Impact Magazine

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BACKSLIDING - PART 2 (PETER)

(7 SYMPTOMS OF BACKSLIDING)

BY ‘MUYIWA OMOLE 

In the first part of this study, we looked at the downward slide of Lot from covenant to destruction. We saw him in light of the first verse in the book of Psalms. We saw how Lot WALKED, STOOD and eventually SAT in the “ways of sinners.”

The Bible tells us that “…all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition… (I Corinthians 10:11). The essence of this study is for us find our picture in the word and make corrections where required.

Today, I will like us to study the life of Peter, with emphasis on HOW he fell. What are the symptoms of backsliding as we can see in the life of Peter? The 7 points here are mainly gleaned from Matthew chapter 26, which talks about the arrest and crucifixion of Christ. I encourage you to read the whole account to be able to grasp the lessons therein.

1.      PRIDE

Peter answered and said unto him,

Though all men shall be offended because of thee,

yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him,

Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow,

thou shalt deny me thrice.

Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee,

yet will I not deny thee.

Likewise also said all the disciples.

Matthew 26:33: 35 

Pride (self-confidence or over-confidence) is the beginning of backsliding. Some people think they have been born again for so long that they cannot backslide. The very thought that you cannot fall is actually the first sign that you are about to.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 

…let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.  

 I Corinthians 10:12

Please know it that ANYBODY can backslide:

·         Noah was backslidden when he got drunk.

·         Abraham was backslidden when he lied about Sarah.

·         Lot was backslidden when he moved into Sodom.

·         Samson was backslidden when he lay in the bosom of a harlot and again when he laid his head in the lap of Delilah.

·         David was backslidden when he committed adultery with Bathsheba; tried to deceitfully cover it up and had her husband killed in battle.

So do not let the enemy deceive you.

2.      PRAYERLESSNESS

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep,

and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:

the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying,

O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me,

except I drink it, thy will be done.

And he came and found them asleep again:

for their eyes were heavy.

Matthew 26:40 -43.

This sin of prayerlessness was a direct result of Peter's first sin of self-confidence. When the disciples accompanied Jesus to the Mount of Olives, He specifically instructed Peter, James, and John to pray (Luke 22:40). But they fell asleep. They failed in praying. If they weren't so full of self-confidence, I am sure they would have been praying. That happens to us too. D.L. Moody or A. W. Tozer ( I am not sure now) said,”you cannot pray and sin and you cannot sin and pray.” Prayer puts us on fire and makes passion available for the things of God.

Why was Jesus able to pray here and the disciples were not? Why were they comfortable when the Son of Man was in a defining moment just few metres away? Simple: “… for their eyes were heavy.”   The burden was in their eyes when it was supposed to be in their heart. What is the condition of your heart? The things that used to give you burden to pray, do they still move you?

3.      SLEEPING

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep,

and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:

the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying,

O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me,

except I drink it, thy will be done.

And he came and found them asleep again:

for their eyes were heavy.

Matthew 26:40 -43.

The next thing we saw Peter doing here was that he was sleeping. When you become comfortable and complacent, when fire stops on the altar of your prayer life and you begin to take study of the word lightly, backsliding is setting in. Check your craving for fellowship with God and your passion for the things you used to do for the kingdom.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,

as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1Peter 5:8.

4.      REVERTING TO THE FLESH

And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand,

and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's,

and smote off his ear.

Matthew 26:51

This “one of them” was Peter (See John 18:10).

It is interesting to see this account from the perspective of Luke. Luke 22:49, 50 says, “When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them (Peter) smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.” In other words, some of the other apostles were thinking about drawing their swords, but they thought it best to ask the Lord if that was OK.      But Peter did not wait to hear from the Lord, he just pulled out his sword and chopped the man’s right ear off.

One of the ways we can tell if we are backsliding is that we try to solve problems in the flesh, in other words not allowing God to intervene. We begin to lean on our own understanding and revert to the ways we used to handle matters before we came to Christ.

5.      FOLLOWING FROM AFAR

But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace,

Matthew 26:58a

 Peter stays far enough away so as not to be identified with Him. Peter was unprepared for facing ridicule and persecution. Except we take heed we too can become guilty of cowardice. Following from afar can manifest in being ashamed to be seen carrying a Bible, ashamed to be seen witnessing, ashamed to be seen with other Christians, even being ashamed to let others know that we are Christians. It also manifest in isolation. When you begin to isolate yourself, you begin to drift away from the folk.

Hear how Greg Laurie put this point: "Do you ever watch those nature programs where the lion will go after a certain animal? It is always an antelope that is about 10 feet behind the pack that gets picked off. In the same way in our lives, when we are at a distance from God's people, when we are at a distances from the church, when we are at a distance from God, we know that trouble will ensue and it sure did for Simon Peter."

James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” 

6.      SITTING WITH THE ENEMY.  (WORLDLINESS).

But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace,

and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.  

Matthew 26:58

Does that remind you of Lot? From drifting the backslider becomes more comfortable in the midst of unbelievers. These were the servants of the High Priest, who at that moment was an enemy of Christ. But Peter was comfortable sitting in their midst. That is a serious symptom of backsliding. He was trying to fit in, trying to blend in, whenever we try to blend into the world, whenever we try to fit into the world, we are backslidden.

We are in the world but we should not be of the world!

Let’s see this from the account of Luke to learn more:

Then took they him, and led him,

and brought him into the high priest's house.

And Peter followed afar off.

And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall,

and were set down together,

Peter sat down among them.

Luke 22:54, 55

Peter is seen here sitting with the servants of the High Priest and warming himself by the fire.  Ashamed to be seen with Christ, it becomes easy to mingle with those of the world and enjoy their comforts.  But one cannot be "comforted by the fire" of the world, and not be "burned!"
      A sign of backsliding or a state of your relationship with the Lord can be seen in your association. The Bible says we should “…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

    By the time we become "friends with the world," it is only a short time before we take the next and final step of backsliding...

7.      OPENLY DENYING CHRIST

But he denied before them all, saying,

I know not what thou sayest.

And when he was gone out into the porch,

 another maid saw him,

and said unto them that were there,

This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

And again he denied with an oath,

I do not know the man.

And after a while came unto him they that stood by,

 and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them;

for thy speech betrayeth thee.

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying,

I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus,

 which said unto him,

Before the cock crow,

thou shalt deny me thrice.

And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:70-75

The saddest and final step is when the backslider denies the Lord Jesus Christ.  Three times, and with strong oaths and curses upon his lips, did Peter deny our Lord – just as our Lord had warned him he would.

His continue backslidden ways had lead him to a complete denial that he had known Jesus! That’s what happens to person who stays backslidden, you cannot even see any evidence that they had ever know the Lord or ever followed Him!

You can see that backsliding does not start overnight. There are symptoms.  . Peter started backsliding little by little.  At any stage of this downward movement you find yourself you can repent today and return to the Lord.

In the next lesson we are going to see the roadmap to restoration. We will learn how we can travel from the state of backsliding to the position of blessing. The good news is that this was not the end of Peter. He bounced back from out denying Christ to becoming a prominent preacher of the gospel. As a matter of fact he later gave us some of the antidotes to these symptoms in his letters. It means you can rise too. Dust yourself off and return to the Lord. His arms are opened wide.