Do you feel stuck in your spiritual life? I will just go out on a limb until I sense an “Amen” that we all struggled in this area. Let’s call this the desert, and we ask ourselves what is going on in our lives.

This could be a good time for self-examination by taking on a faith detox. When we are talking about a detox we are looking at fasting, tithing, praying, cutting the gossip out, and shedding our sin.

Disappointment and lack of prayer life along with lacking time sitting in the presence of God will make desert experience even worse. A spiritual cleaning is one of the things to look into after so many years, or if you’re going through the same challenges.

Gossip. just snowball and becomes a toxin in your spirit and body. Resist the urge to gossip. Voice concerns, but you can also avoid being judge and jury. We all need to vent. However, if spending free time ends up blasting another daily, this will influence your walk and leave wondering what is going on. Pray for grace and ask God to grant wisdom on how to handle.

Tithing. Are robbing the house of God? When we don’t put God first in our lives and financial-- this could contribute to a desert experience. Why is tithing mentioned in the Bible over and over? This is because it’s a spiritual principle that is important. Walk in supernatural provision, sow seeds for your time as well.

Deuteronomy 5:33 reads: “Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

Obedience. What was the last thing God said to you? If you feel that you lost the way, check were you dismissed what God wanted. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

Unforgiveness. Unforgiveness will rob everything from your life. This includes our fruit, dreams, relationships and promotion. Living a heart full of strife towards someone will cut off the Holy Spirit. They are not worth it. It is not worth for you to live in toxicity for the rest of your life. If there is person who is constantly grinding on you, submit it to God, set boundaries, and don’t take on responsibility of the junk. You are not responsibility if they don’t like you or reject you.

Looking for promotion outside of God. It’s natural to start looking towards people for affirmation, and promotion, but ultimately this means nothing, and the only one that can promote is God, not man (Psalms 75). Where are your eyes looking too? If you are sidetracked return and dig into the Word, and bring the eyes back to Him.

Shift focus. Seek Him while you can. Trust in the Lord during this time. Ask for wisdom for steps to be ordered. Seek Him first and His righteousness “and all these things shall be added unto you Matthew 6:33.”

Spend time in prayer. Seek fellowship with believers to have support and encouragement. Spending time with fault finders and people who are not believers will wear you down quicker of you’re not plugged into a community—another ingredient for toxicity. This will give you a covering and you can intervene for each other and lift each other up. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind,” Philippians 2:1-2.