How to Avoid Drifting Away From God

Mayday!

A sailor’s simple mistake, like forgetting to drop anchor before going belowdecks, can result in catastrophe.

Left unsecured, a boat begins to drift, carried by winds, waves, currents or tides. The movement can start slowly, almost imperceptibly. But gradually, perhaps while the sailor sleeps, the boat could float far off course or into perilous waters where a rock could suddenly rip open the hull!

A ship could be lost if allowed to drift long enough.

This seems like an easy disaster to avoid. But a sailor who anchors his ship 99 times out of 100 can still lose everything the one time he forgets.

On the sea, drifting will eventually bring disaster.

The same is true in our spiritual lives.

Hebrews 2:1 warns about drifting away from God: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

It is possible to drift away from God. To avoid it, we must understand what spiritual drift is and how it begins.

What is spiritual drift and how does it happen?

Spiritual drift isn’t usually obvious at first. Like a boat floating from shore one inch at a time, drifting from God happens slowly.

The Greek word for “lest we drift away” in Hebrews 2:1 is pararuōmen. It means to flow by or slip away. It does not necessarily imply a direct action to cause drifting. Inaction is the root cause.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible elaborates on this verse: “It needs not great sins to destroy the soul. Simple ‘neglect’ will do it as certainly as atrocious crimes.”

Neglect.

Like the sailor who neglects to anchor his ship, a Christian who neglects to firmly anchor himself or herself in God’s way of life will drift. It may start slowly, but it will bring disaster if it’s not addressed.

What does neglect look like?

It often begins with failing to maintain the most basic elements of Christian life. Prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting and fellowship all exist to help us grow spiritually.

These practices require consistent effort to maintain. Effort is the antithesis of drifting.

According to Merriam-Webster.com, “drift” can mean “to move along a line of least resistance.”

The path of least resistance is naturally alluring to us. Unlike complacency, resistance is hard.

It’s easier to skip morning prayer than to pause for a few minutes before heading to work.

It’s easier to neglect Bible study than to make time for God’s Word every day.

It’s easier not to do some things and it’s hard not to do other things. But in our relationship with God, we can’t afford to take the path of least resistance.

The dangers of spiritual drift

Hebrews 2:3 asks a sobering question: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

Neglect and complacency lead to dangerous waters that can wreck us if we don’t reverse course.

This world is under the sway of Satan, our enemy, so its pulls take us away from God and His way. The path of least resistance gradually drains our zeal for God’s way of life. When we lack zeal, we lose the drive to improve.

If we stop progressing on the course God has set for us, it becomes even harder to get started again, and the negative currents pull us further from God’s way. Eventually, we could even lose the ability to discern right from wrong.

Spiritual drift can rip us away from our calling. If left unaddressed, it will keep us from enjoying the glorious blessings that God promises to His children. Hebrews 5:14 states that we grow in discernment “by reason of use.” If we don’t use our God-given senses, we’ll gradually lose the ability to do so. Like a muscle, discernment atrophies when left unexercised.

Little compromises—missed prayer here, rushed Bible study there—become deep spiritual problems. Sins sneak into our lives. We may neglect other important duties, like attending church services or tithing.

Many drifters fail to recognize their peril. They become like the “lukewarm” church in Laodicea, which believed it was spiritually well-off, but was really “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

Lukewarm Christianity is extremely dangerous. It quenches the Holy Spirit and its influence, which is supposed to help us grow as Christians. Paul warns against allowing this in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 and 1 Timothy 4:14.

If the Holy Spirit is in you, then you have an immensely special calling. To neglect that calling is to risk having it taken away. An individual in that position even risks losing eternal life (Hebrews 6:4-6).

We can’t afford to be nonchalant about drifting. It is quite literally a matter of life and death.

How to cure (and avoid) spiritual drift

The best strategy to avoid spiritual shipwreck is to avoid drifting altogether.

We drift from God when we aren’t paying proper attention to our relationship with Him. If we remain diligent and firmly rooted in His Word, we will catch signs of drifting early and pull ourselves back on course.

Hebrews 2:1 tells us to avoid drifting by giving “the more earnest heed to the things we have heard.” In other words, pay attention! Catch signs of drifting before they become more serious problems.

The earlier drifting is caught, the easier it is to fix. The further we are from the course God has mapped out for us, the greater the energy it takes to return to safe waters.

If you’ve already discovered signs of spiritual drift in your life, it isn’t too late! Several “anchors” can stop us from straying too far.

1. Repentance. If God seems far away, remember He never moves. Upon realizing you have drifted, you’ll likely discover that you’ve also allowed certain sins to bleed into your life. (Failing to properly maintain our relationship with God is itself sinful, judging by the principle of James 4:17.) Repent, ask for God’s forgiveness and move forward.

2. Maintaining the basics. If you’ve neglected basic aspects of Christianity, the fix is simple: If you’re not praying, pray; if you’re not studying your Bible, study. This may require restructuring your daily schedule and building healthier spiritual habits. These practices may appear less significant compared to other parts of Christian life, but “he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). The fundamentals will make or break your spiritual life.

3. Staying close to the Church. Like an anchor that keeps a ship in a safe harbor, God’s Church keeps Christians rooted in place. This is why we must not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25). God’s true Church can help us stay levelheaded and focused, not following “every wind of doctrine,” as Ephesians 4:14 warns. Those who drift wherever the wind goes are more likely to end up in dangerous waters.

4. Self-examination. With some introspection, Christians can recognize their own strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on where you have gone off-course in the past and plan to avoid similar deviations in the future. If you find consistent weaknesses that threaten your relationship with God, develop specific strategies to avoid or combat them as necessary.

If you discover that you’re drifting from God, do anything and everything in your power to reverse course. This is about more than saving a boat set adrift. Your eternal life is at stake.

In Matthew 5:29, Jesus uses graphic imagery to underline this point: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”

Of course, our eyes and hands don’t cause us to sin—it’s our heart and mind that we must truly cleanse through repentance. Sin must be removed! (See more about how to understand this passage in our article “If Your Right Eye Causes You to Sin, Pluck It Out.”)

God is long-suffering and patient to forgive, but He also takes our calling seriously. We must too.

Remain firmly anchored to God

As Christians, it’s our responsibility to remain firmly anchored to God and His way of life. This is a lifelong responsibility we can’t afford to neglect.

Spiritual drift can rip us away from our calling. If left unaddressed, it will keep us from enjoying the glorious blessings that God promises to His children.

Don’t let it happen to you. Put in the effort to remain firmly fixed in the truth. Anchor yourself on the sure ground of God, and you will not drift away.