TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamas Blog International
A war between the spirit and self
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

You can't be a child of God and a child of the world:
By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:



Christians fall from grace daily, but it's what you do after "backsliding" that counts, according to many Christian leaders.

"To live a Christian life is a continuing warfare," says Bishop John Humes, National Overseer of the Church of God in The Bahamas.

"There's a war between the spirit and the self. People believe that the devil is the problem, but he isn't, because if you resist the devil he will flee. In reality the main warfare, the main struggle is with yourself. When a person backslides it's because they are worrying about what they want, not what God wants. It is then that they stray from the direction in which God is taking them. It is when they make that decision to continually follow God that they get strong against the world and the body."

He said that there are countless reason why people "backslide", but in many of our churches he said it's because of either discouragement or because they can't have it their way.

"Either these persons are discouraged, meaning that they were in anticipation for something to happen and it didn't, like they were wanting for God to help them find a job and it didn't happen, or they expected to have some type of recognition in the church and it didn't happen. That pushes people over the limit and they 'backslide'. The mean force of it is discouragement," he says. "That has been key. People simply get discouraged and they lose faith in God."

Humes says that what God wants for you and what you want for yourself does not always match, and that creates a problem, and is the reason he says many people "backslide", but he says when that happens, the conflicted person must decide to make it right by repenting and getting back on the God-driven ship.

Zion Yamacraw Church senior pastor Reverend Bishop Samuel Greene says once a person has given into the way of the 'world' they are no longer following the path of God and that makes them a "backslider".

"Paul warns in Roman's chapter 12: 'Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of the mind'. This means that for one to become conformed into the world they must forsake the way of the Lord. They must discontinue following Christ, and instead they will follow the dictates of the world. Once that happens, a person's loyalty or commitment is no longer to Jesus Christ or the way of salvation, but their commitment is to the world instead. That, therefore, puts them in a 'backsliden' position."

Greene says the question then becomes how to get back to God, and he says for those people to do that, they must forsake the world, and all things of the world. "The backslider, must recommit himself to the Lord so that his words, his thoughts and his behavior emulate Christ.

"Once the 'backslider' takes on the mind of Christ he then begins to do things in accordance with the word of God. He once again walks the path of God, which is the continuing goal of any Christian."

Although Greene admits that it is human nature to stray from the straight and narrow, he says that it is up to the individual to get back on track.

"Not only is 'backsliding' an act of human nature, but it is as a result of temptation by the devil. Remember the Bible says to wrestle not against flesh and blood, so it is not very easy for a 'backslider' to just pick up and go back again."

Bishop Simeon Hall, senior pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church, East-West Highway, says that there is room in God's grace for those who falter.

"The prodigal son is a good example of persons who 'backslide'," he says. "There is that theology that says if a person remains in his 'backsliden' position it means he never had a right relationship with God. I believe that because I think that once you are connected to Christ by the spirit you will not stray for long. But part of the hindrance for so-called 'backsliders' to return to a right relationship with God is that we have a culture of unforgiveness," he says.

"It is this culture of non-forgiveness that is one of the greatest hindrances to spiritual and religious restoration. This is because too few people are willing to forgive. The only reason the prodigal son went back home was because he believed his father would forgive him. Had he believed that his father would have beaten him over the head, he would not have returned home. So I believe that it is the absence of forgiveness that stops people from being restored."

Adding that because some people cannot forgive themselves, Bishop Hall says they continue to 'backslide', and that until they can forgive themselves, they cannot move forward.

Hall says, speaking metaphorically, that this is where the "backslider" must realize that his arms are too short to fight with God. "You are your father's child, and no one, not even you, can change that. So once you are a child of God, or a Christian, as much as you try you can't run from it. So there will be a time when you must make the decision to get back on track and continue to stay on track or not too. But either way, you can't play with God. No one can.

"Even if you think you can, there will come a time when you will have to make up your mind one way or the next because you can't be a child of the world and a child of God. You can only choose one."

July 25, 2008 | 12:14 PM Comments  0 comments

You must be logged in to add tags.


Dennis Dames's Profile


Latest Posts
Regional integration...
Call for unity as the...
Slow Down: How Our...
The situation in Honduras
Michael Jackson...

Monthly Archive
December 1969
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009

Change Language


Tags Archive
america american bahamas bahamians bush caribbean crime cuba development economic enfusion engagement global health ict4d individualeconomy international investment networkbuiding obama organisationalchange people personaldevelopment political president socialentrepreneurship trade war world

Links
A+ Links Int'l
Bahamas Blog
Bahamas Dames
Bahamas Hotels
Bahamas Search
Bahamian WebRing
Blog Directory
Blogadr
BlogExplosion
Cheap Int'l Calling Cards
Crooks Blog
Dating Network
Free Paid Web Directory
LS Blogs
Politics Blogs
Top 100 Women Websites
Top Web Blogs
Vote For Me


694541 views
Important Disclaimer