September 11

Backsliding and Restoration

“He restores my soul.”
— Ps. 23:3

“Suppose my soul is out of communion, the natural heart says, I must correct the cause of this before I can come to Christ. But He is gracious; and knowing this, the way is to return to Him at once just as we are, and then humble ourselves deeply before Him. It is only in Him and from Him that we shall find that which shall restore our souls.”

“To be truly restored the Christian must recognise the point of departure where his soul gave up communion with God and sought its own will. … Communion with God is not thoroughly re-established, self and its will are not thoroughly broken, as long as the Christian has not found the point where his heart began to lose its spiritual sensibility, for the presence of God makes us feel that.”