Don’t Let the Fire Go Out: Guarding Against Spiritual Drift (Nehemiah 13)
Good morning, church!
As we conclude our series, we turn to Nehemiah chapter 13, a sobering reminder that spiritual life is a fire that needs to be stirred and fed. General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once told his officers: “I want you young men always to bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out. You must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.”
While we might prefer a neat, tidy resolution where the people remain faithful and the city prospers, Nehemiah 13 gives us an unfinished ending. What began as revival quickly unraveled into a season of compromise and backsliding. The walls were still standing, but the hearts of the people were slipping.
Nehemiah 13 is a powerful, timeless warning for us today: Spiritual drift is real.
Timeless Truths for Guarding Your Faith This Week
1. Spiritual Drift Often Starts Quietly
The collapse of faithfulness wasn’t sudden; it was a result of small compromises: Tobiah getting a room in the temple, the Levites being neglected, merchants slipping into the city on the Sabbath, and marriages outside the covenant.
Drifting rarely looks dramatic at first; it looks ordinary, manageable, maybe even justifiable. But small steps away from God’s Word, if left unchecked, can take us a long way. Small compromises today can grow into major spiritual crises tomorrow.
Today, compromise often creeps in through busyness, cultural pressure, or subtle sins we justify. Nehemiah reminds us that what we tolerate today will shape the faith of the next generation.
2. Drift Impacts Generations to Come
The consequences of compromise are generational. Verse 24 shows the children growing up unable to even speak the language of Judah, meaning they couldn’t understand the Word of God. The parents had tolerated compromise, and their children were paying the price.
- We don’t inherit our parents’ intentions; we inherit their habits.
- Faithfulness in God’s people is always one generation away from collapse.
If we let faithfulness slip in our homes, our children may lose their grip on God’s truth. Our children are formed more by the everyday patterns and practices of life than by a single hour at church on Sunday. We must keep God’s Word central in our families so the next generation can continue to speak the language of faith.
3. Drift Requires Decisive Action
Nehemiah didn’t shrug his shoulders and say, “Well, that’s just the way things go.” He confronted, he cleansed, and he called the people back to covenant faithfulness.
Guarding against drift means:
- Confessing compromise quickly.
- Making course corrections quickly.
- Surrounding ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who will call us back when we wander quickly.
God calls us to be people of courage, not harshness; of faithfulness, not apathy; of love that is willing to confront for the sake of holiness.
4. Our Only Anchor Is Christ Himself
Nehemiah was relentless, yet he couldn’t force holiness on other people. The reality is, neither can we. Each of us must answer the question: Whom will we serve? To what or to whom will we anchor the hope of our soul?
This is why we need Jesus, the greater Nehemiah, who not only calls us back but keeps us in His hand. Guarding against drift isn’t about clinging harder to our own strength, but about anchoring ourselves deeper in Christ’s strength. He is the only one who enables us to resist compromise and raise faithful generations.
The Call of Nehemiah 13:
Guard your heart. Guard your worship. Guard your family. Guard your church. The current of this world constantly pulls us away from God. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Christ, the one who never drifts and the one who doesn’t let go.
Based on the sermon delivered on Nehemiah 13.