Slide commeth before the fall

Okay, so that is not exactly how Proverbs 16:18 records it, but the title is still true today, especially in light of the 73rd Psalm. I want to focus on Psalm 73:2  But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. We read in this verse an honest confession from the psalmist on his own personal life and struggles. 

But as I read his words and confession this morning, I was reminded that we often only focus on the aftermath of a life that is in trouble. We see the family that is separated, the marriage that is estranged, or maybe the dependency upon drugs and alcohol. But what we fail to often realize is that before a person, family, and a life falls apart, it begins with a small, backwards slide. The Bible tells us in the Song of Solomon 2:15  ...the little foxes, that spoil the vines:... It is usually the little steps that lead a person over the edge of the cliff of sin, not some giant leap. It starts with the little things: missing a church service here or there, not reading our Bible or praying on certain days because we get too busy, etc. Sometimes we can even be so focused on serving God and busy with "ministry" that we don't recognize that we have slowly slidden further and further away from God in our own personal relationship with Him.

Often, we are so focused on the big picture that we fail to notice the little things that lead us closer and closer to destruction. When many Christians think of the invitation at the end of a church service, or hear the word "repentance," they think those things are just for those who are in deep, dark sin. But the truth of the matter is that if we don't daily confess those "little" sins and stop the slide, we once day will find ourselves in the middle of a deep dark fall.