neglect."

          Do you remember a time when you were really close to
          Jesus? Do you have a background or experience with Him
          that you've neglected? Church meetings in your early
          childhood? A praying parent or grandparent who
          interceded for you? Perhaps there was something
          precious in your heart at one time - but now you stand
          before God, drifting.

          Pray this from your heart:

          "Lord Jesus, forgive me for neglecting Your body, Your
          Word and communion with You. I have time for everyone
          and everything but You. Instead of turning to You, I
          turn to turmoil, because I just get lazy.

          "Forgive me, Lord - I don't want to turn back. You've
          given me everything I need in the Bible to keep me in
          holiness, righteousness and peace with You. I want to
          stay on fire during Your blessings. Keep me hungry for
          You!"

          Amen!

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