Lemme introduce myself. You’re speaking to the girl who more time in a single day freaking out whether people liked her than she spent with God in an entire week. 😳 You’re currently reading the words of a girl who would go to church on Sundays and yet still lived in the and for the world. 😠 While I might not have joined a cult or became a staunch atheist, the way in which I was living was certainly far from glorifying to the Lord… my lukewarm faith was the biggest giveaway sign that I had fallen away from the path He had set out for me. So, if you’re a girl who wants to come back to God after falling away, here is your practical guide.
But before we start, I just want to have a little heart to heart with you and just really clarify my thoughts with you! And also, give myself an excuse to give you a MASSIVE virtual hug! 💕 I don’t ever want to come across as someone that has all the answers. Because I do not, nor will I ever be that someone! That place can only ever be held by God. So knowing that God is the ultimate truth, and knowing that I care deeply for your hearts, and that I prayerfully hope to do things right by God, I humbly ask that you confirm everything that you ever read or hear with scripture and let the Bible be the standard you hold everything against!
Falling Away From God Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
Falling away from God is more common than you think and can come in all shapes and forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who publicly renounces the Bible or someone who in very obvious ways lives in the secular world. It can be as subtle as someone like me who appeared right with God from the outside world, but in reality, whose heart had deviated so far from the cross. But if I was to be super honest with myself and with you, I believe that the more subtle of the two is the scariest.
Imagine some children were walking along the road and they hear a loud Rottweiler barking at them. At least they know to keep the children far away from it. But imagine these same children were walking along the road and they were met with a friendly stranger offering them a cookie. While the action itself seemed good, the heart beneath it was not. So to those of you who think that you’ve fallen too far because you have in extremely obvious ways lived ‘for the world’, you are no lesser or more unworthy of being saved than those whose darkened hearts are cloaked by goodness. And to those of you who the Lord has uncovered your eyes to the state of your heart, praise Him for once you were lost, but now you are found!
Click the image below to grab your FREE devotional on how to stop being a lukewarm Christian and begin walking with the Lord in the way He originally designed! 👇👇
What Does the Bible Say About Coming Back to God After Falling Away?
The Parable of the Lost Son | Biblical Examples of People Coming Back to God After Falling Away
If you want a story of redemption, a wonderful place to start is the parable of the prodigal son which talks about a rich man with two sons. The youngest son actually had the nerve and cheek (!) to ask his father to give him his share of the inheritance before his father has even passed away (which in itself, was an extremely disrespectful thing to do). But not before long after receiving his share of the inheritance, he had already squandered away all of his wealth in “wild living”. Eventually, a severe famine came and one day, while working on a pig farm, the youngest son “longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating” and that was when he realised what he had done …
LUKE 15:11-32…
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
So What Does All of This Mean? | Other Biblical Examples of Coming Back to Christ
The parable of the lost son really serves as a wonderful reminder for us that God actually celebrates when we come home to Him. We are reminded that our Father eagerly awaits our return. And it doesn’t just come in the form of the parable of the prodigal son. The parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost sheep also have this one thing in common: being lost and being found followed by great joy in heaven.
If there is anything God is trying to show us is that He seriously rejoices when we (who were once lost) are found again! But falling away being lost isn’t something that we can excuse ourselves for. We are most certainly guilty.
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” — Isaiah 53:6
HOW THE GOSPEL FITS INTO WHY WE CAN COME BACK TO GOD AFTER FALLING AWAY
We have known our Father’s will, and we have rejected it. So repentance is a deep sense of how horribly offensive this is to God, and that we have no rights before him at all. But like the lost son, the act of repentance is whereupon we humbly walk up to seek God’s free and merciful grace and realise just like the lost son that because our Father is so wonderful and so good, even being a servant in His house is better than being a master of our own world.
With this, isn’t the gospel almost too good to be true?
Click the image below to grab your FREE devotional on how to stop being a lukewarm Christian and begin walking with the Lord in the way He originally designed! 👇👇
3 Biblical Truths to Remind Yourself About Coming Back to God After Falling Away
Truth #1 on Coming Back to God After Falling Away: God Can Save Anyone… Including You
No son or daughter is too ‘lost’ or too ‘far gone’ for God to rescue. His grace is enough. He is greater than both you and I. God is the God of the impossible. So to those that believe that they have fallen so far that God would never save them, know this… God can and will save anyone who comes to Him by faith.
When Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” in John 3:16, the ‘whoever’ that he references is an invitation to every person — including you.
We are all sinners that have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). So no matter how much time and energy we devote to ‘good works’, none of it is enough to wipe our slate clean and make us right with our Creator. But Jesus is enough. His perfect sacrifice on the cross is enough. And although we do not deserve His goodness and we certainly do not deserve His mercy, His all-consuming love and grace offers us salvation… a free gift that none of us can ever earn, but can receive by grace through faith alone.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.— Ephesians 2:8-9
Truth #2 on Coming Back to God After Falling Away: The Result of Going Back is Going to Be Good, but that Doesn’t Mean it will be Easy
The end result of getting back to God after falling away is going to be good. but that doesn’t mean that the process is going to be easy. In fact, it is going to be very, VERY hard. And the reason is simply because sin feels good. If sin didn’t feel good, there would be no reason why it would have a hold on us. The fact of the matter is, more often than not, there is something rather enticing about sin. But while it is clear that coming to the foot of the cross fills us with joy because we get to be reunited with our Creator, the journey until that day isn’t necessarily easy.
The fact is, the world that we live in isn’t the Kingdom that we were promised. Instead, this world is broken and sinful and far from God’s original design for His Kingdom (John 18:36). But the moment we come back to Christ after we fall away from God, we no longer belong to the world. (John 15:19) Instead, we are warned that we will experience hardships. In fact we are promised this.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on youto test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.— 1 Peter 4:12-13
But we will still rejoice and have hope. Hope that the brokenness that we live in isn’t our everlasting home. This is because through His death Jesus has already overcome the world… and the battle has already been won! How good is that? 😉
Truth #3 on Coming Back to God After Falling Away: You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
If you’re reading this right now, I’m guessing that you’re feeling a little alone and a little scared. You might be feeling like you have nobody to talk to in your life and you might be feeling super lost and confused as to where to even begin on your journey back towards the cross.
Sis, you’re not alone. And here is me giving you a virtual hug right now!
Every single time we cry in frustration and hurt that “there is no one to talk to”, God is sitting right above ⛅️ and wants you to bring your worries to Him. Because He is always there. He cares and He wants to be who you go to and talk to during this time.
Our Father knows the guilt that your heart feels. He knows the shame that you feel like you can never tell others about. And He knows exactly how broken and hurt you’re feeling inside. But the One who hung the stars in the sky and calls them by name wants to be your friend. The One who created chocolates, Oreos and puppies that fit in teacups wants to be close to you and live life with you.
So to the girl who is tentatively coming back to Christ after falling away, don’t feel alone. The One who can move mountains created you to be in closer relationship with Him and find joy that you are never alone.
Click the image below to grab your FREE devotional on how to stop being a lukewarm Christian and begin walking with the Lord in the way He originally designed! 👇👇
How to Come Back to God After Falling Away | The Practical Guide for Christian Girls on Getting Back to God
Step #1 on How to Come Back to God After Falling Away: Go to God in Prayer and Repent Wholeheartedly
Sometimes it is straight up hard to come back to Christ after falling away. Coming back to God after backsliding requires humility and humility requires us to put aside our humanly armour of pride and say, “I am not enough… but you make me enough”.
If you have fallen away from God, but want to come back to Him, don’t fear that He will reject you because you are too damaged or too broken beyond repair. Because He will not. As Psalm 51:17 so beautifully says; “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
How beautiful is it that a broken spirit and a remorseful heart is something that our all powerful God doesn’t despise, but actually loves and embraces? He loves it when we (like the prodigal son) go back to Him because then He can celebrate that we have come back home! So don’t be afraid and go to God in prayer and repent wholeheartedly for He will be there to embrace you and welcome you home.
Sometimes getting into a prayer routine can be hard. Work gets in the way. School gets in the way. Kids get in the way. LIFE gets in the way. That is exactly why sometimes staying practical and creating new systems to keep you on track can help with a well-disciplined prayer life. This is where the Daily Prayer Journal printable comes in handy. Deepen your relationship with God through regular prayer by making use of the practical accountability of a prayer journal.
Click the image belowto grab your printable for just$25$9.99👇👇
Step #2 on How to Come Back to God After Falling Away: Don’t Run Away From the Convictions You Will Inevitably Face, But Give Yourself Grace
You have mucked up. Massively.
There is no sugarcoating it at all.
I have mucked up too.
But recognising where you have fallen short and with a softened heart of repentance go home to Him is key to accepting His grace. It is true that you have messed up and have sinned terribly. There is no excusing that. But, once you’ve accepted God’s gift of grace, it is time to give yourself grace too. This is because by not choosing to give yourself grace once you’ve fully repented and asked God for His forgiveness is like telling God that His grace isn’t enough to save you and make you new.
And that can’t be further from the truth.
Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.— 2 Corinthians 3:4-5
Step #3 on How to Come Back to God After Falling Away: Give up the Life of Lukewarmness You were Once in
When you fall away and try getting back to God, it’s time to give up the life of lukewarm faith that you were once in. It is not possible to be a true follower of Christ and yet still live for the world. After all, these two things couldn’t be more opposite to each other.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.— 1 John 2:15-17
So don’t be content with just being seen by the world as the ‘good’ girl. Don’t continue living life believing that it is totally possible to be liked by everyone in the world and still be a good daughter of the King. And don’t live life being happy to just do the bare minimum for God.
When you’ve fallen away and want to come back to Jesus, go all in. Because God doesn’t want another lukewarm Christianto add to His list. He wants you to be either all in for Him, or not at all.
Click the image below to grab your FREE devotional on how to stop being a lukewarm Christian and begin walking with the Lord in the way He originally designed! 👇👇
Step #4 on How to Come Back to God After Falling Away: Find Support in a Community of Other Believers
You might feel shame and you might feel guilt about your past. You might feel so overwhelmed by embarrassment that you feel like you should hide away. But that couldn’t be further from God’s original design for Godly friendships!
He wants you to live alongside other believers and find community with them and there is no better verse that sums up the beauty of living in community with other believers than this…
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. — Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Not only can you find encouragement from community, but when you live alongside other believers, as Proverbs 27:17 puts it, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” When you have fallen away from God and you’re on the journey getting back to God, what you really need is wise counsel in your life. You need people who will be there to lend you a guiding hand when you start straying from the right path. And you need people who cares enough about your salvation to remain true to biblical truth… even if they know it isn’t something you want to hear.
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. — Proverbs 12:15
Step #5 on How to Come Back to God After Falling Away: Begin Diving Deeper into Scripture
There is no better way to grow deeper in your relationship with God after you’ve fallen away from faith than by diving deeper into scripture. The very nature of who God is can be found within the pages of scripture and understanding God’s design for the world and His purpose for you can be discovered from the Word.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it. — John 1:1-5
Coming back after falling away from God isn’t easy. But diving deeper into scripture will allow you to get to know Him and rebuild your relationship with Him. With every word from the Bible being directly from God, it is the authority and best possible way for any believer to really draw closer to the Maker of heaven and earth. So spend time in God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit indwelling within you to continue shaping you and morphing you so that you will be gradually transformed into His likeness. (Isaiah 64:8)
—> Here is the ultimate companion to every woman seeking to grow closer in her relationship to God…
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Your Guide to Coming Back to God After Falling Away | Parable of the Lost Son
filed:
Just your 27 year old dental surgeon, writer and creator of Truthfully, Michelle & Girls After Truth. I love creating printables to help encourage, uplift and propel women to take charge of their faith. I hope you leave this space feeling more joy than when you first came in today Xx
Thank you, this made me to understand and know what am supposed to do now. About to go before the Lord and tell him how sorry I am for what I have done
Lovely words. Thankyou. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s perfection.
God is merciful, quick to forgive…we must remind ourselves, IF we mess up, that we have an advocate with The Father, Jesus Christ The righteous.
Also ‘a call to backsliders,’ by Wesley
is very encouraging.
God used you to reach out to me because I was experiencing just what you wrote in your blog. God bless you dear sister and may we all increase in the knowledge of God. Amen.
I know God will continue using you to reach out to me and other women out there. Once again, thank you And God bless you dear sister.
while reading your advice and story.. my tears keep falling down.. I got saved then I became a backslider.. then now I come back to God and its very hard for me.. please help me.. I cry out everyday..
I have been feeling this too.
Tears are streaming down my face as I write this.
I was saved when I was 6 but like you said I too have backslid. I have struggled mightily with sexual sin and it haunts me and taunts me. I want to come back to God and start over. I want to be all in for Jesus. I don’t want to be lukewarm any longer. Jesus is coming soon. I want to be ready!
God bless everyone!❤️
I lost the only true Christian friend/sister/soulmate ( we were closer than sisters ) to cancer in 2016 and my life has been a mess ever since. I have not been abke to find one faith filled friend and been spiritually through the ringer, mentally destroyed and my physical health beaten to a pulp more than once. I want desperately to get back to God and the joy I felt then and to have faith filled friends to dobthings with.
Life is hard. I get tired of being the only soldier on the field. I’m a creative with a loose anchor hanging onto the threads of Jesus robe with both hands.
I’m so thankful to God for coming across your page. I am so lost and have strayed away but I have faith in being saved.
Thank you God for your mighty presence in this page.. I am ready.
I lost my family over the past two years, including my precious 28 year old son. I had away previous to this and feel I could be guilty and not being there the right way for my son. I am so hurt, but nothing matters in this world, except knowing and being known by God. My heart feels too wounded. Wounded and hard. I’m terrified of being separated from God for eternity.
Hi
What a very powerful and inspiring blog, personally I was blessed by this. This is very clear and straight forward , easy to understand and followe. May God continue to use you in such a powerful way. Honestly, there are no people to talk to nowadays concerning your faith, so this is a beautiful platform to express your feelings and worries.
I am a dental surgeon, small printables business owner, former graphic design freelancer and a budding pilates enthusiast.
I love creating printables that help encourage, uplift and propel women who want to take control of their faith and live a set-apart life for the Maker who knows their heart.
I adore tea, all shades of pastel and watching the sunset. I hope that you will relish in the beauty of every moment and find joy in the smallest of things. I pray that you will be able to find true satisfaction in Christ alone and that you will be able to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord whatever season of life you are in.
MEET THE BLOGGER
Before you get any further... Hey! I'm Michelle!
I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my site! I am so excited to share more with you about this passion that the Lord has placed upon my heart and get to know a little more about who the Lord lovingly made you to be!
Cinnamon spiced lattes, puppies with bows and watercolour paintings are just some of my favourite things. However, above all, I’m just a lover of Jesus and people. So let’s live with joy that set-apart life that God has created us purposefully for together. For He is the One who calls you by name and has loved you from the beginning of time! ❤️
hey girl!
Hey,
I'm MichellE.
I am a dental surgeon, small printables business owner, former graphic design freelancer and a budding pilates enthusiast.
I love creating printables that help encourage, uplift and propel women who want to take control of their faith and live a set-apart life for the Maker who knows their heart.
I adore tea, all shades of pastel and watching the sunset. I hope that you will relish in the beauty of every moment and find joy in the smallest of things. I pray that you will be able to find true satisfaction in Christ alone and that you will be able to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord whatever season of life you are in.
Friend. Dental Surgeon. Small Printables Business Owner.
Encouraging the modern twenty-something girl to boldly spark His beacon of light in this oft-dark world and inspiring them to A. seek biblical truth through scripture and B. stand for biblical truth in the midst of a culture-driven world.
NO.
Statement of Faith.
01
NO.
02
NO.
03
NO.
04
MY FAVOURITE: AREN'T THESE WHITE FLOWERS SO LOVELY?!
We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
We believe that we are all sinners and all sins need to be paid
We believe that Jesus died to pay for our sins
We believe that it is only by grace through faith that we're saved
This was thorough and life-transforming. I loved and enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing. God bless you.
Thank you, this made me to understand and know what am supposed to do now. About to go before the Lord and tell him how sorry I am for what I have done
Lovely words. Thankyou. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s perfection.
God is merciful, quick to forgive…we must remind ourselves, IF we mess up, that we have an advocate with The Father, Jesus Christ The righteous.
Also ‘a call to backsliders,’ by Wesley
is very encouraging.
I just want to say that I love this. The look, the emojis, the truths, and digestible steps. Everything is on point. Thank you for this blog post.
Your blog is unbelievably cute and your love to share God’s word is showing. May God continue to use this platform to bless others.
Oh wow thank you Rebecca! c: I pray for that too!
Awsome like our GOD
I don’t mean your GOD I mean thank GOD he uses you
Thank you for your guidance.
God used you to reach out to me because I was experiencing just what you wrote in your blog. God bless you dear sister and may we all increase in the knowledge of God. Amen.
I know God will continue using you to reach out to me and other women out there. Once again, thank you And God bless you dear sister.
while reading your advice and story.. my tears keep falling down.. I got saved then I became a backslider.. then now I come back to God and its very hard for me.. please help me.. I cry out everyday..
I have been feeling this too.
Tears are streaming down my face as I write this.
I was saved when I was 6 but like you said I too have backslid. I have struggled mightily with sexual sin and it haunts me and taunts me. I want to come back to God and start over. I want to be all in for Jesus. I don’t want to be lukewarm any longer. Jesus is coming soon. I want to be ready!
God bless everyone!❤️
Thank you, I needed this ❤️
I lost the only true Christian friend/sister/soulmate ( we were closer than sisters ) to cancer in 2016 and my life has been a mess ever since. I have not been abke to find one faith filled friend and been spiritually through the ringer, mentally destroyed and my physical health beaten to a pulp more than once. I want desperately to get back to God and the joy I felt then and to have faith filled friends to dobthings with.
Life is hard. I get tired of being the only soldier on the field. I’m a creative with a loose anchor hanging onto the threads of Jesus robe with both hands.
I’m so thankful to God for coming across your page. I am so lost and have strayed away but I have faith in being saved.
Thank you God for your mighty presence in this page.. I am ready.
I lost my family over the past two years, including my precious 28 year old son. I had away previous to this and feel I could be guilty and not being there the right way for my son. I am so hurt, but nothing matters in this world, except knowing and being known by God. My heart feels too wounded. Wounded and hard. I’m terrified of being separated from God for eternity.
Hebrews 6: 4-5-6 tells us once enlightened, it is impossible to renew them to repentance . Please explain. Thank you
Hi
What a very powerful and inspiring blog, personally I was blessed by this. This is very clear and straight forward , easy to understand and followe. May God continue to use you in such a powerful way. Honestly, there are no people to talk to nowadays concerning your faith, so this is a beautiful platform to express your feelings and worries.
I want to learn more
So please text me in email
I want learn more
Thank you so much for this blog! It’s beautifully written 🤍 God bless!
This has been of much help in my spiritual joutney with God