Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11
Testimony
The Lord delivered me from a lot of fear and shame. He continues to heal me and I've resolved to walk with him as never before. I have hope!.... Read More...

Seeds of the Kingdom

Slippage

by Philip Asselin

7 November 2017

« Previous Day | Next Day »

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first

I’ve been repointing our patio, and decided to do the same to the area around the side and rear of our double garage. I was surprised to see that the concrete join between the slabs and the rear wall of the garage looked strange. The concrete was still joined to the wall, but was above the slabs by a couple of centimetres. The slabs all seemed level, which made it seem even stranger. Then I realised that the whole section of slabs had sunk slightly; there had been slippage. Without the concrete left hanging in the air I would have never known.

What had happened hadn’t occurred in an instant, or even over a few months. It had happened over a period of a few years, little by little, millimetre by millimetre. Then I realised that, in the same way, we don’t suddenly jump off a spiritual cliff. It happens gradually. Our drift away from God and into sin is usually a slow, almost imperceptible slide or slippage. We’re often not aware of how far we’ve slipped away from walking close to Jesus until something serious happens, and by then it can be too late. Not too late for repentance and receiving God’s forgiveness, but perhaps too late to save our job, our marriage or our ministry.

I believe if we’re to take today’s ‘seed’ seriously, we need to ask ourselves two questions. Firstly, have I slipped, or am I slipping, in terms of following Jesus? To find out we need to come humbly before Him in prayer and ask Him to highlight any areas of our lives that are off-centre against the plumb-line of His Word. A useful way to identify slippage is to prayerfully consider whether our love for Jesus is hot, cold or just lukewarm (see Revelation 2:4-5).

Secondly, to put plans in place to prevent that slippage occurring. Romans 13:14 ‘But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires’. That means putting barriers between anywhere I know I shouldn’t go or might be tempted to go (mentally not just physically). In 2002, Mike Pence (US Vice President) announced that he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife, and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side. It’s known as the ‘Billy Graham rule’ as he famously refused to meet, travel, or dine with a woman alone. It caused a furore amongst some groups, but may be a healthy guideline for men and women, and would have saved many marriages if implemented. Let’s not worry about what others might say, but let’s be more concerned about making ‘no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires’. That also means taking every thought captive, and not letting our mind wander into sexual areas. What barriers do you need to put in place, or reinstate to avoid any spiritual slippage?

Prayer: Dear Lord, please show me if I’ve slipped in any areas of my Christian life. Reveal to me any areas where my love for You has grown cold. If I have, please give me the strength and motivation to do something about it. Help me to put in place the right barriers physically and mentally to prevent that slippage, and help me to turn to You for the strength to keep on doing it. Amen.

Philip Asselin Philip is on the associate ministry and teaching teams with Glyndley Manor. He and his wife Gillian attended the second Healing Retreat at Glyndley Manor in 1992, and were greatly helped. They have two grown up children, one grandson, and a step-granddaughter in California, and a daughter and granddaughter in Eastbourne. His desire is to see people healed and set free to serve God.

 

Sign Up Now

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.

In The Forgotten Feminine, Denise Jordan offers a prophetic perspective that has long been forgotten in the history of Christianity. She clearly and passionately presents the fuller understanding that God is both masculine and feminine and that we are...
This revolutionary book about our future is based on the simple idea that, according to the Bible, heaven is not our eternal home–the New Earth is. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, the next chapter of our story begins with “the renewal of all...
James Jordan spent his younger days working as a professional hunter in the back country of New Zealand, until a profound encounter with the love of God changed his life and put him on the path of prophetic ministry. In 1997 James and Denise Jordan founded...
We must not assume that our children are free of threats from darkness. The enemy’s purpose is to grip and blind every generation, establishing strongholds in the lives of our children from a very young age. Let Our Children Go is a handbook for parents,...
For 20 years, A Royal Priesthood has been received around the world as a must-read classic on prayer and intercession. Overflowing with principles testimonies, scriptural foundations, keys and strategies, this updated and expanded edition will set your...
Dian Layton has undertaken to retell Hannah Hurnar...
Is There Someone Important You’ve Forgotten to Love? It’s the second greatest commandment in the Bible: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. But what if you don’t love yourself very well? How can you grow into a happier, freer, and more genuinely...
To regain control of your life, you’ve never needed Boundaries more than you do today in today’s always-on, always-connected digital world. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote the New York Times bestselling book on Boundaries – the personal...
Papa Love is a marvelous account of Father God’s love for us, his children. The story takes the reader on a journey from the creation of humankind and their separation from Father God, to their return to Him through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross....
Names, titles and attributes of the Father, Son an...