Is your life pretty good right now? Sure, you have worries, stresses and the natural ups and downs of life, but for the most part, I’m willing to bet that things are fine.
So, what happens to your faith when things are fine?
Pastor Lee Martin said, “When things are going really well, that’s when you’re most vulnerable to forget your need for God.” During easy times is often when we forget our time with God or purposefully don’t set time aside to spend with Him. In that moment we are slowly but surely placing ourselves onto and butting God off of the throne of our lives.
It’s part of human nature to not only desire to be in control of our lives but to think that we actually can be. It’s part of human nature to wander and stray. Still, I believe there are three things we can remember (and some practical things we can do) when life gets a little too easy and our hearts begin to wander.
1. You always need God
This is obvious and much too simple, but it’s so important – we do need God. Artist and author Jackie Hill Perry said it best when she said, “Even when you’re not struggling, you need God’s strength because you are completely and always needy.” It’s easy to forget just how needy and vulnerable we are, especially when life is somewhat of a breeze.
Maybe you genuinely desire to be closer to God and to not let your human nature take over. Perhaps you don’t want to wait until things are crazy, messy and painful again to seek being close to Him. If that’s the case, it’s important to recognize that even a Godward heart is going to struggle to stay attuned to the Godhead. No one is a better example or puts this clearer than the apostle Paul when he penned the words of Romans 7:19.
“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
He goes on to talk about the great paradox of Christian life, that though we desire God on the inside, we constantly war against our outward flesh. None of us are immune to our desperate need of God. Acknowledging that we are always in absolute need of Him is the first and most important thing to do to keep us from forgetting Him. Practically, this could look like putting a timer or a reminder on your phone to spend 5-10 minutes in the Word every day.
2. It’s a choice to actively seek Him
I believe one of the answers to our wandering hearts is recognizing that we have a choice to acknowledge our need for God. It’s a daily surrender to actively and purposefully seek Him.
One of the great mistakes I believe Christians make is basing where they are in their relationship with God on how they feel. I’m certainly guilty of this! It’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t feel much of anything after time spent with God, but I’ve learned that God is still working in our lives even when we don’t see or feel it. I’ve learned to take those times and press in even more; perhaps God wants to know how faithful I will be, regardless of how absent or silent He is.
He wants us to want him as much as he wants us, so choose to keep on. Choose to keep showing up, to keep pressing in. Set time aside daily to spend in communion with Him, reading His Word and being in prayer. Get in a small group or a Bible study. Find a mentor or an accountability partner (accountabilibuddy, as I like to say). Being in the Word will change you from the inside out, and it will show in due time.
3. The spirit of God lives inside you; therefore, you have every tool you need to find Him.
If the spirit of God dwells in you, you have already won. Paul wrote in Romans 8:10, “[A]nd if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” That doesn’t mean God has left you high and dry, though! The Spirit dwells in you, therefore your outward impulse to wander and stray can be reigned in. Seek Him even when you don’t feel like it. Opt for a night in with some worship music over a night out at a party. Develop deep friendships with people who push you closer to Jesus and challenge you to be more like Him. If God is for you, even your own very flesh cannot be against you.
It’s part of life to go through seasons where we feel far from God, where life is just easy enough that we don’t feel the need to seek Him. Having dry seasons is normal (and arguably necessary) in our walk with the Lord – but don’t let them discourage you to the point of no return. You cannot live a truly joyful life apart from the Savior, and He doesn’t want you to.
Know that you need Him, choose to seek Him, and recognize that you have what you need to find Him. Finding a place that shares the same values you do is so important for staying in close connection and communion with God. A Christian community like Campbellsville University Online is a great place to start.
This blog was written by guest contributor Tiffany Rogers. Rogers is a blogger living in Tulsa, Okla. You can follow her on Instagram @tiffrogersmex.