When we decided to follow Jesus, we also abandoned certain destructive habits. But what if our old friends come back to visit us? How to stay the course?
Before knowing Jesus, Carla was a regular at clubs. Every Saturday night she was on the dance floor, drunk and searching for momentary pleasures. This life of debauchery destroyed her little by little, and it was while passing close to death that she met her Savior. Overnight, she changed her group of friends, her wardrobe, and her Saturday night plans. She was baptized and became passionately involved in service to her church. But now, in a family celebration, her cousins decide to revive their youth by playing the same songs that made Carla dance in her old life. Her shoulders start to move, her thoughts bring back good memories, and she starts to smile. Then she panics! She doesn’t want to like these songs, lest she falls back into the same state she was in her past. She is afraid of losing her salvation and becoming a slave again.
Many Christians, at some point in their lives experience this fear of falling back into their past. That is a temptation that should not be trivialized. There will always be a time when our old demons will want to come back to haunt us. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43-45 ESV). To avoid any backtracking, some Christians shun all references to the past. They will prevent all outings and refuse to chat with their old friends. It is a good defense, but it is also possible to live in victory without eliminating any memory of our past.
We need other sources of pleasure If you had a lot of fun dancing in the clubs but now you don’t do anything else that is fun, you will be very tempted to go back to the clubs. God has nothing against dancing! If you love to dance, keep doing it, but only choose a healthier environment with better company. Find new hobbies, take classes, etc. There are many ways to have fun without denying our faith.
Do not doubt your salvation if the desire returns Just because your flesh is tempted doesn’t mean you’ve lost your salvation! As long as we are in this world, we will be tempted. Therefore the ideal is to prepare ourselves to resist temptations. We must take care of our soul by nourishing it daily with the Word of God. When the thoughts come back to our heads, we just have to remember what God saved us from. “Yes, I had a lot of pleasure, but I had a lot of pain too, and glory to God that He delivered me from it.”
Good days and bad days When circumstances are difficult around us, we are most at risk of falling back into bad habits because we seek a little comfort, a pleasure, to lift our spirits. Certain dates can also trigger our desires. Therefore it is good to prepare a defense system for these “bad days” and establish new healthy ways to take care of ourselves.
Keep the joy of our salvation David knew very well that if our heart remains in the joy of our salvation, it will be easier to resist the pleasures of the past. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalms 51:12 ESV). If our Christian life is getting boring, we need to wake up and change that. The Holy Spirit wants to help us rediscover the joy of our salvation.
Our past is a testimony of God’s grace. If moments from the past come back to visit you, take the opportunity to remind yourself of the goodness of God. Where He brought you out from, and celebrate where you are now. We don’t have to fear our past but rather use it as a tool to glorify God.