The Dorment Periods of Life

Scripture Reading: Romans 6:11-13

January through April are usually the coldest months of the year. The air is biting. For some places the snow comes regularly, and our part of the world becomes dormant, even dead. "Old Man Winter" sets up his frosty reign. However, the spring comes upon the Earth and that which lay silent is now springing to life. What a picture of the Death and Resurrection! The Earth begins to die off in its vegetation in late October as the leaves give one last brilliant show. Then those leaves fall lifeless having no nutrients. The leaves wither and turn grey as is the color of death.
But for the trees and annual plants, this "death" is more of a dormant period, or a time where growth sleeps and does not engage itself. Out our window, the ground is cold and hard. Yet I know that beneath the ground there are a row of Gladiola bulbs and such that will at the appointed time shoot out of the ground again--just like the Resurrection!

Okay, I used the illustration of the Resurrection twice now, but its because I would like to talk to you about not bodily resurrection, but a resurrection of the spiritual appetite from a period of inactivity or disinterest. Notice that dormancy does not mean a period of rest, but a protracted period of inactivity or lifelessness that comes from an indulgence in sin or a veering away from God in some fashion.

Dormancy occurs in the believer's life when he or she has found a loss of interest in growing. This may result from unconfessed sin, an offense from another believer, depression, grief, or a lack of being spiritually fed. Many times the latter of the reasons is the culprit. It is important to note that not being spiritually fed, that is to say not being challenged or growing in the faith, is not always the fault of the church. Many people will leave a church complaining they are not growing because of the quality of preaching and other ministries lacking. Of course this has a lot to do with it, but, if you are not growing in the Lord it is a personal choice.

Too many people today are on a spiritual starvation diet. They get all the spiritual food from usually one, one hour church service a week. Now as sad as this is, the blame does not rest here. We never would just eat one meal a week, we constantly feed our bodies, yet during the week between church services, the Bible is never opened. We choose our own rate of growth. Because we for some reason do not feel Christ important enough to spend time with, we starve ourselves spiritually and wonder why we aren't any more encouraged, more faithful, more knowledgeable, more caring, and more dedicated.

Any believer who has been saved for even five years can tell you about a period where the fire of the spiritual life or the flame of faith has now gone down to embers. The same principle applies to a wood fire. Leave a fire burning without putting more wood on it, and the fire will go down and even out. The question is what happens to us in this time, what are the consequences, and how do we find new life and escape the cold gray clutches of dormancy?

First, here are the the problems of being dormant. The chief problem is discouragement. When a person is most discouraged it is due to being overly tired and not eating. When we don't exercise the privilege of studying God's Word, or at least reading it, we lose layers of faith and being to question God and begin to be vulnerable to worldly hopeless advice. As our Sprite becomes more frail then the eye of Satan gets more sinister in its stare. Satan begins to move toward us like a wolf toward weak prey. Satan knows he is not successful when the armor of God is wrapped tightly around us, but when we choose to forget Godly instruction that armor falls off. Then out of nowhere comes the Accuser shooting his arrows of doubt, fear, discouragement, and bitterness. Being too spiritually weak from lack of proper nutrition we cannot stand up and fight or even run. We wallow in the net of pity and fear. Like a body that is susceptible to disease we languish in the effects of the evil one. When certain matters like fear come upon us we get all uptight and worry. By now trusting God has become a distant memory. We are hindered in our witness. We present no reason why unbelievers should desire Christ in their life. Then we see God as imperfect, powerless, or worse not caring for our lives. When we don't physically eat we become irritable, irrational and unstable. Such descriptions are the same in our spirit.

Secondly, the resulting consequences of being dormant. The question is, "Does it seem possible for a person who is spiritually dormant to go through life this way and still go to Heaven?" Salvation is a personal seal at God's expense and strength to preserve us, it does not depend on us. However, Jesus said that people will know you're a disciple if you show forth fruit, or, actions identifying a change in your life. All true Christan's have fruit, but many times that fruit goes unharvested and rots. The chief consequence of being spiritually dormant is Spiritual Rot. Rot is the decay that comes from no attention paid to the upkeep of something. Spiritual Rot starts to turn a believer's heart away from God, questioning everything that He does and says in His Word. The believer gets cynical and irritable, unwilling to associate with other Christians. It can go so far as beginning to mock other Christians in their worship and practice.

Lastly, the escape of dormancy. Just like a vegetable left on a vine will putrify, so will a life that is not maintained by prayer, serious Bible study, and the fellowship of fellow believers. But before this can ever take place, there needs to be a movement of the heart in repentance towards God. Without the heart involved in the matter, all the rest of the acts and motions are dead. Many times God spoke of Israel in the Old Testament lamenting how they would go through all the religious motions yet the heart was somewhere else. Spiritual life is not mechanical or automated. It must be focused intently on God and His restoration. When this is achieved we must ask God to forgive us of being dormant and inactive when He called us to be the opposite. Then we must ask Him for a renewed desire to follow after Him. Then we need discipline to get back into a good routine of prayer and Bible study. Note that routine does not necessarily mean thoughtless mechanical process. Discipline is key here as in dormancy everything has lapsed. Notice too that results take time. However, building up a foundation of Spiritual activity gets stronger and stronger as the process goes on.

Do you find yourself in a period of dormancy? Does the quality of your Spiritual life seem on the decline or in decay? One of the greatest dangers is the denial of a decaying existence. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5, a man should examine himself to see if he or she is truly in the faith. May today be a turning point in this aspect of your life.

Heavenly Father, today we acknowledge that we have been, are, or feel a propensity in becoming spiritually dormant. Lord please forgive us for our turn to selfishness and enliven us to live as You have commanded. Help us to desire Your Word and the practice of it in our daily lives and in the lives of others may it be shown from us to them. Lord we are a failing people. Help us not to go into a spiritual coma. Encourage our hearts this day O Lord and renew a right spirit within us. We thank You for loving us still. In Your Name, Amen.