How to Avoid the Danger of Drift

I remember the first time I went to the beach. I was about 11 years old and was there with my family. We lived far from the ocean so this was a new experience for all of us kids.

Before we headed to the water, our Uncle Roy warned us about the rip current that was present that day. This current would pull us out into the ocean if we were not careful. So we headed out into the surf! The waves were huge, crashing over our heads and as we were knocked down we felt the effect of the rip tide.

I continued to remember the dangers that were present and made sure that the waves and the tide did not cause me to be washed out to sea. After spending much time in the water, I looked up toward the beach. I was immediately alarmed. All the people I came with were nowhere to be seen! The beach was full of people but not my people. Finally, I spotted them about 50 yards up the beach. What happened?

I was aware of the waves and the rip tide but didn’t realize that in addition to this there was an ocean current that ran parallel to the beach that had slowly moved me down the beach away from my family.

This is frequently what happens to people in their spiritual lives. There are great dangers; gross immorality; clear evil and sin all around us. We remain vigilant against all these things but underneath there is a subtle current that drives people along without their being aware. Before long, if they look around, they find that they aren’t really where they are supposed to be.

How do we guard against the subtle drift?

There are few things you can do to keep you from drifting. Here are some helpful suggestions.

Keep looking up. Just as I could have saved myself some anxiety and fear by looking up continually to spot my family, so should we be intentionally looking to Jesus to make sure we are not drifting.

Stay with the group. Looking up together and staying with each other will strengthen everyone and keep us all on track.

Share the fun. Pass on the joy you have in following Jesus. When we pass on the joy we are aware of all the dangers – high waves, rip current and cross current – and so strengthen ourselves against them.

Stay vigilant. It is when we become complacent to the subtle that we get in trouble. By continually watching as Jesus told us, we can spot drift immediately and take action to get back on track. Vigilance is enhanced through prayer and Bible reading.

Be consistent. Consistently do all the things you need to do to grow and follow Jesus. Read your Bible daily, spend time in prayer, worship with other believers and avoid sin and temptation. Consistency will strengthen you against all the forces that try to make you drift.

Get help. Following Jesus is a group activity. Notice that when Jesus was on earth his disciples were with him – as a group. There was no solo activity. Even when Jesus sent them out, they went two by two. We all need help in this life. So get help when you need it and don’t be ashamed to admit it.

Get Serious

You can be strong in your spiritual life no matter what is happening to you so be encouraged. Encourage others today by passing this post along to your friends and family. It’s easy to pass the along by clicking on the social media icons you find below.