04/27/2021 Calling You Out of Your Dry Places

● Focus Verse: Ezekiel 37: 1-4

● Spiritual Dryness

○ Dryness in the natural is the loss of moisture or any liquid substance.

○ Spiritually, we don’t thrive, we lose connection to God, lose focus in our ministry.

○ We lack umph, enthusiasm to be with God. We lack joy, fulfilment.

○ Don’t allow shame to come up when you are in this place. Most Christians will experience a dry place in their life; however it is essential we aren’t denying ourselves when we feel lost in our connection.

○ Your dry place is an opportunity for God to bring you closer!

■ Matthew 5:6

● Symptoms of Spiritual Dryness

○ Lack of desire to fellowship

■ It’s a setup!

■ The enemy will allow you to think you don’t need to have church in order to receive the word. You miss one Sunday or Tuesday, but you have logged onto Zoom. You miss the next Tuesday and Sunday, but you listened to a podcast. Pretty soon this turns into 1 month, 2 months, 3 months of being out and not listening to anything.

● Matthew 18:20

■ You become critical of the word, judging the message, stating that the message isn't for you.

● The enemy blinds you from Godly wisdom and revelation and slips in distracting you to focus on the minister's flaws, the church flaws, the Pastor flaws, missing the whole message that God has intended for you

■ Galatians 6:1-3

● If we see someone in this predicament, we as helpers of one another are to be praying for each other, no judgement about the place they are in.

○ The Word of God become normal

■ When reading the word brings no further desire, or spiritual movement. You can’t take the word and apply it to you, it seems like words just on a page.

■ The word of God brings no hope to your circumstance.

■ 1 Peter 2:2-3

○ Coming Late to Services

■ Not saying that this should never be, but there should be a sincere apology to God if we come in late.

■ If we have an appointment with the doctor, with the Pastor, or someone we care about we feel embarrassed, we feel guilty because we feel as if we have offended the person who is waiting. How do you think of God as less than?

● When we say oh well, I get there when I get there is a sign of not caring about God’s timing.

● Your time, your needs, what you have going on is more important.

● It’s not about being late, it’s about the feeling and attitude of being late.

○ Decreasing in Prayer and the Study of God’s Word

■ When we no longer want to fellowship with God in prayer or reading and hearing His word.

● Psalm 119:9-11

● Psalm 119:105

■ Without prayer and God’s word we lack guidance, clarity, and most of all feel confused, stuck- producing this feeling that we have to move on our own accord, do things are a way to make something happen, to have control.

○ Selfish in Your Giving

■ Psalm 78:9-12

■ Giving in your time and tithes

■ We fall into this trap of thinking that we are wiser, we are more important, our feelings, and our thoughts are higher than God- ignoring what God has already done for us. On what God has given us alone, you would think it would make us move on His behalf, but not when you are experiencing a spiritual dryness. We turn our backs so easily.

○ 1 Peter 5:8-10

■ When the enemy tells you to do something, he doesn't show the danger of it, he only shows you what you will gain (lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and pride of life) drawing you in so settled. We must remember there is nothing to gain from the enemy.

● Some Causes of Spiritual Dryness

○ Trials and Tribulation

■ When we aren't able to see that the trials and tribulations in our life are for elevation, but take it more as God’s punishment and lack of care.

● Psalm 34:19-20

○ Evil Communication

■ Being around negative people

● 1 Corinthians 15:33

○ Submitting to the Flesh

■ Matthew 26:37-46

■ When we allow our flesh to overcome our spirits doing the work of God, we have allowed spiritual dryness to begin to slip in.

○ Lust of the Eyes and Lust of the Flesh

■ 1 John 2:15-17

● Ways to Overcome Spiritual Dryness

○ Repent

■ 1 Corinthians 10:13

● There is no self-justification where the spirit of God exist

● There is no sin man commits that is new to God. He is a God of mercy and loving kindness and also a God of judgement.

● The greatest thing about David’s repentance was his desire to change.

● You won't be able to find any solution to your spiritual dryness until you repent.

○ Fellowship

■ We must have a personal relationship with God.

■ Testimony! Being able to relate to one another

○ Render Your Broken Heart to Jesus

○ Study His Word

■ Joshua 1:8

○ Commit