Sometimes God feels far away...

Every one of us gets stuck in a rut once in a while... whether it be in your relationships, your marriage, your job, and especially your faith!  I have to admit that - since I was a regular guy WAY before I was a pastor - I too experience seasons where I don't feel super connected to God, I don't pray as much as I feel I should, I don't read the Bible as often as I should, and God feels distant!  If you have ever experienced that, please know you are not alone!  

Unfortunately, well-intentioned pastors like myself, and Christian writers often end up spewing some type of formula for getting UNSTUCK in your faith - which is often driven by guilt and leads to failure starting the whole vicious cycle over again!  Sorry for that!

If you are feeling stuck in your faith right now... here are a few simple suggestions from the Bible:

1.) STOP FEELING LIKE A FAILURE AND START SEEING GOD AS A FRIEND!

The Bible tells us that we have all failed, and let's be honest - we don't even live up to our own standards of morality, much less God's.  However, the Bible also tells us that God no longer views us through the lens of our failures, but through the lens of the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.  Check out these verses from Romans chapter 3: 

We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we can all be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.  Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty.  He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.     (Romans 3:22-24)

Stop being driven by guilt, and start seeing God as a friend, because the Bible tells us that is how HE sees YOU!

2.) STOP THINKING SO BIG AND START ENJOYING THE SMALL CONNECTIONS!

We have to lose this idea that the only way to connect with God is if we carve out 7 hours on a Saturday and spend the day in solitude on a mountain top with highlighters and note cards!  My wife and I have been married for 12 years, and not EVERY interaction we have is super romantic.  Sometimes a text or short phone call throughout the middle of the day is the only chance we have to connect, but it is no less meaningful just because we didn't have a huge conversation!  

Begin to enjoy the small connections with God... A "good morning, God" when you wake up... A "God, I commit my day to you today" before you turn on your computer or telephone... A "Thank you God for providing for me" before you eat your lunch! These are significant connections with the creator of the universe!

3.) STOP LIMITING GOD'S POWER AND START OBEYING WHAT YOU KNOW.

Sometimes, we feel stuck in our faith because we are ignoring an area of our life where God wants us to surrender control to Him.  Rather than obey what we know, we want to cover up that area of our life under the false pretense of "going deeper" and "learning more" about spiritual things.  The fact is that when God illuminates an area of your life where he wants you to change, He is not going to illuminate another area until you deal with the first one!  Let's be honest... it's what any good Father would do! When we live in disobedience, it doesn't change His love for us, but it does put a strain on the relationship!  Begin to deal with areas in your life where you know God is asking you to obey, and you will discover that your feelings of connection toward God will increase!

It is my prayer that 2012 becomes the year that you move past that rut in your faith, and that God really comes alive for you!  If you would like to hear the full talk from Sunday on this topic, CLICK HERE!