Just a little note before Sunday Scripture. I am being featured today at
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS
I'm taking part in a series called
I hope you will visit me at Pamela's today. She has a beautiful blog and I'm sharing new things!
Now it's time for Sunday Scripture...
Are you ever Spiritually dry? Feel far away from God? Don't feel connected to your Heavenly Father?
It's a hard place to be... especially when you are used to feeling God's presence in your life. I think everyone feels like that now and then. I've been going through a "dry spell" recently.
Here is how I am coping... I hope it might help you too...
SPEAK GOD'S TRUTH...
"Feelings" are flighty and deceptive and often not based in truth.
Even though I feel that God is far from me I know not to believe those feelings. Just because we feel a certain way does not make it true!
I saturate my mind with God's truth and don't dwell on my feelings.
Run to God's word in these times and spend time replacing feelings with the precious truth of God!
"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.
Jere 23:23-24
"... I will never leave you or forsake you". Hebrews 13:5
ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU YOUR SIN
Sometimes there may be good reason that we don't feel close to God. Even though, as Christians, our eternal salvation is secure, our day-to-day sin clogs up that direct pipeline to our Heavenly Father. Feeling far away from God may be the result of unconfessed sin!
We need to go before the throne of Grace and have a good old honest talk with our Abba!
I had a wonderful Daddy. My dad gave me a marvelous picture of the love and mercy and grace of my Father in Heaven... especially when it came to forgiveness!
Daddy never let me go to sleep with any strife between us. If I went to bed with any unsettled problems, Daddy would come up to my bedroom... sit on the edge of my bed in the dark... and help me start that process of being forgiven by first apologizing to me and telling me how much he loved me! I still marvel at that. When I was wrong HE would apologize! Even in my most stubborn teenage years my heart would melt. He found a way to start a loving conversation so I could tell him I was sorry and make things right between us. I never ever remember waking up angry at my father... not once!
God is like that too! He waits for us with open arms and a loving heart bigger than the universe! He will not condemn or scold or throw our sins in our faces! He waits and whispers His words of love in our far away hearts! He wants to settle things with us even more than we do!
Ask Him to search your heart, reveal your sin and then be quick to tell God you are sorry!
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me and know my anxious thoughts: And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me to the everlasting way". Ps 139:23-24
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me". Ps 51
THE MAIN THING IS TO KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!
In times that I feel far from God it is often because I have become lazy or too busy to spend time reading and studying God's word, praying, listening to my favorite Christian speakers or reading great Christian books.
I find myself feeling far away when I am spending too much time in front of the tv or computer... or my life gets crazy busy.. or something is bothering me. I tend to let my time with God slip away first! I know better... bad move!!!! These are time I need to be connected!!!!
We need to put and keep God first. That simple... that true!!!
We need to make God the most important thing in our lives! That simple... that true!
We need to be intentional and diligent about following hard after God!
DON'T STRESS... REST
Desert times (when we are spiritually dry) happen. God loves us and is passionately desires a real and deep relationship with us... even when we cannot feel it!
Rest in the truth His love... and find comfort in His word!
Thankfully, if we seek after God desert times don't last forever!
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4: 8
Please know that I am keeping any of you who are feeling that God is far away in my prayers!
Yvonne , you are precious and a most humble soul.I have to intentionally praise the Lord every day ,even when it's hard to do .This winter and it's overwhelming greyness ,extended cold ,and lengthy season ,was not the best for me. I am determined to press on , fight the good fight ,and seek hard after the GOD who loves and blesses me ,even when I may not feel it. Our God is good aaalll the time ,(through every season) literally ,and in our spiritual walk with Him every day. I am learning to number my days .In an article I read in Charles Stanley 's May booklet it says" if our attention always stretches for the places we,re not, then we miss the grace of where we are ." wow .We wish for so many things , even good things , but in doing so , we miss the blessing of today. Bless you Yvonne , Hannah
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved your post at My Front Porch. I have always loved each home we have lived in....my girlfriend says I could decorate a cardboard box...true or not, the desire of mine has always been to make it warm and loving to all who come in. It was really difficult from our last move, to a Mobile Home. I am still adjusting, but I still placed things that evoke memories of our life together. God has been so good to me...and I am thankful. I do not have the things that many have, and would I like them, YES! But the Lord has blessed me in many ways...including faithfully guiding me during my cancer treatments. Thank you for your wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteYvonne...so needed to read this for myself and am sharing with a nephew who is spiritually dry, lonely, and alone without family nearby. Thank you for a tender loving and well written explanation of "spiritually dry" with clear ways to draw closer to our abba!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Yvonne!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Cindy
Very well spoken, Ms. Yvonne! Have a Super Sunday.
ReplyDeleteAmen Yvonne. A while back I was running on empty myself because I let life's problems become my main concern. Certainly not the first time this has happened to me, nor will be the last I'm sure. Once again it was God's Holy Word that lifted me up and brought true joy back into my heart. Through our suffering and challenges, we are guided back to where we belong with Him! Nothing beats the love we feel when we chose to make Him front and center. Makes me contemplate why I continue to let it happen from time to time. But as you so perfectly stated "He waits for us with open arms and a loving heart bigger than the universe!" How blessed we are to be loved so much!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for your honest and humble heart to share your personal relationship with our Lord with others!
Karen
My dear, sweet and precious Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteYour posts make me a better person. I needed this today, as though you knew my soul.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and know you, too, are in MY prayers right back.
Big hugs of sisterly love,
Michele from Ohio
ps heading over to see pamela's blog to read your feature!
I enjoyed your post because we didn't go to worship today....both Trip and Shelley are sick! I always pray that sin will find no place to hide in our home, and I know I get busted every time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post today. Congrats on your feature, and I'll check it out later!
xo,
RJ
Thank you for the wonderful post Yvonne. It is so hard to go through the dry times but it is good to know that we ALL do. Praying that God will pour out abundant blessings on you and all who read your words this week. He is always near! Patti
ReplyDeleteThis is truth! I love this, and thank you for sharing wisdom and encouragement from His Word!! I
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Leslie
Oh, how I needed to read these word! Our family is having lots of health issues all around and even though I know God is near and He is in control it seems sometimes He is far away. Getting into God's Word is the only way to remain grounded in times like these. Praying for all who read this and wishing God's blessing to all.
ReplyDeleteDinah
Thank you, Yvonne. I needed this reminder. I had a pity party last week and surprise...no one wanted to come to it! Dear friends encouraged me, but it's really God's word that really made the difference.
ReplyDeleteAaah, I just love reading the Scriptures you shared. There is nothing like God's word to calm us and refocus us, no matter how bad the day or unsettling the circumstance. Thank you for sharing these precious words :)
ReplyDelete