When you're just not "feeling it."

Relationships are the most powerful things in our lives that give us fulfillment and meaning. Of course the greatest and most powerful relationship we can know is with our heavenly Father. His love is the most powerful force in our lives, because no one can assign greater value to our existence than He can! 

So often though in pursuing a personal relationship with God I hear from people things like, “I’m just struggling to want to spend time with God.”  Or, “I just feel so distant from God lately, and haven’t prayed in a while.”  Or even, “I just have lost the desire and don't know how to get it back.” 

I think what troubles us most in these moments is the real absence of desire to fix the situation.  I mean if God is so important and so valuable, why don’t I WANT to spend time with Him more?  Why is distance from God in one sense so comfortable and easy?  Is something wrong with me?

A friend recently pointed out to me that in the Kingdom of God (and in many things I would add) that the whole thing is flipped upside down….

In order to grow hungry, I have to first EAT.  In order to grow thirsty, I have to first DRINK.

Totally backwards, isn’t it?  But it is exactly how things work in the Kingdom of God, and frankly with relationships that we value.  Our obedience comes first, because obedience is where our faith is proven.  Once we obey, then grows the emotional desire to continue to obey. 

Our emotions and desires are terrible leaders and will get us into trouble if they are the gauges by which we choose our actions! Listen to Romans 6:12:

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.”

The natural desires within us are twisted by our fallen nature and will lead us astray every time. 

Choosing to obey God and to pursue a relationship with Him is an act of will, often very much against our desires and emotions.  But this pursuit has such beautiful promises associated with it, as stated by Jesus:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.” (John 14-15-17)

When we choose to obey and pursue God, we will experience His presence in the form of His Spirit.  His spirit bears the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.”  Those are amazing rewards of pursuing God and a relationship with Him!

As we drink MORE and eat MORE of God, we will grow hungrier and thirstier for more of Him!

Join me today and let’s pursue God and His will in our lives, even if we’re not quite “feeling it”!  

He will make it worth it!