I was speaking to a great friend the other day who was discouraged because he had worked and fasted and prayed very hard and had achieved a new spiritual stature over many months. The great blessings came, he felt the Spirit night and day, and had great spiritual insights and revelation moment by moment. And, then the spiritual high began to dissipate. New opposition arose. He tried harder – and it still slipped away. He worked even harder still, and found he couldn’t stop it from slipping away. He wasn’t doing anything wrong – as a matter of fact, he was doing more things right than ever before in his life.
He sat down in my office very discouraged and after a few minutes of hearing his tale, I knew exactly what was happening, and it had nothing to do with any error or sin on his part, but the opposite. It was happening because he was seeking and was obtaining great spiritual growth.
Here’s what happens, when we pay the price for some new spiritual growth, we arrive at a spiritual high, or a type of honeymoon period where we bask in the new blessings, the powerful prayers, the peace and constant revelation. Obedience is easy there because it is so wonderful. We can easily see the path before, and obedience to the voice of revelation and to any commandment is a joy. But, we are living on borrowed light – the Lord’s light. We are glowing with spiritual power that is not our own.
This always happens. Following periods of growth new opposition arises which challenges our new gifts. The Spirit begins to withdraw to give us the opportunity to continue with our new level of obedience simply because we know it is correct, not because we are lit up with a trillion volts of spiritual light.
It may seem, and actually does seem, that something has gone dramatically wrong. The adversary whispers, “If it was actually true, then it wouldn’t be slipping away.” Or, “See, you’re not good enough. You’re too weak to maintain any great blessings.”
The truth is that the rise of this additional opposition and loss of spiritual power is part of the plan. It gives us a chance to be tested at this new level of spiritual growth. The test is to continue doing those things we learned to do to get there, even when we no longer feel like doing them.
On my mission we had hundreds of mission rules. Because I had a great trainer first companion, I learned to keep the rules from day one. We worked hard and studied hard, prayed hard and testified hard. And, we lit up spiritually and had wonderful experiences. We knew where to go, what to say, what to teach. We just loved it. Then, after a few months there was a spiritual tapering off. We lost some investigators. We got yelled at and threatened by local ministers. It became hard. We didn’t feel the Spirit as often. We didn’t know whom to find, or what to say once we found them. My companion looked at me and said, “It happens. We just keep working and doing the Lord’s will even when it’s hard.” So, we trudged along for another few months in the hot African sun, doing everything we knew to do, fasting, praying, studying, keeping the mission rules, and in a few months the Spirit returned with greater power, and new spiritual gifts, and new investigators. We were thrilled. My companion looked at me and said, “It happens. We just keep working and doing the Lord’s will even when it’s easy.”
In other words, keep doing everything right – because it is right – even while standing in darkness or in light. This is the test. This is where we prove that we are “willing to serve Him at all hazards”. This is the magic of obedience. This is the test that guards the way to the next greater thing you are seeking. Then, when the Spirit returns – and it will return – it returns with greater power, with new spiritual gifts and new levels of obedience for us to learn. Then we bask in the new honeymoon period and prepare for the test that will surely come.
This is the way of growth. Struggle – grow – receive blessings – bask in the blessings (Honeymoon Period) – greater opposition – lessening of the Spirit – remain faithful – climb to new spiritual heights – start all over again.
I drew this little chart years ago for FTL. It illustrates this process on a rather broad scale. In reality it operates on a much smaller scale, in much smaller challenges and blessings than the Rebirth or Calling and Election. But, it is the same process throughout our lives.
The blessing of know this process is operating in our lives is that it empowers us to forge onward, to know that it is the way of growth and not some unfair and unholy obstacle. It will end and we will regain our blessings as we endure. We are not lost in some spiritual wilderness, but upon the path that leads to greater blessings.
It is the way of growth.
Brother John
Brother John,
You speak truth, once again.
Jennifer
You are certainly inspiring and certainly inspired to share this with all of us. I know this pattern to be true and see this same cycle working in my life. Wished I had known this pattern earlier on in my life. I could have helped so many more people on their journey, Thanks for helping guide our journey Bro. John. Glad to see you are feeling well enough to blog again. We have missed you.
Thanks Cami,
Feeling sick challenges my spirituality. Opposition in all things.
This is an awesome post. I have learned this to be true through my own experiences and struggles. At first I didn’t understand what was happening but then it all made sense as I began to observe and piece together this same cycle that John has so wonderfully explained in better detail. I like to describe it as the high and low tides in the ocean. There always seems to be a point where the tide goes out and everything seems clear and you can see for miles all the things that were hidden become visible in every direction. You find that your on a spiritual high and all is grand and the spirit is wonderful and strong. Resisting temptation seems easy and you say to yourself this is great i can do this.
Then the high tide rolls back in and things seem to be cloudy, harder to perceive and the spirit although it is still near seems to be distant and it feels like the darkness gets to roll in and take a turn to punch at you. This is the time to “resist the devil so he will flee from you” Then after a time the darkness goes away and the light returns like the high tide rolling back out and once again everything is clear and the spirit returns in great abundance like the low tide in the ocean.
It took me a few times going through this before I recognized what was happening. I now look at it like the high tide and low tide and when the one rolls in then it’s time to sit tight and work through it and wait for the tide to roll back out. One thing is absolutely “SURE”, and that is that the tide does roll back out and it does this perfectly. It comes in and it goes back out, like clockwork, you just need to be patient and wait because sometimes the time frame is longer than others and I can’t explain why? Only that it does go back and forth and each time you learn something new. I find myself looking forward to the low tides so that I can sit in the light of the master. Life is empty when he is not there.
A good example of this cycle is with the Prophet Joseph. He received great spiritual things and then the opposition came in. It happened everywhere he went. Kurtland, Missouri and Nauvoo. Each location had a low tide of marvelous blessings and each location had a high tide of discouragement and trial and struggle, but it is still truth and light and joyous to the soul and my spirit feeds off it and desires to hold fast to the light.
Just always remember that this too shall pass and know for a SURETY that the tide will always go back out.
It really is true. The tide always goes back out. I think our part is to ensure that as it goes out we don’t go with it, that we stand our ground and grow, not yielding to the temptation to lose faith and courage. Good comment.
Just got released from my calling after almost three years. I prepared many hours for each lesson weeks in advance. I also was blessed to read, study, and digest two of your books and many unblogs, adding to an amazing journey of discovery and enlightenment. Now there is emptiness and quiet and almost a hollowness, yet blissful prayer and sweetness of proximity to God, knowing I am within His reach, and He mine. I believe Him and I trust Him, and worship Him. I appreciate so much your incite and willingness to share with fellow travelers. Even the path of pain and sorrow can be filled with joy.
Understanding this pattern for spiritual growth is such a help in dealing with those times when greater opposition begins to work upon us. This is what the Lord calls enduring to the end and not giving up on ourselves. Our faith has to be tried through much tribulation before it can become true knowledge that raises us up to the greater spiritual blessings. The Lord has not forsaken us, for He never will, but we can feel alone against the tide of opposition that is gathering around us to prevent the greater blessings that will wait our enduring faithfulness in darkness. This is where this Unblog has the greatest impact in the lives of so many, at least for me. You explain what is happening and give such great hope to keep going forward and seek the light at the end of the tunnel that so many are going through. Your words of encouragement, hope, love and truth strengthen those who rejoice in them. You are providing a need for the blessed souls who visit. We read, ponder and pray over the scriptures and study the counsel of living prophets and add to those sources the words of this blog and we press forward through difficult times that we all face and seek those great blessings that you keep bearing witness that are there for us to obtain. Awesome!
Moses ch 1 is the motif for this pattern
I truly enjoy your blog and find it inspired on so many levels. Thank you for the courage and dedication it takes to share what you do!
Doug, I was thinking the same thing. I always wondered why the Lord withdrew his spirit from Moses when things were going so well….now I know. Thanks Bro. Pontius.
Boy oh boy, do I appreciate this post. thank you
I believe that as glorious as it is to feel empowered/enlightened by the Spirit, the fact is there can be lulls which test and solidify our commitment. This is when we live by principle rather than inspiration. We remember having known and having felt great truths, which keep us going in the right direction during darker times.
This is when past lessons learned, and feelings which so deeply touched our souls before, must be followed without the bright light of constant confirmation. If we aren’t careful, we might become depressed by the loss.
Years ago, I sat in a chair by the kitchen door during the dark, before-dawn hours waiting for a truant son to return. I was feeling a hopeless sense of motherly failure, when it hit me: “I bet that whatever else it was that Christ suffered in the garden, it must have included a huge dose of depression.” And I wondered what might constitute a godly depression.
Depression is sometimes defined by the absence of light in our lives.
The Glory (power) of God is intelligence = Truth and Light.
When Christ paid the atonement price in Gethsemane, heavenly support was withdrawn so he could do it alone.
I still can’t fathom the eternal requirements for such an act, but I know He needed to descend below all things, alone, except ((shudder!)) for the presence of legions of hell’s angels trying to influence Him away from His mission.
When I think of that historic event, with Jesus Christ, surrounded by the darkest, heaviest weight of evil power, ever, I am strengthened in my desire to love and serve, and obey the commandments which He has given so that I may always have His Spirit to be with me. And when I don’t “always” have it I know I must try to use knowledge and principles to help endure until it returns.
Flash
Bob
Yes, I enjoyed reading this Unblog and have had this experience in my life, but really did not understand what was happening. It is so clear now.
As I have read Triumph of Zion and continue to read the Unblog things that I had learned in the past are becoming more clear. I feel that I am moving forward and my objective is becoming clearer and clearer.
I have also enjoyed listening to the Firesides and have received many clarification concerning things I already new. Thanks Bro Ponitus for the Unblog.
I have had this experience repeatedly in my life. The most dramatic time was on my mission, also. My companion and I had been through some rough times, because the Lord was helping her conquer some things in her life. We’d had many spiritual experiences. But we had investigators to teach. She got stronger and we lost all of our investigators. This went on for weeks and weeks. Each week, we begged our district leader to tell us what we were doing wrong, and promised that we would change if he’d just tell us what to change. He’d talk to us and look at our reports and tell us we weren’t doing anything wrong, we just needed to keep going. It was one of the most troubling times I’ve ever experienced. I had complained in prayer that I felt I was wasting the Lord’s time because my mission was not for me, but was time I had dedicated to His service. Finally, in prayer, I told the Lord that if he wanted me to do nothing but door to door for the rest of my mission (a few more months) I would do it. I’d do it cheerfully and be the best at doing door to door. I gave it to the Lord. I’m not sure if my companion had the same feeling at the same time, but we suddenly started having success getting into homes, started getting call backs and being able to teach lessons. Everything changed!
It wasn’t enough to just keep going when everything seemed to be going wrong. I had to change my attitude, stop complaining and cheerfully accept the Lord’s will. I had to show gratitude for what I had and not worry about what I didn’t have. Thanks for reminding me of this lesson, Brother John!