Danger !

The first step in the process of secular drift occurs in the private prayer life. In its very secrecy, private prayer is the ultimate personal barometer of spiritual commitment. Prayer is the first thing to go, and even pastors are not immune to secular drift. To be candid, I have had pastors’ wives tell me, “My husband hasn’t prayed in twenty years except in public.” While such cases may be extreme, few Christians do not admit to at least some struggles in this area. Don’t think that an uphill battle for a meaningful devotional life is unique to you. It is a consequence of being Christian in a secular world. The most immediate impact of secularization is felt in the prayer life. How many of us can say that in our private lives, when no one else is looking, we walk as closely with God as our public profession might indicate?

Paulien, J. (1993). (M. Moore, Ed.) (pp. 62–63). Boise, ID; Oshawa, ON: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

The next area affected is usually the study life, although for some, especially pastors, Bible study can continue for a long time in the absence of prayer. But while Bible study may continue in such cases, it tends to have less and less personal significance. It is simply something one does as a ritual or because it is part of a job description. Meaningful personal study and prayer can become absent from a person’s life for years, yet no one else will know, except perhaps a spouse. The pastor may well be the last one to know that an elder’s personal walk with God is a thing of the past.

Paulien, J. (1993). (M. Moore, Ed.) (p. 63). Boise, ID; Oshawa, ON: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

The third step in secular drift occurs when personal standards of behavior begin to erode. This step may be the first that anyone but your spouse will notice. It is virtually impossible to detect that someone else is struggling in the inward spiritual life unless God chooses to reveal it to you. Although He has occasionally done that for me, it is not His normal procedure. Spiritual distress sends up its first public signal when personal standards begin to slip. I realize that standards are a big issue right now in the church, and I do not wish to address the question of which standards are appropriately enforced in a local church and which are not. ... I have discovered that when a person has believed for a long time that a particular action is wrong and suddenly acts in a contrary manner, it tends to be a red flag that screams out, “I’m in spiritual trouble.”

Paulien, J. (1993). (M. Moore, Ed.) (pp. 63–64). Boise, ID; Oshawa, ON: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

Danger: Clickbait thread title.

Sorry , I guess your more Godly than everyone els. God bless you.