I've been saved for as long as I can remember. I have a few experiences with God but I feel I'm missing God's conviction in my life.
I feel I'm one of those Christians that are asleep. I also feel I have too many responsibilities to pursue God and while listening to a podcast.. for women that were on fire for God and talking about discipleship..
I felt in my heart I wasn't ready.... like I'm okay with giving God some pieces of my life but not everything.
I Also feel God is far off but I know he's not.
I feel bored reading the Bible. Praying is easier for me.. The best way I can describe this is I'm a battery thats close to being dead that needs to be recharged but I also don't want to do this lol..
I'm just being honest. I definitely need a new heart.
Advice please.
I've been a life-long Christian too but spent 40 years focusing primarily on my career, with my faith being genuine but not a priority in life. Mandatory retirement promptly changed that. Being forced to find a new purpose in life led me to spending more time and attention to my faith, which caused me to discover the immense media resources available now to learn and grow as a Christian.
I had already been reading world religion and Christian apologetic books for years, but when I bought my first tablet in 2015 and got full-time internet access, YouTube jump-started my faith big time. How so? I discovered so much interesting, relevant content that I've since developed a routine of watching a sermon every morning while I do my exercises, and another apologetic presentation every evening with dinner. I've found that 2 hours a day of that has improved my Christian growth and sanctification process far more than watching the news as I used to do.
While conceding that the internet is dominated by secular crap that's not helpful to us, there is none-the-less also on-line Bibles, Christian sourced commentaries, articles, books, videos, and Christian apologetic material that clearly is not secular crap. Watching hundreds of YouTube sermons and apologetic videos over the years has specifically ignited my passion for the faith in 3 ways:
First, I've discovered several great preacher/teachers. I've had to watch several bad, boring, or marginal ones to find the exceptional ones, and had to watch several sermons from the exceptional ones to find the geat sermons that really hold my attention, touch my heart, and inspire my faith. They're there though, and building a library of great sermons not only keeps me wanting for more, but exposes me to exceptional preacher/teachers that truly educate, inspire, and embolden me with my faith.
Second, I've discovered a wide variety of Christian apologetic subjects far more than I ever imagined, thus giving me a choice to study different topics at different times in order to foster never-ending interest. To date, I've studied at least 20 different topics and the new discoveries never seem to end. Most passive Christians (as I once was) go through life ignoring all of this material that relates to and supports their core belief system. But upon discovering and studying such material (be it books, articles, or YouTube videos), I've found my interest in the faith stimulated and always growing.
Third, I've come to learn that everyday encounters with people or media often relates to religion. I find few people recognizing that religious beliefs dictate cultural values, and cultural values bombard us nearly every day. As I've studied more and more of these Bible/faith related issues, I've become much more sensitive to the number of people and times that opportunity arises for witnessing. People say things constantly that offend God, His Word, or my faith, and I find it interesting now to counter such moments rather than just miss or ignore them as I would before. In other words, I see my faith being relevant now every day in real live, people interactive incidents. That is both stimulating and rewarding, bringing people's attention to truth and trying to influence them towards the Lord.
In summary, I've made a commitment to know and love the Lord more each day as the primary purpose of my life. And as I've explored on-line material, especially watching some great sermons and learning about a wide variety of Christian apologetic and related world issues:
- my understanding of the Bible, world events, and cultural issues has grown substantially,
- my faith and relationship with God has strengthened significantly,
- I've acquired a passionate interest for my Christian faith and all related matters, and
- I've been emboldened with my faith and developed a desire to share it with others.
Perhaps your faith will be stirred Macchiato if you study one of the many aspects of it that interest you. In time, you'll find other interesting aspects that will cumulatively grow your love and appreciation for God, the Bible, and the infinitely related things we encounter in life.
