Battling spiritual drift

To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.  –Jeremiah 6:10 (NIV)
 
My Bible reading plan has recently had me in the book of Judges. I used to enjoy Judges because of the outrageous stories and the way God used flawed individuals to lead His people out of trouble. This time through, I’ve been struck by the ongoing tendency of people to drift away from what they KNOW to be right, good, and true. Whether due to arrogance, complacency, fatigue, or boredom, it seems humans can’t stand success.
 
Each season of peace and prosperity inevitably led to compromise and apostacy. The people sometimes held onto a shadow of the religious practices instituted by their forefathers, but only as a talisman. Their worship was a meaningless ritual, bastardized by elements of paganism and convenience, dusted off like a rabbit’s foot whenever needed to appease a transactional version of God.
 
This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’  –Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
 
This cycle repeated throughout the Old Testament until God allowed Israel to suffer the consequences of their choices. The prophets warned, and there were multiple stays of execution as the occasional reformer king made changes that attempted to turn the nation back toward their God, but those reforms were always short-lived.
 
I wish I could say that things have gotten better with time. Indeed, we have a clearer picture of the overall arc of human history with the crucifixion and resurrection in our rearview mirror. And the people of God now have His Spirit within us. But humans are still human. And we tend to drift.
 
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.  –2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)
 
How do we avoid spiritual drift? The answer isn’t complicated or sexy. We must intentionally continue to come back to our foundations, spending time with the Father, enjoying His fellowship, regularly soaking in His word, appreciating Him for Who He is. Not who we thought He was. Not who we wish He was. Not who godless “influencers” have told us He was. But Who He actually reveals Himself to be.
 
There is a line that gets repeated multiple times in the book of Judges: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” It wasn’t good enough then. It isn’t good enough now.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  –Revelation 3:19-20 (NIV)