Rediscovering Your Love for Christ
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
It can be easy to “fall out of love”
with the church. It can be easy to lose your zeal for serving him. But, a
season of dryness is not the end. Let us continue to explore ways to regain our
intimacy with God.
Make Room for God in Your Everyday
Life
One mistake we sometimes make is
believing that intimacy with God can only happen during formal devotion time.
We think we need thirty uninterrupted
minutes, a journal, a cup of coffee (I’m all for the cup of coffee), a worship
playlist, and the perfect quiet atmosphere.
Now, don't misunderstand me. There's
nothing wrong with creating a beautiful devotional routine.
But what happens when life gets busy?
What happens when the children need
you, work becomes overwhelming, or you're simply too exhausted to follow your
usual schedule?
Does your relationship with God get
placed on hold?
It shouldn't. But, too often it does.
Too often, we are too tired or too sleepy to spend time with God…well, so we
say.
But, in all honesty, we can still
connect with God.
You can connect with God while folding
laundry, driving to work, preparing dinner, or walking around your
neighborhood.
We can continue our intimacy with him
by talking to him often…we can ask him for wisdom before making difficult or
even simple decisions. You can meditate on a scripture while waiting in line at
the grocery store. You can turn off the television for ten minutes and sit
quietly in His presence. And, as hard as it may seem, you can skip scrolling Tik
Tok or Instagram and spend those precious moments with him.
Identify What Has Been Stealing Your
Spiritual Attention
Let's be blatantly honest with
ourselves. Our spiritual zeal doesn’t vanish overnight. It is slowly crowded
out by the cares of the world.
We become busy with work,
relationships, family responsibilities, social media, entertainment, financial
concerns, and everything else competing for our attention.
Before we realize it, God receives whatever time and energy we have left. And, often that time is very little.
But we do need to examine our
priorities.
Matthew 6:33 teaches us to seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Ask yourself:
- What has been consuming most of my thoughts lately?
- Am I allowing distractions to replace my time with God?
- Have I become more concerned with worldly approval than spiritual
growth?
- Is there an unhealthy habit, unresolved resentment, or ongoing
disobedience affecting my relationship with Christ?
- Have I become so busy serving others that I've neglected my own
spiritual health?
These questions aren't meant to
produce guilt.
They're meant to encourage honest
reflection.
Sometimes rebuilding intimacy requires
removing a few distractions so we can hear what God has been teaching us
through His Word.
And sometimes the issue isn't
distraction at all. It may be exhaustion, grief, or a difficult season of life.
For me, it’s exhaustion. It’s work.
Having to make a long commute and then deal with challenging students has
pushed my alone time with God to the limit. I know…I know. You may be thinking
that that commute time is the right time to spend with God. And, you would be
right.
But, then, there are the friends who
call during that commute time. They don’t seem to understand that these are
some the moments I like to spend with the lover of my soul…God.
Regardless, I am finding that I have
to choose when to answer those calls and when to let them wait. I am having to
make a conscious decision to spend that time with God.
Stop Chasing Spiritual Highs and Start
Building Spiritual Roots
Raise your hand if you’ve been on a spiritual
high before. I confess. I sure have.
And, one of the challenges many of us Christians face after the
honeymoon phase is the temptation to chase the emotional experiences we once
enjoyed. We want another powerful worship service. Another conference that
leaves us feeling spiritually refreshed. Another sermon that brings us to
tears. Another moment when we feel completely overwhelmed by God's presence. Those
experiences can be meaningful. But they cannot become the foundation of our
faith.
Colossians 2:6–7 encourages believers
to continue walking in Christ, rooted and built up in Him. This means
developing habits that strengthen your relationship with God even when life
feels ordinary. Read the Bible to understand God's character, not simply to
find a verse that makes you feel better. Pray because you desire fellowship
with Him, not only because you need an answer.
The goal isn't to feel spiritually
excited every single day. The goal is to become spiritually grounded.
Ask God to Restore Your Joy
We have to be like David. David in
Psalm 51:12 prayed:
"Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." — KJV
Notice what David asked God to restore
his joy. There are seasons when we need to ask God to renew our hearts. Perhaps
you've experienced disappointment. Maybe you've been praying about something
for years and haven't received the answer you expected.
Maybe someone in the church hurt you.
Maybe you've been dealing with loss,
loneliness, financial struggles, or family problems. And, somewhere along the
way, your spiritual enthusiasm began to fade.
You still believe.
But you're weary.
Jesus invites those who are weary and
burdened to come to Him for rest in Matthew 11:28. You don't have to
manufacture joy. You can ask God to renew it. And, remember that joy doesn't
always look like excitement, laughter, or emotional worship. Sometimes, joy
looks like quiet confidence that God remains faithful even when life is
difficult.
Rebuild Your Relationship with God One
Small Step at a Time
One of the biggest mistakes we make
when trying to reconnect spiritually is attempting to change everything
overnight.
We decide we're going to pray for an
hour every morning, read five chapters of the Bible daily, fast three times a
week, and attend every church activity.
Then life happens.
We miss a day.
We become discouraged.
And before long, we've abandoned the
entire plan.
Instead of creating an overwhelming
spiritual routine, begin with a few small, meaningful habits.
Mature Love Looks Different from New
Love
Here's something I wish more
Christians understood:
You don't have to become the Christian
you were when you first got saved. You can become a deeper, wiser, more
spiritually mature version of that person.
The Christian you were in the
beginning may have been filled with excitement, but you probably didn't
understand everything you were going to experience along your spiritual
journey.
You hadn't faced every disappointment.
You hadn't endured every trial. You hadn't learned all the lessons that only
come through time, obedience, and perseverance. But, now, you've lived a little.
You've experienced prayers that were
answered differently than you expected. You've survived seasons when you
couldn't understand what God was doing. You’ve cried those silent tears in the
night…like I have. And, you’ve learned that faith doesn’t always mean instant
results.
It may mean you're being invited into
a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Him. Think about Peter. He
began as an enthusiastic disciple who boldly declared his loyalty. Yet, Peter
also experienced fear, failure, and the pain of denying Christ.
Thankfully, Peter's failure wasn't the
end of his story. And, your season of
spiritual dryness doesn't have to be the end of yours.
There is still room for growth.
There is still room for renewal.
There is still room for a deeper
relationship with Christ.
The Honeymoon May Be Over, but the
Relationship Isn't
If you've lost some of the spiritual
excitement you experienced when you first became a Christian, don't assume your
relationship with God is beyond repair.
You don't need to spend the rest of
your Christian life chasing the person you were during your first few months of
salvation. Instead, allow God to continue shaping the person you're becoming.
Remember, the goal of Christianity
isn't to remain forever in the honeymoon phase. The goal is to grow into a
lifelong, deeply rooted relationship with Jesus Christ.
And that relationship is worth nurturing,
even when the feelings change.
