Since Jesus has been given a position and a name higher than the angels, the message that God spoke to us through Him (what we call The Gospel) is greater than the message spoken to us through the angels and the prophets. The angels and prophets both testified of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah who would make purification for sins. Through Him, we have inherited so great a salvation that not only pardons us from our transgressions, but makes us fellow heirs with Him of all things through faith that we might be adopted as children of God.
So it stands to reason that we should pay extra special attention to everything that Jesus says to us lest we fall back into our prior transgressions. This especially true in our prayer life. We are prone to wander and so we need reminders like what we find in Hebrews 2:1.
In “Resist the Drift”, Crystal McDowell writes:
Have you ever felt like you were slowly drifting away from God? Many times, we miss the drift because we are so busy and distracted with every day life. It’s easy to miss a church service due to kid’s events or need for sleep. In addition, we wake up too late to pray and read God’s word before we begin our day. Or we stay up too late watching TV or surfing the net and forget we haven’t sought God all day.
The drift is deceiving and we aren’t careful we find ourselves in a quicksand of problems with no solutions. God will use tough times to draw His children back to Himself. However, we can learn to wake ourselves up by resisting the DRIFT:
D – Discipline yourself as a soldier of Jesus Christ.
“No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:4)Discipline isn’t fun all the time; however, it produces the fruit of results in our spiritual walk and discernment. When we discipline ourselves through fasting, prayer, meditation, and Bible study we are ready for God’s calling on our lives.
R – Remember your first love, Jesus Christ.
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4)Avoiding the subtle drift away from spirituality is rooted in our love for Jesus Christ. His love compels us towards a deeper intimacy and relationship more than following a set of rules.
I – Invest in your spiritual walk intentionally.
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)We can’t accidentally become more spiritually focused. If we embrace a spiritual lifestyle, it becomes a way of living and not just a brief season of closeness with God.
F – Forge ahead in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship regardless of how you feel.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)Maturity in general is doing what needs to be done whether we feel like or not—our careers, relationships, etc. Spiritual growth is gained when we keep pressing our way to God regardless of how we feel or what is going on within or outside of us.
T – Take defensive measures against weak excuses.
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)The best defense against spiritual drifting is a good offense of dealing with our weaknesses in the flesh. Anything and everything isn’t okay for the believer—we learn to make the tough decisions of abstaining from our fleshly desires.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, I need to resist the drift away from You. Empower me by Your Spirit to make the right choices as a soldier of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
https://daughtersofthecreator.com/resist-the-drift/
Prayers for Hope 