BY MICHELLE WILLIAMS, GRACE ATTENDER & BLOGGER
It happens. You wake up one day and realize that your faith just isn’t what it used to be. Your relationship with God has faded; your prayers and devotions have become shallow or nonexistent. You may feel empty, like something’s missing; or on the other hand, you feel so full of anxiety or sadness that it’s overwhelming. You’ve drifted in your faith, and your life has become infected with spiritual sepsis. Something has got to change.
This past weekend, Grace Church concluded a 7-week series that extended a guide for how to stop drifting away from your faith in God. Pulling from inspiration found in the Book of Hebrews, each sermon delivered practical steps anyone can take to experience peace increase their faith. Directly from this sermon series, below is a summary of the “prescription” for a person suffering from spiritual sepsis.
Now, I realize this list looks long, and possibly intimidating. But just know this: The list is large because God loves you so much that he wants to offer as much inspiration as it takes to bring you back to your faith. The steps are not in any particular order, and you don’t have to check off every single guideline before you start to experience peace and increased faith. Each incremental effort on your part will result in the soul care you so desperately need. Read through the list of guidelines and pay attention to what speaks out to you; then start there.
How To Stop Drifting Away From Your Faith In God
1. Put some trust in God. True rest comes from true faith. Find peace from the symptoms of spiritual sepsis by listening for God’s call. He wants to lead you to the good life.
2. Re-Learn How to Pray. Just start praying; even if you’re too busy, you don’t feel worthy, and especially if you don’t believe it will work. Realize that your desires and God’s answers don’t always line up. Tune your ears to the ways in which He responds. Here are some practical ways to jump into prayer:
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Silence & Solitude. Being alone, being quiet and unplugging.
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Praying Through Scripture. Psalms & Lamentations are good places to begin.
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Breath Prayers. Stop for a second and speak to God. Use these prayers to refocus.
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Dialogue. This is a constant interaction – all day long – always aware of His presence and interacting with Him.
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Google ""Prayer Guides"". There are hundreds, just pick one.
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Sermon Series on Prayer. Listen to these sermons again.
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Read The Circle Maker. Do the 40 Day Prayer Challenge and put it on repeat.
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Prayer Walks. Get outside and spend time in nature with God.
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Ask People to Pray with You. Ask your friends and/or join our prayer team.
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Come to the Prayer Gatherings. These are the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. Spend time in personal prayer, corporate prayer, intercessory prayer, strategic prayer, and in worship.
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Find the Best Way for you. God created you in a unique and beautiful way – including the way you connect with Him.
3. Find others who can motivate you. The person who has been through the valley and back still clinging tightly to the hope and promises of God can bring you back to your faith. Use the buddy system to keep you accountable, plugged-in and encouraged. If you’d like to find a buddy at a church and don’t know where to start, check out Grace Church campuses and other member churches of Willow Creek Association.
4. Grow in your faith. To end your drift you must increase your faith. But, to increase your faith you will have to take some bold steps:
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Seek to please the God you can’t see. Live as if he’s right there beside you.
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Do the thing that makes no sense. React to the call of God on your life that might not make much sense to anyone around you.
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Lay down the thing to which you are clinging. Give up control to God.
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Stand against conventional wisdom. Be willing to risk a little to gain God’s all.
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Persist when there is no answer in sight. When the door of Heaven feels locked, keep pounding away.
5. Learn to endure. Develop some grit that gets you through your struggles so you can get on with God’s work. Quit looking for the easy way out. Instead:
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Deal with your sin. Endure the awkwardness.
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Defend your faith with boldness. Endure the ridicule.
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Let God shape you. Endure His training.
6. Choose any (or all) of the 14 commands listed at the end of the Book of Hebrews:
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Work at living in peace with everyone.
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Work at living a holy life.
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Look after each other.
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Watch out that no bitterness grows up to trouble you.
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Make sure that no one is immoral.
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Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.
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Remain faithful to one another in marriage.
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Don't love money.
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Be satisfied with what you have.
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Do not be attracted by strange new ideas.
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Offer a continual sacrifice of praise.
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Proclaim your allegiance to God.
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Don't forget to do good and share with those in need.
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Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say.
Take your first step today to experience God’s peace as you stop the drift and restore your faith.