Strength in Spiritual Sensitivity: What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Numb

There may be times in our lives when we become numb to feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost. Here are three questions to ask when we feel far away from Heavenly Father.

Demands for our attention are everywhere; schoolwork, friends, social media, jobs, family, and more all compete for our time and focus. Most of these demands come from good places and can be very uplifting, but sometimes the sheer number of distractions can make it hard to find time to be peaceful and commune with our Heavenly Father. 

In Tadeo Murillo’s Liahona article “Recovering from Spiritual Numbness,” he says that “the world can easily distract us or derail us each day, causing us to become numb to that still, small yet powerful voice that is always ready to guide us daily.” The Holy Ghost’s guidance is promised to those who are willing to listen to his promptings, but what do we do when we feel that we’ve been too distracted to feel his influence?

Murillo suggests answering the following questions:

1. When do I remember receiving personal revelation?
2. When did I last ask for personal revelation?
3. When have I asked Heavenly Father to help me recognize personal revelation in my life?

We can start feeling the Spirit more by simply praying and asking for help to recognize the gentle guidance of the Spirit. After asking for this blessing, we should continue to act and move forward, paying careful attention to the promptings we feel along the way. Even when we aren’t sure whether our feelings are guidance from our Heavenly Father or our own ideas, we should continue to nurture the thoughts that lead us to do good. Searching for revelation—no matter how far away we feel from the Holy Ghost’s reach—will lead us closer to God. Murillo promises, “If we reach out to the Savior even when we feel nothing, He will help us feel that he is there.”

By asking ourselves these three questions, seeking the Lord’s help, and moving forward in faith, we can rebuild our spiritual connection with our Heavenly Father and once again feel heaven’s guidance in our lives. 

For more about seeking the Holy Spirit’s influence to combat spiritual numbness, read Tadeo Murillo’s article, “Recovering from Spiritual Numbness.”

Source: Liahona Magazine 

—Sara McOmber, Latter-day Saint Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY BURAK K

Find more insights 

Read the New Era article “Do It,” by Elder Robert L. Simpson, to learn more about acting on spiritual promptings. 

Read “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” by President Russell M. Nelson, to discover how to better receive and act on revelation.