When you no longer feel the Holy Spirit’s presence consider asking yourself: “What kind of water am I drinking? Is the water I’m drinking simply water of this world or the water of LIFE?”

For a long time, I had struggled with the absence of the Holy Spirit. His fire was incredibly strong when I was born again. I spent the entire day praying, listening to sermons, and having fellowship with the Lord. I remember being so excited to open my bible, read the Word, and pray for others when I couldn’t sleep at night.

We spent a lot of time together, and I constantly felt His presence. Even when I fell into the depths of sin, my relationship with Christ was immediately restored when I returned to His throne with a sincere and repentant heart.

However, our sins gradually quench the Holy Spirit.

So, how do we respond when God appears to be distant from us? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. He doesn’t change; it’s us who do. Hebrews 13:8.

His love for us does not waver. Sin is what makes us fall.

SIN CAUSES THE ABSENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The main reason for the Holy Spirit’s absence when there seems to be a wall separating you from God, is sin.

You get the impression that it’s difficult for you to see well because of the heavy fog. It’s as if your heart has a big thorn, and a believer might be deeply saddened by this.

What went wrong, you’re wondering. “Will I ever experience His presence once more?” Because you no longer experience His fellowship’s sweetness.

I can still clearly recall how devastated I was when I couldn’t feel His presence.“What’s happening, God?” I kept asking. “Why I don’t feel your presence anymore? “What should I do now?”

Scripture says:

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 4:30, and “Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19

It is the sinful seed that slowly chokes the Holy Spirit until He relents.

Later, I repented and confessed any known sin, but I soon started to withdraw from the light. In some ways, I began to hide from the light out of fear that, if I acknowledged any severe mistake, God would not grant me His presence.

I remember how deeply saddened my heart became when I went to my knees and felt nothing. I didn’t feel anything. Zero. And deep down, in complete silence, my heart was crying. Do you cry as well?

EXAMINE YOUR HEART

At this point, you must examine your heart to see if you have begun to idolize His presence. I certainly did.

The next thing I did was go on YouTube and search for the topic: “When you don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit anymore.” I was confident that Christians are addressing these issues, but to my great surprise, I only found two related videos on the subject.

I was having difficulty finding an explanation for this specific situation and was disappointed when there was no clear answer on how His sweet presence can return. Then I thought: “If Christians aren’t answering this question, then what now? Is this the point at which you just give up and cry?”

Therefore, one video stands out, in which the number one reason for the absence of God’s presence was disobedience. My first words were: “But God, I confess everything I know.” Then He whispered to me: “You take sins like disobedience and unfaithfulness lightly as if they were minor offenses.”

We frequently forget that God despises all sins. Big or small. Not just when we commit sins against others or ourselves. The most important thing is our relationship with God.

We cannot expect to be cheerful while riding for the lusts of the flesh:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

When we sin, we are sinning against God.

I’ll give you an honest example. The Holy Spirit once prompted me to worship Him, but I chose to ignore him. I caved into my ego and watched one pointless episode of “90-day Fiance.” 

With just one act of disobedience, you give a foothold for more.

PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IS DISOBEDIENCE

Partial obedience is disobedience. When we only obey God in areas “where we agree with Him,” we are under great deception. We feel as though we are rubbing sand in our eyes; Instead, we ought to make an effort to fulfill all of God’s demands in a sincere and well-intentioned way. 

Obey His voice, not yours.

What actions can we then take to restore our relationship with God?

Here are seven important things to think about.

HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD 

The first thing you have to do in your daily relationship with God is to humble yourself. You must humble yourself. We must lay down our pride and come to His throne with pure, sincere, and repentant hearts, as well as the right motives:

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb 10:22

CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Do you carry any unrepented or unconfessed sins? Ask Him to reveal any known or hidden sins to you:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

A CALL TO REPENTANCE

Continue to pray and be still, until you receive an answer. When you get it, don’t just brush it under the rug; instead, confess it wholeheartedly, not just for the sake of receiving forgiveness. 

STOP RUNNING FROM GOD

God sees what is going on in your heart and whether or not you are hiding something. He knows everything about you. Don’t try to hide from the light, rather, run to Him, not away from Him! 

PRAY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Prayer is a key to God and the most important way to communicate with Him, so go to God first, not last. Pour out your heart to Him. He will also guide you in prayer with a gentle voice.

Pray with an open and honest heart:

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

Go to your secret place and ask God to restore your relationship with Him.

Sometimes, all it takes is one prayer to change everything.

Abide in His Word. Draw closer to God:

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

SEEK GOD

When God seems distant from us, rather than seeking worldly pleasures that cannot satisfy us, we should seek Jesus first, even in the desert.

His Holy water will purify you.

Christ abides in us and we are in Him when we seek Him. Seek Him until your heart begins to sing with joy. Continue to seek Him in your joy as well.

WORSHIP IS NOT A FEELING

Jesus is worthy of your worship and praise! Give Him praise for all that He has done for you. Start being grateful and practicing thankfulness:

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

Be grateful for everything you have. Each day you have is a blessing from God. 

This is the moment when all the idols will crumble!

Continue to abide in Christ, the true vine. Pray and read the Bible. Confess your sins. The Truth will renew your mind and His Holy water will cleanse you. And His presence will eventually return to you.

Jesus is the only source of true, living water, who can fill us with joy and peace that this world does not know. He is the one who gives us the Holy Spirit, and we cannot earn His presence on our own. It is, however, our responsibility to serve Him wholeheartedly and to submit to His authority.

Then I believe your relationship with God will be restored.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

I hope you found this helpful and encouraging. I’m here to pray for you if you need it! 🙂

And don’t forget: Jesus loves you & I love you too!