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How to Minimize, or even Avoid Backsliding

by Angel Jr. Ancheta  
9/13/2010 / Christian Living

Backsliding is a very familiar and often frustrating event. As Christians, we need to examine it carefully, if we are ever going to have a chance to counter it effectively.

Backsliding represents an accumulation of insidious, harmless-looking temptations, with each one making us more and more vulnerable to further attacks. And almost without realizing it, we inevitably slide. Just like the constant dripping of water eroding a rock, so is our commitment also eroded.

But why are we so easily defeated by this gradual series of temptations? There are 3 main reasons:

A) We are creatures of comfort we naturally want convenience and pleasure. God made us this way, but it is often pushed beyond the limits He sets for us.

B) Our sin nature we are naturally disobedient to God. We inherited this from Adam. Thus we should not be surprised of our own rebellious nature to His commands.

C) We are easily smothered by life Everyday concerns can make us feel "detached" to godly concerns, even though it's a mistake. I mean, God is the source of our work, our family, friends, and life. But it does happen. Remember the parable of the farmer sowing seeds on different soils?

These three are innate facts of our human condition, and the combinations of these factors are almost a guarantee that we will fall. I'm sure you've experienced how easy they make it for the devil to tempt us.

Having gone through this painful process countless of times, to my mind there is only one real solution:

The formation of good, solid habits.

Why habits? Because I believe it is the closest thing we have to a permanent cure for backsliding. We cannot change our human nature, true, but through habits, we can do things that are not normally in our nature, and without thinking about it too.

But which habits? I am no expert, but there are five very effective ones you can try:

A) Frequent, HONEST prayer We must talk to God whenever we are tempted, and confess every desire that we have. Absolutely no self-denials allowed. The minute we deny that we are being tempted, we WILL be backsliding again. If you're not sure you are facing a temptation, pray to God anyway to gain His wisdom.

B) Regular Bible study Many Christians prefer listening to sermons than studying the Bible, but I believe this process is non-negotiable. Why? Because backsliding typically involves gray areas, or things we are not sure of being biblical or not. Thus we are easily convinced that a certain action is harmless, and then we begin to slide again.

For this reason, we need to ingrain the Word as deeply as we can into our hearts and minds, and only serious, personal studying will do this. Also, many temptations happen when we neglect Bible study, as I'm sure some will have observed already.

In short, just study even when you don't feel inspired, and even when it seems mechanical. Making this process a habit will soon take much of the tedium and pain away.

C) Regular accountability Having a good Christian friend with whom we can talk our hearts out will help tremendously. It's easy to lie to ourselves. But a friend who can keep secrets, who is interested in our relationship with Christ, and who can ask us blunt, pointed questions will keep us honest. Just try not to lie to your friend, too, or it will not work.

D) Maintaining a STRICT schedule This is another non-negotiable habit. We MUST plan to give time for God, and to do the other things we just discussed above. And we MUST follow it, regardless of the "consequences". It is so easy to fool ourselves that we have better things to do. I know. But neglecting to follow through with our plans for God begins the process of backsliding.

E) Celebrate little victories This is also known as positive reinforcement. Whenever we win over little temptations, celebrate! The more we associate doing these habits with fun and joy, the easier they will be to continue doing. Of course, NEVER let down your guard while celebrating. Don't celebrate with wantonness and reckless abandon. Simple, little rewards are the way to go, along with a prayer of thanks.


Experts have said that it takes 30 times of doing a certain thing to transform it into a habit. It is a hard, but worthy investment in my opinion. And after it becomes a habit, it only needs minimal effort to keep on doing.

Prayer, Study, Accountabiliy, Planning, and Celebration. These five habits don't make us any less vulnerable to temptation, but when we develop all of them, they WILL give us a significant edge when the evil day comes.

I pray for your victory soon, friend.

Angel Ancheta Jr.
34 year old male, married, no children
Lives in the Philippines

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