Drifting In the Deep

Is there anyone who adores the beach as much as I do? I simply love the beach, the smell, the sand, the picture perfect scenery, I just love the beach. Living on an island is basically a give away as to why one would spend so much time at the beach or have such a strong liking for it. The beach is my idea of a get away. It gives me the opportunity to relax and clear my head and refuel for my next task.  I often like to get in the water and close my eyes while the waves splash about me. I am however very careful to not wander out too far as can often be the case if not extremely cautious. As I thought of this analogy, I am forced to think of my walk with Christ. 

How many times are we drifting away from God, away from safe waters out in the deep and yet knowingly allow it? I can't say exactly why people lose hope in God and give up on what they loved so much. Yes we could all blame the devil and sin and the list goes on but as adults I honestly believe the first rule of being an adult is taking responsibility for our own actions. If we are going  to take responsibility for our actions then we must confess that drifting away from God is in our control. I don't believe we just magically wake up one morning and decide that this holiness and righteousness thing is not happening today, unless we never truly had a relationship with Jesus.  As often said, the success is found in our routine. Therefore, how successful a relationship we have with God will be dependent on what our daily routines look like. We must continuously evaluate our daily actions and thoughts and see if we are still in alignment with God's plans for our lives (Hebrews 2:1).

If we are usually praying 3 times each day and now only praying 2 times each week there is no doubt that we are drifting.  If we move from going to church every Sunday to once a month you can bet that's a sign we are drifting.  Some days we won't be so prayed up as we were on other days and while this is not support to ever lessen communication with God I am saying we all have those moments of feeling empty and low. However, as believers we must be able to recognize the signs and warnings ahead of us to turn back. One may argue and say many drift without knowing and by the time they open their eyes they are out very far in deep waters. I won't disagree entirely but I will continue to say there are signs whether we realize what they mean or not there are actually signs to indicate we are moving away from our lanes. Even the road has some signs of drifting with rumble strips strategically placed to let drivers know they are at the edge of the lane or road way.  When a car is driven over these strips it makes a loud sound and a firm jerk of the car to wake even the deep sleeping driver.

In this day and age the goals of life has become to work that high paying job and get that house, car and other investments going. Contrary, we are warned about earthly treasures in Matthew 6:19. Many times we drift because we are caught up with additional duties at work, this activity at school and that activity there all in an attempt to achieve earthly goals and wealth. It is our responsibility to check our calendars and ensure that God still has his time slots reserved for him in our busy schedules.  We can't allow everything to take up so much of our time we don't have time to communicate with God and spend time in his words that we drift away and drown. We must persevere as reminded in James 1:12. The good thing about Jesus is that no matter how far we drift once we call out to him he will surely come to our rescue (1John 1:19, Acts 3:19); but don't go through that unnecessarily when you can stay safe all the while in his arms. 

I pray we will each be our brother's keeper and help someone who may be drifting today to turn back. The pleasures of the world are enticing and the rewards shine brightly, dazzling our thoughts that we drift and not realize that the lovely waters we are in is only pulling us further away from the safety of Jesus Christ. We all have the potential to drift from time to time so keep a eye and be a good steward.  

Activity 

Take some time to think about your relationship with Christ over this week and see if there are any areas you may be drifting away from God. Write down or make a mental note of atleast 3 steps you can take to correct this drift.