A spiritual malaise happens to us all. There are times that we feel that God has taken an extended vacation and we are on our own. These are the times that we have to move deeper to seek out the next phase in our spiritual lives.

The first thing I would recommend is not a retreat from the faith, but to press forward. I find that many spiritual breakthroughs come after a seemingly barren season. In these times we need to hold to those things that help us through.

First is to hold to the faithfulness of God and be faithful in return. We did not accept Christ on the condition that God would always be right in front of us and we would always be on the mountaintop. Holding to our beliefs and not abandoning them when things get tough makes us believers not just church attenders.

Second is service. We need to exercise our faith by serving God and others. We need to place our religion in to action as we help people. Your struggles make you uniquely qualified to serve others. Your testimony of faithfulness can make a difference in someone who is hurting.

Third is to seek community. The Bible encourages the faithful gathering of God’s people regularly. Life is tough but together we can overcome and thrive not just survive. I am so blessed by the Church family that I have-they love, encourage and bless me and my family.

They also demonstrate what it looks like to live for Jesus and not for self. I need my Church family and I believe we all do.

Fourth is to refocus. We need to seek to purge ourselves of the things that hold us back. Things like pride, greed, gossip, selfishness, and fear. These things attempt to distract us from God and make us center our lives on ourselves.

Christ called us to stop loving ourselves and to love others. Sometimes we find ourselves building our lives, our conversations, our relationships around ourselves and not others. God has a better plan for you.

If you are looking for a Church to call home, I want to encourage you to visit First Baptist and see what God is doing in our Church.

We have ministries to help you grow and understand your faith.

We want to be genuine and relevant, and we want to make a difference. We are looking forward to meeting you!

First Baptist Church is located at the corner of 4th and Foley.

Morning Bible Study begins at 8:45 a.m., with our Morning Worship Service at 10 a.m. Our Wednesday Night programs begin at 6 p.m.

I would also invite you to visit our website at www.eufaulafbc.org.

Know that you are loved! Pastor J.Ingram First Baptist Church of Eufaula, OK