the falling away

what a great weekend. i did finally finish this book "adelaide piper" which has been on my nightstand for about 3 months, and was just not drawing me in. finally, i committed, and as so often happens, it sucked me in. it's a coming-of-age southern girl book, my favorite. what i did not realize is that it's also a testimony about a girl and God, and how He draws HER in, when she really has better things to do. somehow, i could relate.

you see, i had what i would call a great scare this weekend. for a few weeks, i have been following an old church friend on facebook. i was noticing some alarming talk in her updates, very "spiritual" in nature, and not about Christ. they were kind of vague statements that sounded more like the latest oprah show than the Word. you know, those "prophets" who take a grain of Truth, usually Truth that makes us FEEL good, then smack it into a book with a pretty cover, and tell the world they thought of it. sadly, it works with a generation of hurting people.

anyway, my "friend" had been updating about how positive thinking produces positive results. certainly, God addresses this in the Bible. i do believe it to be Truth. but her ideas were spread a little farther, maintaining that one should only involve oneself in "positivity" and refuse to enter in to things that seem negative. no mention of entering into the messy stuff with Jesus, who keeps our thinking positive no matter what we are going thru.

long story short, i decided to ask about her, and another couple that had been VERY dedicated to Christ. we used to worship together on friday nights at our assoc. pastor's house, several years ago. the news was not good. all three had left our church (i knew that, but i thought to start a small "home" church with some others). they had all fallen away from the teachings of Jesus!! seriously! i wonder how that could have happened, and it scares me. in my worship group we sometimes talk of the enemy's tactics, how sly he is in convincing. how he can take things one would never IMAGINE and make you believe it's for the best.

i guess the takeaway here is to choose your actions wisely. a decision to "look for another church" or "take a couple of weeks off" could very well be the plan of the enemy. stay close to those you know can help comfort and guide you through rough times, and point you in the right direction (toward Him). look for a church that is grounded, that has an accountability to others larger than themselves. always call on the Lord by NAME. trust that no matter how you feel, He is there. read His Word if you are floundering, and keep the foundation of Him in your life. He has a plan for you, a good one. He is telling us our lives depend on Him, and that is Truth.

Only be careful,
and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the
things your eyes have seen or let them slip from
your heart as long as you live.

Deuteronomy 4:9

ps. long story short for me is that i "unfriended" the friend, as well as several others who i KNOW are dangerously far away from God's plan for me. Rather than play a harmless game on the computer with people, i choose to stick with only the One who is trustworthy, whose Truth lasts through the ages, not for just a momentary feeling.