Sun 18 Mar 2012
7 Signs of Spiritual Dryness
Posted by Helen Calder under Prophetic Teaching, Spiritual Renewal
[11] Comments
‘Be [continuously] filled with the Spirit.’ (Eph 5:18)
As Christians, our life, our witness and our service to others should be empowered by the life of the Holy Spirit within us.
This is what Jesus referred to when He said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38)
However we do not always maintain that vital connection to God perfectly. And therefore all of us experience seasons where we feel spiritually dry.
The great evangelist D L Moody understood this. When asked why he placed so much emphasis upon being filled with the Holy Spirit, he wisely said, ‘Because I leak.’
Spiritual Dryness
Spiritual dryness, or depletion, is not a problem in itself.
In fact, the awareness of our spiritual dryness is a gift from God. It is His invitation to come and partake of His life and His Spirit.
However, spiritual dryness does become a problem if we:
- do not recognise that we are becoming depleted, or
- do not recognise that God is the answer to our need, or
- become too exhausted to connect with God
Therefore it is important for us to recognise the signs of depletion as early as possible.
Signs of Spiritual Dryness
‘You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.’ Psalm 63:1
Here are some signs that we are becoming spiritually depleted. If you can relate to these, you need to reconnect with God and receive a fresh infilling of His Spirit:
1. Giving While Empty or Weary
A sign of spiritual dryness is that we are no longer giving to others out of a sense of fullness. We feel empty or weary—our inner tank is running dry.
Spiritual dryness if left undetected can turn into burnout, if we continue to give out in Christian service whilst not being replenished.
If left untended, spiritual dryness can impact our emotional, mental, and even physical state.
2. Serving out of Duty
When we are spiritually dry there is a subtle shift in our motivation to serve God, whether in the church or elsewhere.
We are no longer motivated by passion. We feel an inner reluctance, or resistance to serve, but continue to do so because we feel we have no choice.
Our motivation to continue serving may be that others are relying on us, or we want to honour a commitment, or even feel a duty towards God or towards His calling upon our lives.
3. Our Faith is no Longer Contagious
According to David in the Psalms, it is the joy of our salvation that results in us leading people to God. (Ps 51:12-13)
When we are spiritually dry, it affects our relationship with those who do not know Jesus. We are not bubbling over; we have lost our joy.
People are not seeing something in us that causes them to thirst for God, and we lack motivation to share with them, feeling we have nothing to offer.
4. God Feels Distant
When we are spiritually dry, there can be a gradual distancing from God. Either we are not encountering Him regularly, or we are not hearing from Him, or we are hearing Him speak to us intermittently.
God is, in fact, continually speaking to us. However sometimes we neglect to tune in. (Ps 139:17-18)
5. Our Spiritual Life is in a Rut
We lack the excitement we once had in our relationship with God. Our devotional life—connection to God through the Bible and prayer—has either been reduced to a rote exercise, is occasional, or has ceased to exist at all.
We love God, but have lost a sense of being ‘in love’ with Him. Our relationship with God has lost its freshness.
6. A Contributing Event
The state of spiritual dryness does not always creep up on us slowly. Trials or sudden trauma can result in us being depleted spiritually, as well as in other ways.
7. Negative Thinking
‘The Kingdom of God is… righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 14:17)
When we are spiritually dry the atmosphere of heaven—righteousness, peace and joy—seems to evade us. Instead, we find it easier to give way to negative thinking. We falter in our ability to resist and ‘cast down’ destructive thoughts and emotions.
There is an Answer to Spiritual Dryness
The good news is that when we are spiritually dry, God has already initiated and provided the answer to our need.
In the next post, I will discuss some ways in which we can be replenished spiritually. In the meantime, here are some questions to consider:
Questions for Reflection:
- Do I have any of the above signs in my life at the moment—and to what degree? How long have I felt this way?
- What is the difference between emotional, mental, physical and spiritual depletion? How are they inter-related?
- What is God’s response to my spiritual depletion?
- What can I do this week to personally reconnect with God?
Can you think of some other signs of spiritual dryness? Have you ever experienced dryness or burnout and recovered? I would love to hear from you. Leave a note in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.
Related Posts:
7 Ways To Combat Spiritual Dryness
Escaping A Half-Lived Christian Life
The River Returns: How To Be Refilled With The Holy Spirit When You Are Dry
Prophetic People In Testing Times: The Reason For The Season
Hunger For God: 6 Ways You Can Stir It Up
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
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Hi Helen, WOW !!! Thank you so much, I was so inspired by this message. The Scriptures you have written in this post are some of my favourite Scriptures. I absolutely Love the theme of GOD’S Living Water. I felt such a personal Invitation from the Holy Spirit to come aside and be Refreshed, Replenished and Renewed in HIS Holy Presence. I know that as I spend time in HIS Presence, HE Renews my Strength like the eagle, I shall run and NOT grow weary, I shall walk and NOT grow faint. And the JOY of The LORD shall be my Strength. I also know that in HIS Presence is FULLNESS of Joy, Overflowing in Abundance. How Beautiful and Gentle is the way of The Holy Spirit, I know this is an invitation for me personally to just spend time Seeking HIS Face, in the secret dwelling Place.
I was reminded of the following scriptures to encourage myself.
Psalm 105 verse 4,
” Seek the LORD and HIS Strength, Seek HIS Face evermore. ”
Psalm 27 verse 8,
When You said, ” Seek My Face,” my heart said to You, ” Your Face, LORD, I will seek .”
Psalm 27 verse 14,
” Wait on the LORD. Be of Good Courage, and HE shall Strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Come to the Living Bread
Come to the Banqueting House where the Table is Spread
Come to where the Healing Waters Flow
My JESUS fed and Healed the Multitudes
HE turned the Water into Wine
To the Hungry, HE is calling now, ” Come and Dine ”
JESUS brings the Healing Divine
HE Pours in the Oil and the Wine
HE alone is the True Vine
Feast in HIS Presence time after Time
Love, Joy and Peace so Sublime
The Spirit and the Bride say, ” Come ”
Whosoever is Thirsty, ” Come ”
Whosoever is Hungry, ” Come ”
Come to the River, and Drink from the Water of Life
Come to where the Healing Waters Flow
Crystal Clear, Pure and Holy, filled with Love, Light, Life, Joy, Peace, Healing and Salvation
Waters Bringing forth, Joy and Restoration
LORD, I Hunger and I Thirst After You, nothing else will do
LORD, You are my Strength, my Sword and my Shield
The True Bread of Life, Living WORD of GOD Revealed
Poem by Irene Kyriacou
Hi there Irene, you are always such a blessing and encouragement. Life flows through your gift of poetry. May many of our readers meditate on it and be blessed!
I have experience Spiritual dryness for a long time for few years already. Sometimes, it seems to be light and I will cheer up a bit but still it won’t last long. Al I can do is keep on seeking God by confess all of my known and unknown sin and fast as well . I hope that I can hear from God like what I could before and getting better and better everyday.However, God is still silence. Anyway, I am looking for a breakthrough in every area of my life and I hope anybody who read this comment can pray for me about this. I still love God and always want to be used by Him in a mighty way. But I really need a breakthrough in every area of my life and need to hear from God again. Right now I keep on press myself to stay in God ‘s presence through devotional music and prayer for my present dryness and I hope to see the light and exit for my situation as soon as possible. If you have a word for me from the Lord, just let me know by posting your comment in here. I will receive it through by email.Thank you and God bless you all.
Hi there, so sorry to hear of the difficult period you have been in. I do pray that you will receive the breakthrough that you are looking for, may you receive such a revelation of God’s love for you and all that you ALREADY are and have in Jesus that you praise will begin to flood your heart again.
Eph 1:17-19 says ‘I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.’
Keep an eye out on this blog for the next couple of weeks, I pray you will receive encouragement and be empowered as we explore this topic a little further.
I’m looking forward to your next post on overcoming spiritual dryness – I think I need it! Has been a very difficult few months.
Hi Janet, sorry to hear that you’ve had a tough time. I pray that you would experience His empowering grace and fulness, His Spirit and life breathed into you in a fresh way. Psalm 23 comes to mind for you:
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Look forward to staying in touch and trust the next post will give you some helpful info and inspiration too.
Thanks for the great points you’ve raised in this blog – which is very timely for me, personally – and others too, judging by the comments already received! Sometimes It can be a ‘subtle’ thing that happens and I think you are right about not recognising we are becoming depleted.
Also, it’s very easy to get to out of balance in ‘doing’, rather than ‘being’, and a recent series on “Covenant and Kingdom” from Ps Arthur has helped me better understand how we need to balance both. Out of covenant (relationship) with God we are able to live in the ‘kingdom’ (responsibility)
Looking forward to your follow up on ‘replenshishment’.
Thanks so much Jenny!
Yes the material we have been hearing is brilliant, and for anyone interested it is from the book ‘Covenant and Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible’ by Mike Breen.
http://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Kingdom-Bible-Mike-Breen/dp/0982452160
In one of the talks (not sure whether it came from this book) our Pastor was sharing from when Jesus was restoring Peter in John 21, and He said to Peter “Do you love Me?” Then in response to Peter’s yes said, “Feed My lambs.” The mission, the ministry, is to be sourced out of our love relationship with Jesus. When we lose the connection, we will become dry in the doing.
So true that it can be subtle! Bless you, Jenny… may you experience His overflow!
Spiritual Dryness…. Your timing is always perfect Mrs. Calder.. I love God, and I love doing for others and building up the kingdom of God. There was a short period where I felt like I was traveling through the desert…. You don’t have to be in the desert too long before you mouth starts to get dry, and your body starts to feel depleted and drained…. but I travel with my water bottle everywhere I go because I know at the perfect time, God will send down some rain to fill my bottle. I take a sip of Christ, and dryness leaves. Your message is like rain for somebody experiencing a drought…..looking forward to your next post:)
Thank you for doing God’s work Mrs. Calder….. May God continue to bless you and the hulk…..:)
Hi Amy, you have such a sweet spirit, and it is always a pleasure to hear from you
I love your analogy of both the rain from heaven, and the water bottle. One speaks of God’s sovereign touch and outpouring on our lives; the other speaks of our responsibility to keep the supply in reserve and to draw from it when needed.
This reminds me of the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. The wise ones had a spare supply of oil for their lamps. (Matt 25) We do not have to get to the place of emptiness–if we have, we have made a wrong choice somewhere along the way.
Thanks Amy, I Iook forward to hearing from you again soon
It’s reassuring to hear that I’m not the only one who experiences spiritual dryness. When it’s a particularly long “dry spell,” I will heed your tips and advice.