Hebrews 2:1, 4 Warning Signs You May Be Drifting from Your Faith

“People do not drift toward Holiness,” wrote D. A. Carson.” We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.”

Dr. Carson is right. Faith doesn’t dissipate overnight or in a single moment. It gradually slips and drifts. Unintentionally and accidentally.

For this reason, the Bible urges Believers to “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1)

The imagery of “drifting” suggests a ship that has slipped its moorings and is carried off by the current. No storm or great wind is required; it happens gradually, by neglect. The same can happen spiritually. We don’t decide one day to quit the Lord, leave the church, and abandon our faith, but “without vigilance, we can find ourselves far from the harbor of truth.”

It’s so easy to become distracted by the demands of work, family obligations, paying the bills, the cares of life, as well as the pleasurable allure of our modern age. Thus, we must take personal responsibility for nurturing and guarding our faith.

Here are some warning signs that your faith may be drifting away.

1. Neglecting Time with God

Our two most significant connections to fellowship with the Father are talking to God through prayer and listening to God through reading His Word. However, when prayer becomes a burden rather than a blessing, and Bible reading becomes a ritualistic chore rather than a delight, our hearts will soon grow cold, and drifting away is inevitable.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8). Divine association will serve as an antidote to slipping and drifting spiritually.

2. Growing Cynicism Toward the Church.

It’s disheartening to hear fellow Christians often speak in such pejorative terms regarding the church–Christ’s church. The one He promised to build (Matt. 16:18), and the one bought with His blood (Ax 20:28).

Unfair, often unfounded criticism of the church leads to doubt, distrust, and even bitterness. Christians are not perfect. People make mistakes. Sadly, it may be even preachers and pastors who let you down. But the Lord will never let you down. Don’t give up on what God eternally purposed in Christ and is intended to demonstrate his “manifold wisdom,” because of the problems of other people (Eph. 3:10-11).

3. Moral Compromise

Our faith may falter not because of doubt but because of disobedience. When we tolerate sin, excuse it, and even engage in it, it erodes the foundation of our faith, our relationship with the Lord, and our own spiritual integrity. Compromising our convictions will lead us away from our commitment to Christ.

When we find ourselves drifting morally, may we pray with the Psalmist, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10).

4. Detachment from God’s People

An unknown author opined, “Faith flourishes in fellowship. Isolation is the enemy’s playground.” When we disengage from fellow Christians and isolate ourselves from fellowship, we cut ourselves off from encouragement that provides spiritual strength.

Even if you have not given up meeting together, are you actively involved in mutual encouragement? Stimulating one another in more profound love? And energizing each other to good works? (Heb. 10:24-25)

Undoubtably, there are many other warning signs of drifting, but if these sound uncomfortably familiar, now is the time to rekindle your faith, reignite your passion for the Lord, and pay closer attention to your spiritual health in the future.

If the thought that you currently are or could ever drift away from the faith sounds unlikely, consider the advice from these religious thinkers and writers.

“The great danger facing all of us is not that we shall renounce our faith, but that we shall become so involved in the world that we shall forget God and the higher callings of our lives.” (A. W. Tozer)

“It is not usually a great sin that ruins a man, but a long succession of little ones that drift him, by degrees, from the path of righteousness.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“The danger of drifting is not that you jump overboard, but that you quietly float away from Christ while still thinking you are on course.” (John Piper)

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman