We live in an hour where many are giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. The enemy plans to cause people to drift away from their walk with God neglecting their salvation. For the rest of your life, you are going to find yourself in situations where there are going to be people who are influenced by the devil and want you to drift from the things of God. Allow me to give you six safeguards that will keep you from drifting in your relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 2:1-4 says, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

1. GIVE EARNEST HEED TO THE THINGS YOU HAVE HEARD

If you desire to be spiritually healthy where you can tell hell you are shifting from drifting then you must give earnest heed to the things you have heard. You know the truth! You know what the Word of God says in comparison to what people seem to think is ok. There is a clear call to take heed of what you have heard and you know what the Gospel says. The word heed in Greek means to actually pay attention and not neglect your salvation. It means that it is necessary and inevitable, it is our duty and is proper to pay attention to our salvation. It not only means to pay attention, but to beware, be cautious, and devote yourself to what you have heard. If you are not paying attention to the truth that you heard that prepared the way to salvation, how can you keep from drifting?  

The word drift in Greek means to flow by and slip away.  It carries the meaning of being lost, perishing, or falling away. It also means to drift past your destination because the current is carrying you. Many are falling away from the faith in America and across the globe and are now presenting a false gospel drifting past the destination of truth because they failed to continue to pay attention to what God said.  

2. CONFRONT ALL UNBELIEF IN YOUR HEART

Hebrews 3:12 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Another spiritual safeguard that will keep you from drifting is to confront unbelief in the heart immediately. As soon as hell wants you to compromise your belief in heaven or hell or the kingdom of hell wants you to second guess your salvation or whether or not Christ is the way, you must repent of unbelief. Satan will bring those thoughts and you must take authority over them. If the enemy ever convinces you to stop believing that there are consequences to sin then you are on the verge of drifting from the living God.

3. EXHORT ONE ANOTHER

Hebrews 3:13 says, “Exhort one another daily.” This means to encourage one another, admonish one another, comfort, and console one another. It is extremely important to exhort another as a safeguard against drifting. Everyone needs people in their life that can exhort them as a safeguard against drifting. 

The word exhort is powerful because it means to urge, encourage, call on, enjoin, adjure, charge, try to persuade, press, pressure, put pressure on, use pressure on, pressurizes, lean on, push; egg on, spur, incite, appeal to, entreat, implore, beseech; advise, counsel, admonish, warn. The body of Christ must be willing to warn and put pressure on one another when we see a brother or sister in Christ drifting from the things of God.

4. FEAR THE LORD AND WALK BY FAITH 

Hebrews 4:1-3 says, “Therefore since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

If we are going tell hell we are shifting from drifting then we must remember that in Christ there is first and foremost a promise of eternal rest. This world is exhausting. Everything in it tries to keep our hearts from being at rest but in Christ, there is an eternal rest as long as we do not drift into this world. The Word of God is clear that there is a promise that remains of entering into His rest which is the eternal rest or eternal life. However, we must fear lest we seem to come short of it. To fear means that we must be on guard against spiritual failure so that we do not miss God’s eternal rest. We must fear the lord and mix faith with the Word of God so that we find eternal rest. 

5. LET US BE DILIGENT 

Hebrews 4:11-12 says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

There is a false gospel that has people convinced as they drift away that there is nothing they have to worry about. The Word of God calls every believer to be diligent to enter that rest. The word diligence in Greek means that God has called you to make speedy commitments to the things of God. Are you willing to live your life fervently where you are willing to make speedy commitments to whatever God asks you to do?  

6. KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS 

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”   If you are going to live a life that tells hell you are shifting from drifting then you must keep your eyes on Jesus Christ. We must lay aside every sin that ensures us. The word ensnares means that sin will try to encircle you, surround you, and easily distract you. When sin encircles, surrounds, and distracts you then you have entered into a state of drifting. The Word of God is clear that you must look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of your faith. The word look in Greek means to look from all else. You cannot look at Jesus and fix your eyes on the storm in your life or you will begin to drift. As long as Peter looked at Jesus he could walk on the water but as soon as he looked at the storm he began to sink.

Avoiding spiritual drifting will require that you keep your eyes on Jesus and nothing else.