Rediscovering God’s Faithfulness: 3 More Tips from a Christian Counselor

Part 2 of a 3 Part Spiritual Dryness Series

In my previous article, we focused on spiritual dryness, which is a state of depletion or emptiness. We looked at some of the causes of spiritual dryness, including adversity, legalism, a failure to refuel, disengagement from God, believing a lie, and sin. We learned that reconnection to God is the antidote for spiritual dryness. We need to know God intimately as a good and loving Father and embracing our identity in Christ. This article continues this discussion and unwraps some biblical principles that will refresh your spirit during wilderness seasons of life.

3.) Embrace Intimacy Not Legalism

We fall away from intimacy with the Lord when our Christian walk becomes focused on our own performance. The story of Martha and Mary illustrates this principle. Martha was occupied and distracted with serving while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. In our culture people idolize busyness, yet Mary prioritized relationship. The Message Bible states that Mary was “hanging on every word” Jesus spoke. She was in love with her Lord and drew near to Him, specifically sitting at His feet, which is a position of worship. If we are to combat spiritual dryness, we must take the posture of Mary. Even doing good deeds, such as serving others as Martha did, can be unhealthy if we do not prioritize our relationship with God. Jesus frequently withdrew from people and ministry to spend time with the Father in order to pray and refuel.

All spiritual fruitfulness flows out of our intimacy and relationship with God. When we start to function outside the “vine,” we lose our effectiveness because we are operating out of our own strength and therefore will become depleted. Serving on empty leads to burnout. Legalism will always produce a striving mentality, but intimacy produces spiritual rest. Spiritual rest means knowing that God accepts you and that there is nothing you can do to earn His love. Intimacy is about receiving God’s love and loving Him back. So when you minister or work, operate out of the overflow of spiritual intimacy. In other words, be continually refilled with God so that when you pour out you are not draining yourself. Ask yourself: “Am I caught up in rules and performance? Have I fallen out of relationship? Have I focused on outward images rather than inward changes?”

4.) Do Not Reduce God to Your Circumstances

Subconsciously, we can build our theology based on our troubles. We allow our circumstances to take precedence over what the Bible says. In the wilderness, your world looks dark and uncertain. Your circumstances might say that God has abandoned you or that He is not good. However, spiritual breakthrough comes when we choose to not allow our negative situations to define God. God is not a thief. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life abundantly. James 1:17 states that every good and perfect gift comes from God and that He does not change like shifting sands. This means that God is not an inconsistent, deceitful, two-faced father. Instead, He can be trusted to take care of you in the wilderness.

We need to be aware of the actions we attribute to God. Satan’s strategy is to turn you against God by deceiving you into blaming God for the evils in the world. Consider that your circumstances may or may not be God’s will for your life. There are other players that also influence you and create circumstances. These include your own free will, the sin of others, and spiritual opposition. How many times have we blamed God for situations that we created ourselves? Clarity comes when we look to God’s Word to be our guide to His ways and align our minds with heaven’s perspective of our circumstances. Ask God: “Where are you in the midst of my wilderness? Where do I need to change my perspective to agree with what you are doing?” We must not allow our circumstances to detract from the goodness of God, but we must also know God’s attitude towards us in the midst of hardship. Jeremiah 29:11 declares that God’s intentions towards you are full of hope and not harm. God is always working for you not against you. He is working on your behalf to heal, rescue, and deliver you. He has not given up on you and His love never fails. In every trial, God believes in you and has equipped you to be victorious. His stance is always one of a perfect, loving, and helpful Father. He behaves in such a way that is the best for His children. Refreshment in the wilderness comes when we believe the good ways of the Father and receive His loving attitude towards His children.

5.) Declare God’s Promises to Yourself and Remember God’s Faithfulness

The promises of God bring hope in the wilderness. The enemy will always remind you of your troubles, but God wants to remind you of His promises. After David was promised that he would be King, he endured rejection and persecution and spent years as a fugitive in the wilderness. But David chose to believe the promise, despite the fact that his circumstances directly contradicted this destiny. Sometimes we have to go through a process before we get to the promise, but God has equipped us to be more than a conqueror in the battle. God’s promises to you do not depend on the severity of your circumstances nor on your strength, but rather on His power. Abraham and Sarah were promised a child even though they were past childbearing years, and they chose to trust God. Not allowing adversity to control you is not easy, especially when your circumstances are telling you that all hope is lost. But God is faithful to keep His Word. The Bible states that it is impossible for God to lie, so we have to choose to believe the integrity of God’s Word over our circumstances.

God continually called the Israelites to remember how He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. During their wilderness season, He sought to reinforce His faithfulness. Reflecting on God’s goodness in your life recalibrates your spirit in the dry times. Bill Johnson states that it is our marriage to hopelessness that keeps us from breakthrough. Giving thanks helps you to remember who God is and what He has done for you. This then colors your current circumstances, painting them with hope. When you declare God’s words out loud, you increase your faith because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Your words have power. Use the power in your voice to encourage your own spirit. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. So, as sons and daughters of God, we need to remember the heavenly authority Jesus gave to us to align with heaven. We can declare God’s power to change our circumstances.

Christian Counseling to Overcome Spiritual Dryness

When we have experienced broken promises, lies, and hurt in our human relationships, it can be difficult to accept the greatness of God’s love and faithfulness. When the waves and the winds of life rage, it is especially difficult to believe God’s promise of healing, provision, purpose, protection, peace, and deliverance. But God is counter-cultural. He values relationship above all else and He never breaks His promises. Maybe you have been hurt or disappointed and are now having difficulty believing in God’s faithfulness and goodness towards you. Do you need help rebuilding trust again? Feel free to contact Seattle Christian Counseling for an initial session. As a Christian counselor, I would love to come alongside you and help you to process your doubt and discover the walls that keep you from intimacy with God. God is love and Love longs to spend time with you and build your expectancy and hope in the mist of darkness. If you would like to find out more about how Christian counseling can help you to rediscover God’s love, please reach out to me here.

Photos
“Cracked Earth,” By scottchan, FreeDigitalPhoto.Net, ID 10076235, “Sunbeams,” provided by Microsoft, “Two Lanterns on Snow,” by papapija2008, FreeDigitalPhotos.net, ID 100132593, “Sunbeams,” provided by Microsoft