Almost all of us have been in a spiritual "rut", where the voice of God is a little harder to hear, our Bibles don't seem quite so interesting, prayer gets a little bit tougher, and our faith has kind of flatlined. If you're in this place right now, you are not alone! Our faith and relationship with the Lord will have highs and lows because we're all human, and we're all constantly changing (and so are our feelings!) But when we get stuck in a rut, we don't have to stay there.

Before I get into 10 things you need to do to get out of that rut, I want you to know that no matter how you feel, God is good. The highs and lows will come and go, but the faithfulness of God never will. Our emotions will change, but the love of God stays the same forever. The devil is going to try to get you to believe that if God feels far, then surely He's left you, but that's not the truth at all. God is still present, no matter what. It's up to us to make the intentional decision to believe and live that out.

So, how do we do that? How do we get out of a spiritual rut and walk in the truth of who God is?

1. Get back into your Bible study routine.

Sometimes the reason why we're in a spiritual rut in the first place is because we haven't prioritized spending time in prayer and in Scripture. God largely speaks to us through His words in the Bible, and when we aren't consistently connected to that source, then He is going to feel far.

If you haven't opened up your Bible lately, then I'd encourage you to do so! It doesn't have to be complicated - just invite Him into this moment, open your Bible, and read. If you don't know what to read, Psalms or John is a really great place to start.

I'd also really challenge you to step back and evaluate your prayer life. It can be easy to read your Bible and forget to actually engage and communicate with the Lord, but when we aren't praying, we'll probably find ourselves in a spiritual rut situation. If you're realizing that you actually haven't been praying very much, then take a few minutes and catch up with God just like you'd catch up with a friend. Again, it doesn't have to be complicated!

2. Shake up your Bible study routine.

On the other hand, sometimes we can be in a spiritual rut because our time with the Lord has looked the same for a while, and we need to spice things up. I experience this often, and have actually gotten burnt out from my routine because I do the same thing, every day, for a long time. If this is you, I'm so proud of you for being consistent! But it's also okay to shake up your routine every once in a while.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to go on a prayer walk. Maybe for you, you need to switch up the way you take your Bible study notes, find a new place to read your Bible, choose a devotional to guide what you're learning, or simply pick a different part of the Bible to read from! Earlier in the year, I experienced a spiritual rut after I had spent months in the Old Testament (read about that here), and while I learned a lot, I needed some variety, so that may be something that will help you.

I actually wrote a whole post on why shaking up your Bible study might be good for you, so check that out!

3. Confess your sin + surrender.

Sometimes when we fall into a rut, we unknowingly have fallen into repeated sin, and have failed to repent and confess it to God. This can cause a giant "rut" between us and God, and might make our relationship with Him feel difficult or stuck. When this happens, set aside some time during your Bible study, get on your knees, and confess any and all sin in your life right now. Give it to God, and surrender everything going on to the Lord. He wants to receive you, just as you are, but you have to take the first step and come before the Lord, repentant and genuine.

4. Worship.

One of the biggest ways I connect with God is through worship (particularly worship music, but it doesn't always have to mean music), and I've noticed that when I'm not intentional during worship, or I simply haven't worshipped in a while, my relationship with God actually begins to suffer. It sparks such a passion within my soul and softens the hard parts of my heart, and so maybe for you, you need to try to incorporate worship into your routine.

In my life, this looks like going to youth group and church every single week, and playing worship music throughout my day. Again, worship doesn't always have to include music, but that's what it looks like for me. If you need some worship music, here's a link to my Spotify - I have 2 Christian playlists that I both LOVE (one of which I'm adding to everyday!) and it might give you some inspiration for your own playlist.

5. Journal.

For me, sometimes I get in a spiritual rut after I've spent too much time avoiding processing the emotions that are building up in my soul, and not prioritizing talking to God about it. When this happens, the best thing for me to do is to journal out a prayer to the Lord, releasing everything on my heart and mind to Him. This way, I can put everything I'm feeling into words, even if they aren't pretty or put together, and give God space to work through that.

6. Get back into gratitude.

I'm going to have to write a separate post about this because it's been convicting me so much, but we have to remember to be grateful. I've noticed in myself recently that my heart is being hardened by bitterness and discontentment, and that's because I'm not being intentional about reflecting on the blessings in life. I haven't taken the time to praise God, which in turn, has dug myself into a rut.

A lack of gratitude in our spiritual life will, without a doubt, leave our faith running dry. When we neglect thankfulness, we miss out on an incredible connection with the Lord, fueled by contentment and joy, and without that, our faith cannot be as strong as it can be. Take some time today to make a list of all the things God has blessed you with today, and make sure to thank Him for that.

7. Include God in everything you do.

For me, I spiral into a spiritual rut when I begin to exclude God from my daily activities. Instead of going to God when I'm struggling or have free time, I choose other distractions, and I stop praying about situations or decisions (even small ones). It is so important that we make space for God in all of our activities and every part of our routine, and that takes incredible intentionality, but it's in all the "little" things that we grow closer to the Lord.

Whether that looks like praying during a little break, listening to worship music while you work, or having a daily/weekly Bible verse that you work on memorizing/meditating on, make it a priority to include the Lord in everything you do. The little moments of refocusing on the Lord can make the biggest difference in our attitudes and mindset.

8. Spend time in a Christian community.

Quite honestly, sometimes the people I surround myself with are not glorifying God and are not encouraging my spiritual life at all. It is so important that we honestly evaluate our community and if they are contributing to our sin and "rut", or if they're encouraging, challenging, and reminding us of the truth. If they aren't doing that, then I would challenge you to find people who are, and surround yourself with them.

When we surround ourselves with other people who love Jesus and encourage us in our faith, our relationship with the Lord will grow. Our Christian community can remind us of the truth about who God is and who He says we are, challenge us to stay consistent in our time with the Lord, and walk alongside us through difficult seasons, and sometimes, that's exactly what we need to get us out of our spiritual ruts. .

9. Speak Scripture out loud and memorize it.

The Word of God is the most powerful weapon we have as Christians, and when we feel stuck in a rut, the best tool we can use is to speak Scripture out loud. When we speak the Word of God, we are declaring its truth over the enemy and over every single lie that the enemy tries to destroy us with. I often can physically feel the weight lifted off of my chest and the chains falling off of my back, because Scripture holds so much power.

When we memorize Scripture, we are making that power accessible in our mind whenever we need it, any moment of the day. We carry that power with us throughout our daily routines, and that is exactly what the devil doesn't want us to do. A post will be coming out soon with more advice on how to memorize Scripture, but in the meantime, make it a priority to fill your mind with Scripture, speaking it out loud, and watch how the Lord empowers you through that.

10. Keep trusting and pursuing the Lord faithfully.

The truth is, you could be doing all the right things and still find yourself in a spiritual rut. Jesus guaranteed that in this world, we will have troubles, but through it all, He is constant. No matter how you feel, keep trusting that God is good, and that He has a perfect plan in store for you. Keep prioritizing spending time in His word, prayer, and worship, and continue making space for Him in your everyday life. I promise, God will not leave you in this place forever - He has something even better in store for you than you can ever imagine.

In our walk with the Lord, we all will experience a spiritual rut at some point, but that doesn't mean that God isn't good or present in our lives. Even when He feels far, He is still faithful, and He's working behind the scenes for His glory and your good. Continue to trust Him, seeking Him and His presence, and surrendering your life to the Lord. I promise you, God will meet you where you are!

What do you do when you're in a spiritual rut? How have you seen God come through for you even when He feels far? Let me know in the comments below, I love to hear from you!

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