WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE SPIRITUALLY DRY

© Sherry Stahl

Everyone knows what to do when you’re in a fire. Since pre-school days you’ve been taught the three steps to follow when facing the flames, “Stop, Drop and Roll”. I bet you’ve even done the actions a few times!  Did you know there’s just two steps to follow when you’re spiritually dry?  They’re simple steps, and no matter who you are, what you’ve done or what’s been done to you to place you in the desert, you can easily get refreshed.

STEPS TO GETTING SPIRITUALLY HYDRATED

  1. FILL UP

When you’re in the desert, you’re hot, tired and generally irritable.  The last thing you want to do is… well, pretty much anything; but you need to get active or you’ll die in the desert.  Oh, you might not physically die, but a part of you; the creative part God uniquely made in you might die, and that would be a loss for the world.  You need to build up your reservoir, so you have something to draw from during spiritually dry times.

You have to be like Hagar. 

Genesis 16:7

“The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a springin the desert.”

Hagar positioned herself near the water. Be like a kid and stick your face under the faucet.  Drink your fill… and then drink some more.  Here are some practical places to find refreshing mentioned on the show:

FILL UP

  • Get the Bible in you DAILY
    • Reading your Bible—on it’s own, or alongside a devotional book
    • Bible App—Read or listen to it read the Bible to you
    • Scrapbooking Bible
    • Adult Colouring Books with Scripture
  • Singing (Worship)

Lyrics Joanna La Fleur shared on the show.  Written by her church worship team:

“What is a desert but a place for us to sing.

Your unfailing promise now,

Of every good thing.”

  • Listen to Christian Radio or Podcasts
  • Watch Christian TV or Christian Videos on Youtube, etc.
  • Get into a Good Church
  • Get with other Christian friends

The first step is so practical. It’s crucial that you start following Step #1 before you move onto Step #2 or you’ll end up completely spiritually dehydrated.  These two tips are simple and probably nothing you haven’t heard before, but as Cheryl Nembhard said on the show:

“When you don’t know what to do, keep doing what you know to do.”

~Cheryl Nembard

  1. FLOW OUT

Again, after you’ve begun filling up, you need to start flowing out.  This step may seem counter-intuitive to follow when you’re in a desert and spiritually thirsty.  Human nature wants to horde water for yourself, but trust me, this step works! There’s a Biblical principle set out in Proverbs 11:25 and Jeremiah 17:8 where God promises to refresh you; if you refresh others.

“those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

Proverbs 11:25

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:8

I’ve experienced this boomerang effect. During the Sahara desert of my life; when my daughter was going through depression, I wrote Water In The Desert. It was during this time when I went back to teaching Bible Study and shared it with the girls.  They would get refreshed and then the water splashed back on me!  Here’s some practical tips on how to flow out:

FLOW OUT

  • Love on someone
  • Bake a cake for a neighbor
  • Post a Scripture that encouraged you on Social Media
  • Teach Sunday School
  • Call a friend
  • Send a Thank-You card
  • Visit a lonely person

“Whenever you give to someone, it flows back.”

~Sherry Stahl

So, don’t be afraid of the desert.  As Melinda said on the show,

“The desert doesn’t have to be a bad place”

~Melinda Estabrooks

If you follow these two steps, the desert will turn your life around to be one of the most refreshing places on the planet!

~Sherry

xoxo

RELATABLE, AUTHENTIC, REFRESHING, INSPIRING

Sherry Stahl is an International Speaker Certified with the John Maxwell Team. You can find her amusing audiences at Conferences, Retreats, Women’s Events and in Business Training Seminars. She’s a fun, passionate Bible Teacher whose desire is to lead others to the life-giving Water in the Word! Sherry’s the Author of Water In The Desert with Study Guide & the Soul H2O Women’s Devotional; taken from her refreshing, Award-Winning blog. Sherry’s weekly Soul H2O devotions bring refreshment to the soul. Grab one of her books and sign-up here to Take The 40 Day Challenge.  Her claim to fame is that she wrote the first ever See, Hear, Loveblog post: Do You Trust God With Your Due Date?Sherry’s the VP of Operations for Women In Music & Media (WIMMCanada.ca) and Canadian Ambassadorfor the Christian Women In Media Assoc. (CWIMA.org).