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September 2019
Breaking the Cycle of Futility
by David Benjamin
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”
If you’ve ever had that opportunity to accept Christ, that moment where He comes into your heart is one of the most amazing moments in your life. Like a breath of fresh air upon a dry and weary soul, the calling of Christ will often transform your life in unexpected ways that seem incredible and exciting from the beginning.
Yet even the most enthusiastic Christians get caught up in what’s known as a spiritual slump, where we begin to question the meaning behind everything we are doing. What is the point of going to church if I’m going to hear the same old songs and doze off halfway during the sermon? What’s the point of prayer if my prayers aren’t getting answered and more bad things are happening every day? Why should I attend a small group or Bible study when I’ll most likely feel judged for the way I misread the silly Biblical names?
These questions may sound silly, maybe even a little insulting. Yet at some point or another, all of us have been in a slump like that. Even pastors and clergymen have had this struggle. Yet all of us have a choice! We can choose to reside in our spiritual slump, or we can find a way to break out of it.
Breaking out of a futile spiritual slump often requires discipline and accountability, and we can’t break out of it alone. Sometimes all it takes is discovering a new perspective of God, like finding Him in the beauty of nature, seeing Him within the honesty and accountability of your friends, or interacting with God through the work that you do. Other times, it takes years of rigorous discipline and spiritual testing, and you may have moments in your life when your faith in God is all but lost. Yet, as long as you walk with God, He will use you as a guide for the lost. You will be transformed through your faith in Christ! It will become easier to recognize the joy in the struggle of the hills and valleys. That joy comes from the Maker of the universe.
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Call To Action
“So from now on we regard no one from
a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2nd Corinthians 5:16-17
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