7 Steps to Keep You From Backsliding
As a sixteen-year-old young man, I gave my life to Jesus and got saved, but there were a lot of things for me to learn as a young Christian about overcoming temptation and resisting the enemy. After about seven months, I backslid, and for several years, I wandered. But at the age of nineteen, I gave my heart back to Christ and made things right with God.
A few years later, God opened the door for me to go to a Bible college, and I got involved in a lot of ministry outreach, prison ministry, street witnessing, house-to-house Bible studies, but at the back of my mind, I always had this fear that I would backslide again. I was afraid that no matter how much I grew as a Christian or how strong I would become in my faith that I would backslide again. I didn’t know enough Scriptures at the time, but God delivered me from that fear when I became a youth pastor.
My wife and I were in Arkansas at the time, and I was praying for our youth, asking God what I could teach them that could keep them in their faith until eternity. I was reading my Bible one day, and I came across a Scripture in 2 Peter that changed my life forever.
It read, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). Can you believe that is in the Bible? “If you do these things, you shall never fall!”
When I read that verse, I shouted, I praised God, I ran up and down. I was excited because I got a breakthrough. That fear of backsliding was broken off of me. The devil lost. God was telling me what happened to me at sixteen will never happen again.
VIRTUE
So, let’s look at the things we have to do to never fall because we have a part to play in our salvation. The Apostle Peter wrote, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…” (2 Peter 1:5). The first thing you have to do is add to your faith. How do you add to your faith? The Bible says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). If you want your faith to increase, you must stay in the Word of God.
And the first thing you should add to your faith is virtue. What is virtue? Virtue is “excellence, moral goodness, any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity” (Strong’s Concordance).
KNOWLEDGE
“…and to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5). The second thing you must do to keep from backsliding is to add knowledge to virtue, not just any knowledge, the knowledge of Scripture, the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The more you grow in your knowledge of Christ, the more grace is multiplied in your life, and Peter said a few verses back, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).
TEMPERANCE
The third thing you must do is to add temperance to knowledge (2 Peter 1:6). Temperance is self-control. It is discipline, “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites” (Strong’s Concordance). The enemy is going to test you, but the Bible tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
PATIENCE
Next, we must add patience to temperance (2 Peter 1:6). The word patience in this verse means endurance, steadfastness, perseverance (Strong’s Concordance). To be honest, I’ve gotten in trouble more in this area than anything. I’m impatient. When God shows me something, I think I have to have it now. I don’t like to wait, but the Bible says. “By your patience possess your souls” (Luke 21:19). It says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
GODLINESS
And to patience, add godliness (2 Peter 1:6). The word godliness in this verse means reverence. It means respect.
KINDNESS
“And to godliness brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7). Brotherly kindness is the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic towards one another. The Bible tells us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).
LOVE
Finally, to brotherly kindness, add charity (2 Peter 1:7). Charity means love. It means “affection, good will, love, benevolence” (Strong’s Concordance). Love is unselfishly giving of yourself to benefit another.
YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT
The Bible says if you do these things… If… You have to put these principles into practice. “If you do these things, you shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). You don’t have to backslide. All you have to do is apply yourself. Satan cannot stop you from applying yourself to the Word of God. He doesn’t have the power because he is defeated.
God has given you the keys to living a successful Christian life. He has anchored us in our faith and gave us the roadmap to eternity. And one day, when our time on earth is fulfilled, he will tell us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” And the Bible says, after we do these seven things “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11 NLT).
To give and help support this ministry, you can visit the platform of your choice:
A few years later, God opened the door for me to go to a Bible college, and I got involved in a lot of ministry outreach, prison ministry, street witnessing, house-to-house Bible studies, but at the back of my mind, I always had this fear that I would backslide again. I was afraid that no matter how much I grew as a Christian or how strong I would become in my faith that I would backslide again. I didn’t know enough Scriptures at the time, but God delivered me from that fear when I became a youth pastor.
My wife and I were in Arkansas at the time, and I was praying for our youth, asking God what I could teach them that could keep them in their faith until eternity. I was reading my Bible one day, and I came across a Scripture in 2 Peter that changed my life forever.
It read, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). Can you believe that is in the Bible? “If you do these things, you shall never fall!”
When I read that verse, I shouted, I praised God, I ran up and down. I was excited because I got a breakthrough. That fear of backsliding was broken off of me. The devil lost. God was telling me what happened to me at sixteen will never happen again.
VIRTUE
So, let’s look at the things we have to do to never fall because we have a part to play in our salvation. The Apostle Peter wrote, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…” (2 Peter 1:5). The first thing you have to do is add to your faith. How do you add to your faith? The Bible says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). If you want your faith to increase, you must stay in the Word of God.
And the first thing you should add to your faith is virtue. What is virtue? Virtue is “excellence, moral goodness, any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity” (Strong’s Concordance).
KNOWLEDGE
“…and to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5). The second thing you must do to keep from backsliding is to add knowledge to virtue, not just any knowledge, the knowledge of Scripture, the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The more you grow in your knowledge of Christ, the more grace is multiplied in your life, and Peter said a few verses back, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).
TEMPERANCE
The third thing you must do is to add temperance to knowledge (2 Peter 1:6). Temperance is self-control. It is discipline, “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites” (Strong’s Concordance). The enemy is going to test you, but the Bible tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
PATIENCE
Next, we must add patience to temperance (2 Peter 1:6). The word patience in this verse means endurance, steadfastness, perseverance (Strong’s Concordance). To be honest, I’ve gotten in trouble more in this area than anything. I’m impatient. When God shows me something, I think I have to have it now. I don’t like to wait, but the Bible says. “By your patience possess your souls” (Luke 21:19). It says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
GODLINESS
And to patience, add godliness (2 Peter 1:6). The word godliness in this verse means reverence. It means respect.
KINDNESS
“And to godliness brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7). Brotherly kindness is the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic towards one another. The Bible tells us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).
LOVE
Finally, to brotherly kindness, add charity (2 Peter 1:7). Charity means love. It means “affection, good will, love, benevolence” (Strong’s Concordance). Love is unselfishly giving of yourself to benefit another.
YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT
The Bible says if you do these things… If… You have to put these principles into practice. “If you do these things, you shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). You don’t have to backslide. All you have to do is apply yourself. Satan cannot stop you from applying yourself to the Word of God. He doesn’t have the power because he is defeated.
God has given you the keys to living a successful Christian life. He has anchored us in our faith and gave us the roadmap to eternity. And one day, when our time on earth is fulfilled, he will tell us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” And the Bible says, after we do these seven things “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11 NLT).
To give and help support this ministry, you can visit the platform of your choice:
By Mail:
Sean Pinder Ministries
P.O. Box 2726
McKinney, TX 75070
God Bless,
Sean Pinder Ministries
P.O. Box 2726
McKinney, TX 75070
God Bless,
Pastors Sean and Aimee Pinder
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