This is a pretty good example, I think, of what distancing oneself from the Lord would look like. The entire process, according to Helaman, happened in “not many years” (Helaman 4:26).
First, the people became wicked and corrupt. They disobeyed the commandments given to them previously by prophets Mosiah and Alma. This iniquity led to their beginning to disbelieve in the “spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation” (Helaman 5:23). In other words, they stopped believing in the main things you need to believe in to follow a prophet of God. I think it's really interesting that they became disbelieving only after their disobedience. We gain faith in gospel truths only as we live the gospel (see John 7:17), and as we stop living it, our faith can diminish over time.
Meanwhile, the people were becoming weak and losing access to the Spirit (“it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples”, see Helaman 4:24).
Finally, the Lord stopped protecting them as He had done before (see Helaman 4:25). It's important to point out that the Lord didn't take His help away from them before they first removed themselves from Him. The Lord wants to help us in all areas of our lives, and is constantly reaching out to us as His children. We can secure His blessings through our obedience.
for Helaman 4
for John 7:17
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