We read in Jonah 1:10-12, Then the men were terrified. They knew that he was running away from the LORD, because he had told them. They asked Jonah, "Why have you done this?" The storm was getting worse. So they asked Jonah, "What should we do with you to calm the sea?" He told them, "Throw me overboard. Then the sea will become calm. I know that I'm responsible for this violent storm." (GW)
Our God is loving to all of His creation and therefore when we do wrong, the Lord desires that we should make amends to set ourselves right. However, when we are unwilling to do so, the Lord will chastise us in order that we could be aligned to His will. The city of Nineveh was so filled with wickedness, that the Lord commanded the prophet Jonah to preach against that city. Sometimes, the Lord will caution His children through other men of God. This is essential for us, and when anyone decides to ignore it, it will not affect the one who gave the warning, but the ones who chose to disregard it.
We live in Ooty which is a hill station, and there is a certain section of these hills that is extremely steep. As one travels in this route there are numerous signboards cautioning travelers to drive safe, and follow the rules. Nonetheless, there are many who will choose to ignore these warnings, and end up having accidents. So also, the Lord is constantly warning us, and if we despise it or reject it, we can be certain that we alone will have to face the consequences.
God called Jonah and entrusted him with a responsibility, but Jonah chose to reject it, and walked away in disobedience and rebellion.
Paul’s advice to Timothy
These are the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, “But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God.” (GNB)
We are called to be those who will fulfill the purposes for which God has called us.
The question to Jonah
When Jonah chose to disobey God, the Lord caused a furious tempest over the sea. These were the words of the mariners to Jonah in Jonah 1:11, “The storm was getting worse. So they asked Jonah, "What should we do with you to calm the sea?"” (GW)
The situation was grave for everyone on that ship. As the storm raged, the ship was in a critical condition about to be broken. Already the men had thrown much of the cargo into the sea hoping to lighten the ship. There were so much of hardships and difficulties for everyone aboard the ship just because of one man Jonah. They were now as a last resort asking Jonah what they should do in order to get this tumultuous sea to calm down. Till the very last minute they wanted to save everyone on that ship, including Jonah.
Consider the attitude of Jonah and that of those mariners on that ship. Though Jonah knew the true and living God, he deliberately decided to walk away in disobedience. The Lord had called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, so that they would have a chance to change their ways. Jonah cared nothing for the people of Nineveh, and was determined to disobey God. On the other hand, though the people on that ship did not know the living God, they had more compassion for their fellow-passengers. Though they did not know the Lord they were good men who cared for those who were under their care. They did not think for a moment that they could dispose of Jonah, and thereby remain safe from the terrible tempest, but rather were concerned for Jonah’s life as well as theirs.
Jonah’s response
We read in Jonah 1:12, He told them, "Throw me overboard. Then the sea will become calm. I know that I'm responsible for this violent storm." (GW)
Jonah’s solution to the problem was that they throw him into the sea, so that the sea would calm down. Jonah realized that the entire responsibility for their precarious condition was because of him. Finally, Jonah acknowledged to everyone on that ship that he was to blame for this calamity that had come upon them.
So often, when we are the cause for some of the issues that confront us, we fail to take responsibility for the same. There are many who will justify their wrong doings, and feel that others would have done far worse if they were in their position. Those who walk away from God and His presence often do so little by little. This does not happen overnight, but is a gradual process.
Observe the life of Jonah it started off with disobedience, and he had no compassion whatsoever for the people of Nineveh who were about to perish. He ran away from God in the opposite direction, and thought God would never catch up with him. Did you ever wonder how Jonah came to this place in his life? This happened step by step, and did not occur all at once.
David’s sin and backsliding
Look at the life of King David, who was once an ordinary shepherd boy whom God chose, anointed and elevated to be king over Israel. David however, instead of being in the battle field was found loitering on the terrace of his palace. When David beheld a beautiful woman who was bathing, he lusted after her. David committed adultery, and when he knew that this woman Bathsheba was pregnant, he called for her husband Uriah to come home from the battle field. David realized that Uriah was more faithful to him when he refused to sleep with his wife Bathsheba when the battle was on. David was now in a quandary. Immediately, David schemed to have Uriah be sent again to the forefront of the battle, and had him killed in battle to destroy all evidence against himself, and took Bathsheba to be his wife.
We may wonder how it would have been possible for David to commit such a sin, especially when we know that David had an intimate relationship with God, and worshipped him wholeheartedly. After all these sins that David had committed, he was unperturbed and continued to sit on his throne with no remorse whatsoever.
If we as God’s children are not watchful, it is possible for us to in a gradual way to move away from the presence of God. There are many who were so zealous for the Lord to read the word, to pray, worship and evangelize when they first came to know the Lord, but found that this is gradually diminishing. All of us need to be cautious, or else one sin will lead to the other, and before long we will be far away from the presence of the Lord.
Solomon’s wives led him astray
Solomon, the son of King David asked God to give him wisdom and understanding to rule God’s people. God not only granted Solomon wisdom, He also gave Him riches, honor and everything else, more than he could ask or imagine. Sadly, Solomon had many wives and these women were those who did not know the Lord. These women turned the heart of Solomon away from the Lord His God. This did not happen suddenly, but because of all the wrong choices Solomon made over a period of time.
We must be aware that many who have been used mightily by God, have heard His voice and walked in obedience to Him, can also backslide and walk away from the Lord. Therefore, it is important that we should be circumspect, for only then will we escape from such digression in our spiritual journey.
Samson lost His anointing and strength
Think about Samson. God had used him mightily to defeat and destroy the Philistines who troubled the people of Israel. Samson was a mighty warrior, but he had a weakness for women. Step by step Samson kept making all the wrong choices though God was gracious, and gave him a long rope. At the end of his life, Samson became a slave to the very Philistines whom he had subdued earlier. The cruel Philistines gouged out Samson’s eyes, and made him grind flour for them. God had called Samson, anointed him and given him enormous strength and grace. However, Samson’s weakness made him slip far away from God.
The weaknesses of these men like Jonah, David, Solomon and Samson have been recorded in the bible only so that we too will be vigilant, to not fall into the same trap.
How do we guard ourselves from backsliding?
Repent of our sins
Whenever we commit sin, the Spirit of the Lord will convict us of our sin. The Holy Spirit is loving and gentle, so He will keep prompting us to change. If we ignore these appeals of the Spirit of God and continue in sin, we will come to a point where we will be unable to hear His voice any longer.
The first thing we do when we sin is that we repent of our sins. All of us who are here on earth, will in some way falter and fall into sin. This is true for every believer and even for those who are leaders in the church. When we realize that there is sin, we must immediately repent and ask God to strengthen us, so we can overcome our sins to lead a victorious life.
We read in Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” (NKJV)
We are called to repent, and be changed so that we can be cleansed of all our sins, and that we will find renewed refreshing in the presence of the Lord.
Return to your first love for God
Secondly, we must come back to the place where we first had our personal encounter with the Lord Jesus. All of us were living in sin once, and when we had this encounter with the Lord, we understood His love like never before. Initially when we begin this journey with the Lord we are so fervent in our prayer times, in reading of the word, and in walking in obedience to Him. As time goes by, we often grow cold in this relationship with God and find prayer, bible reading and fellowship wearisome. No wonder Jesus cautioned His disciples, that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Let us recall those early days when we were on fire for the Lord, and earnestly pray that the passion that consumed us then to pray, to read the bible and share the good news with others will ignite us again to shine for the Lord.
We read in Revelation 2:5, “Remember, therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (ESV)
The word admonishes us to remember from where we have fallen, to repent and to get back to doing all those thing we did when we first came to know the Lord. We need to ask God for the strength and the zeal to get back to our first love that we had for the Lord.
Make disciples of others
To make disciples of all nations is the mandate that Jesus gave to His disciples. It is the responsibility of every believer to share the good news of God’s love with others, to teach how to walk with the Lord, to grow them in the faith, to guide them about repentance from sin and to teach them all that Jesus taught in His word. Each one of us must concentrate on this responsibility to make disciples of others, and when we do this faithfully, we will certainly have no room for backsliding in our walk with the Lord.
Here’s the great commission as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)
We rejoice that all authority on heaven and earth is given to Jesus, but this is followed by the commandment to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, teaching them to obey all the teachings and commandments of the Lord Jesus. To make disciples means to bring those who have gone astray into the right path, to teach them to overcome temptation and sin and teach them to be loving just as Jesus was. When we do so, the promise of God stands that He will be with us even to the very end of the age.
Don’t neglect fellowship of believers
The recent pandemic made it impossible for us to meet together. We had to make do with listening to messages on line on our lap tops or mobile phones. This is however, not enough and there are many who have come to this place where they feel that this one hour a week that they spend online is sufficient for them.
We read in Hebrews 10:25, “We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.” (GW)
Our personal prayer times and reading of God’s word as individuals is important, but this can never take the place of us being in fellowship with other believers. Gathering together to worship the Lord, pray and fellowship together is vital to be up-lifted spiritually.
On the day of Pentecost when the disciples and others gathered in the upper room for prayer and worship, as they tarried there in one accord, the Holy Spirit descended on them with mighty power. They spoke in various tongues, Peter stood up to preach the word and that day three thousand people joined the church. All these people continued in the fellowship and in the apostle’s teachings daily.
This is a word of caution to all of us that if we want to guard ourselves from backsliding, there are four important aspects that we need to hold on to. We must repent of our sins, get back to our first love and zeal for God, make disciples of others and continue in the fellowship with other believers, not neglecting our meeting together. Let us keep in mind that the church is not our idea, but God’s divine plan. Each of us as members of the body of Christ, should continue in prayer, worship, reading of the word and in fellowship being united with each other.
Jonah had to go through so much, and he put so many others in such difficulty, before he acknowledged that he was responsible for the calamity that was upon them. We looked at David, Solomon and Samson and we realized that backsliding does not happen in a day, but is a gradual process. May the Lord help us to be watchful so that we will be overcomers, and keep progressing in our spiritual journey with no room whatsoever for any digression.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
