The Faith Walk
To overcome spiritual dullness, one must seek repentance, forgiveness, and accept cleansing from all sin as an accomplished fact.
A.W. Tozer addresses the common experience of spiritual dullness in the Christian life, emphasizing that while periods of staleness are frequent, they are not inevitable. He points out that the causes can vary, including personal sin or distractions from worldly interests, and stresses the importance of repentance as a remedy. Tozer encourages believers to seek genuine cleansing and to avoid false guilt, reminding them that accepting God's forgiveness is crucial. Ultimately, he calls for a balanced approach to self-examination and a reliance on God's grace to restore joy and vitality in faith.
Text
Periods of staleness in the life are not inevitable but they are common. He is a rare Christian who has not experienced times of spiritual dullness when the relish has gone out of his heart and the enjoyment of living has diminished greatly or departed altogether. Since there is no single cause of this condition there is no one simple remedy for it. Sometimes we are to blame, as for instance when we do a wrong act without immediately seeking forgiveness and cleansing; or when we permit worldly interests to grow up and choke the tender plants of the inner life.
When the cause is known, and particularly when it is as uncomplex as this, the remedy is the old-fashioned one of repentance.
But if after careful and candid examination of the life by prayer and the Word no real evil is discovered, we gain nothing by putting the worst construction on things and lying facedown in the dust. To say that we have not sinned when we have is to be false to the fact; to insist that we have sinned when we have not is to be false to ourselves. There comes a time when the most spiritual thing we can do is to accept cleansing from all sin as an accomplished fact and stop calling that unclean which God has called clean.
Sermon Outline
- Causes of Spiritual Dullness
- The Remedy of Repentance
- Accepting Cleansing
- Faith in God's Cleansing
- Letting Go of Guilt
Key Quotes
“Since there is no single cause of this condition there is no one simple remedy for it.” — A.W. Tozer
“To say that we have not sinned when we have is to be false to the fact; to insist that we have sinned when we have not is to be false to ourselves.” — A.W. Tozer
“There comes a time when the most spiritual thing we can do is to accept cleansing from all sin as an accomplished fact and stop calling that unclean which God has called clean.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize your sin and take responsibility for it, and seek forgiveness through repentance.
- Don't put the worst construction on things; be honest with yourself and God.
- Accept cleansing from all sin as an accomplished fact and stop calling that unclean which God has called clean.