You Broke Our Relationship

How to connect with Christ after we fall

It was hot outside—so hot that the classroom windows in my high school English class were wide open, and it was late September in Laguna Beach. The substitute teacher called Roll and began the class.

In 1979, the windows in the English class were large enough that anyone could hop out of them, and there were no screens in the classroom because we rarely had a pest problem. It was too much temptation for the surfers to resist.

Steve and Cris had been discussing surf conditions before class began. One by one, they and several others fled the stifling heat in the room through the window. Each time the substitute turned her back, another jumped from the window and headed for the beach. The temptation was too much to bear.

Backsliding Christians

Any Christian who has fled from God has faced temptation in the same way. The desire to avoid confrontation, like Jonah and the Ninevites, or Jeremiah fleeing from his duty to the Lord. (Jeremiah 20)

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15

Suppose you've ever been a backslidden Christian or known one. In that case, the departure might have happened because the desire to be somewhere else or with another group of folks was greater than the desire to suffer reproach with Christ.

The temptation of sin and the desires we encounter can be overwhelming, and we are like Eve, who succumbed to the Serpent. Everything in this world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but the world.

Back From the Brink

How can you re-establish your relationship with Christ if you've been there or are there now? When you pray, the heavens are like brass, and your prayers feel like you're talking to yourself. There is turmoil in your heart as you lust after a new and vibrant connection with the Lord. You soon discover that you're falling short of the fellowship you once enjoyed.

Please take a few minutes to consider my encouragement as you seek a better and more open fellowship with God.

If you read my last newsletter concerning Cain, you'll recall the observation that while God covered Adam and Eve's sins, there's no record of them ever repenting.

As you seek to better your friendship with Christ, I'd like to encourage you to remember the last time you felt connected to God and think about what sort of relationship you want now. Do you remember the intimacy, the answered prayers, the closeness you felt with other believers, the times of worship, and how the Lord spoke to you through Bible Studies, friends, and quiet moments while reading the Bible?

Once you have that memory, I'd exhort you to ask God to remind you of the sins that have separated you from Him and caused a breach in your friendship.

As each sin comes to mind, ask Christ to forgive you. You can be confident that He will. This is a simple exercise in faith. Faith is believing that God is able and ready to do what He has promised.

Having at one time come to Christ and being made a son, a child of God through Christ, you are loved by God.

God loves you and waits patiently for you to return.

Fixing a Broken Relationship

Remember the prodigal son. He was a joint heir of all his father possessed. His father was overflowing with joy and happiness to see his departed son return. "My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

The prodigal son made his choice to return. He said within himself, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."

The first words out of the son's mouth when he saw his father were, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. "

If you want to connect with God like you used to, then this is the path. I know these things to be true, and as your friend and brother, I want to point the way to a single Bible verse. I hope you'll receive this in the Spirit of gentleness that I intend. It was written with all love and concern, and it's meant to be read as such.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9

Try it now, and see what happens.