Can sacred shift?
There comes a moment where you cannot ignore it anymore.
Something that once felt alive between you and God does not feel the same. Not because He moved. Not because He became distant. But because, slowly and almost unnoticed, life filled the space where He once had your attention. Time with Him became shorter. Then rushed. Then structured. Then something you tried to fit in.
And one day you realise that what was once sacred now feels routine. And it is usually accompanied with a sense of loss experienced in our soul realm. Something feels off, but you cannot necessarily put your finger on it. It feels like your mood has dropped, you might feel alone, maybe you think you are just being sensitive… But your soul is responding in a way that cannot always be explained in the moment.
That realisation carries weight. Because when something has been real, you feel the difference. You cannot pretend it is the same when it is not. There is an ache in recognising that something which once carried life now feels empty. It is a heavy awareness to try and carry.
But this is not a place of loss. It is a place of invitation.
“Come back to Me and I will come back to you.” (Malachi 3:7, The Message)
God does not respond to your awareness of having neglected your sacred time with Him by distancing Himself from you. He responds with an open invitation to return. His arms have always been open, He has always been right there watching over you, extending that invitation in every moment. And when you heard that invitation, whether it be through an inner voice, a revelation, the words of a song, or a real moment in your heart with the Holy Spirit, and responded by turning towards Him, He absolutely REJOICED!!
He knows the decision is immediately tainted by the enemy to flood you with guilt. “He will never take you back, look at how you ignored Him.” “You don’t need Him, look what you have accomplished without Him!” But when we know that we hear God’s voice and a stranger we will not follow (John 10:27), we can immediately, and with Godly authority, shut down the enemy and turn our hearts and lives back to Jesus.
And He smiles, embraces us, and the angels rejoice at our return. This sounds like someone who has been living a backslidden life where they completely forsook Jesus. But no…this is me and you in our daily lives… Jesus wants our full devotion and attention. We are either all in or not. Hot or cold. Lukewarm is not acceptable. Why? Because when cold comes into contact with warm it is immediately aware of the difference, it pays attention. Lukewarm doesn’t even notice the difference between itself and that which is boiling hot for Jesus.
When you have chosen to throw the temptation of guilt away, and be honest that the most sacred thing in your life, your relationship with God, has shifted, Jesus can throw His robe over you and take you in.
You Are Not Starting Over
It can feel like everything has been undone. Like you need to begin again from nothing. But the Truth is, you are NOT starting over. You are returning to Someone you already know. To a relationship that has not disappeared, only been neglected.
God has not stepped away from you. He has not withdrawn His presence. He has not grown tired of waiting. The moment your heart turns toward Him, you will find that He is already there, celebrating your return.
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” (James 4:8, MSG) He is such a Gentleman. He never forces us. He waits patiently, gently and calmly, giving us nudges and reminders of His love and presence. And the SECOND you come close to Him, He is there! How beautiful!
Return does not begin with effort. You do not have to work for it. You do not have to prove yourself. It begins with a decision. A turning of the heart. A willingness to come back, even if it feels too simple. Paul says we preach a simple Gospel! It IS this easy. Turn your heart back to Him, courageously, choosing to ignore the temptations of guilt and shame…and there Jesus is. It is done. You are back. His child has returned.
Returning to Relationship, Not Routine
It is possible to spend time with God and still miss Him. I really love studying the Word. I remember one day I was sitting on my double bed, and I had open Bibles everywhere, every translation, two concordances, note pads, my laptop open, and I was dissecting the Word of God. I enjoyed it, and I was learning a lot. But all of a sudden, I heard in my heart “Marile, don’t start studying so hard that you start studying My Spirit out of it.” I got such a big fright! I do NOT want to live my life without the Holy Spirit!
So, I changed my routine. I remind myself of Peter in the Bible, he always went to the extremes…so did I! I stopped reading Bible (I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea), and I just worshipped God, prayed in the spirit, and met Him in spontaneous moments of worship and soaking in His presence. Then, after a while, I heard His voice again: “Marile, if you are only eating the Word, you will become constipated. If you only drink the water of the Spirit by praying in the Spirit, then you will drown. You have to know that my Word is to be eaten and My Spirit is to be drinked every day, together. Not the one or the other, together. Then you are healthy.”
I moved completely away from routine and just enjoyed His Word and His presence in every moment. I read His Word, I prayed, I prioritised time with Him. I am not drowning and I am not constipated…I am healthy in Him, because His Spirit leads me.
Because of this horribly confusing and lonely experience, I know how it feels to read, to pray, to sit with Scripture, and yet not actually be present. That is where things begin to feel empty. Not because those things are wrong, but because the connection within them has been lost. If you are there, you are not alone. And you will not stay there!
God has never been after a routine. He has always been after your heart.
He is not measuring how long you spend or how much you read. He is looking for presence. For honesty. For a heart that is turned toward Him. He is looking for the posture of our hearts as we are spending time with Him. Have you ever had a conversation with someone when you found yourself missing completely what they even said because your mind was wandering or making lists of everything you have to do?
Now, let’s ask ourselves honestly… Have we ever done this with Jesus? While lifting our hands in worship and singing the words without even thinking about them anymore, we might be thinking “I wonder if anyone is looking at me?” “Why did that person greet me so weirdly?” “Man, where am I going to find the time to do everything I have to do?” Yet…our hands are raised in worship, our mouths are singing, but our hearts are far from Him… Or we are spending our scheduled time with Him looking at the clock the whole time, because yes, I must enjoy this, it is special time with Jesus and I love Him, I just also have to get going… Physically we might be there, but our hearts are far from Him.
Relationship cannot be sustained by obligation. It is sustained by connection. And connection requires presence.
“Here is what I want… your true selves, your honest selves, not your polished ‘religious’ selves.” (Isaiah 1:16-17, MSG, adapted emphasis) Oh Jesus, help us give You what You want! Help us be who You made us to be. May we always come to You real, raw and authentic, no masks, no pretending, just the person YOU know better than we know ourselves. Thank You, Jesus!
Where Do You Start?
You start simply.
Not by trying to fix everything at once. Not by trying to recreate what it used to feel like. You come honestly, as you are, with where you are – really are, not where you pretend to be.
“Pour out your heart to Him… God is a safe place.” (Psalm 62:8, MSG) Pour means to give full expression to what is inside of you. If you struggle to put it in words, write it down. God knows it already. He asks us to do this, because He wants to be closer to us than our breath, He wants to be our Friend. A True Friend. Trusted. Safe. Wise. Present.
Tell Him the truth. Where things became rushed. Where you feel distant. Where you miss what you once had…
Then stay.
Even if it feels unfamiliar at first. Even if your thoughts wander. Even if it feels simple. Stay.
Because relationship is not rebuilt through intensity. It is rebuilt through presence.
How It Stays Alive
Returning is one thing. Remaining is another.
This is where many people drift again, not because they do not love God, but because they return for a moment instead of learning to live with Him.
“Live in Me. Make your home in Me just as I do in you.” (John 15:4, MSG) I am such a home person. I could stay in my home the whole day, every day. This Scripture speaks to me. I need to find that same solace, that same rest, peace, safety, sense of self, IN HIM! And I choose to do that. That means my Home goes with me wherever I go – now, that’s neat!
Abiding is not a moment. It is a way of living. To “abide” in Greek, means to stay, remain or continue. In Greek, it means to sit, dwell or remain. Therefore, to abide is more than just staying in one place. It refers to a continuous and active connection with God. According to Psalms 125:1 and John 15:4, abiding means remaining, dwelling, or continuing in a state of relationship, obedience, and trust with God.
It means you carry Him into your day. Into your thoughts. Into your decisions. Into your responses.
“So, you must remain in life-union with Me…” (John 15:4, TPT)
This means that we stop visiting Him and we start walking with Him. We begin to acknowledge Him throughout our day. You bring Him into what you are facing. You remain aware that He is with you, not only when you sit with Him, but in every moment that follows.
This is what keeps it from becoming routine again. He is in every moment, wherever you are, because you are abiding in Him, and He is abiding in you. Your life is in union with Him. His presence is much more than a moment where we decided to focus on Him. His presence is with us the whole time. Be aware of Him. Choose to be aware of Him…with you…next to you…in you…in every moment.
Become Living Poetry on Fire. Living the Word
Returning to Him is where it begins. Living it is where it becomes real.
If what God restores in you does not move into your daily life, it will slowly become something you visit instead of something you live from. The Word was never meant to be something you just agree with. It was meant to become the way you live. It is our life manual.
“Don’t just listen to the Word with your ears and then walk away and forget. Let it become the gardener of your life, planting truth deep within you.” (James 1:22, TPT)
So where do you start?
You start with what God is already highlighting to you. Not everything at once. One thing. What stayed with you? What challenged you? What did not leave your heart after your time with Him? That is where you begin. Take that one thing and stay with it. Read it again. Think about it during your day. Let it interrupt your patterns. Let it meet you in real moments, not only in a quiet space.
“Let the Word of Christ live in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16, TPT)
Then, apply it intentionally. If He is speaking about your pace, then you choose to slow down where you would normally rush. You protect time with Him instead of squeezing it in. If He is speaking about your thoughts, you begin to notice them. When they drift, you bring them back.
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right…” (Philippians 4:8, NLT)
If He is speaking about your responses, then that becomes your place of obedience. In the moment where you would normally react, you pause.
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak…” (James 1:19, NIV)
Living the Word is not proven in intention. It is revealed in response. And this matters. Do not move on too quickly. Stay with what God is working in you until it becomes part of you.
“So, since you have received Christ, walk in Him… deeply rooted in Him…” (Colossians 2:6-7, TPT)
You will not do it perfectly. There will be moments where you miss it. That is not failure. That is where you return again. Not with guilt, but with willingness. Over time, something definitely shifts. What once required effort becomes your natural response. What once felt distant becomes your way of living. You are no longer trying to apply the Word. You are living it.
You become living Poetry on fire.
Be A Wildfire
When something becomes real in your life, it does not stay contained. It begins to move through you into the lives of others. Not because you are trying to say the right thing, but because you are present in a different way. You listen differently. You notice more. You hear what people are not saying.
And in those moments, you will sense it. A gap. A question. A weight someone is carrying.
That is your moment.
“Walk in wisdom… make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5, NIV)
You do not force anything. You do not rush it. You stay present long enough for something real to surface. Then, when the moment opens, you speak. Not from pressure. From truth.
“And how good it is when you know what to say at the right time.” (Proverbs 15:23, MSG)
Sometimes it is sharing what God is teaching you. Sometimes it is asking the question no one else is asking. Sometimes it is simply pointing someone back to Him in a way that feels real and grounded.
There is courage required here.
Because there will be moments where you feel the nudge to speak, and you will have to decide whether you will step forward or stay silent.
Trust this.
“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT)
You are not doing this alone. Start with the people already around you. In real conversations. In everyday moments. Carry what He is doing in you into those spaces.
“Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8, NKJV)
This is how it spreads. Not through effort. Through lives that are willing.
Be a wildfire.
This is not just something to read and move on from. This is something to respond to.
Right now, there is an invitation in front of you. Not to try harder, not to fix everything, but to return. To come back to Him with honesty, with openness, with a heart that is willing.
Take the one thing He is showing you and respond to it. Today. Not when it is convenient. Not when you feel ready. Now.
“Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV)
And as you walk this out, stay aware of the people around you. There are people who are tired. People who have slipped into routine without realising it. People who are longing for what you are rediscovering. Do not overlook them.
Listen. Stay present. Ask. Speak when the moment opens. Carry what God is doing in you into the lives around you.
You are always welcome to reach out. For prayer, for guidance, or simply to walk this out together. You will always be pointed back to Jesus and His Word, because He is the Answer.
Return to Him. Remain in Him. And let your life speak.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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