Quiet Time Guilt

This writing by Greg Johnson really rang a bell with me:

It’s ironic, but the Quiet Time has become the number one cause of defeat among Bible-believing Christians today. At one time or another, nearly every sincere believer feels a deep sense of failure and the accompanying feelings of guilt and shame because he or she has failed to set aside a separate time for Bible study and prayer. This condition is called Quiet Time Guilt. And it’s a condition with many repercussions. The shame of Quiet Time Guilt manifests itself in even deeper inability to fruitfully and joyfully study Scripture. Prayer becomes a dread; Bible study a burden. The Christian suffering from Quiet Time Guilt then despairs of seeing God work in his or her life, until finally he or she simply gives up. He may continue outward and public Christian commitments like church attendance, but secretly he feels a hypocrite. What is the root of Quiet Time Guilt?

[…]

The problem was heresy. Any heresy wounds the soul.

This is a great reading, although I found it rather lacking in the area of theology of prayer. You will have to fill the gaps, but this is a timely article, and thoroughly recommended.

Hat tip: Andrew from Puritas.