Why do some spiritual giants fall away suddenly?

Answer: The fall of many a spiritual giant has shocked the world and often caused the name of the Lord to be blasphemed. "How could such a great person fall?" is our perturbed query. The answer is unique. A man's spiritual strength is directly proportionate to the strength of his mind. A man may be a fervent prayer warrior, a forceful miracle-worker, a fiery revivalist, one who can deliver soul-searching sermons, one who is spiritually talented; but if he has not learned to control his mind, he is bound to fall when occasion arises. So it is the mind that really matters, for, without its sanctification, our lives cannot be sanctified. All our inherent powers lie in the mind. It is the state of the mind that determines what we are, and what we shall be. It is no wonder then that Satan is earnestly and persistently trying to get at our minds. Paul, a true shepherd of the flock, says," I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity (sincerity) that is in Christ." (2 Cor. 11:3).
 

Long before a man of God falls, his mind must have fallen – which nobody in the world might have known. The Word of God says that shining saints are like stars in the sky (Dan. 12:3). We know that the stars are far away from the earth – four or more light years away. If a star is four light years away, the light given out by that star four years ago will reach the earth only now. Shining saints are like that. A great saint who is brightly shining today may have fallen from grace four years ago. As he was so high in the skies (as if four light years away) today we see his light; but tomorrow, suddenly, the light is gone. A star might have become black and dead four years ago, but no one on the earth would have known about it till now ( i.e. four years later). People are shocked and surprised when a man of God falls – "What happened to that great spiritual giant so suddenly?" No, it was not a sudden fall. Before a man of God falls, long ago, his mind must have fallen. This is true historically also. Many of the so called spiritual giants after their fall confessed how they had some fall long before that.

The danger in some mightily-used men of God is that, when small mistakes occur in their life, they tend to hide them without properly repenting and confessing them thinking that they are great men of God and therefore repenting and confessing is below their dignity. Then, more small secret sins such as, a physical touch with a wrong intention, a one-minute look at abominable pictures, etc. will take possession of their life. These may not immediately affect a person's ministry initially. But later on they will kill his life and his ministry. You may throw some water at a person; it may not kill him. You can throw some straw on him; that will not kill him either. You may throw some sand on him; that too may not kill him. But, if you mix sand, straw and water together and make a brick and throw it at a person, it may kill him. So are our little, little, secret sins. Let us be careful.            

Satan gets his first foothold in our lives when we unsuspectingly start listening to his seemingly innocent-sounding voice. He first beguiles, then corrupts, defiles, and ultimately blinds our mind (2 Cor. 4:4). After that we are emboldened to commit any sin. This is the trap he set for the unsuspecting Eve. She was first deceived into thinking that the forbidden fruit was actually good for food, pleasant to the eyes and able to make one wise (Gen. 3:6). Then she was easily led to believe that the Lord Who loved them and walked and talked with them every day, had intentionally withheld from them something good and desirable. Gone was her unfeigned love for her Lord – her mind was corrupted. It did not take very long after that for her to eat the fruit and thereby commit sin. Her mind was so blinded that she neither feared nor cared for the consequences of such outright disobedience. When we reach this frame of mind, no amount of counseling, encouraging, admonishing or even chastening can raise us from our stupor. We can see neither the glorious things prepared for us by our loving Lord, nor the impending judgment reserved for the rebellious.

The tragic fall of Samson is another vivid example of Satan's tactics. He was unquestionably a man mightily used by the Lord, and of this he himself was very well aware. When he allowed the enemy to play on his mind, it seemed to him a trivial matter, a thing of no significance at all. But before he knew it, he was in deep trouble – blinded and bound beyond rescue. It has been experimentally observed that if a frog is placed in a bowl of water and the water heated gradually, the frog will remain undisturbed in the water till the water actually boils and kills it. The biological system in the frog causes its body temperature to change with the changing temperature surrounding it, till it is too late to sense the danger. Satan too works on this principle. So, if we are not really vigilant, we will also be caught in trouble like Samson. How right the Scriptures are in saying that he who has no rule over his spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls (Pro 25:28)! THE MANIFESTATION OF GIFTS, TALENTS AND GRACES SHOULD NOT GIVE US THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

If the mind is so vulnerable and constantly the object of Satan's fiery attacks, how then can we preserve it? Man has researched into and subdued many realms, but the thought-realm has evaded the control of even many religious personalities. Worldly people try various methods to control their mind, but fail in achieving it. It is only the Holy Spirit Who can control our mind permanently. For this, as advised by  Paul, we have to seek those things which are above (Col. 3:1). Seeking involves a willing mind. David says, "O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee ..."(Psa. 63: 1). Our minds should be stayed on the Lord (lsa. 26:3). For this, the truth is given to us. "Gird up the loins of your mind," is Peter's way of putting it (1 Pet. 1:13). Paul words it thus: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Eph. 6:14). The Lord wants us to cling to Him, even to the loins of His mind, like a girdle (Jer. 13:11). So, as we seek the Lord and the things of the kingdom of God through His Word, our minds are girded, brought under the reign of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual revelations fill our mind. This leads to our hearts getting occupied by spiritual desires, and these, in turn, become our personal experiences.

All of us started our spiritual race with the right revelation, but what is on our mind today? Have we allowed the things happening around us to deceive our minds? Is there anything that has captured our interest and attention, and enslaved our mind? The mind of the Bride of Christ must be absolutely chaste. We cannot see God with a defiled mind (Matt. 5:8). Also, if our mind is corrupted, nothing and no one will seem good or pure in our eyes (Titus 1:15). We slip into a tendency to be hard, unforgiving and critical. And after the mind and conscience are defiled, blindness gradually sets in. Once our mind is blinded, we begin to live a hypocritical life, a dual life. Our inner life is not in conformity with the front we put up on the outside. Like the Pharisees condemned by Jesus in chapter 23 of Matthew's Gospel, we lay great emphasis on the observance of various rules and regulations, and conveniently overlook the observance of more important virtues like love, patience, humility, purity, etc. We are, to all outward appearances, spiritual and godly; but resentment, bitterness, envy, hatred, anger and other vices reign within. We may continue as such, being members of the Church, till the time comes for us to be spewed out.

In case our conscience is pricked by secret sins of carnality now, even if they appear small and insignificant, let us humble enough to confess. We will be able to keep our life transparent, and we will be the joyful possessor of a triumphant life.