Taken from the book:  Serve with Honor, Helps for Missionaries, by Randy L. Bott, 1995.
 

 TWO REASONS WHY THE SPIRIT WITHDRAWS
 

         You are serving with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, and then
suddenly the Spirit is gone.  What is the matter?  Is the Lord displeased with
you?  Should you pack up and go home?  Should you call the mission president?
Perhaps understanding why the Spirit withdraws from people will help calm your
fears.  Most of us are aware that when we sin, the Lord gives us a "wake-up-call"
by withdrawing his Spirit.  Isaiah talked about this problem when he taught,
"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have
hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).  The Lord doesn't
expect us to be perfect before he allows us to enjoy his Spirit.  But he does expect
us to live a certain standard of righteousness according to our level of light and
knowledge.

         Knowing that every person comes from a different background and has had
different opportunities to receive spiritual instruction, the Lord wisely counseled,
"Leave judgment alone with me" (D&C 82:23).  In theory, the Spirit could leave
you because you, knowing better, did something wrong, while it may remain with
your companion, even though he participated (Perhaps quite innocently) in the
same act.  That is, it is not your place to pass judgment on whether your companion
is qualified to have the Spirit with him or her; for all you know, he or she could be
doing rather well considering his or her depth of understanding, experience, and
maturity.  You should concentrate on your constant worthiness.

         When the Spirit withdraws, stop and ask yourself, "Am I doing anything
wrong now that I wasn't doing an hour ago?"  If you are, it will be pretty evident.
Then immediately repent, pray for forgiveness, and continue working.  You will
make mistakes on your mission.  One of the great repentance lessons was taught
by President Brigham Young, who said,  "I do not recollect that I have seen five
minutes since I was baptized that I have not been ready to preach a funeral sermon,
lay hands on the sick, or to pray in private or in public."  How would you like to be
able to say that?  Thankfully, President Young taught us his method:  "I will tell
you the secret of this.  In all your business transactions, words, and communications,
if you commit an overt act, repent of that immediately, and call upon God to deliver
you from evil and give you the light of His spirit.  Never do a thing that your
conscience, and the light within you, tell you is wrong"  (in Journal of Discourses, 12:103).

         Can't you do the same thing?  Stop immediately and say, "Heavenly Father,
I'm sorry I've made a mistake.  I'll try never to do it again; please apply the
atoning blood of the Savior in my behalf.  If there is anything you want me to do
to make it right, reveal it to me, and I'll do it.  Otherwise, I will consider the
matter closed and go on."  Too often we punish ourselves forever because "the
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).  Our Heavenly
Father knows and understands that missionaries are prime targets for the devil
and his angels.  Although the Lord does not look on sin with the least degree of
allowance, he does make allowances for the sinner.

         You will discover that life (not just your mission) will require constant
repentance as the Lord refines you.  You may also discover that some things
you previously considered to be "okay" are now wrong.

         This realization brings us to the second reason why the Spirit may seem
to leave a person.  When you master trials and lessons on one level, the Lord
may withdraw to some degree the directions of his Spirit, much as a wise parent
lets go of a child's hand when the child is wise enough to cross the street without
help.  You wonder what is wrong.  But sensing that you aren't doing anything
different than you were an hour ago when you felt the Spirit striving with you,
an appropriate response might be to humbly pray and thank your Heavenly
Father for having confidence in your ability to move to a higher level of
commitment and spirituality.  You can then examine your personality, attitude,
habits, ways of interacting with people, and your relationship with Deity.  If you
need to work on an area, the Spirit will let you know.  As you consciously work
on improving in that area, the Spirit will return.

         Time passes, and you will feel fairly confident that you have mastered
the new Christlike characteristic.  Then the Spirit withdraws.  When the Spirit
withdraws, you may not feel like being good.  But you know you are on the right
track, so you bridge the spiritual gap and do what you know you should.  Before
long, the test is over and the Spirit returns, carrying you to a higher level.  This
process may seem overly simple, but it accurately describes how the missionaries
report their progress.  The scriptures also confirm this process.  In 2 Chrinicles
32:31 is recorded this timely explanation:  "God left him, to try him, that he might
know all that was in his heart."  We must learn to know ourselves well enough so
that we are willing to do whatever the Lord requires of us--even when we are not
highly motivated by the Spirit to do it.

         If you were always in touch with the Spirit, you would not be tempted.
President Brigham Young taught this principle in a powerful sermon:

             "I ask, is there a reason for men and women being exposed
         more constantly and more powerfully, to the power of the
         enemy, by having visions than by not having them?  There is and
         it is simply this--God never bestows upon His people, or  upon an
         individual, superior blessings without a severe trial to prove them,
         to prove that individual, or that people, to see whether they will
         keep their covenants with  Him, and keep in remembrance what
         He has shown them.  Then the greater the vision, the greater the
         display of the power of the enemy.  And when such individuals are
         off their guard they are left to themselves, as Jesus was.  For this
         express  purpose the Father withdrew His spirit from His Son, at
         the time he was to be crucified.  Jesus had been with his Father,
         talked with Him, dwelt in His bosom, and knew all about heaven,
         about making the earth, about the transgression of man, and what
         would redeem the people, and that he was the character who was
         to redeem the sons of earth, and the earth itself from all sin that
         had come upon  it.  The light, knowledge, power, and glory with
         which he was clothed were far above, or exceeded that of all others
         who had been upon the earth after the fall, consequently at  the
         very moment, at the hour when the crisis came for him to offer up
         his life, the Father withdrew Himself, withdrew His Spirit, and cast
         a vail (sic) over him.  That is what made  him sweat blood.  If he had
         had the power of God upon him,  he would not have sweat blood; but
         all was withdrawn from  him and a veil was cast over him, and he then
         plead with the Father not to forsake him, 'No,' says the Father, 'you
         must have your trials, as well as others.'

          "So when individuals are blessed with visions,  revelations, and great
          manifestations, look out, then the devil is nigh you, and you will be
          tempted in proportion to the vision, revelation, or manifestation you
          have received.   Hence thousands, when they are off their guard, give
          way to the severe temptations which come upon them, and behold they
          are gone  (in Journal of Discourses, 3:205-6)."

         Perhaps you may feel like a Mormon yo-yo!  You rise to a certain level, the
Spirit withdraws so you can be tempted; you fall back where you were, the Spirit
returns to pick you up; then it leaves again and you fall, only to start the process
all over again.  Wouldn't it be more productive to replace that scenario with one
like this:  You rise to a certain level, the Spirit leaves so you can be tested; you
live the principle you just learned, even though you don't feel particularly
motivated to be good; the Spirit returns to help you move to the next higher
level; the cycle repeats over and over as the Lord perfects you?  Understanding
the Lord's process of perfecting you will help you avoid condemning yourself
when the Spirit withdraws.
 
         When the Spirit withdraws because of sin, it is like a swift kick in the pants.
When the Spirit leaves because you are being tested at a higher level, it is a pat
on the back.  This congratulatory signal shows that your Heavenly Father is
confident that you are ready for the next level in your spiritual progression.  It is
imperative not to mistake the pat on the back for the kick in the pants.  It is
equally imperative that you not think you are being congratulated when, in reality,
you are being chastised.   The adversary will constantly tell you that the Spirit
withdraws because you are bad, have sinned, or are hopelessly lost.  Satan wants
you to give up and go home disgraced.  However, if you know what is really
happening to you, you can command him to leave.  He is the destroyer, the
great deceiver, the eternal pessimist.  There is a simple yet effective way to
decide if it is Satan telling you that you are worthless or if it is the Lord urging
you to move ahead.  When the Spirit withdraws, Satan will cause you to feel
worthless, discouraged, depressed, hopeless, unmotivated, unworthy, and useless;
Heavenly Father will cause the feelings of  "I can do this; I need to take another
step forward; give me another mountain to climb."  Heavenly Father will build
you up.  The feelings of humble confidence, optimism, excitement, and exhilaration
for the challenge are all indications that the Lord is coaxing you to improve
yourself and to take the next important step on your pathway to exaltation.

         Not only will this be a valuable lesson to learn, but you can also bless the
lives of your companions, members, and investigators.  Too many people act like
lost puppies, believing they have sinned, when they should actually be jubilant
because our Heavenly Father wants them to take on their next great challenge.
Your ability to discern the difference in why the Spirit leaves could save you and
many others a lot of worry and wasted time.  Knowing the difference will also help
you to make other major decisions correctly for the rest of your life.

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About the author:  Randy Bott has many years of experience with missionary work.  He served a full-time mission in Samoa from 1964 to 1967 and later worked as a stake mission president.  Recently, he served as president of the California Fresno Mission.
     An educator by profession, Brother Bott teaches missionary preparation classes at BYU.  He is also the author of Prepare with Honor: Helps for Future Missionaries and Home with Honor: Helps for Returning Missionaries.  In Church callings, he has served as a Young Men president, a bishop, a high councilor, and a counselor in a stake presidency.  He and his wife, Vickie, are the parents of six children.