What steps can we take to avoid "turning away from following the LORD"? Steps to Keep from Turning Away from the LORD Setting the Stage: The Call to Persevere “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land… Do not be afraid or discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8). God never hints that falling away is harmless. He urges vigilance because drifting is real (Hebrews 2:1). 1. Anchor Your Heart in God’s Word • “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) • Schedule daily, unhurried reading. • Memorize verses that confront current temptations. • Review truth aloud; hearing reinforces retention (Romans 10:17). 2. Keep Short Accounts with God • “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands… purify your hearts.” (James 4:8) • Confess sin immediately—don’t normalize it. • Ask the Spirit to expose hidden motives (Psalm 139:23-24). 3. Guard Your Relationships • “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) • Cultivate friendships that push you toward obedience. • Limit voices that belittle holiness or glamorize compromise. 4. Stay Engaged with the Body of Christ • “Exhort one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13) • Regular worship, small-group connection, mutual accountability. • Serve—nothing cements commitment like shared ministry. 5. Remember What God Has Done • Rehearse answered prayers, past deliverances, and fulfilled promises (Deuteronomy 8:2). • Keep a journal of God’s faithfulness; revisit it when doubts rise. • Celebrate the Lord’s Supper thoughtfully—His sacrifice secures your future (1 Corinthians 11:26). 6. Refuse the Lure of Idolatry • “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” (1 John 2:15) • Identify subtle idols—career, leisure, reputation—and dethrone them. • Fast periodically; fasting weakens idols by training the will to say no. 7. Practice Immediate Obedience • “Be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.” (Deuteronomy 5:32) • Obey promptings quickly; delayed obedience breeds excuses. • Start with small steps—call the person, give the gift, shut off the screen. 8. Persevere through Trials with Hope • “Consider it pure joy… because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) • Trials refine, not ruin, genuine faith (1 Peter 1:6-7). • Cling to the promise that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). 9. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus • “Let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) • Daily gratitude for the cross fuels love that displaces wandering affections. • Anticipate His return; living with eternity in view sharpens present obedience (Titus 2:13-14). Living It Out • Review these nine areas; identify one weak point and address it this week. • Small, consistent choices forge lifelong faithfulness. • The same Lord who warns us also keeps us: “He is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless” (Jude 24). |
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