Praise the Lord everyone! What is on my heart this month? Well its
summer, and it has been very hot! In fact just last week we had a day
that registered 115 degrees with the heat index! And with heat comes
dryness, in fact there were huge cracks running clear through my
yard...cause the ground had gotten so dry. Just as there are seasons
we go through in Illinois, we can go through spiritual seasons in our
lives as well. One of these seasons, can be a season of dryness. Sum-
mer seems to invoke this season more than any other for most
saints...people begin traveling, attendance can be down, people can
get busy with outdoor events, and neglect times of devotion and Bible
reading... etc...all these can invoke a season of dryness. So this month I
want to give you 5 Ways to Overcome Dryness!”
Spiritual dryness is not pleasant, but it is a reality for us at various
times in our faith journey. As with anything—in times of joy and tri-
als—we must be willing to ask God what He wants us to see and learn
from every circumstance. Seasons of spiritual dryness are no differ-
ent. To overcome spiritual dryness, we must have a teachable heart
and see the beauty that can ultimately come from it. “Jesus stood and
cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He
who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water.’”—John 7:38-39
Jesus said if anyone thirsts, come. Spiritual dryness leaves us thirsty.
But unless we thirst, we won’t draw near to the One who can give us
living water. The key to overcoming spiritual dryness is to reposition
our minds to come to Jesus and drink!
5 Ways to Overcome Spiritual Dryness
1) Recognize it as an Invitation.
Spiritual dryness is an invitation to come to God. The enemy doesn’t
want us to see it as an invitation but rather a justification to complain
and become bitter. Overcome spiritual dryness by seeing God’s invita-
tion in it. When His water flows through us, it refreshes and washes
away the bitterness of the enemy.
King David would write about his spiritual dryness...
Psalm 42:1–3 (NKJV)
1As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my
soul for You, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When
shall I come and appear before God?
3My tears have been my food day and night, While
they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
David found himself in a spiritually dry season. He
was thirsty for the presence of God. God used a cir-
cumstance to cause David to thirst. He does the
same with us today by using circumstances that
cause us to seek after Him like we never have be-
fore. David called out to God and remembered the
things of his past—the good ‘ol days—and his soul
was cast down. However, rather than staying in this
downcast place, David writes, V.5 “Hope in God, for I
shall yet praise Him, for the help of His counte-
nance.”
David doesn’t allow his feelings about his situation to
drive him. He decides to praise and hope in God.
2) Spend Time in Worship!
Worshiping, personally and corporately, releases re-
freshment when our soul is dry. Praise and worship
center our minds on God and speak of who He is and
what He is doing in our lives. Jesus said,
John 4:23–24 (NKJV)
23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must wor-
ship in spirit and truth.”
Worship aligns our spirit with God and helps over-
come spiritual dryness.
3) Get Back into the Word.
Reading the Word to overcome spiritual dryness
seems obvious. But more often than not, this is the
one area the enemy hits hard when he tries to keep
us feeling hopeless in a dry season. To overcome
spiritual dryness, get into the Word and meditate on
what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report,
virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
4) Pray Out Loud!
Quiet prayers are powerful. However, sometimes
when we pray quietly, we can get lost in thought
rather than prayer. Praying out loud helps to keep
our focus. Praying scripture out loud is an excellent
way to overcome spiritual dryness. Psalm 103 is a
wonderful Psalm to pray when you need to over-
come spiritual dryness and to help your soul to get
in line with the Spirit of God. Tell your mind, will, and
emotions to praise the Lord and forget not all His
benefits.
5) Get into Fellowship! (don’t isolate your-
self)
Being involved in and doing life with a community of
believers helps us overcome spiritual dryness. When
we are alone, we become dry and bitter. Fellowship
helps to guard against spiritual dryness. And even
when it happens, there are people who can come
alongside you and lift you up, so you don’t have to
wander in the wilderness for longer than necessary.
Are you looking for spiritual refreshment? Ask the
God of life to refresh your dry soul. Remember it is
only a season...and it will pass! “Rain is coming!”
Jesus loves you and so do I! ~ Pastor Doug
