Reverting to Sinful Ways

 Most people act one way when they think others are watching them, but they act another way, when they think no one sees what they are doing. The same is true when there is an authority figure involved. Most people will conform to what the authority says, as long as they know they will get in trouble if they don't. They only act right because of an outward influence. Their actions don't come from their hearts. 

That is what happened during the time when God sent judges to lead His people out of bondage to their enemies. (Judges 2:19) It came to pass when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn ways. Reverting is a sign of heart problems.

When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there is a change of heart. We repent of our sins. We tell God that we know our sins are wrong, and we don't want to do them any more. We do not become perfect and without any sins, but we have the desire to go God's way, not our own way. If we revert back to our old ways after a while, we were not converted by having that change of heart.

We need to be honest with the Lord and with ourselves, if we find ourselves reverting back to old beliefs and our old ways. We need to make sure we truly were changed by the power of the Spirit when we trusted Jesus, and He really changed our heart. Then, if we are saved, and we repent of certain sins, only to revert to them after some time, we did not really repent. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. When we really repent, we will not revert. 

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 3-5.