Beware the Bitterness of Backsliding

Beware the Bitterness of Backsliding
Part 7
The first 6 parts of this series have been sharing
warnings to those who haven’t fallen, in hopes of sparing
them the anguish I’ve experienced. But what if you’ve
already fallen? What if you’ve already succumbed to the
lures and temptations of Satan? Is there hope for you?
Yes indeed – abundant hope. For our God is a gracious
forgiving God. He does hate sin, but He deeply loves
the sinner, and longs to reconcile with us. We must
never lose sight of that. We must never lose hope that
we still find favor with Him through Christ.
I almost lost that hope. After I fell into the trap, I was so
distraught that I thought I would lose my mind. I would
writhe in my bed like I was going insane. I would pace
the floor because I could barely sit still. I thought I was
lost. What a scary feeling. I didn’t like being awake
because the sin was all I could think about and the guilt
was all I could feel. I couldn’t stand being in my own
skin. I would pace the floor, panic stricken, fearing I’d
committed the unpardonable sin by not heeding all the
warnings that the Holy Spirit was giving. I could barely
enjoy anything. I only wanted to sleep. The same devil
who had me thinking that I was the exception to following
the rules also had me thinking that I was the exception
to salvation – that somehow my sin was bigger than
Christ’s ability to save. What a lie from the pit of hell.
Never let the devil make you think that you are a better
sinner than Christ is a Savior. We must remember that
God wants all of His children to live with Him in Heaven