READ: Psalm 62:1-8
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dis- mayed; for I am thy God…I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isaiah 41: 10
There is something I call “Christian surprises”. They are shocks you experience in the course of your Christian walk. Unfortu- nately, some people get so shocked by what they see and hear in church that it actually makes them fall away.
We think we have come into a perfect world. When the so-called born-again saints disappoint us, we become so amazed. But the Bible says we should not be amazed (1 Peter 3:6).
It is dangerous for a person to be in a state of shock. A good doctor who sees a patient in a state of shock knows that he is dealing with someone who can easily die. An experienced pastor who sees his members in a state of shock at what may have happened in the church also knows that he is looking at a member who can easily fall away.
One of the things that may cause Christians to fall away is disappointment in a Christian leader. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” This means you can only follow your Chris- tian leader as long as he follows Christ!
Christians may also become surprised when they pray, but do not get the answers they expect. A close member of the family may be terminally ill, or you may have been praying for your husband to be saved, only to see him get worse. You can easily feel surprised and shocked that God has ignored your prayers. Do not be surprised! It is not everything that you know. You are still learning, and you are still growing in the Lord.