Spiritual Decline happens slowly

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Romans 12:11 Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Spiritual erosion happens slowly but surely, like water cutting a channel through rock. By mid-thirties, the believer who started out with zeal in adolescence is on the verge of complacency. The heart once stirred by the Scriptures is now indifferent to them.

Such decline happens so subtly that you are often unaware of its deadly work. It usually comes through these almost imperceptible means:

A gradual shift from devotion to performance. Christ commended the church at Ephesus for their ceaseless labour but admonished them for neglecting their “first love” (Rev. 2:4 NASB). Spiritual attrition is inevitable when your passion for Christ becomes secondary to your deeds.

A gradual change from commitment to convenience. Faithfulness in little things is the stuff disciples are made of. When your relationship with Christ is structured to fit into your tidy agenda, spiritual decline sets in. Christ demands your all—both in season and out of season. You will not move on to spiritual maturity if you keep making excuses for not wanting to know God.

A gradual change from repentance to tolerance of sin. As your love for and commitment to Christ wanes, condoning your sins becomes easier than repenting them. Such sins then establish strongholds in your life and frustrate your growth.


Father, I pause right now to examine my life. Is my focus on devotion or performance? Am I more concerned with convenience than commitment? Am I increasingly tolerant of sin?


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