But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
(1 Timothy 4:1-3, NASB)
I know how easy it is to believe things contrary to God’s word.
I made some really unwise decisions when I was young, decisions that allowed me to “fall away from the faith.” I listened to the lies of the enemy, and spent twenty years on a journey that led me, as I titled a book I wrote, away from and back to the arms of the Father.
I see this same “falling away” in many people today. Young people raised to know God are making choices to follow the world. Older people, disillusioned because of loss or difficulty, claim God is unfair—or because of their pain—doesn’t exist at all.
A large part of the problem is that many Christians don’t really know why they believe what they believe. They go to church on Sunday, and then never touch their Bibles or talk to God the other six days and 22 hours of the week. And since they really don’t know truth, it’s very, very easy for them to believe the lies whispered in their ears.
That’s why I pray regularly for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray they’ll ground themselves in God’s word. Study it. Meditate on it. Investigate its truths. I pray they’ll spend time talking with and listening to God. I pray they’ll be protected by the Spirit.
And I pray that those who have “fallen away” will repent and recommit their lives to God. Just as I did.
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