Removing the Mask: Backsliders in the Church

By Dr. Nadine A. Forrest

It is possible to be actively involved in ministry yet filled with secrets and living a life of deception. Uncovering the unspoken truths of struggles that many people in the church are facing, Removing the Mask brings to light real testimonies from real people who overcame various battles with perversion, fornication, homosexuality, and pride not by themselves but by the power of God. Its time to expose the enemys schemes, reveal the secrets, and grab a hold of the freedom and power that we have in Christ. Let this book encourage you to hide no longer, break free from guilt and condemnation, get back your godly conviction, and learn the strategies of defeating the enemy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543421927

Book preview

REMOVING THE MASK

BACKSLIDERS IN THE CHURCH

DR. NADINE A. FORREST

Copyright © 2017 by Dr. Nadine A. Forrest.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2017907467

ISBN:             Hardcover                           978-1-5434-2190-3

                      Softcover                             978-1-5434-2191-0

                      eBook                                 978-1-5434-2192-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Rev. date: 05/12/2017

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Overcoming

Chapter 2 In Love With a Backslider

Chapter 3 Conditions of a Backslidden Heart

Chapter 4 Journey into a Dangerous Place – (Sis. Ava’s Testimony)

Chapter 5 Living the Homosexual Stereotype (Sis. BB’s Testimony)

Chapter 6 Keeping Secrets (Sis. Missy’s Testimony)

Chapter 7 I’m a Survivor

Chapter 8 Secret Backslider (Sis. Brenda’s Testimony)

Chapter 9 When We Fall Down (Sis. Grace’s Testimony)

Chapter 10 I Didn’t Know Who I Was (Sis. Dotty’s Testimony)

Chapter 11 Soul Ties (Sis. Tiny’s Testimony)

Chapter 12 Journey from Rejection (Sis. Ray’s Testimony)

Chapter 13 Unmasking

Chapter 14 The Unfaithful Wife

Chapter 15 Come Back Home

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all who have contributed with testimonials etc.

To my family and church family of Bringing Back Pentecost Outreach Ministries Inc.

To Pastor Jannette Forrest for your encouragement and love. Thank you for pushing me to the finish line.

Other books by Dr. Nadine A. Forrest

Manifest Blessings & Pastors Cry in the Dark

Special Thanks To:

Marjorie Glanville (My big sister)

Sister Kimberly Powell (My Niece)

Annie Marie Tucker who taught me how to be a better organizer.

Removing the Mask

Backsliders in the Church

What Does it Mean for a Christian to Backslide?

The Old Testament uses the term backsliding to speak of those who have been near to God but have allowed sin to take them away from Him.

The prophet Jeremiah said, Our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. (Jeremiah 14:7) Backsliding in Scripture is always seen as a very serious matter: Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,’ declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. (Jeremiah 2:19, NIV)

Backsliding can be caused by many things. However, whatever the sin might be that leads us away from God, it must be dealt with honestly and brought before Him in repentance. God loves us and wants us to be close to Him. He promises to forgive us even when we sin against Him. I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. (Hosea 14:4)

We must always fight against backsliding, but if we do backslide, we know that when we renounce our sin and return to God, there is forgiveness and reconciliation. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

INTRODUCTION

There are so many people in church who have strayed far away from God and who are just going through the motions. They know how to do the shouting and the clapping; they have perfected the art of doing church. They have become disconnected and disillusioned, but it is time for the people of the Church to wake up out of their sleep and realize that we must get ourselves together in a hurry! It is possible to be in church and be a backslider. We could have formed soul ties with ritualistic worship, yet have really strayed away from the true and living God. We must understand that being in the church won’t save us; rather, we need to make sure that we are having a real, true relationship with Jesus Christ. We aren’t dismissing the fact that we all have struggles and we all face trials, but we serve a God who delivers us and sets us free. Know that you are not alone in your struggles. This book is not to glorify the devil with how he is working against us; it is to show how mighty our God is, and how He is able to deliver us and set the captives free. We can be set free through Jesus Christ, who is able to liberate us from every bondage. The testimonies you will read are about defeat and triumph. They are about real people with real struggles, and each story is different. These testimonials are included to help you see where you are, and then to help you evaluate yourself and change. The Bible declares in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And James 5:16 tells us: Confess your faults one to another…that ye may be healed.

CHAPTER 1

Overcoming

The Bible declares, in the book of Revelation, that we overcome by the word of our testimony. As we begin to declare who Jesus Christ is, what He has done on the cross, and how He has brought us out of bondage, it releases us to be free from the bondages of sin and sets us free from the terrors of hell.

Many of us who are in church regularly are going to hell because we aren’t living lives that are pleasing to God. We think that we can live life on the surface and still make it into heaven. The Bible declares that, without holiness, no man can see God. Our righteousness alone cannot buy us out of the mess that we are in, because the Bible declares that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) How long will we fool ourselves, thinking that we can believe in God and live secular lives at the same time? We are at the party, dancing to all manner of seductive music on Saturday, and then we are in church on Sunday. Or we are good from sun down Friday to sun up Saturday, and on Sunday we are hell raisers. Then we make excuses, such as, Oh I have a struggle, and nobody is perfect! There is a difference between having a struggle and living an habitual sinful lifestyle. When we say that we have a struggle, it simply means that there’s an issue or stronghold in our life that we are fighting against. And if we are fighting against it, then we are in a good place, but if we accept that This is how I am and who I am, and don’t intend to do anything about it, then we are in big trouble. There’s nothing wrong with having a struggle, for it indicates that we want to be holy and righteous, but we should not let anything overtake us. If a struggle is trying to overcome us, we should not give up, nor give in. Though we may fall or fail at times, we must still have the tenacity to get back up and fight. The Bible declares that a righteous man falls seven times but he gets back up again. (Proverbs 24:16) When we have fallen to the struggle, there is a sense of guilt and brokenness that comes with it, because we feel as if we have disappointed God and disturbed the Spirit of God that is on the inside of us.

Now that I have explained what a struggle is, let us examine what it is not. A struggle is not something that you practice and it is not a lifestyle. When you have sinned over and over again and stop feeling guilty about what you are doing, it is no longer a struggle but has become a stronghold, and could eventually become a lifestyle. Many of us are calling our lifestyle a struggle,