Spiritual Mood Swings

Like the majority of Christians, my relationship with God used to be more emotional then spiritual.  Before developing a consistent hunger for God, my prayer life and Christian walk was up and down, hot and cold, dry and saturated—depending how I felt on a given day or moment. Prayer was fervent one day, then pointless the next. Worship was tearful and passionate one day, then detached and cold the next day.  Certain days God felt close enough to whisper in His ear. Other days, He seemed so far that I wondered if I could be heard.

Admittedly, I had a bipolar relationship with God. My mood often determined how I viewed myself in relation to God. If I “felt” spiritual, I rode the wave until it washed up. If I felt carnal, I hid from God, or worse tried to compensate with serving harder or crafting ideas for ministry. Instead of relying on God’s word, I would tend to rely on my emotions for validation. A successful day depended on how I felt, how intense my prayer was, or how motivated I was to serve others. I would judge a prayer by how emotional I felt, or how expressive I was.

Does this describe anyone else?

Using emotions to measure spirituality is like using a thermometer, instead of a compass, to determine your route. Temperature doesn’t reflect direction. How my heart feels, whether hot or cold, is not generally an indicator of my spiritual progress. In fact, Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Feelings cannot be trusted.  

Psalm 119:25 says, “I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word” (NLT). The ultimate compass and plumb line is God’s Word.