Recently my friend met his former Pastor and his wife,it was with sadness when his wife said,they did not believe in God anymore.Many years ago I had a similar experience when someone I knew who had been a bright Christian,was no longer following the Lord.It is very sad when we hear that,there are many, sadly to say, who fall by the wayside,they all have their many reasons, we can read about them,in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13 v 1ff/ Mark 4 v 1ff/ Luke 8 v5ff)Most of us know this parable told by our Lord, that illustrates the different reactions,to those who hear the word of God.that includes those who turn away .In v11 we see how the devil is actively engaged in turning people away from God.Satan tempts us in many ways to turn back from following Christ ,in Exodus 32 the people of Israel turned from God to worship a golden calf,imagine leaving God for a golden calf,Peter Lewis writes the following,'Where would we be without the gracious presence of the Lord in our lives? God knows, but you may have an inkling! So,when Satan offers you the golden calf or an alternative loyalty, when you are tempted to turn your back on all the kindness and grace of the One God,when you are tempted by the world to 'chuck' Christianity, remember it is a thousand times better to 'chuck' the golden calf'.
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