Are You a Growing, or Stagnant Christian?
Jenny Bracy
Have you been frustrated because you feel that you’re not growing or progressing in life? Maybe you’ve had a series of setbacks that have you believing there’s something wrong with you. When Christians feel stagnant, it often indicates a season of spiritual dryness due to a need to completely surrender to God’s will.
It’s important to know that feeling stagnant doesn’t mean you’re a failure, it just means you need to align your will with God’s will.
The enemy (demons themselves, and/or demons working through other people) may be sending thoughts to your mind to convince you that you’re a failure, a loser, and a disappointment. However, if you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, God’s Word has something very different to say about you. Romans 8:37 says, ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’
You can’t lose a fight Jesus already won! So no matter what you’ve been through or how many setbacks you had, you can walk in victory if you completely surrender your will and align yourself with God’s will.
Understand that God allows us to walk through dry seasons to let us know we need to draw closer to Him. Feeling stagnant in life stems from the emptiness we feel when we haven’t made God the center of our life. He is thesource of peace, spiritual refreshing, and direction, so if you feel like you’re not progressing it’s likely because you’ve strayed from the source. God is letting you know that you’re off balance because you’re not aligned with His will.
The cause may be something in your life that’s not pleasing to God. For example, not reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer daily can cause a Christian to feel stagnant. Sometimes it’s something or someone we’ve made more important to God that caused the distance, or some other sin you haven’t dealt with.
If you pray and ask the Lord to reveal why you feel stagnant, He is faithful and just to reveal it to you. However, you have to be at a place in your life where you’re willing to listen, because following God’s plans for your life is the only path forward.
Move Forward With These Practical Steps Today
- Examine Your Heart for Hidden Things: Consider if there are "weeds" choking your spiritual life, such as unresolved sin, fear, or over-commitment.
- Surrender Your Need for Control: You may be trying to fix things in your own power. Surrender your spiritual condition to God. Remember, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21. Your purpose and God’s perfect will for your life will only be revealed through total surrender to Him.
- Repent, and Ask God for Help: Again, God is faithful, just, and true. Ask Him to reveal what you need to change and do to move forward. Repentance and a willing heart are key here. Psalms 51:17 says, ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart — these, O God, You will not despise.’ Additionally, realize that it might take time for you to align yourself with God’s perfect will, depending on your current circumstances and the steps needed to do move forward. However, your committment to taking those steps each day is progress that God can work through.
- Seek Help From a Christian Life Coach: Sometimes, God speaks to us from others. Our Life Coach Minister can provide you with tools and direction that will guide you through seasons, and help you overcome barriers to achieve goals. If you feel overwhelmed with trying to figure it all out, our LCM can pray with you, and help you discover an actionable plan forward. Don’t go it alone! Contact us today to request information from our Life Coach Minister.
In closing, if you’re reading this blog post today it’s because God led you here. He knows your situation and what you’ve been going through, and He wants you to know how to turn it around and progress from here.
He’s been waiting for you to surrender to His perfect will for your life because He delights in blessing His children!
God said in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end".
He’s waiting for you. The next moves are yours to make. Trust God!
I grew up in the largest Pentecostal church in Harrisburg, PA. I can remember as a child, spending what felt like all day in church, and many times, we attended two services on Sundays. It seemed like my mother, a Holy Spirit-filled woman of God, wanted to be there whenever the doors were opened. This meant Wednesday night Bible study and Friday night prayer meeting in addition to Sundays. Although I felt like church was my second home, I felt something was missing from it, even as a child. Every Sunday the same 20 congregants tore up the carpet with their ‘holy dance’, but would be falling asleep by the time the pastor started his sermon. People, who supposedly loved each other with the love of Christ, would leave without even speaking to each other. The service basically consisted of a few songs, ‘holy dance’ time, announcements, the perfectly timed sermon, prayer, and the benediction (closing). Everything was planned to a tea in the program the ushers handed out at the door. It was like going to a play every week, and I couldn’t understand why this church didn’t look like the New Testament church I learned about in Sunday school. Meanwhile, my grandmother - also a Holy Spirit-filled woman of God, started a teaching and deliverance ministry in her home. She lived 4 hours from us, but we visited often. People were getting saved, healed, delivered, and spiritually fed right in her dining room. Soon, there were so many people coming that had to rent a building to accommodate them all. The Spirit of the Lord was so high in those services, and the gifts were in operation and flowing freely. You could tangibly feel the presence of the Lord, and we never knew how the Holy Spirit was going to move. Services flowed according to the Lord’s will, not a perfectly planned program. As I got older, I guess I never stopped chasing the atmosphere I experienced in my grandmother’s services in my youth. Once you’ve been in that environment, you desperately want to find it again. However, I never did. And as the years moved on, I realized that most churches prefer their programs over the move of the Holy Spirit. The ‘corporate church’ is the model largely adopted by churches today, as the focus is more about growth and money than saving souls, healing the sick, and casting out devils. Losing the true purpose of the church has been catastrophic. Many evangelists now evangelize to line their pockets. Pulpit committees choose their new pastors based on reasons that have nothing to do with God’s will. Men and women pursue ministry as a profession rather than a calling. Many church services are full-blown entertainment devoid of the presence of God, and in some churches you can even watch the show with coffee, tea, and donuts. Sermons have turned into snazzy motivational speeches on iPads. A new kind of message is being preached across America’s pulpits. It isn’t God’s Word preached under the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. No, it’s something else - something sinister. It’s a demonic deception and a trend that replaced God’s Word and keeps everyone comfortable. And it’s been largely successful, because we now have a nation of believers who are spiritually malnourished, powerless, and bound. Years ago, I heard a preacher say, “The church needs to keep the main thing the main thing.” In other words, the church needs to be about Jesus and everything He encompasses, taught, and represented on this earth. His life on earth is the template He gave the church. Our mandate is preaching, teaching, and spreading the gospel, discipleship, healing, and deliverance. It’s God’s Word preached under the authority and compelling power of the Holy Spirit that saves souls, not motivational speeches with watered-down, twisted versions of the scripture sprinkled in for good measure. If you’re reading this article, you’re likely a person who has become discontent with your church, or stopped going altogether. You’ve likely said to yourself, ‘there’s got to be more to this’…….more than once. Maybe you’re not growing spiritually because you’re not being fed at your church. Or maybe you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to go deeper. God’s Word Revealed is a ministry of God-chasers. Jesus is our reason and God’s agenda our only agenda. We’re building an online community where the Holy Spirit can move freely and God can do anything. Have questions or want more information? Contact us today!
I'm a Christian and I love Jesus with all my heart, but I don't go to church anymore. Is this a sin? This question has sparked a debate that has been trending in recent years. During the pandemic, churches were forced to close their doors and adapt by offering online services until they could meet in person again. But when the church doors reopened, something unexpected happened - many members didn’t return. This phenomenon has left pastors scratching their heads to this day. In 2025, the American Bible Society released interesting data which revealed that nearly half (45%) of American Christians have not attended church in the past six months. Key Findings of the 2025 Study: Declining Attendance: While approximately 64% of American adults identify as Christians, only 55% have attended church in the last six months. Church Attendee Breakdown: Of the Christians who do attend church, 34% attend weekly, 10% monthly, and 11% about twice per year. Method of Attendance: Most churchgoers (72%) primarily attend services in person, while 12% participate online and 16% use a mix of both. Engagement Levels: Generation Z exhibits the lowest church engagement scores, while highly engaged churchgoers report higher levels of human flourishing. The study also suggests that while a significant portion of Christians are not attending church in person, many still consider themselves committed believers. This highlights a shift in the importance believers once placed on going to church in person. What Does This Mean? With the data revealing the percentage of believers who stopped attending church, it now becomes clear why so many are asking the question, ‘Is not going to church a sin?’ Many pastors might answer ‘yes’ to this question. However, here at God’s Word Revealed, we rely on God’s Word to guide us in all things. Hebrews 10:25 says, ‘And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near’. But to gain more context, we should look at the two previous verses as well. Verse 23 and 24 says, ‘Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works’. These verses teach us that meeting together with other believers is not only a directive, it’s something we need to do to remain strong, encouraged, and motivated in our spiritual walk. Additionally, Jesus made it clear in that we (believers) are the true church. So, although we call the brick-and-mortar buildings we meet in ‘churches’, the actual church is the body of Christ, which are the followers of Christ (Christians). Additionally, the Bible makes it clear that the true church is the bride of Christ ( Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17 ) and the body of Christ ( Ephesians 4:12 ; 1 Corinthians 12:27 ). It cannot be contained, walled in, or defined by anything other than its love for Christ and its dedication to Him. So although we call the brick-and-mortar buildings we meet in ‘churches’, the believers and followers of Jesus, are the true church. The word church is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia , meaning “a called–out assembly.” The word describes a group of people who have been called out of the world and set apart for the Lord, and it is always used, in its singular form, to describe a universal group of people who know Christ. The word ekklesia , when pluralized, is used to describe groups of believers who meet together. Interestingly enough, the word church is never used in the Bible to describe a building or organization. While physical buildings make it easier for us to meet together with other believers, it’s not a requirement that we meet that way. Consider that Jesus did most of His miracles, teaching, and ministering in the field, not in the synagogue. Also, consider John the Baptist, who was preaching about Jesus and baptizing people in the wilderness to prepare the way for Him. Also consider that the New Testament church met primarily in houses (house churches) for roughly the first 300 years, with believers gathering in private homes for worship, meals, and fellowship. This is why it’s so important as believers that we read and understand God’s Word for ourselves. The Bible is clear on this issue: there is really no significance to ‘where’ we meet, as we are directed only to ‘meet’. There are many believers in other countries that have to meet in secrecy because churches are outlawed. So how then, can we justify saying not going to a physical brick-and-mortar church is a sin? We can fulfill this directive from anywhere, as long as we’re meeting with other believers. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” In conclusion, as long as you are gathering in Jesus’ name (meaning uniting with another believer in faith, agreement, and alignment with His will, authority, and character, rather than just occupying the same space) with at least one other believer, you are fulfilling the Hebrews 10:25 directive. God’s Word Revealed Ministry was created to provide a community where believers can meet with other believers, learn, grow, and fellowship in the online environment. Have questions? Contact us today!