How to Rebuild Intimacy with God After Losing Your Spiritual Zeal

When the Honeymoon is Over part 1

Because falling out of love with your spiritual routine doesn't mean you've stopped loving God.

Scripture Focus: Revelation 2:4–5, James 4:8, Psalm 51:12

Have you lost the excitement of going spending intimate time with God? Does going to church feel like a chore…just something else on your to do list? Do you remember when you first gave your life to Christ?

You couldn't wait to get to church. You wanted to read your Bible, listen to sermons, and tell everybody about the goodness of God. You were so excited to be free from that old life of sin.

You were on fire for God!

But, then life started lifeing. The bill came do, and the money was short. The kids weren’t acting right and neither was your spouse. Your job demanded more and more, so you didn’t have time to pray.

Now, you sometimes struggle to pray for five minutes. And, if you find time to pray…(usually in your car on the way to work)…it’s to ask God for something. It’s not the same intimate relationship you used to have with Him.

Your Bible sits unopened for days. And those powerful moments you once experienced in God's presence seem fewer and farther between.

You still believe in God. You still love Jesus. You haven't abandoned your faith. No, you couldn’t do that! Not after all the things God has brought you through.

I know for me the thought of going back to the old life of sin and shame is unthinkable.

But the fire doesn't seem to burn as brightly as it once did.

If you are experiencing this, you are not alone. There are many of us, Christians, who are experiencing the same thin.  This is the end of the spiritual honeymoon phase. The romance of first finding God is over. And, the really hard times have started. And, no, I am not talking about a valley experience. I am talking about the every day…boring…uneventful life of being a Christian.

The good news? Your relationship with God doesn't have to end just because the excitement has faded. In fact, this may be where a deeper, more mature relationship with Him begins.

Understand That Spiritual Excitement and Spiritual Intimacy Are Not the Same Thing

When we first become Christians, everything feels new. Remember, when you first got married? Remember when you first moved into your house? It’s the same kind of high.

You discover scriptures you've never heard before or if, like me, you’ve heard them, they take on a new meaning.

You experience the joy of forgiveness. We begin to recognize God's hand in our lives.

It's exciting!

But just like a marriage, our relationship with God cannot survive on excitement alone.

Think about a couple who has been married for twenty years. They may not experience the same butterflies they felt during their first few dates, but their love can become stronger, deeper, and more meaningful.

Why?

Because they've learned to love each other beyond their emotions.

The same principle applies to our relationship with God.

There will be days when worship feels powerful and days when you don't feel much of anything. There will be times when you eagerly open your Bible and times when reading a few verses of your Bible requires discipline.

Spiritual maturity means learning to pursue God even when the emotional excitement isn't there.

Your faith cannot be built entirely on how you feel.

Second Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that we walk by faith, not by sight. That means we don’t walk by feelings. We don’t allow how we feel to dictate how we treat our relationship to God.

And, sometimes faith looks like opening your Bible when you don't feel inspired, whispering a prayer when you're exhausted (It can be a short one), or choosing obedience when your emotions are pulling you in another direction.

That's not necessarily a sign of weak faith.

Sometimes, that's what growing faith looks like.

Go Back to Your First Love

In Revelation 2:4–5, Jesus speaks to the church at Ephesus about something that should make every Christian examine their heart.

He tells them they have left their first love. Their first love was Christ. And, he should also be our first love.

What's interesting about all of this is that this particular church was doing many things right. They were working, persevering, and standing against false teaching.

Yet, something important was missing.

Their love had grown cold.

Does that sound familiar?

You can attend church every Sunday, serve on three committees, sing in the choir, teach Sunday school, and still feel spiritually disconnected.

I know for years, I attended a church where I was busy…busy…busy. I sang in the choir. I did the church programs. I decorated the church for every occasion. I posted all of the pastor’s sermons online. I wrote out all the church announcements. I was doing…doing. But, I was spiritually starving. I felt disconnected. It wasn’t a big disconnect, but I was spiritually stagnant…complacent.

I was busy doing things for God while neglecting time with God. I was busy doing, but I wasn’t growing. I wasn’t developing in my relationship with Christ.

And, sadly, that's where many Christians find themselves.

We become so accustomed to the routine of Christianity that we forget the relationship at the center of it.

Jesus calls the church to remember, repent, and return to the things they did at first.

Maybe it's time to remember what drew you to Christ.

Remember those moments when you knew you needed His grace.

Remember the prayers you prayed when you had nowhere else to turn.

Remember the peace you experienced when you finally surrendered something you had been trying to control.

But don't return simply to recreate an old feeling.

Return because the One who loved you then is still worthy of your love today.

Stop Treating Prayer Like Another Item on Your To-Do List

Somewhere along our Christian journey, prayer can become a routine we rush through instead of a conversation we treasure.

We pray before meals. We pray before bed. We pray when there's a problem.

But when was the last time you simply sat with God?

Not asking Him to fix anything.

Not presenting a list of needs.

Not rushing to get to the next activity.

Just spending time in His presence.

Don’t feel bad if your answer is not what it should be. I’m guilty too!

One of the greatest ways to rebuild intimacy with God is to change how you approach prayer.

You don't always need an elaborate prayer filled with beautiful words.

Sometimes, the most meaningful prayer is simply:

"Lord, I miss how close I used to feel to You. I don't know what changed, but I want to know You more deeply. Help me find my way back to a consistent relationship with You."

God already knows what's in your heart.

You don't have to pretend with Him.

If you're tired, tell Him.

If you're disappointed, tell Him.

If you're struggling with doubt, bring those questions to Him.

If you feel spiritually empty, acknowledge it.

The Psalms are filled with people expressing grief, frustration, fear, confusion, and longing before God.

Psalm 62:8 encourages us to pour out our hearts before Him.

Intimacy grows where honesty lives.

And sometimes rebuilding your prayer life begins with dropping the religious performance and simply being honest with your Heavenly Father.

When was the last time you were truly honest with God? So, today, do an evaluation of your life. Look at your relationship with Christ, and begin to rebuild your relationship with Him.

The Reasons the Blood is Important in the Life of Christians:

 

The Importance of the Blood of Jesus

The blood of Jesus Christ is important in the lives of all Christians. It was by Jesus’ blood that we were saved. His ultimate sacrifice at the cross was done so that each of us might have a right to life. Instead of being consumed and cast into the fire, our lives were spared when Jesus offered up his own. Although his disciples did not understand it at the time, Jesus had to die. It was only by the shedding of his blood…the blood of the lamb that we could each be saved. There is power in the blood of Jesus. The blood can heal, cleanse, protect, and even convict.

Heals

There is healing in the power of Jesus’ blood. His blood can heal us. When Jesus went to the cross, he took all of our sins with him. He took our shortcomings along with our sickness and disease.

The Bible tells us that “by his stripes we are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

As believers, we have this promise. Jesus died so that we might be saves. He died so that our illness and infirmity could be healed.

Cleanse

The Bible tells us that we are all as filthy rags before God. None of us are perfect nor are we without sin. We have all done things that were not right. Whether we told a “little white lie” on our taxes or we lied when our boss asked us if we were busy…we lied. If we have not paid our tithes as we should, then we are robbers. We have robbed God. We have lusted after things or people. There is not one of us righteous. No. Not one. So, we need the cleansing of the blood of Jesus.

 

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. “ (Romans 5:9)

 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

 

For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwells in Zion” (Joel 3:21)

 

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

 

Protects

The blood provides protection for us. It helps to keep us safe from all of the tricks of the enemy. We are told that our enemy the Devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. It is the blood of Jesus that keeps us protected from the wiles of the enemy.

The blood also provides protection from harm and danger. The last Plague that came to Egypt was the Death of the First Born. This plague took the lives of every first-born child in the land of Egypt.

 

Exodus 11:4-7 tells us that, “Then Moses said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.””

 

The Israelites were instructed to place the blood of an unblemished lamb and smear it on the two side posts and the upper post of their doors. God tells them that this shall be a sign for the Destroyer to “Passover” their houses. The blood was an outward sign of their relationship to God. The blood of the lamb provided protection against the Destroyer who was to come.

When we enter the New Testament, we learn that Jesus was the unblemished lamb. He was slain, and his blood provides protect for those of us who are saved.

Today, we still have the same privilege. We  are covered under the blood of Jesus. And, we should pled the blood over everything that we value. This includes our children, our health, our jobs, our homes, and our jobs.

Convicts

Blood even has the power to convict us. It can convict us of our sins. When Cain killed Abel, Abel’s blood cried out to God from the ground:

Genesis 4: 9-11~Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

 

Hebrews 11:4~By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

Binds

The blood acts as a binding agent. It binds us to Christ. This is one of the reasons that we have Communion. When the disciples held the Last Supper with Jesus. He broke bread with them. The bread was a symbol of his body. And, the wine was a symbol of his blood that would soon be shed for the sins of the world.

 

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)

 

The blood of Jesus plays many roles in the life of Christians. It can save, convict, cleanse, heal, and bind. When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we are no longer our own. We become willing servants to the living God. Our bodies are not our own. We were bought with a price…the price being the death of Jesus.

Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Even some of the best Christians can sometimes experience periods of depression and doubt. I know I am no different.

For the past few days, I have wrestling with some feelings of anxiety. I had some issues come up that made me question God about the “fairness” of my situation. And, to be honest, sometimes I would find myself getting angry because my finances are not what I want…no, need…them to be. I found myself quote this Psalms 37: 25 over and over… “I once was young, but now, I’m old. Yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” But, it seemed to me like I was begging for bread. You know the routine: “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”…listening to adult children who still need help financial. It was so frustrating.

I was having these detrimental thoughts as I was driving down the highway. About the time I found myself getting angry, I lifted up my eyes toward heaven. The sky was stormy and raining. I couldn’t help thinking but thinking that my life was the same way. But, then the most amazing thing happened. I drive out of the storm and into clear, beautiful, blue skies. I couldn’t help but laugh. Then it dawned on me. My situation was just like the clouds and storm that I had just drove through. The storm was only temporary. At the end, there were blue skies. We go through life’s storms, but God is there with us. He knows our distress. He sees our tears, and he cares.

       So, I had to calm down and quote the following scriptures to myself:

        Proverbs 13: 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

 

2 Chronicles 7: 14

   If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and heal their sins and heal the land.

 

Believe the Word of God

Believe the Word of God

It is so easy to say “I believe God”. However, it can be difficult to do just that. When times are tight or when the situation is dire, it can be almost impossible to trust God and not give in to ones fears.

I had a parent who asked me about her child. I kindly explained to the lady that I would do all I could for her son. However, instead of trusting me. The lady decided that she needed to come by every week. She constantly called and constantly asked other students what was going on in my classroom. This lady even decided that she needed to complain about me to other teachers. She stated that she just could not understand what I was doing or why.

 

I can understand that this lady was nervous about her child’s success. However, instead of making me do more for her child, she succeeded in alienating me. I was more than willing to spend extra time working with her son. But, her antics made me very angry. Yes, I still helped her child and worked with him. However, I was so insulted that she didn’t trust me to keep my word. I vowed to myself that I would not do anything extra for this lady or her child again.

In my anger with her, I realized that we treat God the same way this lady did me. We ask God to do something for us, but we don’t really trust him to keep his word. We don’t really believe God is concerned about our little problem. God tells us in his word that he is faithful. He states that he is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent. God states that he said it, and he would bring it to pass. He was faithful to Abraham. He was faithful to Isaac. He was faithful to the Children of Israel. God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we should ask or think. All he asks is that we have the faith of a grain of a mustard seed.

Sadly, most of us don’t have that childlike faith. We say we have faith, but do we really?

Just like this woman, we say we will trust, but we don’t. We get nervous. We become afraid as the winds and the water rise. However, we must learn to trust in the Lord. We must learn to lean not to our own understanding. Instead, we must believe God.

Numbers 23:19

Isaiah 40:8

Proverbs 3: 5-6

Matthew 17: 20

 

What Grade Would God Give You?

What’s Your Grade?

As a teacher, I often find myself lecturing my students about studying. I continuously stress the importance of being prepared for class and life. Well, while I was sitting the other day, the spirit spoke to me. It asked me, “What was my grade?” At first, I was confused. Then, it came to me. I was always lecturing my students about studying and being prepared, but was I prepared myself?

If life were a “real classroom”, what would my grade be?

Students who make “A’s” are either naturally smart or they put a lot of time and effort into their studies. Students who make “B” are students who also put in a lot of time studying. However, they might miss it on a few points. The “C” students do what the majority of their classmates do. They study a little and “wing” the rest of it. (Of course, there are exceptions.) The “D” student spends almost no time studying. They study just enough to squeeze by. And, the “F” student has fails. Now, knowing this, what is your grade?

Think about the amount of time you spend praying, reading God’s word, going to worship, and helping others. What is your grade? Do you pray as much as you should? Do you regularly attend worship? Okay, you went to worship once this week, but was that all? Do you confine God to one day a week? How much time do you spend studying the word? How much time do you spend in silent mediation with God? When you are alone with him, who talks the most…you or him?

Well, now that you have graded yourself, forgive yourself. None of us are perfect. We all fall down. As the scriptures tell us in Romans 3: 23, we have all fallen short of the glory of God. However, that is not an excuse to continue doing what we have been doing. If our grade is not an “A”, we can do better. We must make a commitment to spend more time studying God’s word. We must be willing to spend more time in pray. We must be willing to push our plates back and fast as needed. We have to be willing to sacrifice our time, talent, and…wait for it…money in order to be good steward to our God. Stop waiting for a disaster to strike to pray. Pray now. Stop talking and let God speak to your spirit. Open your heart to him.

Yes, I know you are pressed for time. I know, the kids are running all over the place and you can’t seem to find the time. But, what if God didn’t have time for us? Just begin small. Start setting aside 5-10 minutes a day to study God’s word and watch your life transform.

Still Thankful

Thankful Even After Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is behind us, and Christmas is rapidly approaching. Nipping at our heels is the close of this year. This is the time of the year when I like to take a step back and look at the things that I have accomplished or meant to accomplish throughout the past year. Yes, I accomplished somethings. And, yes, I even fell down on some things. Despite this, through it all I am still thankful.

Just because Thanksgiving is over, it doesn’t mean that we should lose that spirit of thanksgiving. We should be thankful all of the time. We should thank God for all things…both good and bad. And, I know you may be thinking that I am crazy when I say thank him for the bad times. But, it is in the bad times that we learn to lean and depend on him. We learn the real source of our strength. In the storms of life, we are molded and transformed. So, yes, thank God for the bad times as well as the good.

So, this holiday season, we should not only be thankful for the gifts and toys and piles and piles of food. We should be thankful for all things. God tells us not to despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). If we are faithful over a few things then God knows he can trust us with more. So, instead of complaining about what little we have, we should be good stewards over what God has entrusted to us.

Amen.

Sitting on the Floor of Life

 

Sitting on the Floor

I love a nice, fluffy couch. I like to relax on a soft couch after a hard day at work. Occasionally, I like to sit on my floor surrounded by pillows and watch television. This feels so great. However, I have noticed that the older I have become the harder it is to get up off of the floor. I know those of you who are under 30 years old might not understand. But, those of us who have sailed passed our thirtieth birthday know that there are just somethings that we can’t do with as much ease as we used to. For me, getting up from my floor is one of them.

As I was pushing myself up from my floor the other day, I was thinking about how hard it is to get up from such a low place. Then, it hit me. Just as it is hard to get up from my floor, it is also hard to get up from a spiritual fall or even a financial fall. It is downright hard!

It seems like the whole world wants to kick you when you are down. When you have no money, it seems like no one will give you any. It seems like no one has any money to spare. It seems like no one cares. When you fall away from the church, it seems like there is no one there who cares enough to ask you how you are doing. It seems like there is no one who cares enough to find out what happened to drive you away in the first place.

Maybe, you sinned. Just maybe. Maybe, you found out something about one of your church leaders, and you felt betrayed. You wonder why God doesn’t do something. You wonder why he allows such heartache and pain. You are even tempted to wonder if he cares or if he is “real” as the darkness of life begins to surround you. Like the prodigal son, you find yourself sitting in the muck of the hog pen.

However, we have to realize that it is all a trick of the enemy. Yes, God cares. Yes, God is real. He longs to help us. He longs to guide us. But, he didn’t promise us that we won’t have pains. He didn’t promise us that every day would be sunshine. And, too often, our pain and suffering is the result of choices we made…wrong turns that we took. We didn’t listen to God. We didn’t listen to our parents or our friends. We listened to the siren song of sin. James 1:13-15 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” When we give in to sin we open our door to its consequences.

We live in a world full of sin, and as a result of sin, we face life’s challenges. But, we have the blessed assurance that God is there even in the mist of our pain and sorrow. God is still there. Just as he was there for Job as he was tried and tested.

Let us lift up our eyes to the hills from which cometh our help. All of our help comes from God. Let us speak encouraging words to ourselves and our situations because we know that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Let us speak life and hope and prosperity. Let us push ourselves up from the floor…from the pit and walk boldly into God’s grace.