Environmental conditions gradually erode ground unless an area is filled with a stabilizer, like vegetation or permanent barriers. If not, then what once was solid ground will slide into rivers and streams or be blown away, causing gradual, yet significant landscape changes.

A different erosion happens in our lives if we do not intentionally pursue Jesus through all seasons of life. These good or bad situations are invitations to draw near to God. It’s a choice toward spiritual growth or not.

If we don’t abide in Jesus, then bitterness, ungratefulness, anger, resentment, and entitlement gradually form in our hearts. We listen more to people who agree with us, and no one challenges our thinking.

The gradual slide starts in the mind.

Then a day comes when we say yes to something that, a few weeks or months before, was clearly wrong to us. The enemy is making a case against God, and we listen. The God who redeemed us looks like the villain. The blindness to the goodness of God is a setup. The enemy of our soul is patient and is creating a perfect storm for a big fail.

It is gradual.

Have you been here? Does it sound familiar? Because we believe that we are in control, we do not see our blind spots and weaknesses. We think better of ourselves and live in denial( Romans 12:3). We make irrevocable decisions, which means lasting consequences. We get deceived. We leave the Lord, and our eroded ground makes way for a flood.

But it is gradual.

Straight from God’s loving heart, to the heart of James, and on to you and me come words of life. Words of warning are words of life.

James 1:13-16

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

These verses tell of the gradual process leading to sin. It takes time for an evil desire to develop. Then the enemy makes the desire look good. And off we go down the wrong path. If we would stop and pray at this point in the process, we’d never get to “after the desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin”. The temptation is not sin. Jesus was tempted, and He never sinned (Luke 4:1-13). He always provides a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Are you looking for it?

How to Know if You Are Being Dragged Away:

Internally – Your thoughts change. They focus primarily on how to get whatever it is you want. You are not fleeing (James 4:7), but cooperating with the enemy. Instead of consulting the Lord, you become the solution to all your problems. You begin to desire something (temptation) that goes from thinking about it to taking action to get it (dragged away).

Emotionally – You feel in control. That’s the deception of the enemy. There’s a sense that you don’t need God. Whatever He was doing for you before, He’s not doing anymore. You might not say it, but your thoughts and behavior leave Him out of the equation. You feel bulletproof. You’re no longer desperate for Him.

Situationally – You lose your priorities. The biblical practices that grew your faith in Jesus aren’t important now. Church is often put on the chopping block. The conviction you feel there is uncomfortable, and it’s hard to look anybody in the eye anymore. You might think church doesn’t matter or they don’t need you. It’s not true. But you can’t think like you used to.

And where is God in all this? He’s waiting. He’s waiting for you to cry out to Him. He’s waiting for you to admit you are in a mess and you need Him.

Paul asked, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Paul humbly recognized his weakness. But he is not letting himself off the hook. He knows he is running a race for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

One of the best displays of humility is awareness of the power of sin in our lives, even as Christians. One deception the enemy wants us to believe is that our lives don’t matter much. It is not true. We are Ambassadors for Christ ( I Corinthians 5:20). That is a high calling.

When we are in this mixed-up state of mind, we forget WHO we belong to. Our identity is in Jesus, not our desperate circumstances. To survive, we must intentionally keep our minds filled with God’s truth.

There is not one Christian on the planet who has it easy. Until Jesus returns, we are all in a battle. That is one reason why church attendance is so important. Your local church is full of people who have struggled all week and have decided to worship the Lord together. There is power and accountability in that situation!

The enemy casts doubt on every blood bought truth in our hearts, and we must train our minds for battle. https://valerierumfelt.com/2024/06/17/project-transformation/ We must make the best choices not to compromise the truths we know.

When Dragged Away:

• Call on Jesus – This is your 911 call. Do this before anything else. Ask Him how you can begin to turn around and get back on His path again.

• Do whatever He says instantly – Obedience is key
• Quit blaming others for your mess.
• Take an honest assessment of everything pulling you away from Jesus.

• Make the sacrifices needed to live for Him. It will be painful moving away from people, places, and things. The sooner you do it, the less painful it is. Jesus will not fail you as you walk in faith to take these actions.

• Thank Him and Praise Him for a way out and “go and sin no more”.

Of course, we will sin. Pray not to want to, and to be made aware when you do. Stay in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). Sin will surprise you sometimes. But mostly, we are cooperating with our enemy. He deceives and comes as an angel of light.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14

God is a gentleman. He does not force Himself onto anyone. He gives every human the dignity that comes with being made in His image (Genesis 1:27). We get to choose Him for salvation and then choose Him every day of our lives afterward. Christianity is a relationship. If you disconnect from the One who loves you most, your path will end eventually. It is best to walk in the light.

I John 1:5-7:

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

©Valerie Rumfelt

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