I don’t know how long you have been a Christian, but at any point along the pathway to heaven, we can loose our joy and with it our peace. The problems and routine of daily living can jade our view of what we have been saved from and what we are saved to do and be. We start to look to other people for reassurance and we look for things to make us feel better about ourselves and our fellowship with the Son of God is broken.

Reading and studying the Word of our Father in heaven becomes a chore  and eventually gets left out, as it seems to loose its relevance to “real” life. Praying becomes entirely unnecessary as we can look things up online, rely on our education and earnings and so forget God.  I don’t know where you might be on this sorry continuum, maybe you think you are not too bad, better than others you know- this complacency is the thing that will keep you from seeking the warmth of God’s embrace again. It is the worst state. If you are away from the heat, at least you will seek the heat to get out of the cold. You will feel and know your coldness and it will bother you. We become this world centred and our spiritual life fades and we become weak and lacking in faith.

So what do we do? How do I get warm towards God and back to love and devotion for Him? We must first confess our sins with hearts full of sorrow and make specific plans to remind our hearts about drawing close to God. We need to ask that the desire we once had will return and the Holy Spirit will again fill us daily. Set aside a time every day for reading your Bible and praying. It should be a time you can keep and a time when you can be alone with God. Even if you are reading and praying with another person, you still need this time for your personal walk and relationship with God.

Read a variety of scriptures over time-don’t get stuck going over and over one book. The whole Bible is for everyone and God will speak to you and teach you His ways as you meditate on His Word. Prayer is the primary activity in our relationship with God. We ask for ourselves and make intercession for others as well. Keep your circle wide and pray for everyone who comes to you. Some people keep lists and get prayer requests from various societies that serve God and others, and this also connects us to Christians and unbelieving people all over the world.

It is difficult to fight the lazy, self-seeking flesh, but the fight must go on and we will overcome in the power of the Spirit. As the ice around our soul melts, we are glad to come aside and meet with the eternal God and commune with Him. It takes time and we need to build up our spiritual stamina and character, and grow in the things of God. No amount of sermons can take the place of this precious place where your soul and God’s Holy Spirit meet and commune together in harmony. This is the “normal” state of the Christian and our place where we feel at home, peaceful and emboldened to face a hostile world.

Don’t give up; don’t give in and fight for Him who fought for you…