Have you ever felt like you don’t feel God’s presence? Maybe, you go to church, you’re trying to do the right thing. You’ve cut off bad relationships. You’re REALLY trying to live for God but it STILL feels like you don’t sense Him near you. You STILL feel like He’s not giving you wisdom. You STILL feel like maybe.. I need to pray more. Or maybe, study more. Maybe then, God will make me feel full again.
If you’ve ever felt this way, I can relate with you.
But, this is what I’ve learned.
Just because I don’t feel God’s presence, doesn’t mean He’s not there. God is omnipresent. God is present everywhere! My feelings aren’t the determining factor on if God is there or not. At what point did I make my feelings my idol or my god? And why do I keep trying to earn God like He’s man? I am righteous by faith in the blood of Jesus, not in my works! Yes, faith without works is dead but if my faith is in Jesus then I will NATURALLY do work & live for Him. NOT the other way around.
Sadly, I thought my works made my faith. So, I did things & I said: LOOK GOD! Do you love me more?! Look God, I prayed. Where is my sticker? Look God, I served at church.. do you love me more? James makes the statement “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26). Faith without works is dead faith because the lack of works reveals an unchanged life or a spiritually dead heart. There are many Scriptures that make it very clear that true saving faith will results in a CHANGED life, which is demonstrated by the “works” we do. How we live reveals what we believe and whether the faith we profess to have is a living faith.
James 2:14–26 is sometimes taken out of context in an attempt to create a works-based system of righteousness, but that is contrary to many other Scriptures.The scripture is not saying that our works make us righteous before God, but he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. Works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in TOTAL disobedience to Christ with a life that shows no works has a false or dead faith and isn’t saved. James is clearly showing you the difference between two different types of faith—truth faith that saves and false faith that is dead. So, in the midst of my dry season, I learned that it is out of my love for Jesus, I spend time with God. It is out of my love for my family that I serve them. Not for a cookie or a reward, but simply because I love them & it aint’ got nothing to do with my emotions but everything to do with my unconditional love towards them.
You see, your feelings are constantly subject to change. You eat a huge meal you may feel heavy and sleepy with no energy. Then, the next day you drink a green smoothie– so you’re on a high again. Then, the next day your boss scolds you and .. there goes your mood again.
Why are your moods so unstable? Is that all it takes to push you off of your rocker?
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”- 1 Peter 5:8
Satan has watched you and many just like you for YEARS so he & his little demons pretty much know what makes you tick.
Whenever my feelings or my emotions try to run to cling onto some silly understanding of a huge God, I’m reminded of:
“Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?”- Isaiah 40:12
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.” – Isaiah 40:15
How COMFORTING?! God holds the universe in the palm of his HAND! What perspective!
And maybe, just maybe you are going through a dry season in your life because you are clinging on to so many things and people that God cannot even speak life into your hardened heart? Maybe, just maybe you’re heart has been in things, money, pride, status and this world? God cares so much about you that He will allow for you to be stripped from worldly things so He will have His proper place. He refuses to share His glory with anyone else & He is JEALOUS for you. Do you think God is just gonna sit there & let you seek after this world & not CARE? God surly has a way of getting our attention again. He knows how to bring a man to repentence. So, stop wrestling with Him.
I challenge you sister to keep blogging, keep praying, keep spending crazy time with God, keep pressing in and don’t move until God pushes you to move. In that moment where we feel like all hope is lost, God is whispering into our ears “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.- Psalm 138:3″
1. Don’t quit on God, He is the only One that is leading you & the only One that can HELP you. So, spend MORE time with Him and don’t run back to your past when you get uncomfortable. Spending time with God daily should be like that flight you’re catching at 7am free flight to Hawaii everyday. You know good & well you wouldn’t miss that all expense paid trip. So, why is it so hard for your flesh to set a time for God & stick with it but we can get up for work, a flight.. school. There’s a reason you don’t desire God sis & it’s because you stopped giving your attention to Him!
2. Let go of anyone or anything that is hindering your walk with the Lord. Yes, that person. You know who it is! God has already made it plain to you but you’re rationalizing! Stop going back & forth with it & let it go!!
3. Guard that heart! You don’t have time to sit & listen to stupid love songs & music that aint’ glorifying the Father. Turn off the TV, unfollow a bunch of worldly celebrities & protect your heart. Your heart grows things and if you compare your life to all of these other people, you won’t enjoy this season. You will compare your life to a persons highlight reel & think that God forgot about you.
4. Be kind to others. Yes, this may seem easy to do but when you’re not feeling good about yourself, sometimes its hard to be nice to others. Avoid the pity party & get UP from your depression. Get UP from your feelings! Get UP & go help someone else that is struggling! When you get your eyes off of yourself & become selfless– you will find the joy & the beauty in sowing time & energy into others as the Lord leads you.
5. Learn, learn & learn some more! Read Christian BOOKS, listen to encouraging podcasts and surround yourself with believers. Never stop learning and take what you learn & apply it to your daily life. But before you pick up everybody else’s book– make sure your face is in the bible first. Nothing replaces that.
I’m praying for you. I’m standing in agreement with you & so is the rest of the body of Christ. Remember that when you quit, it puts a burden on the rest of the body to pick up where you quit on God. So, hang in there! God is for you!
God loves you like crazy,
Heather Lindsey
My little family! 🙂 Check out Logan’s smile!
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