What do you do when you feel spiritually dead?

Question

I have felt a void between myself and God for months now. I still believe, I still pray, I still love Him, but I don't feel like singing praise songs anymore, I don't want to read the bible, I feel sadness when I try to tap into my spiritual life. I feel like He is rejecting me at every turn.

To be very honest, I've gone through kind of a break down recently, and even though I've asked God to help me through this, I don't feel His presence or comfort at all. It's very scary and I feel very hopeless. It's probably hard to understand unless you've gone through it yourself.

No Jim, I'm not "flirting with temptation". I'm going through a dark and scary time that I pray you never have to go through. Thanks for the dose of judgment and assumption though.

Answer 1

Look at people who have rejected him. There are 2 sides in life. Maybe you can't see him because you are with him.

Think of "Footprints in the Sand"

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.


Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.


When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.


He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.


He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.


This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:


"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

The other side is evil. Look at the face of evil. If we know God exists.Evil is the other side of the coin. Find something to fight against: ignorance, hatred of things that are good, poverty, terrorists. The father of all lies provides so many examples his existence. Passion and works against evil will lead you to God. Remember not to be misled in your passion, like those who seek to raise taxes on the rich, out of envy or out of concern for the poor. Taxes simply slow the economy and make more poverty and misery. Don't be misled by lies. You can't find God's glorious face in letting others help. Do it yourself.

Answer 2

Spiritually Dead

Answer 3

Some of the greatest Christian mystics have experienced a sense of spiritual deadness. John of the Cross (Spanish Carmelite) wrote about this experience at some length in his work "The Dark Night of the Soul". It can signify that you are actually moving toward a deeper level spiritually. It does not necessarily mean that you are really further from God.

I don't actually have advice about praise songs or bible reading, as there are many different spiritual practices that can bring one closer to God. On one hand, it could reflect your faithfulness to God if you continue doing these things even when you don't feel like it. On the other, it could be that God is calling you to a new and different form of spiritual practice. I think that only people who are close to you and really know you as a person can give you a good read on this.

Answer 4

God is not rejecting you. As 1 Peter 4:12 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trails which is to try you, as though some strange thing happening unto you. And verse 13 says, Rejoce!. If you can look at it as a trail to bring spiritual growth in your life, you will find that you can rejoice even when you dont feel like rejoicing.
Many of us have experience what you're going through and will continue to. Prayer is the key factor, asking the Holy Spirit you need His help. This shows your dependance on Him and He will lift you up in due time. But I would still continue to praise, pray, sing, listen to good worship songs even when you don't feel like it. You'll wake up one morning and forget you went through these trails.

Answer 5

Even when you don't feel like singing sing anyway Jesus loves you. I Want you to read Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 1-13.Yes we as Christians seem to suffer more but Romans chapter 8 verse 18 states that the sufferings of this present times are not worthy to compare with the Glory that will be revealed in us.Honey you need to Declare God's word in your every day life and you'll find Unspeakable Joy, Good Health , And Life of Abundance.Walk and Talk Prosperity!

Answer 6

Without knowing more about your life, it is of course a little presumptuous to say what this may be for you. But I think many of the suggestions here are worth considering.

I think the suggestion offered by Deleriumbliss is especially valuable.

The term "dark night of the soul" is a bit dramatic, and that phrase has different interpretations. But it may be precisely described by the things you have mentioned.

And one thing characteristic of a dark night is that our spiritual growth has gone "underground" for a while -- it's still there, but we don't feel it at our usual level.

Patience, humility, and an openness to hearing from and experiencing the Divine in ways we may not have considered before can be useful in such times.
.

EDIT: I hadn't seen Obro's post before I wrote this one.

Answer 7

I literally throw myself into my studies when I feel down. Try taking things from a different approach; still read your Bible, but check out some books at the library about other religious perspectives or that focus on one particular topic, such as the Gnostic gospels or the Dead Sea Scrolls. Expand your knowledge in a new area. It will help broaden your own perspective, and you can impress your friends with your expertise on something that they probably don't know much about!!! :0)

And keep diligent about prayer.

Answer 8

be grateful you really aren't. God informed me that I really am. Spiritually dead people still feel emotional towards others in the sense that they might do unto others as they want done unto them and they would still enjoy hugging a toddler. The reason I'm explaining this is because that pales in comparison to what it would be like with Gods feelings in your heart. Some people like me just became so bitter that we told God to go away. Eventually God does. And that's the true meaning of death.

Answer 9

Continue to pray maybe you can try reading one verse, or story a day. Keep it small and don't over well yourself. (To keep evil away from your life.) Maybe there is something else causing you to feel this way but, don't let these feelings your having take control of your life. Take a deep breath! Everyone needs a break once in a while but, don't let this get out of control that you end up forgetting about Him for good. Smile and stay strong.

Answer 10

Well, what do we do when we feel physically dead or dying - so to speak? We take in physical nourishment.

It is no less so when we feel spiritually dead or dying. We need to take in spiritual nourishment. Jesus once said that man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming from God's mouth. Matthew 4:4. God's word is spiritual nourishment. We must take it in. Read, study, meditate. This, coupled with prayer, will draw us close to God. And God, in turn, will draw close to us.

It really is helpful to have a systematic and structured study of the Bible.

Hannah J Paul