What No One Tells You About Feeling Distant From God | Bobby Schuller | Podcast Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

What No One Tells You About Feeling Distant From God

Shepherd's Grove • Jun 26, 2025 • 22 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

When believers feel distant from God or lose their spiritual passion, the root cause is often neglecting the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit grants spiritual energy and fire specifically to empower us for ministry and sharing our faith with others. By stepping out in Spirit-led obedience—whether praying for someone in need or openly reading Scripture in public—we invite God's active presence, power, and joy back into our daily lives.

Themes

The Great CommissionThe Presence of GodHoly Spirit GuidanceEvangelism and WitnessingSpiritual VitalityRejecting Deceptive Teachings

Key Points

1.
Losing spiritual passion and feeling distant from God often happens when believers stop focusing on the Great Commission.
2.
The Holy Spirit provides spiritual fire and energy specifically to empower believers to minister and proclaim the kingdom of God to others.
3.
Obeying the Holy Spirit's daily promptings to pray for others or share faith keeps the heart soft and prevents spiritual dryness.
4.
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus promises His abiding presence and supernatural power as a direct result of stepping out to make disciples and preach the Gospel.
5.
Passive acceptance of a Dark Night of the Soul can keep believers trapped in self-focused emotional deadness rather than walking in the Spirit.
6.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit includes love, joy, and peace, which are meant to mark the believer's active life rather than prolonged spiritual apathy.
7.
Spiritual feelings follow action; taking courageous steps of obedience for Christ generates renewed passion and emotional connection with God.
8.
Swapping compulsive phone usage with carrying and reading a physical Bible in public creates intentional opportunities for spiritual conversations with seekers and critics alike.

Sermon Moments

“The reason God gives us His Holy Spirit, the reason He gives us the fire, is to empower us for the Great Commission.”

“Sharing your faith at Shake Shack is not something people expect, but taking those humbling risks is where the fire comes back.”

“You don't follow feelings or fire to preach—the fire and emotional connection follow obedience.”

“Instead of pulling out your phone in waiting rooms or cafes, pull out a physical Bible and let it become a magnet for spiritual conversations.”

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace, not a dark night of spiritual emotional deadness.”

This Week

Commit to carrying a physical Bible with you in public places like cafes, waiting rooms, or work.

Replace moments of mindless phone checking throughout the day with reading a passage of Scripture.

Listen for promptings from the Holy Spirit during daily interactions and act on them quickly when moved to encourage or pray for someone.

Offer to pray on the spot for colleagues, friends, or acquaintances who mention going through a difficult situation.

Reject spiritual passivity or emotional deadness by actively re-engaging in personal evangelism rather than waiting for feelings to return.

Share your personal testimony or speak openly about your faith with people in your everyday environments.

Step into active discipleship by inviting someone to study Scripture, attend church, or walk with you in spiritual growth.

Remember This

God gives us the Holy Spirit's fire not just for personal comfort, but to empower us to share the Gospel and minister to others.

A Challenge for You

Commit for the next month to carrying a physical Bible everywhere you go, replacing mindless phone checking with reading Scripture in public spaces, and letting the Holy Spirit open doors for life-changing ministry conversations.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.