Tell-Tale Signs That Your Faith May Have Suffered Shipwreck

Shipwreck: the destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up, for example in a storm or after striking a rock.

We are likening our faith to a vessel at sea. We have left the harbour and set sail towards a distant shore which, for the Christian, is heaven. Like every journey, we are bound to meet obstacles along the way. How we respond to them may determine if we make it safely to the other side. Some common indicators that our faith has been derailed and possibly destroyed are:

PRACTICING IDOLATRY

An idol is anything that takes the uppermost place in our life. For an indication of what may constitute an idol in our life, we just need to take a look at our bank statement and our diary – what we spend our resources and time on the most are pointers to obsession. An idol is usually the first thing on our mind when you wake up and the last thing before you sign off for the day. Where this is anyone or anything but God, we need to do something about that. God expects to take the place of priority in the life of His children. Someone rightly said He would rather be either Lord of all or not Lord at all.

HERO WORSHIPPING MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD

Hero worshipping is excessive admiration of a person. We are told to hold those who serve God in high esteem, to honour them and pray for them. It is also fine to admire God’s servants. But sometimes we cross the line and we nearly give them the place of God in our lives. Here are some pointers this is where we are: if we hold on to the word of our pastor above the word of God, or talk more about what our church or pastor is doing than what God is doing, if we care more about what our pastor thinks of us than what God does. Where we have crossed that thin line from harmless admiration to hero worshipping, we must retrace our steps, because God is a jealous God who wants our undivided love and adoration.

WATCHING BIG BROTHER

Our senses provide a gateway into our soul. What we give attention to (with our eyes, ears and mind) can be a snare. As committed Christians, if we are comfortable consuming profanities, promiscuity and pornography, then we are dancing on a field of landmines. Scripture says if our right eye causes us to sin, we should pluck it out and throw it away. In short, we should have zero tolerance for anything that could impede our spiritual growth. A litmus test for what we take in is to ask ourselves ‘if Jesus were seated beside me, would I be comfortable watching this show?’

BEING COMPLACENT

As we strive to make progress at school or at work, we should do the same spiritually. If we cannot be bothered to put in that extra effort in our spiritual life, there is cause for concern. When we no longer thirst after righteousness or hunger for the Scriptures; when our soul no longer pants after God; we should be worried. When we get to a point where we have become desensitized to what is right or wrong, or become so ‘loving’ that we subscribe to a Gospel of inclusion, we are treading dangerous grounds. God is love and the greatest commandment is to love Him and to love others. This is the very reason we should love people enough to tell them the truth. If our niceness takes people to hell then we need to exercise tough love like Jesus did.

FOLLOWING QUESTIONABLE INFLUENCERS

Everyone follows someone, consciously or subconsciously. We usually follow a person we admire and aspire to be like. The people we follow reflects what we hold dear and where we are headed. As Christians we should follow people from whom we can get information and learn lessons that will enable us serve God’s purpose for our lives. We should also follow people who follow Christ. The fruit of a person’s life shows what they have to offer.

PURSUING SUCCESS AT ALL COST

The pursuit of success is a legitimate thing. No one wants to be a failure in life. But as Christians we should seek ‘good success’ – success before God. The parameters for defining success with God are sometimes the opposite of what the world calls success. Success before God is simply being where He wants us to be and doing what He has called us to do. God’s will does not always bring us fame or wealth. In fact, it may do the opposite. The devil told Jesus that if He bowed down to worship him, he would give Him the whole world. So, ‘worldly prosperity’ may just be an indication that we are outside the will of God. We must be careful what we do just for fame and success.

BEING A FANATIC

A fanatic is filled with excessive zeal for an extreme cause. While our passion for God should be unquestionable and our commitment total, we should have a balanced existence. Even if we are spirits, we have a physical body and we have a mind. We need to exercise all of them to function effectively. That means we must take care of our bodies (including the way we look), and build our minds (through continuous learning). Our faith should not make us weirdos. A spiritual hermit is not much good. Jesus was sociable. He was holy enough to attend a wedding, hang out with sinners and lodge in the home of Zacchaeus, a corrupt official. While we are heaven bound, we should be earthly relevant. --------------------------------------------------------------------------Every child of God has a responsibility to check their spiritual compass every now and then to see how they are faring on the journey of faith. And where we have geared off course, we need to retrace our steps and get back on track. Jesus said:

‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ Matthew 7:13,14

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