We can become overly introspective when we walk through the spiritual wilderness. Instead of constantly looking within yourself and evaluating whether your feelings for God are strong enough, instead look to Jesus whose love for you never wavers. When we gaze at Christ, we remember that he lived the perfect life we could never live and then died in our place bearing our sins. We are right with God, not because of our good works, but through faith in Jesus alone. Because of Jesus, we have been reconciled to God, adopted by God, and given an inheritance by God.

Every Christian goes through phases where they feel like they are wandering through a spiritual desert. This kind of spiritual dry spell can come after walking through difficulties, spending time in half-heartedness or sin, or simply getting stuck in rut. We sing in worship and feel nothing. We read the Bible and stare blankly at the words. We pray and think we are talking to ourselves. The joy is not there, and it seems as if God is a thousand miles away.

To compound the problem, we are often embarrassed when we go through a dry spell because we see Christians around us who seem to be thriving. Their joy and evident growth stands in stark contrast the the spiritual dehydration in our souls. This leads us to feel guilty and causes us to wonder if there is something spiritually lacking within us. Questioning ourselves in this way then leads to an endless loop of guilt, shame, and bewilderment.

What can Christians walking through a spiritual dry spell do to begin to regain the joy of their walk with Christ?

Remember the Good News

When I was a young Christian, walking through a difficult time spiritually automatically made me question my salvation. I assumed that if I was an actual Christian my growth would be on a constant trajectory of growth, not knowing that sanctification usually looks like a man falling up an escalator.

We can become overly introspective when we walk through the spiritual wilderness. Instead of constantly looking within yourself and evaluating whether your feelings for God are strong enough, instead look to Jesus whose love for you never wavers. When we gaze at Christ, we remember that he lived the perfect life we could never live and then died in our place bearing our sins. We are right with God, not because of our good works, but through faith in Jesus alone. Because of Jesus, we have been reconciled to God, adopted by God, and given an inheritance by God. Look to this encouraging Gospel, for it will remind you of the depth of God’s love for you.

Change Up Your Bible Reading

We know reading God’s word is key for reigniting our spiritual lives, but struggle to know what to do when our Bible reading doesn’t seem to be transforming us. One thing you can try to do is to change how you normally read the Bible. I don’t mean that you need some hidden key to the Bible you didn’t know existed, but rather that you should try a different method for Bible reading. If you usually read several chapters a day, then maybe you should read fewer verses and drill deeper into them. If you usually read only a paragraph or a chapter, then maybe you need to set aside time to read longer portions of Scripture. Sometimes a simple thing like changing our pattern for reading the Bible can help us encounter its message with a renewed freshness.

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