It’s hard to believe we’re starting our last week of Blackaby’s study! In some ways, it feels like a long time that we’ve been working on it. At this point though, it’s become part of our routine, our new normal, and I’m going to miss it. I’ve learned SO much about God, about the Holy Spirit, about how God relates to His people and about having a relationship with God. It’s actually a little hard to put into words all that we’ve learned. The Romans 12: 2 verse about being transformed by the renewing of your minds has been running through my head through much of this study.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

I feel like that really has been what has happened over these last (almost) 2 months. God has used the information Blackaby has taught us to transform us and draw us back into relationship with Him.

Today’s lesson was SO interesting to me. It felt like Blackaby was talking about my life, right there on the pages of the day 56 lesson. I just wanted to share some of what he talks about, because in my heart, I feel like it is so common.

He says,

“Christians can encounter times when they lose their intimacy with God. Even the most zealous Christian can find that his love for God has cooled if he is not careful. The drift away from the Lord can be so subtle that you fail to recognize the loss and it is fairly severe.”

I feel like this was me back in August. I’m not sure exactly when it began, but that last sentence is what really got me in the heart. The drift away from the Lord can be so sublte that you fail to recognize the loss and it is fairly severe.

As I read that again just now, I am almost overwhelmed with God’s love—that He would pursue us and bring us back to Him. Looking back, I know He was at work on both Landon and I. We both felt like we were missing something. We both realized we were missing God. I’m so thankful Landon being receptive for the idea God put into His head, for us to spend a year focusing on our relationship with Him, rather than finding His will for our lives. That one decision—for Him to obey God and share the idea with me—has been life changing.

In today’s study, Blackaby defines revival as “the life of God returning to our souls”. I love that. I am thankful for the revival that God has worked in our heart, in our souls, over the last 2 months. The journey is far from over and our relationship with Him is still light years away from where it needs to be, but I whole heartedly believe that He has revived us and our relationship with Him.

Blackaby lists 4 evidences, based on scripture, that we have departed from God.
1. You no longer hear from God. (Duet. 30:17, Amos 8:11–12)
2. You lose your joy. (John 15: 10–11)
3. You no longer produce spiritual fruit. (John 15: 4–5)
4. You no longer have victory in your life. (Duet. 28:25)

I was there. I was so there. And that’s a scary thought, considering that, from all ourward appearances, I was still a “good Christian”.

Then, he lists 3 ways, from scripture, that this loss of intimacy happens.
1. the parable of the lost sheep: “Sheep typically get lost from a shepherd when they turn aside to distractions.”
2. the parable of a valuable coin: “Generally, valuables are lost through carelessness. No one means to lose something precious. But, by not taking precautions, we can misplace even the most valuable posessions.”
3. the parable of the prodigal son: “The prodigal son deliberately chose to indulge in a wasteful lifestyle that dishonored his father.”

I don’t think that I’ve deliberately walked away and chose to life a wasteful lifestyle, but the other two hit me hard.

Gradually, over the last years, I’ve gotten distracted. I’ve gotten distracted by my marriage. I’ve gotten distracted by my job. I’ve gotten distracted by running and doing triathlons. I’ve gotten distracted by my kids. I’ve gotten distracted by everything but God at church. And slowly, those things had collectively taken precedence, in my heart, over my relationship with God. Like Landon wrote about a few days ago, it can happen SO easily—and so quickly. Even during this study, if we’re not super careful, we can feel the distractions of this world, of our lives, crowding in and distracting us from God. It’s a little scary, but I love how Blackaby names what happens, because it just makes it all so clear.

Then, as soon as I read the sentence about valuables getting lost because we are careless with them and fail to take any precautions against losing them, I saw myself again. Blackaby talks about how we fail to guard our hearts and our minds and then, when temptations come, we’re not strong enough to resist. Then, that sin robs us of our intimacy with God because the fellowship with our Lord is broken. Again, from all outside appearances, I was fine. But my joy, the attitudes of my heart, how I responded to people, namely my husband and kids, and how I responded to situations, were not how God calls us to. And sin is sin; I tend to want to think some sins are worse than others and justify things, but that’s just not what scripture says.

Then, Blackaby moves on to the good news. Scipture promises us that:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9

When we depart from God, He will discipline us, in increasing measure, until we return to Him (so that we will reutrn to Him!). 2 Chronicles 7:13–14 tells us that when God brings judgement on His people, there are four things they should do:
1. humble themselves
2. pray
3. seek His face
4. turn from their wicked ways

This is God’s remedy for a restored relationship, restored koinonia, with Him. We humble ourselves, we pray to Him (and confess/repent), seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. When we do that, God forgives and returns to us in a new, close relationship. And, Blackaby says, He begins to once again fulfill His purposes for us. This is revival.

Lastly, he shares, from scripture, ways to prevent drifting, or turning, from the Lord.
1. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23)
2. Surround yourself with Godly counsel (Proverbs 11:14)
3. Love the Lord your God with ALL that you are (Matthew 22:37)
4. Make it your habit to obey anything God says. (Mattthew 7:24)

I’m feeling thankful this morning for scripture and the ways it reveals God and His ways to us. I’m feeling thankful for the revival God is working in our family right now. From this point forward, I’m committing to doing all I can to not drift from God again—to guarding my heart, surrounding myself with Godly counsel, to actively loving God with all that I am and to making it my habit to obey what God says.