Get Out of That Rut … Now

Are you feeling weighed down, defeated, or just in a rut? We can have spiritual, physical and circumstantial ruts in our lives, and we must remind ourselves that we can get out of it…now.

The Middle of the Lenten Road

In the third week of Lent, we can feel a little less inspired and encouraged. Maybe you have fallen quite a bit on your Lenten love offering to God or you just don’t have the same passion you had in the beginning. Lent is a season of change, and we will be challenged during this time.

Now is not the time to give up, clearly, this stronghold that you are fighting is something God desires for you to battle. We must turn on the faucet of humility and pour our hearts out to God.

Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand ( Isaiah 41:10).

It’s time to give the Lord your first fruits every morning to have him renew your Spirit. Are you sitting in silence with Him, offering your very self and the day to His Will? When we start our day giving it all to God and asking for Him to show Himself throughout our day, He will remind us to call on Him in our moments of weakness, He will show up.

The Physical Oppression We Fight          

Some of you may have a physical experience of being weighed down, almost like you are being pressed down by some invisible power. I have experienced lethargy and overwhelming tiredness throughout the day, never feeling refreshed or filled with energy. I remember going through this for a week during Lent in 2020 until I got on my knees begging God to help me. “Lord, am I not eating right, do I need to work out, what is wrong with me?” I cried.

During that prayer, He put on my heart, “You are not using the weapons I gave you.” Bingo, it hit me like a lightning bolt, my entire soul lit up because I knew exactly what He meant. I had not prayed a single deliverance prayer that week.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble (Psalms 9:10).

Oppression is one way Satan and his minions can attack us, but we know that we have the power of Jesus Christ to deliver those Spirits and renew the Spirit of God inside us. I immediately recalled my deliverance prayers and with the utmost confidence, shouted them out loud for the evil spirits to hear clearly.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind the spirit of oppression, depression, lethargy, harassment, weariness, tiredness, and I command you to go to the foot of the Holy Cross for Jesus Christ to pour His Precious Blood on you and receive your sentence.” Don’t forget the second part… “Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus, please fill me with your blessings, fill me with your peace, joy, love and Holy Spirit.

After I prayed, the sensation of lightness filled my body, the weighed-down feeling I had was gone. I still forget to pray deliverance prayers sometimes, but when I realize I am not filled with His peace that surpasses all understanding, I know I have forgotten to fight with the weapons He gave me. What a gift.

The Daily Grind of Life

We all have experienced a rut in our daily lives. We are tired of our vocation, we seem to approach life as ‘same old, same old’ or we just have no zeal for anything or anyone.

Sometimes the actual season we are in has an impact as well. I am in the Midwest and it is not a pretty time of year. I try to see blessings in the dreariness and focus on the new life ‘budding’ out all around me. I try to view myself as a tree coming out of winter, showing my broken branches, that God brings my imperfections to light during this season of Lent. He also shows me how I have sustained others with old bird’s nests and dried-up berries.

As the weeks go by, I notice squirrels building new nests and robins come to feed on those dried-up berries as the ground is not ready for them to find worms. I notice the buds begin to swell and the colors of the maple ripen to a bright red. I pray that God helps me grow and appreciate this time of my life – to pay attention to His creation and to know that I, too, have seasons of dormancy and growth.

One thing we forget, yet we hear it every Mass, “always and everywhere to give you thanks.” How often do we do this, especially when we aren’t feeling so thankful? Let’s not forget that it is our duty and our salvation to give him thanks.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

When you give God your first fruits in the morning and thank Him for all your blessings, I promise that you will have a physical and spiritual change. People have studied the ‘attitude of gratitude’ and shown that there are physiological effects of praying with gratitude.

Let’s remember to thank God for our lives, our faith, our spiritual gifts, our families, our material goods, for our challenges, and our growth in Him. The more we thank God, the more we will appreciate all that is around us. Pretty soon you will be thanking God for running water, a hot shower (sorry for those doing Exodus right now), for food, your refrigerator, your stove, plates, utensils. Can you see how this magnifies the Lord in our lives instead of magnifying our mundane attitude, problems, or circumstances?

Seasons Are Temporary

We must remind ourselves that seasons of dryness or desolation are temporary and that we should not fall into despair. If you are walking in the valley, remember there is a mountain on each side – just keep walking. We must reflect on our day so we can see what we are, or are not, doing in our lives to keep God in our sights to pull us through. We are different, we are Christians, we are Catholic Christians, and we have The Sacraments to help us. So, reconcile your heart to Jesus through confession and renew your Spirit.

A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your holy spirit. Restore to me the gladness of your salvation; uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalms 51:12-15).

I pray that you seek God’s face every morning so He can be your strength and renew your Spirit every…single…day. It’s a daily walk and with Him in it, your daily grind becomes an opportunity to show His love, peace, and joy through you. “Come Holy Spirit, fill me with your zeal.” May God bless your Lenten journey in this season of change.