{"id":12725,"date":"2023-07-15T21:46:56","date_gmt":"2023-07-16T01:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/?p=12725"},"modified":"2023-08-26T11:04:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-26T15:04:11","slug":"warning-dont-ever-think-that-you-cant-slip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/bible-believing-daughters\/warning-dont-ever-think-that-you-cant-slip\/","title":{"rendered":"283. DON&#8217;T EVER THINK THAT YOU CAN&#8217;T SLIP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><strong>(The Faith Forum Series &#8211; Batch 9)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Christians, no matter how long we have been in the light, we should never get so complacent, so comfortable, that we think that we could never be ambushed by the enemy of our souls, the devil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t ever think that you can\u2019t slip. Don\u2019t ever think that you are so spiritual, so godly, so in tune with God, that you could never be hoodwinked by the devil, that you could never be duped and never slip from your steadfastness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The moment you begin to think this way, in pride, is the moment you begin to provide an opening for the enemy, to so orchestrate things so that you will slip and fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To guard against this, we must be humble in mind, knowing that <em>\u201cGod resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble.\u201d (James 4:6).<\/em> 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns, <em>\u201cWherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The devil is very subtle and while his power fades miserably in comparison with the Lord\u2019s, we should never underestimate him and his tactics. He likes to use things like stored up bitterness over wrongs or perceived wrongs done against us and unforgiveness, so much so that in 2 Corinthians 2:7-11, Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, emphasizing the need for them to exercise forgiveness to a brother who had sinned and repented, warning them that if they did not, the devil could capitalize on it as an opportunity. He told them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cSo that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Let Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Notably, it is by the grace of God that we, as sinners, have been forgiven by God and it is by this grace that we are to forgive others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Hebrews 12:14-16, it also states, <em>\u201cFollow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any <\/em>root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The devil is known to use other means as well, to get to the Christian and to try to take him or her down. He often uses pride, which breeds complacency and provides the perfect leeway and platform for a fall. In the Bible days, he also often used the wiles of women, to get to godly men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bible is rife with examples of godly people who slipped when they either thought they never would or people would have imagined that they never would. They found themselves moved away from their steadfastness and in sin, some of them not realizing what was happening until trouble came or disgrace. Let us look briefly at a few examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>PETER<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peter thought he could not slip but he did. He was one of the privileged few to have been handpicked by the Lord to be one of his twelve disciples and so, he enjoyed the physical presence of the Lord and got to partake of his wisdom, first hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the beginning of Peter\u2019s walk with the Lord, Matthew 4:18-20 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cAnd Jesus, walking by the sea of Galillee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Later on in his walk with the Lord, Peter, having grown tremendously from spending quality time with the Lord and learning from him, convinced himself that, although he was but a frail man with the flesh nature still intact, which he seemed to have forgotten, that he would never deny the Lord. After all, he loved him! The mere thought was preposterous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Peter thought when the Lord told him and the other disciples, of something dishonorable that they would all do, that very night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lord told them in Matthew 26:31, <em>\u201c\u2026All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adamant, Peter refused to believe it. Even if all the disciples were to act that despicably and desert the Lord, he knew himself. He never would! At least, this is what he thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Verse 33 therefore states<em>: \u201cPeter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus, knowing Peter better than he knew himself and as God the Son and Lord, knowing everything, told Peter, who for sure would have been shocked to hear it, <em>\u201cVerily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What was Jesus saying? He was telling Peter that before that very night was over, he would not just act despicably but he would do worse than all of the other disciples present, by denying the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peter still did not believe it. He considered himself to love the Lord too much and perhaps to be too spiritual to ever do such a thing. He therefore replied, <em>\u201c\u2026Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bible states that the other disciples there said the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, that very night, all that Jesus had said would happen, came true. When Judas betrayed Jesus by appearing with his enemies to have him taken captive, it says that <em>\u201c\u2026all the disciples forsook him, and fled.\u201d (vs. 56)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Peter\u2019s favour though, probably mindful of what Jesus had said earlier that they would do and he in particular, the Word of God says, <em>\u201cBut Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest\u2019s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.\u201d (vs. 58)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In what seemed like a split second of a moment therefore, Peter went from following Jesus closely, to following him afar off, due to the circumstance that had suddenly arisen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As if that was not enough, Peter found himself denying that he knew the Lord, thrice, even cursing and swearing so as to be believed in the lie, after being identified on those occasions by people, as one of his disciples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After he had failed the Lord on the third occasion that night, as Jesus had said would happen, the cock crew and Peter remembered then, what the Lord had said he would do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Utterly ashamed of what he had done, he went out and wept bitterly. The Word of God states: <em>\u201cAnd Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.\u201d (vs. 75)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>JOASH<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joash\u2019s start as king over Judah was so dramatically promising, that he, the Priest Jehoida and others, may have thought that he would never slip and turn his back on God but he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His father Ahaziah, had served as king over Judah but was killed. When this occurred, Athaliah, the mother of king Ahaziah and therefore the grandmother of Joash, gave orders to have all the royal seed destroyed. Given that she was the mother of Ahaziah, the sons of the king that she killed were her own grandsons. However, she apparently felt threatened by their existence and apparently wanted all the power to herself, so she had her own grandchildren massacred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is, with the exception of Joash. Although he was not supposed to be spared, by the grace of God, he was, as a sister of king Ahaziah (who was probably the daughter of Athaliah), took him as a baby, secretly from among the king\u2019s sons and hid him and his nurse in a bedchamber. He did not therefore perish with all the rest of Ahaziah\u2019s sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bible records that he was hidden for six years, while Athaliah his grandmother reigned over the land. However, in the seventh year, Jehoiada the Priest, called all the rulers, the captains and the guards and brought the Joash forward and they made him king and anointed him. At Jehoida\u2019s instruction, they also killed Athaliah, who, when she realized what was happening, rent her clothes and was crying treason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2 Kings 11:17-18, it states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cAnd Jehoida made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord\u2019s people; between the king also and the people. And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The beginning of Joash\u2019s reign therefore represented hope and rededication of a people to the Lord. He started well and clearly respected Jehoiada the Priest, who was instrumental in placing him on the throne at just seven years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2 Kings 12:2, it states: <em>\u201cAnd Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, in his devotion to the Lord, Jehoash gave instruction to the priests to take money to repair the breaches of the Lord\u2019s house. In verses 4-5 of 2 Chronicles 24, it says of him: <em>\u201cAnd it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joash was therefore zealous for the Lord\u2019s cause, so much so, that, when he found that the Levites were not acting urgently on the matter, he called for Jehoiada the chief and voiced his displeasure. As a result, money began to be gathered in abundance, which the king and Jehoiada then gave to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord and used to hire masons and carpenters, to repair the house of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, despite Joash\u2019s history, his strong start and his clear devotion to God, when Jehoiada died, he slipped and turned away from God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2 Chronicles 24:2 states that Joash <em>\u201cdid that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest\u201d<\/em> and Jehoiada even selected wives for him, from which he got sons and daughters. However, the scriptures state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cBut Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died\u2026Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols\u2026\u201d (vs. 15, 17-18).<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It is important to note that the enemy can use a person\u2019s vulnerability, when someone who served as an anchor, especially a godly anchor, passes away or leaves their life. He can use the pain of the person\u2019s loss or tragedy, to make that person, normally devoted to God, slip and become distant.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Joash\u2019s case, when the man who had served as a godly influence and anchor from since he was a little child, died, Joash began to entertain the things that displeased God. In short, the enemy saw an opportunity to make inroads and he allowed him to do just that. Such was the sad sight, that this man that had commissioned the house of the Lord to be repaired and watched over the progress of the fund accumulation for this cause, zealously, now allowed himself, in the absence of Jehoiada to instruct him, to be turned away from the God of that house and instead, to embrace the idolatrous practices of the ungodly, which could not profit him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, God was angry with Joash and the people. In his faithfulness, he sent prophets to speak to them to bring them back unto him but they refused to hear. Nonetheless, the Spirit of God having come upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, he stood up and confronted the people on how they had forsaken God but not even he turned Joash\u2019s heart. As a matter of fact, although Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada, the man who had been like a father to Joash and had made arrangements for him to be seated on the throne, Joash did not return Jehoiada\u2019s kindness. Instead, he commanded the people to stone him, which they did, until he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Verses 21 to 22 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cAnd they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. This Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Needless to say, Joash never returned to the Lord and so the Lord executed his judgment upon him. Verses 24-25 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cFor the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When one contrasts the beginning of Joash\u2019s reign with the end, the difference is stark. For, he went from having such promise of a godly legacy, to deserting the God that, through his grace, preserved his life and allowed him to be put on the throne, leaving nothing but shame and disgrace in his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>SOLOMON<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When one looks at the story of Solomon, one would think surely, that he would not slip and he himself may have felt sure that he would not. After all, before he was born, God told his father David about him and gave the name that he was to be called and when he was born, the Word of God says that the Lord loved him. It was God\u2019s will that he be placed on the throne after David\u2019s reign and so, Solomon had a lot going for him. The Lord had even made some grand promises to David as to what he would do for his house, if they continued to faithfully serve him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1 Chronicles 22:8 and 9, when Solomon was young and tender and while David was still on the throne, he recounted to him what the Lord had told him even before he had been born, stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201c\u2026the word of the Lord came to me saying\u2026 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1 Chronicles 28: 5-7 and 9, David stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cAnd of all my sons, (for the Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day\u2026And thou, Solomon&nbsp; my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When Solomon eventually ascended the throne and was king, the Lord was pleased with the request that he made, when he asked him what he wished for him to grant him. Solomon, genuinely wanting to be a good king, asked the Lord for wisdom to rule the Lord\u2019s people, understanding the gravity of the role that had been entrusted to him. The Lord was so pleased with this selfless request, that he granted him wisdom plus riches and honour, so much so, that Candace the queen of Ethiopia felt compelled to come herself to see and hear about all that she had heard about Solomon\u2019s glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1 Kings 3:3, it states <em>\u201cAnd Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father&#8230;\u201d<\/em>. He took his responsibility before God, to the people, so seriously, that when God appeared to him in a dream by night and said, <em>\u201cAsk what I shall give thee\u201d,<\/em> Solomon said: <em>\u201cGive therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?\u201d( vs. 9).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In response, the Bible says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cAnd God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.\u201d (vs. 11-13)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, someone so wise, so loved and favoured by God and who had so much rooting for him, slipped. Through his love of women, the enemy worked and waited until he was down in age and vulnerable, to use the ungodly women that he had aligned himself with in love, to turn his heart away from God. So great was this turn, that even after the Lord appeared to him twice and commanded him about the issue, he remained disobedient, refusing to return. The Lord therefore decided to rend the kingdom from him, except for one tribe for David\u2019s sake and to give it to his servant, although he did it not in Solomon\u2019s day but his son\u2019s, for David\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1 Kings 11:1- 11, it states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>\u201cBut king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharoah, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not full after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for Davids thy father\u2019s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant\u2019s sake, and for Jerusalem\u2019s sake which I have chosen.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Typical of what occurs when one that was devout, slips and turns away from God, refusing to repent, the Lord then stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, in Hadad the Edomite (vs. 14) Solomon no longer had a peaceful reign therefore, as he had enjoyed prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even with Solomon\u2019s wisdom therefore and despite who his father was and the kind of solid foundation that he had in spiritual things, although he was chosen of God to be on the throne and for a while, served him well, through his achille\u2019s heel which was women and ungodly women, Solomon slipped from his steadfast walk with God in his old age, through those women\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This reminds us that the people that we align ourselves with in a relationship, can contribute to us being built up in our faith or broken down. They can be an edifying, godly influence or the opposite. They are in our lives either to lead us closer to God or away from him. Sadly, although Solomon clave to many ungodly women in love, they were not for his spiritual welfare. The enemy used them to drive a wedge between him and God and he waited patiently to do so until he had grown old, when his defences would be down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Age is therefore another avenue that the enemy sometimes uses to get God\u2019s people to slip. As we age, we must therefore ask God to keep us steadfast and devoted to him and that us growing old would not make us vulnerable to give in to the enemy\u2019s plan or make us complacent or our hearts to grow cold. This is probably why Ecclesiastes 12:1, admonishes people to <em>\u201cRemember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To prepare against old age, in our younger days, we must spend time in prayer and meditating on the Word of God, so that when we arrive at old age, if God should in his grace allow us to reach there, we would be grounded in the Word and in our faith, not wickedly departing from the right path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, wisdom is no guarantee that we will not slip. Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and he still slipped away from God and the slope of sin. How much we know and how long we have known it, is no defence of itself, against the devil\u2019s wiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>SAMSON<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson also had a promising start and was so preordained by God for his divine purposes, that one would think that he would never slip. He himself possibly came to that misconceived notion, given how reckless a life he lived. He seemed to take the fact that he had been created, called and chosen for a special purpose and equipped with an anointing for this purpose, for granted and sadly, as a consequence of his consistently poor decisions in relation to women, he slipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson was born to parents who had been visited by an angel of God, informing them that barrenness would no longer be the portion of his mother and that she would conceive and bare him. His name was chosen for him by God and so that is what they called him. The purpose that God had for bringing him into the world was also conveyed to them before he was even conceived and with special instructions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, Samson&#8217;s love of women, including ungodly women, was his downfall. Although he was <em>&#8220;&#8230;a Nazarite unto God from the womb&#8221; (Judges 13:5)<\/em> and therefore was expected to live a holy and separated life, he aligned himself with ungodly women and even got married to one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Judges 14:1-3 it reads of Samson&#8217;s stubbornness in having his own way when it came to these women:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>&#8220;And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This alignment later created a whole deal of trouble but Samson did not learn. Sometime after his wife and her father had been killed by the Philistines to take vengeance on him, he later went to Gaza and had sex with an harlot, where, had it not been for the Lord&#8217;s strength operating through him, he would surely have been captured when he was finished, by his enemies, who had laid wait all night for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, Samson did not learn that these escapades and encounters with ungodly women were costly. Judges  16:4 states, <em>&#8220;And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This marked the beginning of a so-called &#8216;relationship&#8217;, which led to Samson&#8217;s eventual demise, as Delilah who Samson dearly loved, did not love him back. She loved money and so agreed with his enemies to help get him captured for a payout. When Samson finally came to his senses, the spirit of the Lord had left him and so his special strength was gone, he was captured by his enemies and his eyes put out. They also gathered to give thanks to their false god while they make a mockery of him. Samson eventually repented and prayed to the Lord for his strength to requite them and God in his mercy granted him that strength but in destroying his enemies, Samson also lost his life in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, slipping can be dangerous. It can cost the Christian to lose everything, including his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>DAVID<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David, a man who God described as a man after his own heart (2 Samuel 13:14), slipped from his devoutness, allowing his flesh to put the thrill of sexual intimacy with a married woman, above God. This then led him to try to cover up his sin by killing the woman&#8217;s husband when she became pregnant and he could not get her husband to go home to her and sleep with her, so as to pass the baby off as his. God punished him for this by allowing the child which was born to die and many years later, although God forgave him David continued to reap the consequences as God told him he would, by problems rearing their head in his own family, as a result of his sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>UZZIAH<\/strong> SLIPPED<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uzziah slipped as he became so puffed up in his life of comfort where God was blessing him, that he thought he was important enough to go into the temple of the Lord to burn incense, although he knew this was only for the Priest&#8217;s office. The Word of God states of him &#8220;<em>And he did that which was right in the sight of the&nbsp;Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did.&#8221;<\/em> However, it later continues, <em>&#8220;But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;his God, and went into the temple of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;to burn incense upon the altar of incense&#8221; (2 Chronicles 26:16)<\/em>. As a result, God smote him with leprosy and he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hezekiah too, started off well and served the Lord as king but slipped. When he became king, the Word of God states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>&#8220;And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;his God.<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered&#8221; (2 Chronicles 31:20-21)<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Undoubtedly therefore, Hezekiah was off to a great and admirable start. He was committed to the Lord and his work and served him faithfully. However, as sometimes happens with some Christians, he began to get proud in heart and so the Lord&#8217;s wrath was upon him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One sure way of slipping and falling, is to allow one&#8217;s heart to fill up with pride. The Word of God states <em>&#8220;Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.&#8221; (Proverbs 16:18)<\/em>. 2 Samuel 22:28 also states of God, <em>&#8220;And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> When Hezekiah allowed pride to creep into his heart therefore, God&#8217;s eyes were upon him to bring him down but thankfully, he repented and found his way back to the Lord in humility. 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>&#8220;In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the&nbsp;Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.&#8221;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These seven accounts and others in the Bible are humbling to me, as it makes it clear that it is not impossible for me or any Christian to have reached to such a height, that we cannot slip. Great men of God did in the past and I am not exempt. No Christian is exempt. There is no threshold of spirituality that any of us pass while in this life, that graduates us from the tempting clutches of sin. Each day we will be tried, tested and tempted, by that which is within (our flesh) and those which are without (the world, the devil and his minions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The accounts above are therefore collectively, also a humbling reminder to us as Christians, that as we traverse this world below, we must be careful. We cannot afford to become complacent or to be lulled into sleep by pride, previous achievements, how much we &#8220;know&#8221; about spiritual matters or even by the fact that God has chosen us and has a mighty purpose and calling on our lives. None of us are immune to slipping and falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my own life, I have seen occasions where I have slipped. Even when I wasn&#8217;t aware of it and was naive, thinking myself to be wise, the enemy had waged war against me and was busily plotting for me to slip, hoping for my demise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The enemy is very subtle and he is always making advances, infiltrating subtly, so that you are not aware of it. Before you know it, if you are not watchful and prayerful, you have slipped. We must always be guarded therefore because our <em>\u201c\u2026adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.\u201d (1 Peter 5:8).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We must remain steadfast, remain dependent on almighty God and <em>\u201c\u2026we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.\u201d (Hebrews 2:1).<\/em> This means that we must spend time in the Word, meditate on it and apply it, obeying what it says and using it as the sword of the Spirit, which is what it is. It is one of our key weapons for resisting the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We must also remain prayerful, given that we do not have the power of ourselves to live a victorious life. We need the Lord Jesus Christ, moment by moment. We must therefore keep the channels of communication open and tap into his power and his presence and in addition to spending time in the Word, prayer is one effective means of doing this. David knew this. This was why in Psalm 17:5 he prayed, <em>&#8220;Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.&#8221;<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2 Samuel 22:37, having slipped but repented and received forgiveness from God and restoration into right fellowship with him, David sang a psalm of praise to the Lord, for how faithful he had been to him over the years. Specifically, he had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, including Saul and his own son Absalom. In this psalm, having learned to rely on God though all that he had been through, David boldly declared, in what may have been God&#8217;s answer to his prayer in Psalm, 17:5, <em>&#8220;Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.&#8221;(2 Samuel 22:37).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>(Written on 12th and 29th July, 2023)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be interesting, informative, beneficial or edifying, you may also be interested in reading the following<\/em> <em>under the &#8216;BROKEN Daughters&#8217; page:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Note 41 &#8211; &#8216;In Me Dwelleth No Good Thing&#8217;<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Also, under the &#8216;BIBLE-BELIEVING Daughters&#8217; page:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Note 137 &#8211; &#8216;Taking The Grace, Goodness and Spiritual Gifts Of God For Granted&#8217;<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(The Faith Forum Series &#8211; Batch 9) As Christians, no matter how long we have been in the light, we should never get so complacent, so comfortable, that we think that we could never be ambushed by the enemy of our souls, the devil. Don\u2019t ever think that you can\u2019t slip. Don\u2019t ever think that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/slip-fall-on-ice-400x245-1.jpg?fit=400%2C245&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12725"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12725"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12902,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12725\/revisions\/12902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regaldaughtersofgod.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}