How to avoid apostasy

Avoiding apostasy is as important as acquiring salvation. It should be a top priority of every Christian to avoid apostasy. Aside from the truth that everyone who commits apostasy is condemned to hell, there is so much to gain from a relationship with God that every Christian should want to avoid apostasy.

How to avoid apostasy

1. Rely on the Holy Ghost when it comes to understanding and interpreting the Bible and being guided to make the right choices in life; for many Christians, following their own spirit, have misinterpreted the Bible, giving birth to heresies and have deceived themselves and others into apostasy. John 14:26
2. Rid yourself of all false doctrines you have embraced. Check in the Bible to see whether every doctrine you have embraced is supported by the word of God. Colossians 2:8
3. Learn to shed off the offenses you take at God. To this end, trust in the Lord; trust that He loves you and He knows what is best for you. Thus, accept and appreciate whatever thing He allows to come your way, whether you deem it good or bad. 1Thessalonians 5:18; Romans 8:28
4. Money is good, but it is not everything you need. Guard your heart against the love of money, or greed for money, which leads many a Christian into apostatize.  Money lovers would employ any dishonest or indecent means just to make money, resorting to killing, cheating, lying, etc. or spending more time working to the neglect of their spiritual life. To avoid apostasy, do not be like them. 1 Timothy 6:10–11; Luke 12:15
5. Make your relationship with God your first priority. Keep your relationship alive each day with prayer, reading and meditating on the word of God, fasting, fellowshipping with other Christians, offering praises and worship to God.
6. Do not get involved or practice rites and rituals that go against Bible teaching. 2 Corinthians 7:1
7. Love Jesus more than everybody – yourself, your parents, your wife, your siblings, your friends. Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26
8. Do not forego your daily Bible study which equips you with the knowledge of the truth by which you would be able to overcome factors of apostasy such as temptation, false teaching, persecution, and habitual sin. Hosea 4:1-6; 2 Timothy 2:15;
9. Bear fruit; according to Galatians 5:22, 23; these are the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Walk in these fruits of the Spirit; without these fruits, a Christian would commit apostasy. Matthew 3:10; Luke 13:6-9; John 15:2,6;
10. Be bold! Fear no one! Do not let something or any person threaten or frighten you to deny your faith – not even persecution. Matthew 10:28
11. Why should a Christian be ashamed of his faith, when even homosexuals who practice abomination are not ashamed to identify themselves as such. Be proud to identify yourself in deeds and in words that you are a follower of Jesus. Mark 8:38
12. Avoid any association with ungodly groups, fraternities, friends, cults, etc. and be led of God to choose a partner for marriage; because if you are in a relationship with bad people, you are not far from being won over to their side, apostatizing from God. 1 Corinthians 15:33; 1 Kings 11:1-13
13. Do not forgo your daily prayer life. Prayer equips you with the power to overcome some factors of apostasy such as temptation and persecution. Matthew 26:41
14. Fellowshipping with other Christians. Jesus did not intend for any Christian to be an island separated from other Christians. You should belong to a church, unite and fellowship with the family of believers. They would be a check on your life, alerting you when you are going wayward. Hebrews 10:25
15. Leave the apostate church. Carefully check the Bible to see whether the doctrines of your affiliate church is in line with the word of God. If there are disparities between your church’s doctrines and Bible teachings, it is advisable to leave and join a Bible-oriented church. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.
16. Do not choose to apostatize, denying yourself of eternal life of bliss just because a fellow Christian – a pastor, an elder, a deacon, a deaconess, or a Christian brother, etc. – has offended you.
17. By the power of self-control given by the Holy Spirit, try as much as possible to desist from sinning habitually and willfully.  Hebrew 10:26

Conclusion

Christianity is like a race. There are both success and failure stories to it. Some people successfully complete the race, but others fall away along the line and never get to complete it. However, the good news is you can avoid falling away, finish the race and inherit the eternal life of bliss that comes with it. Do everything possible to avoid apostasy.