Walking With Christ

Matthew 13:20-21  (20)As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, (21)yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.(ESV)

Bulimia Nervosa is a severe and possibly life-threatening mental health disorder where a person binges then purges food in a repetitive cycle occurring at least once a week for three or more months.  Binging is eating larger portions than a normal person would, often while feeling little or no control over their eating during the episode.  Purging is compensatory behaviors meant to prevent weight gain such a self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, and enemas.  This process is usually overly influenced by body shape and/or weight.  The affects of this process can leave a person in a truly dangerous or even deadly health situation.

There isn’t a name for the spiritual equivalent of this, but the results are just as dangerous and toxic.

A spiritual binge can be caused by unexpected excitement about a sermon, book, or spiritual breakthrough that leads us to consume everything we can—reading, praying, serving, growing rapidly.  The spiritual purge that follows is often caused by not having deep enough roots.  The growth is temporary because the excitement fades when life gets hard, distractions come, or spiritual fatigue sets in.  Without a steady spiritual diet, we live off of bursts of inspiration instead of lasting transformation.

Hosea 6:4  What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?  What shall I do with you, O Judah?  Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.(ESV)

Many Christians chase emotional highs—powerful worship, convicting sermons, deep study—but don’t build lasting habits.  The spiritual sugar rush causes an energy surge that crashes just as fast without sustained nourishment.  Emotion is good, but deep faith is built on discipline, not just inspiration.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3  (2)And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.  (3)And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.(ESV)

Time in the wilderness can feel like failure or backsliding that is actually a period of testing and refining.  Isreal went through many cycles of revival and dormancy—but God used even their wilderness to prepare them.  These dormant seasons are not wasted—they are times when God tests our hearts and teaches dependence.  Periods of seeming dormancy may be times of unseen growth and preparation.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27  (25)Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  (26)So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  (27)But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.(ESV)

Break the cycle of binging and purging through spiritual discipline.  Instead of living off emotional highs, commit to consistent spiritual habits.  Faith is a marathon, not a sprint—sustainable growth requires discipline.  Schedule spiritual disciplines like prayer, study, and worship into daily life.  Don’t rely on motivation—rely on discipline.

Ecclesiastes 7:18  It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.(ESV)

Consuming too much spiritual content at once can be overwhelming, leading to burnout.  Some believers jump from one book, sermon, or bible study to another without ever actually applying what they’ve learned.  Slow down.  Instead of rushing through multiple studies, meditate on what God is actually speaking to you.

John  15:2  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.(ESV)

Dormant seasons can be holy seasons.  Sometimes, what feels like spiritual stagnation is actually pruning.  Not all growth is visible.  Roots grow downward before branches grow upward.  Don’t mistake stillness for failure.  If God has you in a quiet season, use it to develop deep spiritual roots.

Lastly, recognize when a season of dormancy is an attack.

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.(ESV)

The enemy wants to keep you in a cycle of defeat—pushing you into extreme highs, then using exhaustion to pull you into deep lows.  Some periods of spiritual dormancy are actually attacks designed to keep you from standing firm in faith.  Be watchful in prayer.  If your spiritual dryness feels like oppression, resist the enemy and stand firm.

How does that old saying go?  Slow and steady wins the race.