For example my work situation had changed. The church I was serving in had just announced the resignation of our Lead Pastor due to moral failure. Being one of the longest tenured staff members I was put on a team of five men who helped lead the church during the transition. This meant preaching on a regular basis on Sunday mornings while still leading my regular ministries: High School Ministry and Missions. Our family dynamic had changed. Our beautiful little Sophie Marie was born just nine months earlier and it was taking time getting adjusted to being parents. Being a dad was like being hit in the face with my selfishness and it was tough to bear. Did I mention Charity was pregnant also?
In addition to work and family I was currently enrolled in seminary. I was at this place in my graduate work where I was too far in to quit but the light at the end of the tunnel was extremely dim. To be completely honest, I was at a point in my life where I wanted to quit seminary, leave our local church and move to Hawaii with my family. I didn’t know how to manage the new responsibilities in my life and therefore my spiritual growth was quickly shoved to the back-burner.
Have you ever felt how I felt that summer? Have you ever felt like with all the responsibilities of life you’ve shoved your spiritual growth to the back-burner only to forget about God? Maybe the time you once set aside for morning prayer became stale so you quit waking up to spend time with God. Maybe you were twenty-seven days behind in the Bible reading plan you committed to so you stopped reading God’s word. Maybe you once clearly heard the voice of God but your life situation has changed and you’re struggling to hear your Savior’s voice.
This week I want to talk about three ways we can grow spiritually, check back tomorrow as we look at having regular times of prayer.