Yes, we still show up every Sunday. Yes, we still sing the songs. We still listen to the preaching. We may even take notes. We may still work in the church, but as we do it, there does not seem to be much life in it. We do all the right things, but we do them in a dragging condition because the power of the Holy Spirit is absent.
Spiritual drowsiness is something with which all Christian struggle. When Paul tells us to “wake from sleep” in Romans 13:11, we know he is speaking to Christians. He sounds the alarm because our “salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” What are some signs that we, as Christians, are spiritually sleepy? Here are four.
1. A Diminishing Interest in the Things of God
The first sign is that we begin to grow uninterested in the things of God. Maybe you are in this situation. Perhaps you can remember when you used to read the word of God and the promises used to jump off the page and move you. Maybe there was a time when you longed to listen to Christian music as much as possible because it stirred your soul with joy. Maybe you hungered to go to church to listen to good preaching, but even that was not enough. During the week, you would find sermons and teachings, depending on how long you have been a Christian, on cassette, CD, or a podcast and listen to them. Though this was your reality at one point, you now find them dull. Sign number one that we are drowsy is that we have a diminishing interest in the things of God, where in many cases, we used to have a substantial passion for them.
2. We Long for Something of the World More than God
Since our focus is not on the things of the Lord, we find that our focus tends to move toward the things of the world. There is something worldly that we are passionate about, a little bit more than God.