As a Christian, if you are like me, you may often find that our Christian walk through life is similar to that of an 'intoxicated person'. We know where we must go; yet, we stagger to & fro unable to walk a straight line to get there. Since our path is an upward climb we often stumble backwards. Some of us think we are making great progress; however, in reality we are not far from where we began. Along the way we meet many ‘helpful’ individuals. Some want to give us "a bite of the dog that bit us". Others, just as intoxicated as we are, want to give us advice or assistance. Still others want to take advantage of our impaired condition. If we are lucky, we meet a 'recovering alcoholic', who is capable of helping us along. The intoxicants of this world are numerous and subtle. Like the alcoholic, we tell ourselves that just a little sip will not hurt us. But, oh how wrong we are! Once started we find that we want just a little bit more and that escalates until we are 'staggering drunk' again.
The only sure answer is, "Turn our lives fully over to Jesus and let Him lead us through this life to our goal." The answer sounds simple and easy: but, this is very deceptive. The more we want to follow Him, the harder it becomes. We start out okay; but, find that old habits are hard to break. Like the recovering alcoholic, we find that the lure of intoxicants (sin) gets stronger as we go without them. Old 'Nick' (Satan) our drinking buddy stops by from time to time, just to tempt us back to our favorite sinful habits. Just as the 'recovering alcoholic' must modify his lifestyle, so must we. He will tell you that it is a lifelong battle to keep away from his addiction; and that he has stumbled along the way. I thank Our God that He has the love and patience to put up with our relapses (backsliding); and, that He stands ready to help us again. Salvation is a gift; it can not be earned. Yet, with the gift comes responsibility, we must do our best to live according to God’s Word. At that point our Christian walk begins.
(Originally published on my 'Charolls' web site.)