He Can Keep Us From Falling
Recently, I have been sobered by the reality that it is possible to fall away from Christ even after loving and serving Him previously. The genuine experiences that we had in a loving, trusting relationship with Jesus yesterday are not going to ensure that we will walk with Him today. I have been shocked, saddened and amazed by seeing people who used to work for the Lord turn their backs on Him and become VERY different people. This is true. This has really happened...and it could happen to you and me too, but it does not have to!! God does not lie, and He has told us that He is able to keep us from falling.
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 24-25
I believe God's promises, and I believe that His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths. (Psalm 199:105 ) As I looked into God's word for answers, the Lord helped me to see what you and I can do to put ourselves in a position where God has permission to keep us from falling. I hope that this study will encourage and strengthen your faith as it has mine.
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1. We must guard our hearts and choose to think about the things that God wants us to think about."Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
These verses make it clear that it is important for us to be mindful about the things that we are thinking about. Many of us have probably heard the saying; "you are what you eat". This is also true spiritually speaking. If we think about bad things, how can we expect to do good things?
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matthew 12:34
If we want God to help us not to fall, we must cooperate with Him by choosing to guard our hearts against those things which are wrong and to instead fill our minds with pure thoughts.
2. We cannot willfully walk outside of God's will and expect Him to keep us from falling.
Early in his reign as king, King Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom and God blessed him with this gift in abundance. (1 Kings 3:5-12 and 1 Kings 4:5-15 .) Solomon was a wise, godly king who used his gift of wisdom to bless many people. The book of Proverbs, which is a book full of wisdom, was written by King Solomon.
However, after Solomon disobeyed one of God's commands, he became a very different man. The results of his disobedience were terrible.
"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, 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...
And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father."1 King 11:1-4 and 6
The fact that you or I have genuinely had an experience with God in the past will not guarantee that we will always walk with Him. We all make choices. It is a mistake to believe that God will keep us from falling when we are choosing to do things that we know He has asked us not to do. God is looking for our surrender and cooperation. He will not force us to stay with Him.
Thankfully, Solomon did finally repent and come back to God, but his heart was scarred from the bad things that he had done. King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes after he repented. I especially appreciate the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. In this chapter, King Solomon reminds us that knowing God really is the best and most important part of life.
Testimonies of people who have loved God, fallen away from God and then come back to God give us hope and encouragement. This being said, the best testimony that someone can have is the testimony of choosing God every day of his or her life and never falling away from Him. Jesus is able to keep us from falling! Jude 24
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3. Life's traumas and disappointments do not have to shake us out of God's hands.
When godly Job suffered severe loss, trauma and disappointment- all in a very short space of time, he immediately fell on his face and prayed to God.
"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." Job 1:20-22
If you read through the entire book of Job, you will be able to see that Job never cursed God and he never left God. In Job 42, we can see that God richly blessed His faithful child and helped him to become prosperous and happy again. Job had not been shaken out of God's hands by the severe trials and disappointments that he had gone through. He loved God for Who He Is and was determined to serve Him no matter what.
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." Job 13:15
"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:8-12
The main takeaways that I see from Job's experience are the following: in order to go through traumatic and disappointing situations without losing faith in God, we must instantly and earnestly pray to God when we even feel tempted to leave Him. Then, we must meditate on what we know about His loving character, and we must remind ourselves of the deep, rich and beautiful satisfaction that we have found in our relationships with Him.
I believe it if we do this, God will eventually reveal Himself and His deep care for us again, as He did for Job, and we will be stronger and better off for having been through whatever traumas and disappointments we have been through.
I myself have been going through a difficult and disappointing year, but I love Jesus very much and all that I am going through is bringing me closer to Him. I know that I will not be and cannot be pulled out of His arms without my consent. I am choosing to cling to Jesus with all of my might and I know that, as I continue to do this, Jesus is clinging to me even harder than I can ever cling to Him.
"For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." Isaiah 50:7
4. Jesus is our perfect example. He went through so much while on earth, and He never even once left His Father or His mission.
If you read Isaiah 53, which is a Messianic prophecy, you will see that Jesus suffered very much throughout His life, and yet that "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied..." Isaiah 53:11
When Jesus was in Gethsemane, shortly before He went to the cross, He had a terrible, highly traumatic and very emotional experience. The separation that He felt from His Father was so severe that He sweated blood. (Luke 22:44) Even so, in the midst of this terrible trauma, Jesus prayed earnestly, surrendered to His Father's will and committed to fulfill His mission.
God the Father gave His Son Jesus the strength that He needed to endure His unjust and unfair trial and subsequent crucifixion. Jesus was also motivated to fulfill His mission no matter what by the joyful thought of the human beings who would be saved as a result of His selfless work of love and redemption.
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2
In this same chapter in Hebrews, the apostle Paul invites us to be encouraged by the example of Jesus, so that we do not have to give up in discouragement.
"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."Hebrews 12:3
The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, also penned these incredible, encouraging words:
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
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Recently, in the midst of a difficult moment filled with tears, I realized that nothing was more valuable to me than my relationship with Jesus.
Since I wasn't walking closely with Jesus during the most prosperous and carefree seasons of my life, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that what I had then was not nearly as good as what I have now, even though my life is harder.
There is a certain sweetness about Jesus' companionship and there is a certain peace and openness that you can experience when you have a clear conscience because you are walking with Him. Even during dark times in my life when God has seemed so distant, I have had a mysterious hope and a tenacious desire to cling to the One who has done more for me than I have ever been able to do for myself.
It thrills me to know that there is absolutely no reason for me to doubt God's ability to keep me from falling. He says that He is able to and He does not lie. As long as I choose to surrender to and cooperate with Him, He will never drop me.
I have seen God show up for me and sustain me during some of the darkest and most helpless moments of my life. He has helped me to endure many disappointments and many other struggles; Instead of having these experiences drive me far from Him, I have actually come to love and trust Him more as a result of them.
Even if I knew that I would never have a pleasant and easy life, I would be content to just have the knowledge of His deep interest in and love for me. I have found that although anything and anyone in my life can change, Jesus has never and will never change. He will never be far from me unless I choose to drive Him away...and why would I do such a thing?! He is my everything and He is a joy to be with.
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There is every reason why you too can be confident that God will keep you in a saving relationship with Himself as long as you are surrendering to and cooperating with Him daily. Courage!
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 24-25
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