So many people start out good, getting excited about receiving the Word of God, and praying and studying their Bible, and speaking the Word over their lives, and seeing positive change in their life. They get going like gangbusters with the Word of God, but then after a while, when the devil has been run out of their life due to continual exercise of the Word, they seem to no longer see the need to be diligent against the enemy, and they get lazy. And finding opportunity, the devil finds an avenue back into their life, and WHAM!! WOW! WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? Has God left me? No, God hasn’t left you. You left HIM!

If you’re finding yourself in that situation today, you’ll find Hebrews 2:1-4 will speak to you.
1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

If you’re a disciple of Christ Jesus, then it’s safe to say that you’ve seen Him do mighty things for you. Maybe you’ve even been healed of cancer, like I was back in 1993, or other miracles that He has done in your behalf, for no other reason than “you asked Him to”. Something I have learned about our Father God, is that He is interested in every single aspect of our lives, not just the “big stuff”. But let’s say you’re several years into your relationship with Him, are you still feeding that relationship as well as you’re feeding your physical body, or is that relationship gradually taking a back seat to your “other lover”, meaning “other stuff”?

Is your physical man or woman gaining weight, while your spirit man slowly starves to death? As it says in Hebrews 2:1, Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Believe it or not, it’s easy to get fat and comfortable from all of God’s blessings, and sit back and forget we are running in a race. To put it more personally, YOU are running a race toward an unseen finish line, and your soul is on the line. You can rest assured that Christ Jesus shed His blood on the cross for your salvation, and you can also rest assured that the devil is not going to leave you alone just because you asked Christ Jesus to save you. I’ve seen way too many of God’s children get spiritually lazy and turn away, and go back into the world. Some have been caught unaware and attacked unto an early death. Don’t think for a moment that it couldn’t happen to you. That’s why it’s so important to not let the Word of God slip from first place in your life.

The person who thinks it can’t happen to them is in the worst possible place. Christ Jesus said in Matthew 24:43, But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

When the time happens in your life that your love for the LORD and His Word begins to wane in your life, you won’t notice it, because gradually your time will start being filled with “other stuff” that may even be good and godly, such as serving on a board at your church. And you may never even notice that the time you spend in prayer is becoming less and less, and that your time studying your Bible is becoming less exciting, until one day your life starts coming unraveled because you’re getting hit out of nowhere with attacks on your health, or your family, or your stuff starts breaking for no apparent reason. Why? You got too busy, and you never noticed that God turned right at the fork in the road, and you continued on straight.

It is written that the LORD will neither leave or forsake you, and He won’t. But the Bible DOES NOT SAY you cannot stray from Him. Why do you think it is written that the LORD will leave the ninety nine sheep and go seek the one who strayed away? Your job is to FOLLOW the LORD where He is leading, not meander off on your own chosen path. Now the LORD will allow you to choose how much time you spend with Him, He won’t force you to spend two or three hours studying your Bible. But think back when you were first saved, was how much time you spent with the LORD an issue with you? Did anyone have to remind you to seek Him? No, you WANTED to spend time with Him. Well, WHAT HAPPENED?

Picture if you will, going to a wedding, and when the Bride and Groom leave and get into their car, you can’t see any space between them whatsoever. But twenty years down the road, he is sitting on one side of the car, and she is on the other. WHO MOVED? Someone sure did, else there still wouldn’t be any space between them. Well, that illustration works well with our walk with the LORD. HE isn’t going to move away from you. If there’s any space between you and the LORD right now, it’s because YOU moved away from Him. Like I said, it’s a gradual thing that tries to happen to all of us. I’m so thankful for a renewal of my love for my LORD every time I start to get too busy and let things slip. But continually through the years I have ASKED the LORD to keep me on fire for Him, because I don’t want to be one of those that is talked about in Hebrews 10:32-39,

32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

James 4:1-10 says this,
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Please notice in verse 7, if you are NOT continually submitting yourself unto God, and resisting the devil, then the devil will NOT be fleeing from you. In fact, as you give him opportunity, he will seek you out and afflict you sore, because he is an equal opportunity destroyer. That means he would as soon destroy YOU as he would ME. The only thing that keeps him at bay is YOU spending quality time establishing and maintaining your relationship with GOD. And that means the amount of time you spend tending earthly stuff is dangerous to your soul and dangerous to your relationship with God. As it is written, we must be careful not to let these things slip, for the devil is continually wandering around, seeking whom he may devour.

The best way to avoid most of life’s problems is to continually, 24/7, love the LORD with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. You won’t avoid ALL problems for sure, but the ones you will face will have the LORD holding you safely in His hand. Be assured, God won’t let you slip. But that works two ways, you know. You must hold onto Him, to make sure HE doesn’t slip out of YOUR grasp, either, because there’s a world out there run by the devil that is competing for your attention. Believe me, there’s nothing out there worth giving up time with God for. The LORD has loved you with an everlasting love. DON’T LET IT SLIP!