Do you feel like you’ve lost something? Or do you feel this emptiness inside? It’s probably part of the indications of your lack of God. As Christians, after salvation, we’re changed and we go through a long process of transformation to bring transformation to this dying world.
In the process of doing that, many things happen; life happens and we are swept away so quickly. This certainly doesn’t just happen without some warning signs. These signs indicate a progression of your turning away from God after salvation.
I believe that after your salvation experience, God creates a space in you that only Him can fill. When you ignore your relationship with Him, you slowly feel lost, irritated and paranoid. This is a constant.
Let’s see more signs that show that you’re turning away from God after salvation experience. P.S. I’ve not written this to point accusing fingers at you, it’s just for you to realize these signs and make amends. Let’s get into this quickly.
What is Turning Away from God after Salvation
As important as it is to know the signs that you’re turning away from God, it’s also important to know what it means to turn away from God after salvation.
What is turning away from God after salvation? It’s simply ignoring Him and making Him of less importance concerning your life after your salvation experience. God loves you and has proved it by sending His son to die for your sins.
When you refuse to take advantage of Christ’s sacrifice and build a viable relationship with God as He expects, then, you’re turning away from God.
What happens if you turn your back on God? The enemy takes advantage of it to cause you pain and trouble. Having realized what it means to turn away from God, you’ve got to be sure you’re not doing that.
The following signs will tell you if you’re turning away from God after salvation. Come with me.
1. Praying less: Prayer is a basic means of communication between you and God. Neglecting this art will mean that you’ve left communicating with God.
The bible has instructed that you should pray without ceasing. This means that you should communicate with God without ceasing. Imagine a marriage where you get to communicate with your spouse once in two weeks; it’s certainly not a good sign, right?
It’s the same thing when you’re relating with God. God’s primary intention is to have a relationship with His children and He has made this possible by introducing the art of prayer as the means.
When activities replace your time for prayer, it indicates that you’re turning away from God after salvation.
2. Neglecting God’s Word: When you experience salvation, you’re introduced to God’s word as His primary method of speaking to you, giving you instructions, transforming you, among many others.
God’s word is primarily instructional and coupled with prayer; it’s the basic means of dialogue and building a relationship with God. An indication that you’re turning away from God after salvation is when you neglect His word.
This is not one thing, rather, it’s many things. Neglecting God’s word can start from skipping your alone-time with Him, paying less attention to His promptings within you, and even disobeying the commandments of the scriptures.
3. Avoiding the fellowship of the brethren: After Christ Jesus left this world, He ensured He left a community of people who are called, ‘The Church.’ The church comprises believers, and it’s a community that fosters a good relationship with God. The church is a place for your transformation.
When you allow circumstances or activities to take you far from the church, your relationship with God suffers the brunt. You no longer find other disciplines that’ll help your relationship with God as interesting.
Avoiding the fellowship of the brethren is a major sign of turning away from God after salvation.
4. Going back to your vomit: At a particular point in my life, I slowly delved into activities I was done with; I partied, hanged out with old friends, and drank. When it was going to dawn on me, I’d already started an ungodly relationship.
You see, when you become a believer, you let go of some attitudes, friends, and actions. You change gradually, and the reference for your change is Christ. This is God’s design.
If you start noticing that you’re slowly going back to those things you left, you’re probably turning away from God after salvation.
The consequences of what happened to me were that I lost my peace, and I couldn’t pray anymore. I never knew I’d left God along the way. This caused a lot of pain and I learned from it.
5. You don’t witness anymore: God has saved you to preach the gospel of salvation to others. This is your primary duty as a believer in Christ. When Jesus was about to ascend, He left the church with a mandate to evangelize the world (Matthew 28:19). This mandate stands irrespective of the happenings around you.
Doing this brings you closer to God among other things. Evangelism is God’s heartbeat, and when you get yourself involved in it, He takes special consideration of you.
Drawing back from this duty of witnessing becomes a sign of turning away from God after salvation, because you no longer care about the matters He cares about; the souls of men.
What Happens When You Turn Your Back on God
Before I talk about what happens when you turn your back on God, I’d love to acknowledge why you did that. I’ll share a little of my story. Once upon a time in my life, everything went south, I was almost losing faith in God. I prayed, fasted, and did all I know to do, still nothing changed.
I could only hang onto few words like a life preserver during those moments. As time went by, my doubts about God’s ability overwhelmed me and I turned my back on God. Of course, He tried talking but I’d shut Him out. The pains and heartaches were too much to bear.
The consequences eventually came. Notwithstanding, He still came for me, after I realized and went to Him. You may be in a similar situation and you’re asking, ‘how do I go back to God after falling?’ it’s simple, just go back. Go back to talking to Him.
The consequences of turning away from God after salvation are grievous because the devil takes advantage of such moments and hits you harder. At a point, God tries to speak but when you constantly shut Him out, He stops. He never leaves, but rather waits for you to come back.
Let’s see the signs that indicate that you’re already turning away from God. See these signs below.
6. When you no longer serve in your local assembly: Stuff happens; everyone goes through thick and thin. As Christians, Jesus never promised us a ride without circumstances and troubles, but He promised us victory from the world’s torment.
If you as a new believer are not taught this, when trouble comes, you’ll drawback immediately. This will show when you neglect your service unto God in your local assembly.
Initially, you were at all places, burning for Jesus and spreading the good news. But when the devil strikes, you lose it. A sign that you’re turning away from God after salvation is when you draw back from serving God in your local assembly.
7. Serving for selfish reasons: As not serving indicates that you’re turning away from God after salvation, so also, serving for selfish reasons indicates that. God sent Jesus to show us how to serve.
Jesus taught that to be the greatest, you have to be the servant and serve. Jesus displayed this thought when the mother of James and John approached Him to make her sons sit at His right and left-hand side. Jesus on the other hand introduced them to long-suffering.
This gives the understanding that as believers, serving God is costly and shouldn’t be done with any ulterior motives. If you ever serve with any motive apart from God’s, then you’re already turning away from God.
8. Inordinate affection: With God, you’re a priority. He made this clear when He sent His only begotten son to die for your sins. God has made every one of His children a priority but when you as a believer run after other things and it replaces God in your heart, then something is wrong.
Nothing should be big enough to replace God as a priority in your life, not even things that seem good, like a quest for God’s power, anointing, and prosperity.
These things are good in themselves but when they become the object of your search rather than God, it indicates that you’re turning away from God.
9. Dealing with little sins: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sins that easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1.
Our world is so infected with sin that it becomes a task for the believer to always watch out for those little acts that are sinful but don’t look like it.
To remain in an unbroken relationship with God, this act of watching is important for the believer. However, when a believer starts engaging in these little sins, it indicates a breach in such a person’s relationship with God.
These sins can be lying to save time or changing certain figures to your own favor financially. This is a major sign that such a believer is turning away from God after salvation.
10. Keeping secret sins: When you start keeping secret sins, it also indicates that you’re turning away from God.
Temptations will always come your way, but God will always make provisions and a way of escape. As a believer, you must have enjoyed this benefit from God. However, when you intentionally yield to temptations and keep the sins, rather than confessing it then you’ve turned away from God.
Signs of Falling Away from God
Falling away from God never happens just like that. You must have noticed certain signs. In my case, it started with focusing on my problems. I couldn’t focus rather on God’s ability to solve my problems.
I then moved on to searching for solutions outside God. It hampered my relationship with Him. I no longer had sufficient time to spend with Him. This continued till I lost sight of God.
Now, as a believer, these signs will tell you if you’re turning away from God after salvation or not. Can you lose your salvation if you stop believing? Yes, you can! This is sad to say but it’s true. It’s the reason why Apostle Paul advised that we work out our salvation in reverence.
Take a few scrolls down as you see these signs of falling away from God.
11. Believing the devil’s lie: The devil is our arch-enemy, and the faster you realize this, the better. He won’t stop at anything to get you to lose your relationship with God. This is because he realizes the essence of having such a relationship. Remember, he once had it.
The bible speaks of the devil’s constant accusation of believers. How can this affect you? Being the devil and having age and experience advantage, he knows your needs and problems… and slowly reminds you of them.
If you’re not careful, you’ll lose focus as I did. The devil magnifies your problem and tells you lies that kill your faith. Believing these lies will eventually cause you to lose what you have with God.
This is a sign that you’re slowly turning away from God after salvation.
12. Being overly irritated: Have you ever felt irritated over little things that normally don’t get you irritated? You suddenly get angry at the fact that your older son is not paying attention when you’re talking, or that the house is unkempt.
This irritation can be a sign of a loss of touch with God. I think it’s an instant sign. I’ve experienced such before.
That particular day, I didn’t observe my devotion. I noticed it was a happy-bad day for me. Things went well, but I wasn’t just joyful for a reason I didn’t know then.
When you feel this way, it’s an indication that you need to focus on your source – God. I’ll advise that you pray more in the spirit as soon as you notice this. It helps.
Bible Characters Who Turned Away from God
I love the Bible because it contains true experiences of people that have had a relationship with God; some turned back, others had a happy ending. I love the likes of Enoch, David, Moses, and Paul. These characters walked with God till the end, despite their mistakes.
Some other characters turned away from God without coming back, others like David, Moses, and even Samson did turn away from God but came back in repentance.
Judas Iscariot is a character worthy of learning from. Although he was part of the disciples of Jesus, he failed. In the following pages of this article, I’ll highlight some signs that showed that he was turning away from God after salvation.
Will God forgive you if you keep repeating the same sin? Yes, He will, as far as you recognize your sin and ask for His forgiveness. The detriment of continuing in sin is that such a person will not appear serious to God. Hence, won’t be of much use to God.
Let’s see the signs that showed that Judas Iscariot was already turning away from God even as Jesus’ disciple.
13. The love for money: The bible sternly warns about having love for money. When you love money rather than God, it shows that you’re turning away from God.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.
This is what the bible has to say about loving the things in the world, and money is a part of these things. Judas, our example loved money more than Jesus who was the God with them in that dispensation.
Believers in this age, like you and me, are also faced with this struggle; to choose between loving God or money. In Matthew 6, Jesus gave an explorative study on being a servant of God or Mammon.
Therefore, a major sign that you’re turning away from God after salvation is when you choose money over God, like Judas.
14. Unfaithfulness: Unfaithfulness is that cancer that builds up gradually. Unfaithfulness to God is a subtle sign that you’re turning away from God after salvation. Judas, our example was unfaithful, and from the scriptures, we see it displayed in his reaction when Mary poured her oil as a memorial on Jesus.
The Bible says, “Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” This emphasizes faithfulness as an attitude that fosters a relationship with God.
Imagine a marriage where the man is unfaithful and sleeps around with other women. Such a marriage is bound for failure with grave consequences.
That also applies to your relationship with God. Unfaithfulness can occur when you don’t share the same ideology with God. For instance, God requires that as a Christian leader, you must serve. When you do otherwise, then you’re unfaithful.
Judas Iscariot was a thief even before betraying Jesus. He was unfaithful in the task that was placed in his hands. Rather than keeping the money, he was stealing it.
Bible Characters Who Overcame Obstacles
As Christians, we are faced with obstacles daily. These obstacles sometimes cause us to turn away from God. In this article, we’ll see some bible characters who overcame obstacles.
Joseph is a valid example. Joseph was 17 years of age when he had a dream about his life, and told it to his brothers and father. This caused a lot of havoc for the young lad. He was thrown into the pit, sold as a slave, and ended up in a prison.
All through this time, Joseph maintained his relationship with God. He didn’t turn his back on God. What happens if you turn your back on God? You go through the struggle on your own, and this is frustrating.
For Joseph, this wasn’t the case. He held onto God and overcame. He ended up a Prime minister in Egypt. A happy ending, yeah? That is how it should be for every Christian.
Notwithstanding, you need to know if you’re already turning away from God after salvation or not. See the signs below.
15. Seeking solutions outside of God’s provision: Circumstances can cause you to seek solutions outside of God’s provision, and this mostly leads to sin. This, without doubt, indicates that you’re turning away from your Messiah.
In my case, I had to meet with old friends that were obviously against my belief in Christ. I sought help the wrong way, rather than focusing on God. This is hard, I know because I’ve experienced it before. Nevertheless, it pays to stick with God’s solution.
Imagine if Joseph had sought a solution by having an affair with Potiphar’s wife. It could have remained hidden for a while, but it’ll certainly become hell for Joseph when it eventually gets out. Also, he’d have never come to be the prime minister.
If this is the case for you, return quickly to God and follow His solution.
16. Being weak against temptations and trials: Another sign that you’re turning away from God after salvation is when you’re weak against temptations. The bible indicates that temptations come because of lust.
When you fall for temptations and encourage yourself in such defeat, you’re yielding to your lust gradually. The Bible clearly instructs that as a believer, you shouldn’t lust after things, rather love God wholeheartedly (Matthew 22:37).
Joseph could have smuggled away Potiphar’s wife and things because the things were kept in his care. His ability to not do those things indicated that he didn’t lust after them, nor turned away from God. He had a glorious end… as a prime minister.
Falling Away from God and Coming Back
Our pilgrim journey as Christians is not an easy one. This is the reason we have many cases of falling away from God and coming back.
The way is so narrow and if you’ve made up your mind to walk with God on this way, expect trials that are capable of shaking your faith in God. This is constant for every believer, and this is because the devil never gives up on anyone.
Have you ever surprised yourself with things you boasted that you wouldn’t do? Yes? Then you’ve had your share in the experience of falling away and coming back. The beautiful thing is that you’re always welcome when you decide to come back.
Just like the story of the lost ship and the prodigal son, God never gives up on any of His children. So when you fall away, just know that God is waiting to receive you with open arms.
You’ll know when you’re falling away, and if not, see below for signs that you’re turning away from God after salvation.
17. When you lose your peace: When you go through the epistles of Paul, you’ll notice his constant prayers for the peace of the Church; both as a community of people and individually. This is because peace gives a sound mind.
If you’ve ever lost your peace, it sometimes could mean that you’re turning away from God after salvation. That lack of peace is a warning from the Holy Spirit in you. He does that most times when you gradually leave the place of devotion.
This also could be an initial warning sign of danger among many others. As a Christian, I urge you to always watch out for these signs.
18. Pride: The display of pride is gradual. When a Christian displays pride gradually, such a person is far from God. The Bible says, “God resists the proud and gives more grace to the humble…” this is because it’s a characteristic of the devil.
The fall from grace of the devil was due to the display of pride when he wanted to overthrow God. Therefore, pride becomes a sign that you’re turning away from God after salvation.
Christians need to take note of this behavioral cancer. Most times, it creeps in quietly when a believer gradually stops relating with God on daily basis. Pride is displayed when you are more conscious of your personality or ego at the expense of serving God.
It is also displayed when you find it convenient dragging others in the mud, discriminating between denominations and the likes.
How to Come Back to God after Backsliding
The state of backsliding is not a good one for any believer to be in. Many reasons can cause a believer to backslide but there’s still a chance of coming back to God. The story of David explains this.
David was a king who committed adultery and murder, yet, after his sin was made known to him by the prophet Nathan, he was quick to repent. Samson is another Bible character who was backslidden and also found his way back to God.
You may be reading this and you’re asking, “How do I go back to God after falling?” You need to first realize your sins and your state. This will lead you to repentance, just like the prodigal son. That’s how to come back to God after backsliding.
You need to continue reading this to know if you’re turning away from God after salvation or not.
19. Doubt: Doubt is simply a lack of trust in God, and this takes place in the mind. Any believer that doubts God has lost faith. The scripture says, “…for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This means that to walk with God or build a viable relationship with Him, one must believe in Him.
I consider doubt as a huge problem in anyone’s relationship with God. It’s like you’re limiting God’s ability. Doubt often arises when trials come. Many Christians focus more on the problem, rather than God’s ability to solve it.
I also struggled with doubt for a while. My faith in God waned, and I ended up in a backslidden state.
When a Christian starts doubting God’s promises, it’s a sign that such a person is turning away from God after salvation. If you ever find yourself in this state of doubt, get back to God quickly.
20. When you no longer hear God’s leadings: I’ve saved this for the last because I intend to talk extensively about it. If you ever notice that you no longer hear the prompting of God’s spirit within you, then you must return quickly to God.
That’s a major sign that you’ve left God a long time. It indicates that you’re turning away from God after salvation… or have turned away.
God is a constant being, and as a loving father, he prompts you when you turn away from Him. If He ever stops prompting you, then it means you’ve been adamant against His promptings.
This is a very dangerous sign and position to be. The devil takes advantage of such moments and increases trials and tribulations. If you don’t return to God quickly at this point, you may eventually fall deep into the enemy’s trap.
Therefore, I urge you to take note of this sign and if you perceive it, do the needful.
In conclusion, all the signs listed above to know if you’re turning away from God after salvation have been written to help you figure things out in your relationship with God. If you find this helpful, share it with your family and friends on your social media. And more so, I like to know your thought about this important topic.
