The Narrow Path Ministries

howdy all-

it has been my experience that the christian walk is a roller coaster of sorts with its ups and downs. there are dry seasons and seasons of great joy and growth.

it has also been my experience that when the "blahs" hit, there usually doesnt seem to be a reason. for a season i am on fire, and then wham! all of a sudden everything seems ho-hum.

i happen to be going through a ho-hum season, so i would appreciate all of your input as to how you deal with the spiritual doldrums (assuming you have experienced them). if the "blahs" are inevitable and normative for the christian life, i would still like to shorten the season if possible.

thanks in advance for your input!

TK

You may want to try praising God whether you feel like it or not. At first, your words may seem hollow, be in a little while you may find that they are genuine praise.

Singing hymns of commitment and submission, and thanks for what Jesus did for us when He died for our benefit, can also carry us into the heavens.

Doing what He asks us to do, even when we don't feel like it, even if we would rather be entertained, possesses the amazing ability to bring us out of our evil dreams into the reality of God's presence.

i happen to be going through a ho-hum season, so i would appreciate all of your input as to how you deal with the spiritual doldrums (assuming you have experienced them). if the "blahs" are inevitable and normative for the christian life, i would still like to shorten the season if possible.

When i'm driving i like to play CDs by bible teachers who motivate me, to me it's almost like meditating on scripture if it's a good teacher. And when i'm working at my desk i listen to Steve's lectures or radio shows. I may miss a lot but even having it in the backround lifts my spirits.

TK,

I BIND THE SPIRIT OF "BLAHS" IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!!



Did that work?

Seriously though, the thing that gets me "un-blahed" quicker than anything else is serving. If I minister to other people, for example at a homeless shelter or jail, it brings the Gospels to life and reinvigorates my passion like nothing else.

I check myself first to be sure I am walking in forgiveness etc.
Then, I just wait it out but in the meantime I listen to christian music,
a tape each evening at bedtime, read HIS word, and quietly meditate upon HIM and sing praises to his name. At times when I have been in
a huge slump I just simply "wait upon the Lord" and HE comes along
and shows me things through even the very small things of life....And a time or two, I yell, "HELP" ( no kidding)

God is faithful and is working things out through the quiet season.
Your beloved is not far.

TK,

On a clear night, go away from as many residential lights as possible and look up. The night sky declares God's power to me even moreso than the diverse colors and shapes of the bright, sunny days. My wife and I read Psalm 19 yesterday re: the heavens declaring God's greatness. Then today just before sundown I looked to my right to see the sun completing its path and dropping below the horizon in a huge ball of fire while to my left rising to light the night was a full moon peeking through the trees. I can't remember the last time I caught that scene and I wondered if it was just coincidental or if God was demonstrating his power to me. I prefer to choose the latter. To cure the blahs, look up!

livingink

TK,

In my life, I find that my spiritual "blahs" sometimes result from my perspective. My focus is on me and what I want from the Lord rather than what He wants for me. The "blahs" are used by God to remind me that I should be consumed with His agenda rather than my own. It helps me to see that my agenda is often the polar opposite of God's agenda.

Another reason for the "blahs" are too much hearing and not enough doing. I love to learn stuff about God, but the majority of it cannot be truly learned unless it is lived out in our daily walk. The "blahs" can represent a my searching for a new "topic" when God isn't ready for me to be finished with the last one.

The last reason for the "blahs" that I'll mention that I experience is when I'm looking to draw life from things other than God. Often, these things are of a spiritual nature (ie. Bible study, volunteering at a church, etc) but I'm expecting them to provide something that I can only get from my relationship with God. In these times, its best to lay these things aside for a while in order to reconnect with Him.

I offer these from a heart that is still learning these lessons with a goal to build and not condemn.

Dave

The hardest thing I deal with in my spiritual walk is ignoring my "feelings" because this is where Satan attacks me... always. As Paul said, we are not unaware of his schemes. But even with this knowledge, it's hard to resist believing everything you "feel." Often times I'll be irritated at my wife for no reason at all. I can recognize this as an attack against my spirit so it helps to be aware of what's happening. Sometimes God tests me too by drying up the spiritual well or allowing Satan to tempt me. In either case, my response is to ignore the feeling and bring to mind things that are undeniably true about God and our relationship. Changing the mental focus is a biggie for me. So maybe try thinking about the "dry times" as a test. Job was patient during severe trials and was rewarded in the end.

i really appreciate all of your input. it is simply amazing to me how these blahs can hit so quickly, for seemingly no reason. they seem to hit me about once per year, at no particular time, and seem to last a month or so. too often and for too long, as far as i am concerned.

i agree, JC, that it definitely is a test. all of your input regarding how to come out of it is well-taken and heeded by me.

i am reminded of Elijah's experience:

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. I Kings 19:11-12

God is always there.. sometimes it takes patience and our utmost attention to notice.

TK

Hey.. great thread.

I've been in kind of a blah spiritual period for awhile now... Often what gets me kind of down is that it seems that nothing exciting is happening... like, for example, I don't perceive that God is moving in people's lives, people aren't coming to Him (through my influence), etc..

It is not that life isn't good and that I am not practicing some spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible reading, etc..

I think my blahs like this are mostly perspective, but anybody else know what I am talking about?

in Him,
Les