We believe in exalting the Lord Jesus in worship and in lifestyle; evangelizing our families, our friends, our community, and the world; and edifying one another. We will worship in Spirit and in Truth.
Last October, my brother-n-law emailed me an insightful quote that I’ve been recently been reminded of: Sometimes God calms the storm and other times He calms the sailor. I think writing that Perfect Storm blog triggered my memory of that email. Let me share my observations – perhaps they will be helpful to you…
“This kinda goes along with how my prayer-style has changed through the years… I used to always pray, “please Lord, get me OUT of this storm now!”…
then when I realized that we can grow in spiritual maturity going through our storms, my prayers changed to, “Lord, give me the strength to endure this storm”…
then as I realized that we often learn spiritual lessons going through storms, my prayers changed to “Lord, give me the wisdom and understanding to maneuver through the storm and learn it’s lesson”
Though I hardly have prayer down to a science by any means, I see that my prayer-style has changed from the focus of God evacuating me out… to God getting me through the storm via the brute force of strength… to God getting me through the storm via the finesse of wisdom and understanding…
Now days I’ve come to the realization that I need to pray that God gives me the proper combination of strength and wisdom… the proper balance between enduring the storm and maneuvering the storm…
So it is true that God sometimes calms the storm, while other times calming the sailor… here’s another way of viewing this… sometimes He doesn’t change the storm, He just changes the sailor…”
Do I believe that God can speak directly into our storm and bring immediate peace? Absolutely! I have experienced this in my own life and have observed it in the lives of many people through the years. Divine intervention can take on many forms.
But what if God doesn’t calm the storm and lets it continue on? Does that mean that He’s abandoned us or somehow failed us in the midst of our storm? Absolutely not!Does that mean that it’s our fault or our faith was weak? That may not be the case either.
We can’t fit God into a box, as if He has to do this or has to do that. Certainly His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts than ours (Isaiah 55:9).None of us can pretend to have God completely figured out. Perhaps He weighs out all the possible outcomes of divine intervention and chooses what He feels is best for our souls, regardless of our physical convenience or personal preferences.
It seems that there are several possibilities of divine intervention during a storm: a) God may speak peace into the storm and the environment which initially caused the storm is changed, b) God may speak peace into the sailor, allowing him / her to continue on through the remainder of the storm or c) He does not intervene and allows us to experience whatever the storm deals out. Perhaps there are even more possibilities that aren’t immediately coming to mind at the moment.
Ummmm, I don’t like option three. Can we just remove it? I wish I could, but I can’t.
The only promise we have regarding option three is if we built our life upon Christ, the rock / cornerstone, that the rains, floods and winds would not overcome us (Matthew 7:24-27, 21:42). Though the picture painted is that of a house built upon a rock foundation rather than a boat out in the water, the overall concept of deliverance is the same.
The rains, floods and winds will all hit our lives sometime, someplace but God is always there with us. Which option of deliverance is ultimately His choice. That choice may not yield the results we want, but God always has it under control. Regardless of which choice He makes, remember that there is no better place to be than in God’s hands.
The other week I was reading my newest May ’09 Popular Mechanics magazine, and boy, oh boy did it bore me out of my mind. I should have definitely renewed my PC World magazine instead. Anyhow, one article that caught my attention was 50 Tools every Man Needs. Talk about the ultimate “home-improvement” wish-list, this was it. Socket wrenches, circular saws, extension ladders, chalk lines, you name it, this list had it.
As I read through their list, I was quickly convinced that I’m not a “home improvement” guy at this particular stage in my life. I think I only had five or six of these items and I’ve rarely used them but a few times. Though as I thought about it more, being more of a tech guy, I have a million and one computer utilities and programs that I use to keep my “digital age” adventure racing smoothly forward. I took the thought a step further and came to realize that we, as Christians, should have a few tools in our toolbox as well.
I’ll try to keep my observations brief, so if any of you out there dispute that any of these items should be on my checklist, just send me an email inquiry and I’ll happily give you some more in-depth info to ponder. =)
Buckle your seatbelt, as I sense some colorful “Tim commentary” on the literary horizon. Please don’t be offended if I accidentally, and unknowingly, step on your toes. If your toes got stepped on, there might be a chance that you were standing in the wrong place to begin with. haha Here we go (though in no particular order):
1. A handful of favorite worship CDs – Pick your vice. Some people like old-school southern gospel, some people prefer Hillsong. Personally, I like Lindell Cooley, Jason Upton, Jeff Deyo, Clint Brown or Israel Houghton for my usual worship selections. Burn CD’s (if you own the original, of course), load up your iPod or iPhone and get that music cranking in your house, your apartment, your car or your prayer place. Wherever and whenever. It doesn’t make a difference if you can’t sing or not, just find a way to glorify God in praise and worship, hum along or howl out the musical tabs. Just get to worshiping God!
2. A favorite prayer spot you can call your own - I’m all about dim lighting, a long straight path to pace back and forth on, none of those yester-year instrumental prayer CD’s, post- 10am and it preferably dark or raining outside when I pray. But to each their own. The rain actually doesn’t have anything to do with how I pray, I just happened to like it. hehe Some people like bright lighting with background music, that’s fine. Whatever fits your fancy, just as long as you’re communicating with God. Not just *talking to* God, but also *listening to* God as well. Two-way communication. It's my observation that if you don’t have a spot (place) you consistently go to, its quite possible you won’t make a spot (time) to get with God.
3. A favorite Bible, preferably heavily worn due to usage - If your supposed “favorite Bible” is somewhere in the back of your car covered in last week’s Burger King garbage, you’re already in a world of hurt. Is your Bible on your bookshelf collecting a layer of dust? Get in that book! Read it on the web, on your phone, on E-Sword, or even *imagine this* in an old-school printed copy of the Word. Just find a way to read it! The Word of God is our manna from heaven and you gotta keep getting a steady dose of the Word or you will gradually grow weak and hungry. An impoverished Christian walk is no way to live!
In my opinion, the devil has within the last several generations, yet again, implimented an effective plan to hinder many people from getting into the Word of God – through illiteracy. Nearly 1 in 3 American adults is illiterate or barely at a 4th or 5th grade reading level (nostudentleftbehind.org). Amazing, yet today’s reality. Worse case scenario, buy an audio Bible and let someone read the living Word of God to you.
4. A devotional guide or a supplement book resource – Ask around of your fellow Christians, you may come across a real winner. Through the years, I’ve found that reading books and resources is much like mining for gold. Sometimes you end up going through a TON of dirt and nothingness to occasionally come across an absolute gold-mine of valuable info that can add a spark to your Christian walk. Be careful not to get caught up reading books about The Book, though mixing in a good variety of materials can really add depth to your personal devotions and study times.
5. A blank spiritual journal or prayer diary - I confess this is one of my blindside areas and I sincerely hope that most folks do better in this area than I do. Get one of those cheap $1 journals (for guys) or girlie-looking diaries (for girls) haha. Then start scribbling stuff down in it. Stuff you get in prayer. Stuff that makes you happy or sad. Spiritual mysteries that you want to learn about. Victories and defeats. Write an unabridged, and unedited, version of “this is what’s happening in my spiritual life”. From time to time read through it and you may find that God is trying to help you put puzzle pieces together in your life or has helped you rattle off an encouraging list of victories over the last few weeks/months/years.
6. A truth-preaching “on-the-mark” pastor you’ll submit to – You might not like his quirky personality, his ugly ties or distinct mannerisms, but whatever you do acknowledge and submit to the shepherd that God has placed in your life and circumstances. God isn’t ignorant and He knew that we, like sheep, sometimes need a physically-present shepherd to help us along in our journeys. In spite of their willingness and desire to help, sometimes pastors get a bum rap. I think that some people actually expect pastors to be on becon-n-call 24/7 for any personal trouble they may experience, then come Sunday or Wednesday they’re thought of as some lowly hired-hand who “certainly can’t know more about where I am in my spiritual life than me”. Wake up folks! God commissioned and called pastors to help us avoid shipwreck, working as an extension of His very own voice. We need to follow our pastor, as He follows Christ. God never approves of “lone-ranger”, independent spirits because it undermines His structure of authority and blessing.
7. A Godly mentor or spiritual life coach (if you’re one of those modern types) – This could be a pastor, an elder in your church or even a wise parent/gparent. You have to find someone who is interested in you succeeding as a Christian. Someone that will invest some of their time and wisdom in you. Then when they speak, listen up! If you want to have an Elisha experience, you’re going to need to have an Elijah to help you get there. You can’t cut corners in regards to submitting to a pastor, nor you can’t cut corners in regards to rubbing shoulders with a mentor. If you don’t have one, find one ASAP! And preachers and pastors, you like Elijah, need to go out of your way to spot an Elisha that you can mentor… because these Elishas are our future…
8. A person or small group to which you remain accountable – On my phone I have a few people who could call me anytime, day or night, and ask me *any* tough question about who I am as a person or the direction I’m heading. I have placed these people at the highest level of respect and I trust they always have my spiritual well-being in mind. I give them full occasion to bring to light any place in my life where I may be straying off course and need to change. Personal accountability has become a dirty word in today’s society and the very thought of having another person to whom you remain accountable makes some people cringe. Guess what folks, you *never* get too big, or so established/accomplished, in life that you don’t need at least one person to whom you always remain accountable, under any and all circumstances.
9. A good handful of church folk you enjoy being around – Christian folks aren’t meant to become dull and boring. Get out and socialize with those of like-minded faith. Don’t get into such a regimented routine that you can’t, or won’t, make time to fellowship with Christians in your local assembly and/or neighboring churches. And whatever you do, don’t form clichés! Fellowship with new people or even people you might not otherwise socialize with and show yourself friendly. You never know how a simple conversation or fellowship over Starbucks coffee may brighten a person’s day. Ohhhh, and I like strawberry-n-crème frappichinos. =)
10. A handful of sinner folk that you are showing God’s love to – We need to make sure that we never forget the hurting people that are out in this world. People experience depression, anxiety, life-shattering addictions or even family troubles. They might have just lost their job or are buckling under the stress of a trying medical condition. There are a million and one possibilities out there. But we need to show love to these people. I SOOOOOOOO need to step up in the area of compassion and empathy. Apparently, sarcasm doesn’t compliment compassion too well. Regardless, it’s been said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. So show God’s love to them for awhile and you might be surprised at the interest they show when you begin to talk about Jesus with them.
11. A God-given sense of duty and faithfulness to God – This is a pretty easy concept to verbalize I think… God gave His all for you and He expects that you will give your all to Him. Living for God should never be lowered, or degraded, to a mere decision of convenience or inconvenience. We live for God because He lived and died for us. We have been bought with a price and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. If you’re basing your decisions to live for God on convenience, you need a “Calvary” reality check. Read and pray about Calvary, about the ultimate price He willingly paid and how He pulled you out of a miry pit of sin… then duty and faithfulness to God shouldn’t be a problem for you anymore.
12. A “kingdom-minded” ministry you are actively serving in – You’d better be doing something in the Kingdom. Teaching Sunday School kids, preaching in nursing homes or jails, feeding the hungry, worshipping in the choir, teaching the Word of God, running a sound or media booth, etc etc. Something. Anything, great or small, that God places on your heart to do. If you are a seasoned saint and you are just sitting on a pew, you need to get in gear and find a place where you can minister. You never have served enough time to retire in the Kingdom of God, nor are you ever too young to do something special that furthers the Kingdom. If you’re just a kid, be the best kid you can be. Memorize Bible verses, pay attention and respect your teacher(s) during Sunday School – you can be a valuable part of the Kingdom of God too you know!
13. A Bible-driven moral compass that you actually follow – Guess what folks, your opinion isn’t on equal grounds with the Word of God. The Word of God trumps our logic and opinions by a LONG ways. The wisdom and understanding that God possesses supersedes our own, that’s why we need to obey the truth of the Word of God. It’s not a book of suggestions or ideas, but the inspired Word of God, written and delivered as God’s letter to humanity. If we grasp and understand this to be the truth, the Word becomes the moral compass that drives our every thought-process and decision.
14. A Christ-centered focus in all aspects of your life – I have been wearing this point out like a broken record. Living for God isn’t a Sunday / Wednesday thing. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle that has to become who you are. Not apart of who you are, but who you are. You can’t compartmentalize your walk with God. It doesn’t make a difference who your Daddy is, or who your pastor is, or who your grandma is! We all gotta personally experience God for ourselves. We can’t embrace a mindset of entitlement (I might post an entire blog just on the “broken mindset of entitlement” in Pentecost), we have to give our all to Him! Not some of our lives, but all of it! 24/7!
15. A deep passion and hunger for more of God – Simply, if we ever become content with where we are in God, we will stop moving and growing at the exact moment we came to that conclusion. We need to always be striving to draw closer to God, to experience more of who He is, to explore more of His limitless depths and dimensions…
If you find you are missing anything on this checklist, you owe it to yourself to get your "Christian toolbox" up to speed, as you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you are ill-equipped.
This morning I was digging around in the Word and this thought came to me. It’s nothing amazing or profound, but I wanted to share it nevertheless. A few years ago, a book called The Perfect Storm came out and though I never read it I was always secretly humored at the crazy idea of a violent storm ever being “perfect”. Haha How can a storm which can result in sunken boats and drowned people ever be considered “perfect”? Anywhoooooo…
I was in Mark 4 and Luke 8 and read where the disciples found themselves in a violent, yet perfect, storm:
Mark 4:37-41 KJV 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Luke 8:22-25 KJV 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
It seems to me that in the spiritual realm, there *can* be such a thing as a Perfect storm. Each individual Perfect storm may be at a different place, a different time, even different people in the boat, but will always contain several common components:
1. Your boat will get filled with LOTS and LOTS of water, but not sink (surely God never places a burden on us that is more than we can bear/endure – I Corinthians 10:13). It doesn’t take rocket science to realize that every boat (life) can only take on so much water before it *will* sink. Thankfully, God knows exactly how water that is and will answer our cries “Master, master, we perish!” before the storm destroys us.
2. Jesus is always willing to be in your boat, with you, through the storm (He never leaves us or forsakes us – Hebrews 13:5). Nor is He ever going to deviously send us on some suicidal task… Ohhh by the way, you’re going to experience a bit of a nasty storm that’s going to sink your boat. But I’ll be here waiting at the shore when you get back. *If* you get back. =)
3. The danger of the Perfect storm will cause you to cry out to Jesus (it will cause you to transition from self-reliance to God-reliance – Psalms 34:4, Proverbs 3:5-6). As much as I believe that God is a gentleman, I also believe that He enjoys opportunities to show off His chivalry and gallantry. He enjoys coming to our rescue! He enjoys seeking and saving the lost! He happily looks forward to occasions when we willfully choose to draw near to Him. As much as an earthly father treasures it when his child runs to him when they’re scared, so God gladly embraces us in His arms to ease our fears and doubts.
4. Jesus will hear your cries and speak peace into your storm (certainly what we could not do, Jesus CAN do! Psalms 107:28-29, Matthew 19:26). Your storm may be big or small, short or long, during your sunrise years or in your horizon years, but regardless of the dimensions of the winds and waves, His voice still commands the same respect. His spoken, “Peace be still…” will immediately calm the raging winds and waves. The same voice that spoke the worlds into existence can instantly create peace in the midst of your chaos!
5. Your faith and trust in Jesus will be stretched and challenged (your faith and trust will grow stronger – John 11:11-15). Certainly, as we see Jesus stand in the midst of our “perfect storm” and boldly speak peace, our faith and trust in Him deepens. Perfect storms are unique in that they will always include a “God moment”… a special moment between you and God that would not have otherwise happened. God may impart unto you an expanded level of faith and boldness, special insight or understanding, a renewed boldness and passion, etc. The possibilities are limitless and infinite. When the divine connects with humanity, the impossible becomes possible! Fear and doubt is changed into peace! Disaster and crisis is converted into deliverance! Pain and misery is overcome by healing and restoration! With God all things are possible!
Any storm of life that we experience is inherently dangerous and can cause failure and destruction, but when Jesus is added to the equation the storm can become the Perfect storm. When we cry out Jesus, the winds and waves meant to batter our boat (life) are subdued by the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6)! Always remember this spiritual formula:
Violent Storm + Jesus in your boat + Calling out to Jesus =
The Perfect Storm
Some folks look for the silvering lining in every dark cloud, others are always saying, It looks like rain, but I want to have the expectation that every storm and trial of life has divine potential. That every storm has the potential to become The Perfect Storm!
A “God moment” that can forever change and impact my life, for the better!
A few years ago a good friend of mine told me that she was experiencing a prolonged “slump” in her devotional walk with God. She expressed that she was kinda bored, kinda frustrated, kinda in a “broken record” mode. A little bit of everything mixed in. After listening to her for a few minutes, I sensed she was sincerely trying to break through the slump, but she just felt stuck. Stuck in a rut. Just plain stuck.
Some people may describe a devotional slump as “going through a valley”, “going through a dry season” or it feels like God isn’t nearby and “my prayers are hitting the ceiling” and falling back to the ground. I suppose each devotional slump may be a little different for each person and may have resulted from something that person was doing (good, neutral or bad) or even God Himself. I’ve observed that sometimes God loudly speaks to us (which we usually like), sometimes Gods speaks softly (which we sometimes miss – either because we’re busy talking or not listening) or sometimes God is just silent (usually to test our obedience, faith, resolve, etc etc). I’m not going to dive into the mechanics of “why” we may go through a devotional slumps, just how to get out of one.
First off, before you dive into the possibilities of revamping your current devotional walk lineup, get with God and ask yourself a few simple questions. Do you have sin in your life? If so, repent and get that out of your life. Has God told you to do something that you haven’t done or already started doing? Maybe God is waiting for you to obey Him. Is God getting the left-overs of your week? Maybe you need to schedule some consistent devotional time into your schedule (morning, afternoon, evening, etc). Do you always finding yourself doing the “right things” because you “have to” not because you “want to”? You might need to ask God for more passion about the things of God. Get with God and ask the “gut-wrenching” questions about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. You may find something wrong in your life *other than* your actual devotional routine. After you’ve done that and still feel that you’re in a devotional slump, then some of these suggestions might be for you.
A devotional walk with God is generally composed of three main areas: a) reading and studying the Word, b) communicating with God in Prayer and c) exalting and acknowledging God in Praise and Worship. I’ll spend the majority our time discussing the first two. Personally, I’ve found that if these first two devotional areas (Prayer and Word) are where they need to be, that my desire to Worship naturally follows as a result. Sometimes I try to shake things up though by getting a heavy dose of Psalms and/or willfully choosing to praise and worship God in a different way than my “usual” praise / worship words / actions. Sometimes I may hop around, wave a white hanky, or walk around the altar during a worship service. Sometimes, as I’m driving back and forth from work I may crank a worship CD and just “make a joyful noise”! Sometimes I sing a song to the Lord in the morning that He put on my heart. I’ve found that the more I understand / experience “who” God is, the more I want to find a way to worship and praise Him.
Your devotional walk with God is your spiritual life-line. It’s what keeps us spiritually alive, healthy and strong. You can’t cut corners on your natural-life health and you can’t with your spiritual-life either. Preserving our spiritual-health is that much more important because our souls will live on for eternity, long after our mortal bodies are gone. Eternal is for keeps. Eternity knows no length and knows no measurement. Regardless of how you try to describe it, it’s a LONG, LONG time of either a) pleasure in God’s presence or b) suffering / misery in a fiery judgment. The final destination of your eternity will be a direct result of the state of your devotional walk with God and your obedience to His Word. It’s important!
Einstein once said that, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Sometimes we can shake up our “In the Word” rut by changing the methods of how we study the Word. Compliments of some random devotional website, here’s a few study methods, along with my own personal commentary:
1. The Devotional Method - reading a passage, meditating upon it’s meaning to us and finding it’s application in our lives 2. The Chapter Summary – reading an entire chapter, understanding it’s context: Who? When? Where? Why? How? 3. The Character Quality - studying verses / passages to learn about a personal characteristic – “the guts of who we are” 4. The Thematic Method - studying verses / passages to better understand a particular theme (love, grace, hope, etc) 5. The Biographical Method - studying verses / passages to learn about a Bible character in detail – the “people” microscope 6. The Topical Method – is similar to a Thematic study, but also investigates the relationship between themes – it’s more of a “bird’s eye view” 7. The Word Study Method - studying verses / passages to learn about a particular Biblical word – its meaning, origin, context, etc 8. The Book Background Method - an entire book, learning it’s context, message (exa Jonah – Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Revival) 9. The Book Survey Method, 10. The Chapter Analysis Method, 11. The Book Synthesis Method, 12. The Verse by Verse Method, etc etc
I’d suspect that most people stay at the Devotional - Chapter Summary level of reading and studying. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Reading any part of the Bible for any amount of time with a desire to draw closer to God is never a bad thing. Though if you “feel” like you’re in a rut and your current reading is not drawing enough depth out of the Word, then be encouraged that there are other study methods available. Shake things up. Study about Christian characteristics. Study about a Biblical word, theme or principle. Or about a Bible character that you most relate to, or would like to become more like. Study about the armor of God or the fruit of the Spirit. Take your pick.
If you think that these study methods are too complex or over your head, wander over to your neighborhood Christian bookstore and browse the bookshelves or ask one of your church leaders for suggestions of new resources. Pick up a Strong’s Concordance or download E-Sword. Maybe test-drive a different Bible translation or transliteration (I enjoy the Amplified or The Message) - though be warned that some translations can deviate from the purest, original meaning of verses. Regardless of what resources you end up reading / using in your efforts to stir up your “In the Word” devotional walk, don’t get caught up in always reading books about the Book. Make sure any “changes” you make point you back to the Word.
Also, when you are in the Word, keep a devotional journal or note-card bookmark handy to quickly scribble down things that God may show you. If your Bible has wide margins and you’re comfortable doing so, scribble notes down there. Don’t let a faulty memory let a potentially life-changing insight slip through your fingers. Just because the Word is forever settled in heaven, doesn’t mean your memory is. hehe
Well, on to communicating with God in prayer. People have written a TON of books on the topic, much has been said. How can a person shake up their “Prayer walk”? That’s certainly a loaded question. Here’s a few possibilities to help. Want to increase the quality of your prayers? Try praying the Word more frequently; by praying the Word you are assured that you are weaving God’s promises and blessings into your life and spirit. You are also praying wisdom and understanding into your daily life decisions and actions. Find yourself running out of things to say and praying the same phrases or requests over and over again? Before you go to pray – write down 5-10 things on a note-card you’d like to pray about. Then just start verbalizing your concern, request, or thanksgiving to God. Spend a few minutes on each point and before you blink an eye you will have covered a LOT of quality ground without wandering aimlessly through your prayer time. Remember your prayer list isn’t law; if you feel to linger on a particular point just keep praying about it. If you don’t cover all the points, don’t lose sleep. You’ll be able to come back to them some other prayer time.
Sick of struggling with the same hindrances and battles? Study up on spiritual warfare and learn to battle in the Spirit with your prayers. Identify your allies and enemies. Investigate the battles to be won and how the Bible says they can be won. Get passionate about praying. Pray your guts out. Intercede, as the Spirit compels you. Get serious about shaking the heavens with your prayers. Bind in heaven and bind on earth, loose in heaven and loose on earth. If your battles aren’t being won on your feet, it’s possible that you haven’t fought enough on your knees.
Do you feel like your faith is weak? Read about the promises and blessings of God and ask God for a deeper level of faith. Faith is a key component in a successful prayer-walk. God responds to faith, so if it’s lacking in our lives we need to take the necessary steps to build / rebuild it. Do you feel like you’re not as passionate about your relationship with God as much as before? Thank Jesus for the cross and the price He paid. Pray about how He redeemed you with His blood and pulled you out of the miry clay. Pray back into *your* remembrance all the things that God has done in your life. Do that long enough and your love / passion for God will be rekindled like never before.
Don’t hear much from God in prayer? Make time to be quiet and give Him a chance to talk! He’s not going to talk over you if you’re always busy talking. Communication is a combination of two factors: speaking *and* listening. If you sense a lull in your own prayer, stop talking for a little bit. He may be wanting to show something to you. Prayer is two-way communication! That means you get a chance to talk and He gets a chance to talk. He listens to you, so take time to listen to Him. If you like talking 100% of the time, write a book or start a talk-show.
Don’t get stuck in the “Thank God – Ask for Stuff – Thank God – Ask for Stuff” cycle. Shake things up. Venture out into the deeper waters of prayer. Become more focused and passionate about communicating with God. Identify the weaknesses of your “Prayer walk” and shore them up with appropriate changes. Remember any break-downs in a prayer-walk isn’t because of God, it’s because of us. Apply some of these principles and you should sense yourself eventually breaking through that “Prayer walk” slump.
Remember these are just a handful of simple suggestions to help you break out of a devotional walk slump. There are many, many more suggestions and ideas out there.
POWERFUL SONG AND TESTIMONIES. Don't ever forget what he has done for you. I have shared this across the internet and listened and watched a 1000 times. Don't ever forget how he loves us.
