How To Revive My Spiritual Life

What does it mean to resurrect? Simply expressed, it means “to restore the functionality or validity of anything.” So, what about your spirit has become inactive or has lost its validity? Here's a simple test to see if you're ready: Do you find yourself ruminating on minor irritations in your daily life? Do you have a hard time recalling the last time you felt truly happy?

It's possible that your inner spirit requires a “waking,” and spring is an excellent time to assess your situation and take steps toward a more positive, anxiety-free outlook!

Here are three suggestions to help you rekindle your spirit, as well as “5 Inspiring Quotes” from our Cancer Fighters members to get you started.

1. Work on your core

Our entire being is conditioned to perform better — emotionally, mentally, and physically – when we focus on growing our spirit, the core of who we are. Some exercises to build your spiritual core may include the following, depending on your personal interests:

Any action that brings you closer to – rather than further away from – your thoughts and feelings might help you live more cheerfully in the present moment. These activities are referred to as “mindfulness” by some specialists. Mindfulness has been shown to increase overall mood, boost emotional, physical, and social well-being, and reduce anxiety, despair, and rage, according to several studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Percy McCray, Jr., Director of Faith-Based Programs at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), warns what can happen if we don't take the time to build our spiritual health in his blog, Revive Yourself, Your Spirit, and Your Health.

“It's critical to take a breath and reflect. If we don't, we'll waste our time shopping, eating, drinking, and socializing in vain attempts to resurrect our spirits.” “Instead of re-energizing us, these pleasures might leave us feeling languid and aimless,” explains Rev. Percy. Every human, however, has a thirst, hunger, and yearning for true meaning, value, and purpose in life.

2. Re-establish (or re-establish) healthy relationships

Living with cancer provides many people a new perspective, one that prioritizes relationships over all else. Given the stress of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, it's not unexpected that problems in relationships, particularly between couples, occur frequently. “Fight the cancer, not each other,” says Michael Uhl, MA, MDiv, LMFT, a Mind-Body Therapist at CTCA in Zion, Illinois. He suggests the following ideas for constructing a house:

• Maintain open channels of communication and draw on previous expertise. Whenever a crisis occurs, make an effort to improve communication. Mutual understanding, not necessarily agreement, should be the goal. It may be painful to discuss feelings, yet it is unshared feelings that cause relationships to suffer.
• Make sure you have a strong support system in place. Bringing friends and other family members on board might provide a much-needed reprieve from caregiving obligations, even if your partner is ready to do it all. Both patients and caregivers require “down time” to manage the plethora of experiences and emotions that accompany cancer treatment, recovery, and survivorship.
• Speak with a therapist who has experience with cancer. Speaking with an unbiased therapist who has worked with other cancer patients can assist couples in expressing their emotions and confirming that the sentiments they are experiencing are normal. Discussing all of the emotions—fear, anger, and grief—either together or separately brings them to the surface and aids in the development of useful coping mechanisms.

Relationships with people you care about — a spouse, family, or close friends – and doing things you both enjoy are stimulating. They have a regenerating and restoring effect.

3. Control Your Thoughts

What do you think about when you're not working? It's only normal for people to inquire “When confronted with a catastrophic sickness, one would wonder, “Why me?” Focusing on this question, on the other hand, can leave you feeling stuck and frustrated. Focusing your thoughts on things that give you hope, on the other hand, might make you feel empowered and revitalize your spirit.

We invited members of our Cancer Fighters group, many of whom are cancer survivors, to provide encouraging remarks “It lifts their spirits.” The following are five of them “To motivate you, here are some “Inspiring Quotes”:

“According to Ardua.”

This Latin phrase translates to “The McIntyre family motto is “despite trials.” Richard A. McIntyre, Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, shared this.

“God is in control of the cancer; the cancer is not in control of me!” Viola Jones of Olathe, Kansas, shared this.

David Brown and Kathy Mosley, a patient and caregiver from Fairbanks, Alaska, believe one of Baha'u'llah's Baha'i prayers in the Baha'i Prayer book brings them much comfort and peace:

“O my God, memory of Thee is my remedy, and Thy name is my mending.

My aim is to be near Thee, and my companion is love for Thee.

Thy mercy to me is my salvation and healing in both this world and the next.

“Truly, you are the All-Abundant, the All-Knowing, and the All-Wise.”

Kimalea Conrad, a cancer survivor from Telluride, Colorado, says Bible verses inspire her; one of her favorites is the one below. “To me, this verse signifies that cancer has no ability to make me terrified unless I allow it,” Conrad explains.

“God did not give us a fearful spirit, but a spirit of strength, love, and self-control.” Revelation 2:7

Surviving cancer typically demands a heroic amount of physical, mental, and spiritual courage, as any survivor or caregiver knows. “Rev. Percy believes that connecting to a greater source of power can bring that balance, stability, and grounding. “Many of us overlook the most obvious sources of meaning, worth, and purpose: service, forgiveness, hope, peace, and faith. Connecting to these global forces of empowerment is, in many ways, the simplest method to rekindle our spirit.”

How do I revive my relationship with God?

Life gets busy, and in the midst of struggling to remain afloat, we sometimes lose sight of God.

Communication is crucial to strengthening your relationship with God, just as it is with any other person in your life. Close your eyes and imagine Him standing right next to you, listening intently to what you're saying while you pray. Talk to Him as if you were a child talking to their parent. He is available to listen to all of your issues and inquiries and to offer advice. As much as you can, talk to Him. He's there for you not only when you're in trouble, but also when you just want to talk. Praying brings God and His children closer together.

Follow God's instructions. We are all flawed in some way. We wouldn't be here in the first place if we were. We develop and grow throughout our lives in order to be reunited with God at the end. The very least we can do for Him is try our hardest to follow His instructions. We should be kind and honest to others and try to attend as many church services as possible. We develop brighter and stronger in spirit, integrity, and mind as we obey God's will.

When we desire to enhance our faith and relationship with God, we can turn to the Scriptures for help. They make it possible for God to communicate with His children. The Bible also provides a magnificent description of spiritual events throughout history. In general, the stories in the Bible deal with situations that are similar to what we are confronting today. Learning about others' faith and patience in the face of adversity can inspire us to persevere in our own trials. Making time each day to study the scriptures can completely rejuvenate your tired soul.

Even if we talk to God frequently, we may not be listening to His responses and instructions. Don't immediately turn on the loud movie you were watching or retire into bed for the night once you've finished praying. Take a moment to pause, look, and listen for God's responses to your prayers. God may prompt you to be an answer to someone else's prayer if you aren't receiving an answer to your own. Make it a point to listen as much as you talk to Him. Communication is two-way.

Show your gratitude to your heavenly Father for all of your blessings. We are blessed, yet we are sometimes eager to ask for more before taking the time to appreciate God. Make a sincere thankfulness prayer. Gratitude for God's hand in your life will increase your appreciation for His ongoing presence and your mission on this planet. Being kind and displaying humility go hand in hand.

Keep God's presence in your life in mind. Even if it appears that He is far away at times, He is not. He is never far from your side. It's easy to become so engrossed in international events that we forget to look for God's presence in our lives. Try to be appreciative and conscious of how much He has blessed you and continues to bless you each day in these moments. Being humble and displaying genuine love and respect for God can resurrect even the most stale relationship with Him. Keep your relationship with your heavenly Father in mind. He is the most powerful buddy and protector you will ever have.

What causes spiritual emptiness?

Spiritual emptiness was a major problem in the educated European middle class, according to Austrian philosopher/educator Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). He claimed that European culture had become “empty of spirit” and “ignorant of the demands, the conditions, that are required for the life of the spirit” in his 1919 lectures. Due to the “absence of will from the life of thought,” people experienced a “spiritual emptiness” and their thinking became distinguished by a “lazy passivity.” People would “let their thoughts to take hold of them” in modern Europe, according to Steiner, and these thoughts would increasingly be filled with abstraction and “pure, natural scientific thinking.” The educated middle classes began to think in a “devoid of spirit” manner, with their thoughts getting “dimmer and darker,” and their spirits becoming increasingly empty.

According to Louis Dupré, a Yale University philosophy professor, the “spiritual emptiness of our day is a sign of its religious poverty.” Many people, he claims, “never experience any emptiness: they are too busy to feel much absence of any kind”; they only realize their spiritual emptiness when “painful personal experiences — the death of a loved one, the breakdown of a marriage, the alienation of a child, the failure of a business” shock them into reassessing their sense of meaning.

Juvenile violence has been linked to spiritual emptiness. In his 1999 book How Juvenile Violence Begins: Spiritual Emptiness, John C. Thomas claims that kids in impoverished indigenous communities who are feeling meaningless may turn to fighting and aggressive crime to fill their void. In his 1999 book Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, Cornell University professor James Garbarino believes that “neglect, humiliation, spiritual emptiness, alienation, anger, and access to guns are a few of the factors common to violent boys.” According to Garbarino, a professor of human development, violent males have “alienation from positive role models” and “a spiritual vacuum that fosters hopelessness.” The violent fantasy of American gun culture seduces these children, providing negative role models of tough, aggressive males who use power to obtain what they want. He thinks that giving boys a “feeling of purpose” and “spiritual anchors” that can “anchor boys in empathy and socially engaged moral thought” can benefit them.

Addiction is frequently linked to spiritual emptiness, particularly by Christian-influenced addiction organizations and counsellors. One of the effects of alcoholism, according to Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, is that heavy drinkers experience a spiritual emptiness. In his book Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception, published in 1997, Abraham J. Twerski contends that when people are spiritually empty, they typically turn to addictive activities to fill the emptiness. Unlike an empty stomach, which is a distinct sensation, spiritual emptiness is difficult to pinpoint, leaving persons with a feeling of “vague disquiet.” While some people try to fill the void by excessively having sex, overeating, or abusing drugs or alcohol, these habits only provide brief relief. When a person in crisis because of spiritual emptiness is able to stop one addiction, such as obsessive sex, they frequently replace it with another, such as gambling or overeating.

How do you fill an empty heart?

As a result, curing emotional emptiness frequently entails two fundamental phases, based on Christ Jesus' formulation of the two “great commandments” in Matthew 22:37-39.

First, the hymn verse emphasizes the importance of turning to God since only He can fill the vacuum. How is it possible for God to achieve anything like this? God's essence is that of a “never-ending spring,” giving immeasurably of Himself to His children and expressing Himself through them, according to the hymn's next line. The Bible emphasizes the concept of God as a fountain in several places, including a line in Psalm 36: “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (verse 9). The second step must be taken when the readiness to acknowledge God has been demonstrated. Our personal emptiness can only be filled by unconditionally loving, giving, expressing, and helping others. Only by loving can the heart live, as the hymn states.

I've had instances in my life when I've needed to fill emotional voids. I found that the emptiness I was feeling had no material solution, only a spiritual one.

How do I overcome spiritual emptiness?

And he told them a tale about how they should always pray and never give up. (18:1) (Luke 18:1)

We can see from the foregoing verse that persistent prayer is both possible and expected.

Fasting Helps

Fasting: Fasting can be used to support your tarrying in his presence. Fasting humbles us and sharpens our spirit man, which is why we should fast.

I covered the advantages of fasting in part 2 of my piece on prayer keys, so I won't go over it again here.

Analyse How You Got to Current State of Spiritual Emptiness

Perform a root cause study and assess how you arrived at your current spiritual emptiness.

What were some of the things you did or didn't do? You will be able to avoid those things in the future if you take an honest look inward.

For instance, few years ago, I was engrossed in a daily television series. Before I knew it, I was so engrossed in watching the series that I had forgotten about my time with God.

How do you grow spiritually?

1. Begin by humbling yourself and praying.

It's all too easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget how fortunate we are. You may maintain these positives in your mind by taking time in the morning (and again before you go to sleep at night).

Request that God continue to bless and protect you and your loved ones. This is also a good moment to ask Him for assistance in keeping your mind on His plan for your life. When we ask Him a question, we may find that we immediately see opportunities in front of us.

2. Study and Read the Bible

Consider your Bible to be a manual. The pages contain more information about how to live your life than you may realize. Proverbs and the letters to the churches (such as Ephesians and Philippians) instruct you on how to live a Christian life. Life lessons abound in the Bible.

The teachings of Jesus can be found throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and then the teachings of the disciples may be found throughout the rest of the New Testament. The Old Testament tells you about Jesus' ancestors as well as stories of people who had strong faith. The more you grow in God's Word, the less external influences will cause you to stumble.

If you have the opportunity, try to delve thoroughly into a particular book, either in a group Bible study session or online, in order to gather some truth nuggets. This will also help you understand how this fact affects your life.

3. Find a group of believers who share your beliefs.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find Christian groups that meet for a variety of reasons. Christian book clubs, Christian counseling groups, and faith-based exercise courses are examples of this.

There's a cliché that says you become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose persons who have a deep relationship with God and can assist you in your spiritual development as a Christian.

4. Help Others

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them,” Jesus stated in Matthew 7:12, “because this is the Law and the Prophets” (New King James Version).

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We've all heard the command, but how many of us actually do it? And what does it mean to serve others in order to get closer to God?

While on Earth, Jesus demonstrated how God wants us to live by caring for and serving others. Will people betray and injure us? Yes. They also harmed and betrayed Jesus. He continued to reach out to people and point them to God. We are feeding Jesus' chosen by feeding and clothing the destitute. “Feed my sheep,” Jesus stated to Peter after three times asking if he loved Him.

Please feed my sheep. It is our duty to look after others and to serve as the Lord's hands and feet. The key to a closer connection with God is obedience. “If you love me, observe my commands,” Jesus stated. (New International Version, John 14:15).

This does not, however, imply that if you are a victim of abuse, you must keep your arms in the fire. You can forgive others while maintaining a healthy distance from harmful connections. If you need assistance, talk to a Christian Counselor who can guide you toward a Christian lifestyle with healthy relationships.

5. Find out what spiritual gifts you have.

Each Christian has been given spiritual gifts, according to the Bible. Did you know that this can imply more than bodily healing and the ability to speak in tongues? Those are two of the most important biblical gifts.

You've also been given discernment, wisdom, faith, knowledge, and the fruits of the Spirit, which include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. Some of the gifts are related to your mission. You can improve these abilities by engaging in particular activities. You can focus on aligning your spiritual gifts with your purpose and serving others as a means of deepening your relationship with God if you are aware of the spiritual gifts that God has given you.

These are your innate abilities and characteristics. Do you enjoy assisting others, whether it's through home visits or meal preparation? Do you have a natural aptitude for teaching? Do you regularly share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others?

Other spiritual gifts that you may discover in yourself or others include:

• Are you the person that everyone looks to in a crisis? Are you more of a take-charge leader than a follower?
• Administration – Do you enjoy leading a church function when no one else is available? Are you prone to delegating duties and organizing groups and events?
• Does it concern you when someone reads Scripture out of context when you're teaching? Do you ever have the feeling that you could teach others about a particular subject?
• Evangelism – Do you often share the good news of Jesus Christ with others? Do you coach others on how to do the same?
• Shepherding – Can you educate or lead while caring for and serving others? Do you feel a sense of responsibility for the persons God has entrusted to your care?
• Prophecy – Do you believe the Holy Spirit gives you special insight into a person or a group of people? Are you confident in your ability to express Biblical truths?
• Do you prioritize serving the needs of others in your church and community when you serve? Do you enjoy working on projects that require you to be hands-on?
• Mercy– Do you sympathize with those who are in pain and looking for solace? Is it possible for you to provide a safe haven for a friend who is grieving or in pain?
• Exhortation — Do you offer practical, Bible-based advice to people? Can you see the bigger picture and propose answers to a problem?
• Giving – Do you go beyond tithes and offerings to find methods to financially help ministries? Do you spend your time and money anonymously in order to build God's kingdom rather than to “show off”?

Consider visiting with a Spiritual Development Counselor who can assist you in developing a strategy to further each of your gifts. You may focus on serving others while also achieving your purpose if you discover the top three gifts God has given you for ministry.

Everything will begin to seem aligned when you are experiencing a spiritual awakening of these gifts. Your relationship with God will improve as you continue to work on these. Find folks who share your passions and can serve as mentors. A person with the spiritual gift of teaching who also enjoys writing, for example, could collaborate with a Bible study author to create content for their church ministry.

Make a daily commitment to incorporate each of these into your spiritual development plan. Nothing matters more than your spiritual awakening and your relationship with God. We hope that as you grow in your spiritual life, you will be able to carry that confidence out into the world.

How can I hear God's voice?

The most important thing is that we obey the Lord's voice, no matter what he says. If you're not sure or need further assurance, ask the Lord for it. However, if you hear and get clear direction from God, attempt to obey completely, trusting that God is directing you through the Holy Spirit. When we listen and obey, we feel at ease and secure.