Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
“How are your quiet times lately?” my mentor asked during my accountability session. “Well…kinda dry. I feel like I’m not as close to God as I used to be.” I replied. “I just don’t know what happened.”
Do you sometimes feel that way? Maybe your relationship with God used to be vibrant and alive. You felt like you had a two-way conversation going with Him all the time. Your Bible reading was rich and your prayer time left you with a peace that lasted all day. Now you sit down to spend time with God because you know you have to. God seems distant and not listening to your prayers. You try to do all the things you think a “good Christian” should do. You smile when you don’t feel happy, you say “you’re fine” when you really aren’t, you say all the right things but you feel dead inside. You don’t really love your neighbor but you try to act like you do. Do you realize that you’re just acting? Acting loving is not the same as being loving on the inside.
The Isaiah verses above tell us that when we have sin, or iniquity, in our life it will make God seem distant. The first thing to do when you feel far away from God is to sit down and look for sin in your life. If you don’t find anything, ask God to show you. God knows sin hurts us and will show us sin because He wants us to stop sinning and turn to Him. When He shows you sin, confess it. Then you need to admit to God that you are helpless to produce the fruit that He wants in your life, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Since love is a fruit of the Spirit, if you don’t feel loving towards a person, ask God to give you His love for them. First comes cleansing, then comes strength; a strength not your own but God’s. Only God can change you deep down in your heart. Jesus was the only person who lived the Christian life perfectly. Only Jesus, in control of your heart, will enable you to live the Christian life today.
The Holy Spirit is like a hand inside of a glove. Whatever the hand does, the glove can do. On its own the glove is powerless. When the hand comes inside the glove, the glove takes on the same strength that the hand has. Together they can get the work done. You are the glove and the Spirit is the hand. Go find a glove, either a garden glove or a rubber cleaning glove. Put your hand in the glove and move your fingers. Remember that the power you have, as the glove, comes from God. Now thank God for the power that He gives you, and trust in Him today!