Dry Places

As a Christian there will be moments,  days, maybe even weeks or months where you don't quite feel like a Christian.  I call it being in a dry place.  You literally feel like the life has been sucked out of you.  You find it hard to pray and even harder to have faith. You become skeptical about everything around you and you even begin to question everything you know to be true.

It's a very scary place and a very scary prospect for any true Christian.  Are you alone? Definitely not.  When I went through it the first time, I thought I was the only one who could be so ungrateful to have experienced God and let a few challenging situations make me doubt Him,  so I hid it and I struggled with it on my own. The result of that was it lasted way longer than it should have. Later, as the years wore on, I heard friends alluding to the same things.  Their experience sounded exactly like mine.  I wasn't the only one who had tasted God, seen His greatness then fell into a slump.  I've realized now Christianity seems to have a sort of cycle.  There are moments of tremendous faith but there are also moments when you feel so discouraged it's hard to even look to God for help.  In those moments it is paramount that you recognize where you are.  That is the first step towards dealing with it.  If you don't recognize that it's a seasonal desert experience,  you will sit and be complacent and accept your lack of faith as truth.

I'm not sure why we all go through those moments, but I do know that the devil capitalizes on every second of it.  During that time, you are very vulnerable to lies, deceit and any other attack that is thrown your way. 

Always be aware of your spiritual position even when you are at a high point, it will help you recognize the low points.  Also, recognize the low points for what they are: low points. Thirdly, recognize that you do not have to stay where you are. Ask for help, call your spiritually mature friends and have them pray for you. Most importantly, look to Christ, He knows when your faith needs bolstering. I've found that He always presents a very small situation that just blows my mind (like the little bird on the wire).

The dry place doesn't have to be a bad thing. Learn from it, teach others what you've learnt but most importantly don't stay there and don't let the devil get a foothold on your mind whilst you are there.

Have a faith - filled day!

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo