Does your faith in Christ get dull sometimes?
Consider these 12 actions that helped me.
INTRODUCTION
I have set aside Sunday afternoons to focus on strengthing my Christian faith. If I get on a roll then that will last into the evening.
Typically I have an overabundance of projects that keep me busy during the week. I do take a little time out each day to pray and read spiritual literature. I may watch a few Christian videos.
While attending church services is a part of my week, I still need to be a good steward of my time to invest in some of the activities listed at the end of this article during the week as needed. They cause my faith in Christ to be refreshed and to grow.
These are practical exercises that have proven useful in my spiritual journey. You are invited to explore them and stick with the ones that work for you.
HYMNS
During a Sunday afternoon recently my faith in Christ was feeling dull. I vaguely recalled what it was like to have a living and vibrant trust in Jesus Christ.
I had felt worn out by all the routine tasks and depressing news reports.
I had tried to prime my faith on my own but that did not work.
After praying, I felt led by the Lord to do a search for the most popular hymns. Hearing the familiar hymns blessed me and I bookmarked them.
This was on Youtube so there were suggestions of the history hymns. I watched and bookmarked a few videos of the history of individual hymns.
Over the centuries thousands of hymns have been written. Fanny Crosby wrote 8000 herself. Yet only a few dozen have remained as popular in most denominations for more than a century.
I will not burden you with ALL my bookmarks. You can search for the most popular hymns on Youtube, Spotify, and the websites for hymns.
Here are a few of the best ones I found and many show the lyrics as they are being sung.
You might also search for the history of hymns on Youtube and websites. It is inspiring how God worked to make these a reality.
Here is a selection of videos on the history of hymns.
My attitudes about hymns have shifted over the decades. As a child in the 1950s, I was taken to a traditional church where a loud organ and equally loud choir belted out the hymns. The members would barely mumble the lyrics.
As a child the lyrics and the tunes became familiar.
Years later during my drug rehab season the words sunk into my heart.
As a new believer, God used those lyrics to provide some understanding of biblical doctrine and theology.
My rebirth was on January 16, 1977, at 23 years old. That is the era when the contemporary Christian songs were becoming popular on the radio and starting to displace hymns during church services.
I understand the appeal. I had welcomed that change too.
BUT those old hymns have a depth and sweetness that none of the modern ones do for me.
The great opportunity that we have these days is easy to access to ALL the hymns and those sung by a wide range of soloists and choirs.
These can be bookmarked by you and then there is the option to hear 24 hours a day. You can redeem the time commuting, doing housework, doing yard work or when having trouble going to sleep.
OPTIONS
When your faith in Christ gets dim then consider these additional 12 ways that have helped me to restart and fuel my faith.
These options are simple and easy. They do not cost money. But they do cost TIME. I have learned the hard way over the decades that I will never have EXTRA time for my Christian faith walk. So I must MAKE time due to the fact that it is a HIGH PRIORITY. Sometimes I need to get beyond a certain pain threshold to make that time.
Consider these options as opportunities to experiment with new possibilities or practice old habits again.
From my perspective, these are like TOOLS in my spiritual tool kit. I use the tools as needed. And they are as MEDICINES in my medicine cabinet that I use the medicine as needed. And they are like PORTALS that I can use as needed to leave the fixation on the mundane world of my ordinary life to encounter God in vital ways.
The following is written from my perspective as an account of what experiences that worked for me. I hate to be told what to do. But I like to imitate others in using what worked for them.
I have attended many 12 step recovery meetings over the decades. The policy there is not to give advice but to share your experience, strength, and hope. Then others can listen to get inspired. They can take what they like and leave the rest. God has used those sharing to greatly help my life by providing me with valuable insights and practical tools.
1. I watch videos on the biographies of Christians and especially missionaries.
2. I listen to an audio version of the Bible read and especially with dramatic sound effects. (These can be found on Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and many more online platforms. Plus you can buy MP3s and CDs.)
3. I go for a long walk and pour out my heart to God. I tell Him ALL about my thoughts, feelings. worries, fears, resentments, etc. This is done best with the most nature present. Yet suburban sidewalks and bike trails have worked too. I go on extra-long walks when I feel deeply troubled to renew my faith in Christ. Plus I take a walk most days just before sunset. This helps me to clear the decks and stay current in my prayers.
4. There are times that I need to get away from the ruts of my routines. I get out of the house, get away from my workplace, and turn off screens. I go to a place of solitude. Possibilities that have worked for me in the past included a library, a chapel in a hospital, or a park bench in a city park. I take a Bible and paper for journaling. I pray EARNESTLY and LISTEN very intently.
5. I keep lots of blank paper and a pencil by my reading chair. When positive or negative ideas keep going over and over in my head then I write them in my journal. That might be just a few words or it might become a few pages. Some times that will lead to action steps to take.
6. I contact a prayer group offline or online. I request that they pray over the matters that are bothering me the most either externally or internally.
7. I just give thanks to God as much as possible. I thank God for small and large things. I thank God for people. places, and things. I may go to a private place and say this out loud. I may write this down and refer to it later.
8. I recall the ways that David and others renewed their faith was to recall the testimonies of God. In the psalms and elsewhere in the Bible there are accounts of when David was discouraged but remembered what God had done for him and others. I think back on how far God has brought me. I remember what God did for me and others when all seemed impossible. (What are the testimonies in your life and the lives of your family and friends? You can search for testimonies on Youtube and in a search engine. You can buy or borrow books with testimonies.)
9. I meditate on the Word of God. I keep hundreds of index cards at my workstation. They have Bible verses that I resonated with over the years. I built my collection of index cards by writing the key verses that stood out to me from books, websites, and sermons. Only a few at a time are especially alive for me at any one time. I would carry 6 to 12 of those with to view at any moment. I would tape 3 to 6 near my computer. (You can search online for lists of bible promises to find those few that resonate with you these days.)
10. The most important and most difficult option was to memorize key Bible verses. Over the decades it has been those few Bible verses that I hid in my heart that have helped me the most during difficult times. But memorizing is not easy fo me.
11. When my faith in Christ has grown dim that was when I was excessively self-absorbed. I was too much in my head thinking about my needs, wants, problems, disappointments, fears, etc. Over the decades I have learned that the best antidote to such selfishness is to be constantly on the lookout for those I can serve. I seek and find small ways to help neighbors and friends. As I do that I get out of my head and into my heart. I leave my tiny world for a moment. The love of God flows through me by the Holy Spirit.
12. There is a simple slogan that has helped me hundreds of times. The five words of Let Go and Let God is packed with wisdom and guidance. I have found that my simple faith in Christ became dim due to my holding tightly to my expectations. I needed to accept my current reality. My external circumstances were not in harmony with my internal ideal wishes. Fretting was not helping. Letting go is another way of saying releasing. Letting God is another way of saying turning it over. I recall that the reality is that Jesus is Lord. The Bible teaches me that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. So making the choices of letting God and letting God is surrendering to His Lordship. That has brought renewed peace and intimacy in my fellowship with God.
CONCLUSION
Every day and every night the invisible enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil are at work to undermine faith in Christ. This happens to every Christian everywhere.
This does not shock God. In His grace and mercy, the Lord has made many provisions for each believer. The provisions involve the use of the mind and will to take suitable actions. Besides the options here there are many more that others have used.
Ultimately most of these options involve taking action steps to intake the Word of God, or reaching out to God with a tiny mustard seed of faith in prayer, or by clearing the junk out of the head and heart that block hearing spiritually.
The beauty is that these spiritual practices are free. It does not require money to do what I listed here. It does not involve getting special permission. Thanks to the internet most can be done 24/7.
Nothing listed here is unique to me. These actions have been done by millions for centuries.
There have been sermons and books about these ane related subjects.
People have made New Years Resolutions and set goals about these.
So then why are such matters not commonly practiced?
I suggest that the Bible says we fall short of these matters due to the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Note that the Great Commission from the Lord Jesus sends us to go make disciples. The root of the term disciples is discipline. Those who excel in sports, music, academics, and more enjoy the fruit of diligent discipline.
I admit that most of the time that I use one or more of the options listed here was when I had neglected them for a long while. I have intended, prayed, and planned to be more proactive. But I have stumbled in my self-discipline.
Thankfully God reminds me of these proven tools when I seek Him.
