While it may be fun to go white-water rafting down rapids, it is no fun to drift into dangerous waters spiritually. Drifting can be dangerous, because it always takes us away from God and never toward him.

 Spiritual drifting can take place so subtly that we hardly know it is happening. That is why the writer of Hebrews warns: "we must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Hebrews 2:1, NIV).

 Never before has it been so easy to drift spiritually. It requires no effort to coast along. While we do not intend on it happening, we often fail to keep it from happening. Drifting occurs when we allow the daily current of life to pull us along in the direction of the world, and away from spiritual things.

 The closer you live to this sinful world, the farther you move from God. The closer you are to God, the farther you will live from this sinful world - not in actual distance, but in spiritual devotion.

 Drifting happens when we get focused on ourselves, on our agenda and priorities for living.

 When we do so, we begin to grow lukewarm spiritually. It can happen to individuals, families or congregations.

  It happens when we lose our passion to pray, our hunger for God's word, our desire to be faithful to church or our love for material things. It happens when we slowly begin to compromise with what we know to be wrong. It happens when we begin to conform to the world around us and allow it to squeeze us into its mold. As this slowly happens, we begin drifting spiritually.

 That is why the writer of Hebrews said: "We must pay more careful attention." Drifting occurs when we fail to give proper attention to the things that should be primary, and allow secondary things to consume us.

 Drifting leads to backsliding, and backsliding usually does not come from a blow-out. It usually comes from a slow leak over time.

 Another version says: "We must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (KJV). Are you drifting and slipping spiritually? Can you look back to a time when you were spiritually stronger and a more excited and vibrant Christian? If so, then you have drifted.

 Don't be a drifter. It is dangerous and can be deadly. God loves you, and offers to throw you a lifeline or give you an anchor so you will drift no further from him. Pay careful attention to what he is saying and come back home spiritually. He is waiting for