Backsliding is when you’re moving further and further away from the Lord, instead of closer and closer to him. James 4:8 says “Come near to God and he will come near to you…” Backsliding is the opposite of this. It’s when you’re moving away from God. And it can happen easily!
- Some backslide after starting a new relationship.
- Some backslide after accepting a new job.
- Some backslide when they decide to move without thinking about what churches (if any) are in the area they are moving to.
- Others backslide when they’re hurt by someone in the church.
God knew that there would be many things that would result in us backsliding (result in us turning away from him), which is why he gave us groups. Every member in a group is mandated by God to go after a group member when they start veering from the straight and narrow path Jesus told us to walk on (Matthew 7:13). We read in James 5:19-20, “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” MSG
I don’t know about you, but I never want to remove myself from a group of people who have a God-given responsibility to come after me if I ever strayed from the Lord! I like the built in protection that comes with being in a group. If you need this protection and you don’t have it, sign up for a growth group by visiting www.newdaychurch.cc/groups