Leaving the Slump

This note is dedicated to anyone who feels like they’re in a spiritual slump right now…

I discovered a pattern in my life recently, and it was startling. It went something like this:

“Dear God, help me to grow in my relationship with You…”

*reads Bible, memorizes God’s truth*

*makes no changes to personal life*

“Dear God, I feel like I am not progressing in my faith. Please help me grow…”

Don’t ask me why, but it took me a long time to see the problem here. I was accumulating knowledge about God, I was “doing the right things” by reading and trying to connect with God…but Christianity is life-changing, and I wasn’t being helpful with the process. I wasn’t applying the principles I had filed away in my little pea brain.

When I “dedicated my life to God”, I was acknowledging that it belongs to Him. He lays down the rules, I am His servant. What He says goes, etc. Problem was, I wasn’t going wholeheartedly with what He was saying!

When He says to pray without ceasing…He means that I pray without ceasing!

When He says to be respectful to authority…He means that I respect my authority!

When He says to rid myself of things that pertain to old habits before being saved (or ones that I just have and aren’t holy)…He means for me to get rid of those habits!

When He says for me to keep my speech clean, my manner gracious, my actions honest, my attitude holy…He means it.

When He says that He is God and there is no other besides Him…it means I can’t try to tuck Him into a little corner of my imagination and pretend He doesn’t exist. (Just try going up to your parents or your boss and telling them, “I don’t want to obey you. You don’t exist!” Yeah. Doesn’t fly too well.)

It’s been quite a process, but ahhhh it’s so worth it! For awhile I’d be afraid to pray for God’s direction on something, because I was afraid He’d say no. But as I think on it now, I’m like, “Goodness sakes…if He knew that it wasn’t the best for me…why wouldn’t I have wanted to accept that answer?!”

Plus, life is all the more free and exciting when my conscience is clean and I’m honest with God. I’m not saying I don’t struggle…’cause believe me, I do…but as I let God kick the crud out of my life, I’m able to see things through His eyes a WHOLE lot better.

Because when I stand before God, I want Him to honestly be able to say that I was His good and faithful servant, and that I did well. ‘Cause God doesn’t lie.