How did you go about increasing your spiritual growth in tough times. (Christian answers only please)?

Question

Details please. I really what to change my behavior. I have never been in the habit of reading my Bible on a daily basis. I know that my anxiety and depression (I am currently getting treatment for although maybe not quality treatment) gets in the way of me making much progress reading. It's hard to even listen to my pastor anymore. I feel very guilty and wonder why after 16 years of going to the same church, that is basically biblically guided in its teaching, with a generally supportive congregation, I still feel that I am about at square one in my faith in God. Maybe my autistic tendencies and mood make what works for some not work for me, so I am eager to get as many suggestions as possible.

I have three reasons for choosing this goal:
1. I want to find God's direction in my life.
2. I have to modify a behavior for a psychology class.
3. I feel guilty about not growing spiritually.

*Specify your experience with behavior modification principles and/or ministry experience.

Please include resources that were helpful to you.

Autism makes social relationships and fellowship difficult, so don't judge me.

Also I think focusing the little things that lead to change is more helpful than focusing only on the goal even this one.

My church is lively! I like the music. I liked to sing, but now I cry too much to sing. It is a small church and I even helped lead the singing for years in between depressions.

Answer 1

You shouldn't use guilt to gain an understanding of God, you should instead use your own honest desire to think and question things in your life. Contemplate the significance of the bible rather than just reading it. It sounds like you've been a Christian for a while, so it seems likely that you know the major stories and messages of Christianity. Focus on those and ask yourself honest questions about why you think God choose to do those type of things in the bible. Ask yourself deep questions and don't be afraid to answer them. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 2

Susas, sometimes God will allow tough times to come upon you, because it in the tough times that faith and character is developed. The Lord has showed me that He was going to bless me greatly. I was very excited when He revealed this to me. He told me to go to Las Vegas. So, I went there and after a month I ended up homeless. My pastor let me stay in a church building which had not a/c or electricity. If you do not know, Las Vegas gets 115 degrees in the summer. As time went on things got worse. It was not the church's fault but I had to leave the building and I ended up sleeping under a bridge with all the other homeless people. But the thing which made me grow and learn how to dig into God was meditating on the Word of God. Even though, my situation was tough, I meditated daily on the Word sometime 2 and 3 hours and it made my circumstances seem little. Even when I would go to sleep under the bridge at night . The Holy Spirit would come upon everytime I would go to that spot and it was so beautiful. When I would get up, all I could think about was going back to that spot. It was because of studying the Word all the time. I am not saying you have to spend 2 or 3 hours, but the key is getting rooted in the Word. Whatever you spend the most of your time doing is what you will grow in. Little time with God, little growth. Alot of time with God, more growth.

Answer 3

Go to a really lively Church ... it will make you enthustiastic and have a fire in your heart for God ... St Aldates in Oxford is brilliant .. I have been there a few times !! You could also go to a Christian event like New Wine or Spring harvest or Soul sourviver !!
As you come home from these events you are so intune with God .. it feels amazing !!
I feel like that sometimes .. you want to feel God constantly and do what he wants to do !!
You have to pray lots and lots ... but remember that prayer is a 2 way thing so you have to listen to God too !!
If you ask God to be with you every minute of the day ... he will be with you !! He is already !!
Ask God for you to be diciplined in your praying and Bible study ... it doesn't really matter if you miss a few ... just go back to them !!
Ask God to be your treatment for the depression ... i don't understand why you are deppressed ... you have an awesome God as your best friend .. why be depressed ?!
But God can sort of all these things out .. if you let him ... and ask him !!
God Bless
Hope this helps
XXXX

Answer 4

It's not unusual to feel distant from God at times. This is where faith comes in. We cannot always feel him but we know that he is there.

Pray for increased faith. When you pray do not tell God what you want, but ask what he wants and then wait. He will answer you in time. Just keep asking. Put your soul in a state to receive him.

Reading the Bible is great...but you may want to pick up a Bible study guide or something to help lead you and give you understanding about what you are reading. Just picking up the Bible and starting to read can be difficult.

Do not feel guilty. Guilt gets in the way of God. Seek him in all things...every day...everything you do. I fall asleep at night praying. I pray in the car. It doesn't sound like you are Catholic, but they have some great devotions that you can say. They help you just commune with God.

Make yourself available to him and resist sin and the near occasions of sin. He will call you deeper into himself...Jesus says, "Seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened." This means we have to be actively doing something, looking for him, wanting him. He will be there, he promises.

Answer 5

What worked for me may not work for you; so instead, I'll provide you with advice as a mother of four.

People learn in different ways. While simply reading the Bible may work for some, it doesn't help others. Most people are able to learn if they bring other sources into the mix -- things such as word-for-word enactments of the Gospels and study guides are enormously helpful for most folks.

For example, my youngest is currently studing the Gospel of John. After she read it and asked questions, she still had trouble relating to its message. She and I sat down together and watched the excellent film "The Gospel of John," and just seeing it acted out was HUGELY helpful for her (it's a word-for-word enactment). You can order the film at Amazon.com or through Visual Bible International's web site:

http://www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com/

When one of my other daughters was studying the Gospel of Luke, I purchased a study guide for her that she found quite helpful.

My point is, bring in other sources that really make the material come alive to you. I guarantee it will make the Bible more understandable.

However real the Bible becomes to you, it will never truly stick with you unless you FIRST develop a close, personal relationship with God. I don't know how close you feel to Him; but if you lack deep love for Him, I would suggest you speak with your Pastor for guidance.

Answer 6

First piece of advice - hang in there! We all go through tough times, and sometimes instead of fighting that, we need to accept it, go with it and through it.
To change your behaviour - well, I don't feel we can ever do that alone - "I am the vine, you are the branches" - God does the growing. Our job is to be obedient. Here is an example:
Lustful thoughts - My conscience (God) tells me that my thoughts are not right. I pray to God, ask forgiveness and HELP to be obedient to what I hear. Then when a thought crosses my mind (tempts me - which isn't a sin - we are all tempted), I tell myself, "I will not go there".. and immediately try to think of something else, or pray again... overtime, by choosing to be obedient, I experience spiritual growth, but it is not done ever alone!
Bible reading - you say you have never been in the habit of reading it everyday... GET in the habit, if you sincerely want to experience spiritual growth - you have to make time for what is important to you - make it a priority in your life. "Devote your life to prayer" - this is where I have found the source of most personal growth. We change by the company we keep - if you pray and spend time with God, you will move closer to Him, and He will direct your path. Don't feel guilty for not growing - just do what you can. God will help.

Answer 7

You cannot change your behavior. But the transforming power of Jesus Christ can. You say you have been in the same church for 16 years but you're not growing spiritually? How can this be? If a church is teaching the word of God and if you are involved in bible study, it would be impossible not to grow spiritually. Perhaps you need to find a good bible teaching church that is alive in Christ. Don't worry about what you think are your handicaps....you need to immerse yourself in coming to know Jesus, and we do that through diligent, in-depth bible study, fellowship with other believers and a solid prayer life. Seek Him in His word, every day....and you will grow in the way you desire to grow. May God guide you and bless you for seeking His will in your life.

Answer 8

1. I reflect upon my ways, but not in a guilty fashion but in order to probe the legitimacy of what I consider till then to be true and worth following. In other words, I engage a de-learning process, which is the hardest and most painful stage of the learning curve.
2. I devote more time to mediation, preferably following a Christian tradition different than my own. Of course, this only applies to those traditions with a long history of quiet spirituality (some Catholic monastic orders, Anglicans, etc.).
3. I stop praying and forcing myself to change. I do this trusting that God insists on finding ourselves and accepting us right there in the situation we are in right at the moment of confusion or despair. If a clearly spelt out sinful situation is the case, I don't even try to get rid of it (unless somebody's life and/or my own are in imminent danger) but come to God in silence just as I am at the moment.

Answer 9

I am a Pastor/Evangelist and I am in a place right now that I am in valley and it is very hard to read and pray. But that is exactly how we grow, we need to read the Bible especially when we do not feel like it. We also need to pray and listen for Gods still small voice in our hearts, take twice as much time listening as you do talking to God. Most people just give God a laundry list of things they want and then they walk away. God wants us to listen to what HE has to say, and what better advice can we get then that which comes straight from God Himself.
The desert is a very lonely place even if we are in a crowd of people we still feel alone, and that is how we want to be. We tend to not want to be with other people in these times, but we need to also spend time with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, they will lift us up and pray for us.
Do not feel you are alone in this, even Billy Graham once said in an interview that he had not heard from, seen, felt, or sensed in any way God for an entire year. And that whole time he kept doing what God had called him to do. We all go through this at times, it can either make you stronger or kill you spiritually, it is up to you. You can either read and pray even when you do not feel like it, or you can wither up and die inside.
Also fasting in these times is always a helpfull thing and you always draw closer to God during a fast.
Please join me in growing at this time in the wilderness.

Pastor Bill

Answer 10

What i say to you i have experienced and this is what i did. Today i know God in unconditional love within my heart. After 16 years in the same church, are you still a "sinner" ? are you being taught that everyone is a "sinner"? After 16 years without spiritual Growth, I would suggest a different pathway. Once you have received baptism in spirit, you have fulfilled the law and are no longer a sinner.read 1st john,3-6 whosoever abideth in him,(christ) sinneth not. There are many saints alive today and in spirit who have the power to baptize in spirit. Pray directly to God , God,Please send me a Saint,a Guru(teacher. jesus was a siddha yoga Guru) to show me the path i should follow to have a closer conscious contact with you. I pray for you that this will be so. From Love, With Love, To Love. whistle britches. PS be alert, the teacher may not be what you expect, but you will know God sent them.