Have you been a Christian for a long time and now feeling a dry spell in your relationship with God? So much has happened in the last year or so and maybe you’ve been distracted with trying to get back to normal, life as usual, or some semblance of it.
Perhaps you just can’t seem to find that zeal and passion you once had for God. You know how it is when you’ve been in a relationship with someone for a while and, as the excitement starts to dwindle, you feel like you’re just going through the motions?
Or you open up your Bible and it doesn’t have that same impact on your heart that it’s had in previous seasons of your life. You’re looking for something to reinvigorate your walk with God and give you a renewed zest for living. You need something to motivate you to dig into God’s word with fresh, new fervor.
If life has drained you and you are looking for something to energize your faith, here are 5 principles for a renewed and refreshed FAITH.
1. Fight To Keep Christ At The Center of Your Life
In Jeremiah 30:21-22, the Bible states in God’s own words:
21 …Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me—for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord. 22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’” NIV
God is asking who will devote himself or herself to be close to Him. Do you find yourself wanting to be close to God? How close do you really want to be? There are so many things competing for our time that it can seem like a real challenge to devote ourselves to being close to God:
- Taking care of the kids
- Back to school time
- Our job and its challenges
- Finances
- Keeping our home life and marriage in order
- Other relational issues
- Our own character challenges and development
- And the like…
All of these things to think about in our daily lives are challenging enough to manage, but God has intentionally designed life so that we cannot do it on our own strength. It won’t work well unless we depend on Him to help us with all the challenges of life. So we must draw near and be very intentional about it to keep Him at the center.
“8 Come near to God and he will come near to you…” James 4:8
If I come close to God He will come close to me. This is a promise in God’s Word and I have something to do with it if I initiate it. This is a deep concept. Think about it, this Pandemic has been hard-hitting, we have never gone through one before. What other things are you going through? Being close to God has to be our lifeline. Are we desperate to be close to our God? Everything seems to want to rob us of it. You must fight to keep your relationship with God strong.
Start with these simple little practicals:
- Pray to God, confess everything you’re feeling and be honest. He wants to hear you
- Read His word and obey it
- Fast for a day or a meal or from something important to you for a period of time and use that time to talk to God
- Listen to some inspirational music to help draw you near, music has a powerful affect on us
God wants us to come close to Him more than we want it. The greatest need we have in our lives is to draw close to God. We need to be intentional and fight to keep Christ at the center of our lives!
2. Admit And Be Honest That You Need Help
In 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 here the Bible says:
“11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.”
This one can be a really difficult one for us. We don’t want to be open, we don’t want to be vulnerable. The struggle is real and at times God will test our humility in this. Satan doesn’t care who we are, he will throw all kinds of doubts and reservations our way. Open wide your heart! If you find this difficult then take baby steps and find people you trust. Pray to God to lead you to the right people. Opening up can be freeing and empowering. Don’t allow fear, doubt or pride to rob you. Open wide your heart. Admit and be honest that you need help!
3. Instill Encouragement And Hope In Your Spirit
Let’s look at some encouraging words from Romans 15:4-5
“4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,“
A lot of things in our lives bring us encouragement. To be encouraged is to be inspired with courage and it can come in many forms. We can get it from other people: our spouses, our children, friends, families. We can get it from hobbies and other things that we enjoy. What are the things that bring joy, hope, and encouragement in your life? These are gifts from God because every good and perfect gift is from above, as James 1:17 so eloquently states. So who is the actual source of encouragement? God is the giver of hope and encouragement!
If you’re feeling down and hopeless ask God to give you the encouragement that you long for!
“God, can you fill me up daily with your encouragement today! God, please fill my heart with hope today!” As you go about your day look for the ways that God will refresh your spirit! Listen to the prayer in the video below for ways to instill encouragement and hope in your spirit.
4. Touch Our Communities With The Love Of God
In an act of love Mark 8:22-25 tell us:
“22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.“
The key words in the passage above are “some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.” We don’t know who these “some people” were, the Bible doesn’t tell us, but they saw a man in need of Jesus’s healing touch and, in an act of love, took the initiative to bring him to Jesus.
Now the question for us is: are we noticing the needs of those around us in our own communities? People are in desperate need of Jesus’s healing power. They are hurting emotionally, spiritually, and physically. They need the healing touch of Jesus and the boundless love of God. The Lord Jesus was willing to get in, get involved and get dirty for hurting people around Him. And He is our example.
In light of this, I need to ask myself: who am I loving? Am I touching people with the love of God? There are so many opportunities around us. Don’t let people go by without touching them with the love of God. Now, this is testing my love and faith. If we are the church then what kind of church are we if we are not reaching out and touching people with the saving love of God?
Now is not the time to go silent:
- I’m in a rush
- People are wearing masks, it’s hard to talk
- I don’t know them
I may never see them again so I will reach out with God’s love through Jesus. It counteracts satan’s attack to instill fear in me and helps me to be bold! It’s not my job to decide who’s open to the saving message of God’s grace; it’s my job to open my mouth and share: “Do you have a saving walk with God?” So let’s continue to reach out and touch our communities with the saving love of God!
5. Have Fun And Laugh A Lot
Psalm 126:3
“3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.“
John 10:10
“10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.“
One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. God wants us to experience the joy of being in His presence and the full life that Jesus promised us. He wants to fill our hearts with laughter. Remember Abraham and Sarah? Sarah gave her husband a son in their old and she was so amused at the idea that she named her son Isaac. Isaac’s name means “he will laugh”, reflecting the laughter, in disbelief, of Abraham and Sarah, when God told them that they would have a child.
6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Genesis 21:6
Laughter is good medicine and important for our health. The Bible says: “22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,…” in Proverbs 17:22. It is also invigorating to our faith! Plan fun times in your calendar. Watch funny, wholesome TV shows together, play fun games, plan fun trips. Do whatever brings your heart joy and laughter. Be intentional about finding ways to enjoy life. Expect to have fun and laugh a lot!
Now let’s do a quick recap on how we can have a refreshed faith:
- F – Fight To Keep Christ At The Center of Your Life
- A – Admit And Be Honest That You Need Help
- I – Instill Encouragement And Hope In Your Spirit
- T – Touch Our Communities With The Love Of God
- H – Have Fun And Laugh A Lot
God loves you and wants to infuse your heart with a refreshed new faith! Call out to Him, reach out to Him, and draw near to Him today!