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What is Drifting From the Faith?

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Revelation 3:17 (NKJV) Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Other examples:

    1. Demas who was a fellow worker (Philemon 1:24), mentioned but no qualifier is used (Colossians 4:14), then left Paul (2 Timothy 4:10).
    2. Solomon who had received revelations, great wisdom, financial and other wealth, yet left his first love, and replaced love for God with love of women (1 Kings 11:1 and Nehemiah 13:26). 
    3. Compare the foolish rich man in Luke 12:15-21.

They were spiritual but they stared drifting from the faith—outwardly perfect but inwardly wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. They thought that God had blessed them greatly because of their “wealth,” but they had the wrong kind of wealth. Their wealth was perishable.

The solution:

Revelation 3:18 (NKJV) I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Buy from Me gold, white garments, and eye salve.

True wealth:

    1. Where a person’s wealth is, their heart (priority) is—Matthew 6:21.
    2. True wealth is heavenly wealth—Matthew 6:20.
    3. Ridding ourselves of stinginess and covetousness will increase our spiritual wealth—Luke 18:22.
    4. Having and growing in faith (faith from time and testing) is more important than physical wealth—James 2:5.
    5. Having and growing in godly wisdom increases heavenly wealth—Proverbs 3:13-15 and Proverbs 8:11.
    6. The joy of being a Christian and living the faith results in reproach, mocking, and persecution—2 Timothy 3:12 and Hebrews 11:26.
    7. Righteousness—Proverbs 15:16.

True garments:

    1. Righteousness from the ministry of the Holy Spirit—Daniel 12:10
    2. Godly deeds—Revelation 3:4-5 and Revelation 19:8
    3. Put on Christ as in Romans 13:14, which is to identify with someone. We are to identify with Jesus Christ and His worldview, lifestyle, and the rules He obeyed. Some of which are truth (John 14:6 and Ephesians 4:15), righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), and fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

God’s eye salve:

    1. Spiritual blindness can be healed—2 Peter 1:9-10.
    2. Spiritual ignorance can be healed—Psalm 119:18 and Ephesians 4:18.
    3. Hypocrisy can be healed—Luke 6:42.
    4. Evil desires (what we “look at”) can be healed—Matthew 6:23.
    5. Pride can be healed—James 4:10.
    6. Hate can be healed—1 John 2:9-11.
    7. Evil character traits and attitudes can be healed—2 Peter 1:5-9.
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