“Now that I’ve shared with you my thoughts regarding backsliding, please share with me your thoughts on the progression of sin that causes people like Temporary to begin to backslide.” “Gladly,” said Christian as he started to list his reasons one at a time. “First, they stop thinking about anything that reminds them of God, death, and the judgment to come and instead, focus on thoughts that produce pleasure and comfort. “They give up any pretense of acting like a Christian in their personal life by neglecting prayer, giving in to temptation, and not feeling any grief over sin. “Then they avoid the company of joyful, vibrant, and mature Christians that are sharing personal testimonies and asking questions. “From there, they become less enthusiastic about church attendance and no longer listen to preaching or the public reading of God’s Word or participate in corporate worship. “To justify their actions, they start to nitpick and look for faults in the lives of other Christians. Their evil intent is to discredit religion and to provide an excuse for avoiding church. “Then they begin to find friendship and belonging by surrounding themselves with sinful, immoral, and godless people, who just lead them further into sin.”