I recently stumbled upon a blog post by Pastor Joe Thorn (www.joethorn.net) in which he summarizes 25 signs that you are in a back-slidden state from a book entitled Revival by Richard Owen Robert. I have to admit that I have not fully vetted the book, nor the blog on which this was posted. But what I can say is that biblically, these points are right on and I wanted to share them with you here. Thanks goes to Pastor Thorn for his summary. Read through them and take stock, as I did when reading them, as to whether or not any of them might be a warning to you of a waining zealousness for Christ and His presence in your life.
A Feast of Hearing
Amos spoke a word to the Israelites in his day that the Lord would bring upon the land a famine of hearing the word of God. Reading this verse too quickly can lead to a complete misinterpretation. It is not that God spoke of a famine of the Word, but a famine of the hearing of the Word. Many of the themes in Amos underline that fact.
The Way Christ Loves His Bride
Looking Beneath the Waves
My wife and I recently had the blessing of going to Mexico for some relaxation and some great scuba diving. It was one of the most amazing experiences that we have had on a vacation. Not only was it great company and beautiful surroundings but it was extremely eye opening in a spiritual sense as well.
What Now?
Around this time every year, the country, and many parts of the world, have gone through the depressing exercise of taking down their Christmas decorations. It truly is a sad part of the year for those of us who love all that is within the Christmas season. So, after all the busyness and running from here to there, I find myself asking, “What now?”
The Spirit of Unconditional Love
As we are studying through the book of Genesis as a church, and specifically the life of Joseph, I am constantly reminded that as Israel was, so are we, and as Israel will be, so too will we be. What I mean by that is that no matter how hard they tried, no matter how many rules they put in place, they could not escape the fact that they were faithless, sinful, broken people. As Israel was, so am I. And yet, in God’s infinite mercy and grace, they will be restored to a place of glory, loving and serving the Lord for all eternity. As Israel will be, so too will we be.