But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself. Psalm 49:15 (NIV)
In rural parts of America there are Dead Zones. These are areas where no cell service is available. Wish and try as you might you will not be able to contact or communicate with anyone by phone.
If you are not careful, you can find yourself in a “Spiritual Dead Zone”. This can be caused by turning your focus away from God. Getting so caught up in your own interests that you neglect time in prayer, reading God’s Word, or attending Church Service.
You can also find yourself in one of these dead zones if you have let unrepentant sin run rampant in your life. It is not as if God were not wanting close companionship with you, but by refusing to confess your sins, becoming proud or stubborn about them, you have weakened your reception with God.
People can also lead you away from God. Over the years I have heard people say we should go into very “spiritually dangerous” areas to find sinners and reach out to them. And while I love that idea, and truly believe there are Christians given the gift of evangelism who can do that, I worry that too many Christians are much weaker than they are willing to admit and that rather than convert sinners, they could become the converted instead to a sinful lifestyle.
There are less dangerous situations that can also slowly diminish your connection to God. Unhealthy friendships, spending too much time in places or at events that are not in themselves harmful, yet become so as they take over the focus of our lives.
I usually have themes or words that I begin each year with. Often God brings a certain word to mind. But this year I had already chosen the word I knew I needed to focus on. That word was “Balance”. I wanted a healthy balance of activities, experiences, hobbies, and especially to give plenty of time to Jesus so that He would not get crowded out of my life by my interests in other things.
We all need balance. We all need plenty of time with the Lord. If you find your reception getting weak or that you have entered a Dead Zone I would encourage you to move back to a place of Good Reception right away. Get your Signal back, don’t get stuck in a Spiritual Dead Zone. All it takes is a humble prayer of confession of your need for Jesus and a willingness to give time to Him and His word. Call upon him, stay close to Jesus and keep the lines of communication open.
Prayer: Dear Lord, it is not always the big things that draw us away from you, but the constant drip and slow steps that build up isolation between us. Forgive us our spiritual deafness and please help us to keep the airwaves strong and clear so we are continually in your presence. Amen.
