Drifting away can be a good thing. In 1973, Dobie Gray sang, “Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away…” Maybe you’re at one of those nice resorts that has a lazy river, it’s nice to lay back and just drift along with the current, isn’t it?

But there is a kind of drifting that is dangerous. There are all kinds of warning signs on the Niagara River warning boaters of the danger of drifting too close to the falls. There is a dangerous kind of spiritual drifting that Hebrews 2 addresses as well.

The writer is addressing this letter to believers. There is the real possibility that a believer can drift away from God and His word. Are you drifting away from God? Do you know someone who is drifting away? Let me give you four danger signs of drifting away:

1. I drift away when I listen to God’s Word, but my life doesn’t change. You’ve heard the Gospel of grace so many times, that it has lost its sense of wonder and amazement. It’s like the first time you fly on an airline when the flight attendants go through the pre-flight briefing, and you are listening to every word. But after you’ve flown hundreds of times, you no longer pay attention to their briefing.

2. I drift away when apathy replaces a desire to gather with believers.

You know what apathy is? Do you care what apathy is? When it comes to attending church, some people just don’t care. We know this was a problem among the Hebrew believers because in Hebrews 10, the writer addresses these no-show Christians. Hebrews 10:24-25, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

3. I drift away when complacency about sin replaces confession.

Christian, let me ask you a question. What are the three areas of sin in your life that you struggle with the most? Can you answer that question? How aware are you of the presence of sin in your life? Are you daily going before the Lord and asking Him to reveal any wicked thought, attitude or deed in your life? And then are you regularly confessing your sin to the Lord?

4. I drift away when I forget that ending well is just as important as a good start.

The spiritual landscape is littered with the remains of men and women who started well, but somewhere along the track, they gave up. They left the race. They drifted away.

The apostle Paul had a laser focus toward finishing strong for the Lord. Acts 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

So, what is the solution for spiritual drifting? You need to link your life to something and someone strong and secure. You need a solid anchor. So, bind your life to the solid anchor of hope in Jesus Christ and you won’t be able to drift away.

See you Sunday!

Dr. Scott Kallem