HOW to Get unSTUCK from a Spiritual Rut—Part 2

Imagine the scene, the engines roaring, you keep pressing the accelerator, but you’re going nowhere. At first you were calm at the notion of being stuck, in a strange way you enjoyed being there, but now you’re getting a little concerned that you may never get out of this place. You are beginning to feel all alone…a stranded of sorts.

Stuck and Stranded in a spiritual rut…can you relate?

If you’re reading this blog before reading the last one titled “Stuck in a Spiritual Rut?,” I encourage you to go back and read it. This is one part of a series of blogs on HOW to get out of a spiritual “rut.”

If you’ve come back…I’m so excited you did! I really didn’t want to do this alone! So let’s get started and get out of some spiritual “ruts!” (I know…I have probably over used the exclamation mark, but it conveys my heart right now…a little excited about getting out of a “rut!”)

HOW do you get out of a spiritual “rut?”

                First—STOP ACCELERATING AND ASSESS

To get out of a spiritual “rut” we must first stop pressing the accelerator. Often, when we find ourselves in a spiritual “rut” we think we just need to do more. We think that if we do more then we’ll get unstuck. We think, “If I do more for my family,” “If I do more for my church,” “If I do more for my community”…I’ll get unstuck. We press the accelerator, going nowhere, but in some way we have deceived ourselves into thinking that it will get us out of the rut.

In Psalm 46:10, we find a well-known command, “Be still and know that I am God.”

“Be Still”—Stop Accelerating

How do we stop accelerating?

This looks different for each of us. Here are some things I have evaluated in my life:

1. Am I outdoing my being? (Are the things that I am doing on the outside a reflection of the    transformation of the inside?) (Romans 12:1-2)

2. Are the things I'm doing for pleasing God or for pleasing people? (Galatians 1:10)

3. Am I trying to earn my way into rightness with God though things I can do? (Romans 6:23)

4. Do I serve my family, friends and church out of glorifying God or myself? (1 Corinthinans 10:31)

I'm certainly not saying to stop everything you are doing. When we are in a spiritual "rut," we need to stop accelerating by evaluating what we're doing, why we're doing it and who we're doing it for. Then, as the Spirit leads, we need to allow Him to change our hearts, our doing or both.

Why do we need to stop accelerating?

1.       Everyone around us is getting mud on them

 

What does “mud” look like for your husband, children, family, friends, and church?

·         Anger

·         Impatience

·         Selfishness

·         Envy

·         Jealousy

·         Bitterness

·         Strife

Imagine that mud…

These dangerous emotions can lead to other sins as well. Before you know it…the “rut” has become much deeper.

2.       The more you accelerate, the “rut” get’s deeper and deeper

The dangers of spiritual “ruts” can be that we end up sinning in areas that we “never” thought we would.

What do we need to Assess?

And know…

“I am God”—Assess who God Is

When we’re stuck in a rut we often spend our time assessing the “rut” itself. We ask ourselves why and how this happened to us. (I’m not saying that we don’t need to do this later. But when we’re stuck, the first thing we need to do is get out.) When we assess the rut first, for the most part, the focus remains on us.

What if we spent our time assessing God? Assessing Him through His word.

What do I mean by “assess” God? I mean we need to value who God is.

When we look at Psalm 46 and “assess” God we find that He is:

·         Our refuge (46:1)

·         Our strength (46:1)

·         A very present help in trouble (46:1)

·         Unchanging (46:2-4)

·         Dwelling Place (46:4)

·         An unmoving, firm foundation (46:5)

·         In the midst of you (46:5)

·         Will help you (46:5)

·         He speaks and the earth obeys (46:6)

·         With us (46:7)

·         Our stronghold (46:7)

·         Judges the earth (46:8)

·         Ends wars (46:9)

Wow! God is an unmoving, firm foundation. Isn’t that what you need to get out of a “rut.” In the midst of a spiritual “rut” there is nothing like assessing our God. We may be in the rut, but He’s with us. Sometimes a “rut” provides us with a fresh perspective of God. He doesn’t want you to stay there, but we can decide to get as much out of the “rut” as we can.” One of the greatest reasons we end up in a spiritual rut is because we have begun to doubt or have failed to recognize a truth about God. At its core it’s called unbelief.

Let’s apply some believing to our rut!!

In conclusion today, I want to encourage you to spend time meditating on Psalm 46. Specifically, applying one or more of the characteristics of God to your spiritual “rut.”

·         What are some replacements for God that you have tried to use to get out of the “rut?”

·         What truth about God is important for you for the particular “rut” you are in now?”

·         How can knowing this truth about God strengthen you in the “rut?”

Now, take some time and acknowledge those “replacements” before Him. You can know that you’re already forgiven because of what Christ has once and for all done to your sin. (Hebrews 10:10) After acknowledging it before God, praise Him for who He is for you. Treasure Him for who He alone can be for you! Your husband, children, friends, co-workers, church, doing good things, success, money, a new outfit with new shoes, a good movie and the list goes on, can’t be who He is for you. Only God can satisfy you in and out of the rut. Know and Believe Him today.

I would love to hear how God has spoken to you today through His word. I’ve already been super encouraged by those who have commented. It’s comforting to know we’re not alone. Even more so, I love the moments when we see God when we have felt stuck and stranded. Please share how He’s revealed Himself to you in the rut. I’ve left my comment below.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Treasuring Him!!

Love, Tammy

Here’s what the Lord has shown me in “assessing” Him today in regards to my spiritual “rut”:

God is my refuge in the rut. He is my place of safety even in the rut. He doesn’t change. It doesn’t matter where I go- He is there. Psalm 139:7-8 says “Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me.”  I believe this promise!!

God is with me in the rut. Not only is He my place of safety, but He’s there with me. The greatest lie I can believe is that God abandons me in the rut. God is with me and I will not be moved. He has secured my place with Him for all eternity, not because of who I am, but because of what Christ has done on my behalf. I believe this promise!!

God may let me stay in the rut a while, but He will help me when morning dawns.” Sometimes He will leave us in the rut for a while, but not forever. He will pull us up and out by morning. I need to know and believe this truth. Psalm 30:5 says “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” I believe this promise!!