I'd Like Off This Ride Please!

posted by Erin Davis on 07/03/12 | Twitter: @ErinGraffiti
Category: Faith; ; 40 comments

Yesterday I wrote about "mountaintop syndrome." True, I'm not a doctor. And sure, mountaintop syndrome isn't a real condition. But it might as well be. Many of us have patterns of Christian faith that are so full of high highs and low lows that we're not sure how to walk with Christ in a way that is consistent, meaningful, and rock solid apart from the mountaintop.

roller coaster

As a result, our faith can feel like a rollercoaster ride. Buckle in and get excited—we're heading for a mountaintop experience—and then "whee!" we come crashing down to real life where loving Jesus well during the daily grind can feel like a really low valley. Then back up the hill we climb. We might go through the occasional loop-da-loop where our faith gets all topsy-turvy, and then we are right back into the valley.

Since being a Christian is really more like having a relationship with Jesus than sticking to a set of rules, there are bound to be some ups and downs. But if you only know how to connect with God when you're on top of the "mountain," you'll find it difficult to live out your faith in the valleys that are an inevitable part of life. So, what's the cure for mountaintop syndrome? How can you get off of a rollercoaster faith?

This is going to sound like a Sunday school answer, but here it is: read your Bible every day.

My favorite part about camp has always been that personal quiet times are built into the day. I love looking out at a campus where camp is taking place and seeing students with their Bibles and journals taking time to read God's Word. Even though most camps have great speakers and moving worship and cool breakouts, I think it is the time that students spend in the Word that makes the biggest difference. That's great news! You can't have a speaker in your bedroom each night (that would be weird). I doubt you can afford your own personal worship band, but you can always, always read your Bible. If you schedule the time, just like you do at camp, you'll find it's your ticket to getting off the rollercoaster ride and on the path to steady faith.

Did you know only 16 percent of Christians read their Bible every day? (Head to palm.) When it comes to having a consistent and growing faith, this is public enemy #1. Getting into the Word and getting the Word into you is the most important thing you can do to keep your walk as vibrant as it feels at camp or on the mission field.

We started this year by challenging you to read your Bibles every single day of 2012. Mind if I act as a little string around your finger reminding you to renew that commitment (or to make it for the very first time)?

You can vaccinate yourself against mountaintop syndrome and get off the rollercoaster ride of up-and-down faith. It starts with picking up your Bible today and reading God's Word. Rinse and repeat tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that ...

Comments

HEY, GIRLS! We love hearing from you, but feel limited in the ways we can help. For one thing, we’re not trained counselors. If you’re seeking counsel, we encourage you to talk to your pastor or a godly woman in your life as they’ll know more details and can provide you with ongoing accountability and help. Also, the following comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Revive Our Hearts. We reserve the right to remove comments which might be unhelpful, unsuitable, or inappropriate.

one girl

off topic
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 1:19 am

Hey Erin, I need some advice--

what's a good Bible study to do when my emotions are all crazy? I feel like my emotions cause me to go crazy in other parts of my life [like eating, tv watching, sleeping, what not] and I don't feel very productive, and I WANT to change! I know the word of God will help me, but where do you think I should start?

Also, I need to be more disiplined, so could you please pray that I'll stop giving into little things throughout the day [like youtube video surfing or eating just to kill time]? I really want to get my life back in order, but I can't do it alone:(

Danica

Confused
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 1:46 am

I need help with this. For months I've had a pretty up and down relationship with God. I was in a bad relationship that made me turn away from God. Im getting back on my feet now and I want to be close to God SO bad. But what does reading the bible have to be so hard! I don't understand. I try to read the bible but I don't feel like I'm getting anything out of it.
I was talking to my friend and he told me that I need to read the bible no matter what or how I am feeling. And eventually God will come through. I'm sick of feeling so horrible all the time and I know I need to focus on God more. But I dont know how or where to start...

Blue/Heather

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 1:51 am

Even though it's a Sunday school answer.. I'm still surprised that that's the remedy. I thought it would be "try harder" or "get used to not feeling that head-over-heels love". Hmm..

Renée

Help...
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 4:35 am

Um i was just wondering about what bible verses are good to read when i feel depressed and sad? so i can unfocus on my sadness and refocus on Gods love?

Erin Davis

one girl
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 7:35 am

Learning to control our emotions can be particularly tough as girls. I would recommend "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. I am doing it with a friend right now and it is great for helping understand areas where we are out of whack (such as emotions). I also really like "Lord Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late" by James McDonald.

Also, studying the book of Galatians in the Bible would really help. It will help you understand that having self-control is the work of the Holy Spirit and something you can pray for.

Hope this helps.

Erin

Erin Davis

Blue/Heather
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 7:37 am

If you using your real name could get you in trouble, please don't do it. There is nothing wrong with using a surname (Blue in your case). If I understand your comments correctly, using your name puts you and us at risk. So, from now on, please don't use your name.

Thanks!

Erin

M. M.

good Bible study for emotions
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 9:14 am

A study that really helped me was "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. It is a book but has a Bible study that you can get too. It's helpful if you can do it with someone, but it's good by itself too. Someone I know who struggles with lots of ups and downs used it and was really encouraged.

Chey

Love My Bible
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 9:50 am

The bible is such an amazing tool! It doesn't matter how I feel when I start reading and worshiping I always end up in a better mood and ready to face the fiery darts of the enemy. When I first started a bible reading plan it Baltimore like a chore. After a while I found that the line of obedience is this: Obey< Continual Obedience< The Desire to Obey. After we start obeying God we tend to enjoy it more!

Thanks for another GREAT post!! :)

Brittany

Bilbe study
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 10:44 am

Thanks for the past! This is definitely me, and I'm going to definitely start reading my bible more and cracking it open. This is a big problem for me because I never take the time to do so, so, it'll be an eye opener for me.

RachelAllison

@Renée
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 11:23 am

Dear Renée, you've asked a great question. It is true that the best way to deal with depression is to keep your focus on God, rather than yourself and all that you're feeling. Because we can easily get lost in what we're feeling and feelings.... well, they're just too finicky to base our faith upon. So you're on the right track as you seek to focus your heart on God as you struggle with times of depression.
What verses could help you out? Hopefully I can give you a few suggestions. :) As someone who has struggled very greatly and still is struggling (though not quite as bad) with depression, the Psalms have been exactly what I need. I read a few Psalms every morning with my regular Bible reading and these truly are the best way to lift my spirit and get me focusing on my amazing God. In fact, I've actually begun reading the entire book of Psalms every month... and it's actually not as hard as it sounds. Just keep an eye on the calendar. Whatever the date is, that's the Psalm that you'll read today. So today you would read Psalm 3. But that won't cover all of them, right? So you start with Psalm 3 and then skip 30 and read Psalm 33. Skip 30 more and read Psalm 63, then 93, and so on until you cannot go any further. Of course, once you get to a month with 31 days, you'll realize that on the 31st you'll be re-reading stuff you've already read that month, so only go up to 30 with this and I'll tell you in a minute what to do with that 31st day. So this might seem like a lot of stuff to read, but the Psalms are very short and reading each of these really won't take you that long. Except Psalm 119, which just happens to be a whole 176 verses! But don't skip that one over! It's one of the most encouraging! I just love that one... it has helped me so much. And that's what you'll work on reading through on each month that has a 31st. On the 31st you'll just read through Psalm 119, rather than reading through it along with all the others ones for the 29th of that month.
Does all of this makes sense? I know it's a bit complex, but it has helped me so much! Instead of just flipping to a random Psalm every morning, this keeps me reading through the whole book and finding Psalms that I never remember reading before!
Let me know if you have questions about this or are confused and I'll try to help you out. :)
Blessings,
RachelAllison

lizzy

yes!
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 12:09 pm

i too have been struggling with this since camp. your post was really encouraging. thank you :)

Blue

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 12:28 pm

I wasn't using my last initials anymore b/c I can't have someone in my family googling my name and reading some of the things I post on this webiste. Even though I'm 21 and I'm allowed to do what I want, I don't want my family knowing about the intimate parts of my life which I sometimes post about here. Using my first name was fine, but I was adding "Blue" to make me more distinguishable. I won't use my name at all, though, if it makes you uncomfortable.

Blue

One Girl
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 12:29 pm

I'm also reading "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore, and I love it! I would second that reccomendation!

dorcas

'breaking free'
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 12:43 pm

sounds like the kind of book i need... is that the one with the picture on the front where a woman is diving head first into a refrigerator? lol... maybe not quite, but...sorry, i kindof remember books be their pictures, not their titles... ;p

Crazygirl

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 12:53 pm

I tend to have the mountiantop syndrome on Sundays. Because then I feel like I'm learning new things and getting things into the right place but I feel scared about Monday because then I know I will forget and I'm not sure how to put it but everything gets messed up I feel guilty because I keep falling into the same things. But I wan to start becoming more consistent about Bible reading. Thank you for this post.

ANNONOMOUS:))

quick question.
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 2:59 pm

this question has bothered me for some time now. okay so here goes....
so u know how people say that god knows EVERYTHING? but yet some other people will say that gods disappointed in u when u do something wrong (ex. like a kid sneaks out or somtin and get caught so there parents will say that gods dissapointed in them) well if god know everything how can he be dissapointed in u... since he already knew u were gonna do it? ... its really confusing to me.

one girl

Erin, and everyone else who responded!
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 3:11 pm

Thank you so much! I will look into all of those books and will also start on Galations today!

Erin Davis

Blue
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 3:26 pm

It's up to you. You've just made it clear in several comments that using your name puts you at risk. If this is the case I would rather you not use your name at all. There is no reason to use your actual name for our purposes.

Thanks!

Erin

Christina

Walk Walk Walk the Bible Way
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 5:01 pm

This is all true, and no matter how many times you read your Bible (even if you keep on reading the same thing), you can keep on learning something new. Start your day off reading the Bible, and don't just read it once and that's it but read it throughout the day (and pray throughout the day) and meditate on what you learn. Read Your Bible Pray Everyday and you'll grow grow grow....don't read your Bible forget to pray and you'll shrink shrink shrink. This is not literallly gonna happen to your height, but it will to the point of your spiritual relationship with God. Don't let your relationship fall, that leads you to be depressed and miserable. When you feel God is far away, it was never Him that left, it was you as you began to fall away from God.

Sponsor
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 5:34 pm

I know this is nothing to do with the topic but I'm a 15 year old Christian girl who lives in England and I have a heart for helping children. I would love to sponsor a child through my allowance but I don't know whether I'm too young. If anyone has sponsorship websites please give me an answer. Thanks. PS I can't give alot of money. $5 or less is fine.

I needed this!
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Erin, you hit this spot-on. I've noticed that trouble starts when I stop reading my Bible, yet I let it happen sometimes!

Recently I hadn't been reading and had fallen into a less-than-honorable media choice that really consumed my life, a new drama/soap opera show. I knew it wasn't something my mom would permit me to watch (I'm 15 but comedies on Disney and sometimes Nickelodeon are pretty much what she allows me to watch--I'm not generally a regular TV watcher) and I also knew it wasn't something GOD would want me to watch. Yet I was choosing it over Him and of course that led to committing other sins, as well.

Well I was making a video journal entry about my issue last night, or it was past midnight so I guess it was technically extremely early this morning. And then instead of avoiding Him, I was actually speaking to God about the issue around 1 AM this morning, about how I wanted to go back to Him but I know myself and I knew that if I stopped watching the show to honor Him, I would fall away from Him sometime later and want to watch the show again, but by that time I'd have missed so many episodes I'd be lost.

Well I went to bed and didn't get up until around noon (!!!). I checked the blog and read this post and was like "Huh..." So I made another video journal and was talking about the post (I don't upload these on the Internet or anything, BTW) and decided it was time to give God control of this show.

So then I wrote in my prayer journal, something I hadn't been being consistent with lately, and I just wrote a bunch of stuff and it felt really good. :) Then I read James chapter 1 and took notes on it in another notebook. I highly recommend everyone go read that chapter (I use the NLT Bible , BTW). I actually came across verse 21 around midnight before I'd returned to God and it definitely was not a coincidence!

I'm really going to try to read like a chapter from the Bible every day, and it'd be great if I could stick with taking notes on what I read each day, too, but if not at least I'm reading. Keeping up with your Bible reading truly does work wonders for your relationship with God. So take Erin's advice, girls (and guys, if any are reading); read your Bible every day!

Thanks again for this post, thank you very, very much. <3

~C

Re: Danica
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 6:42 pm

Hey girl, what version of the Bible are you reading? I'm guessing KJV? That's the one I've grown up with but not long ago I bought an NLT and I understand it a whole lot better! I find it easier to understand the Bible now when I read than before. There's also the NKJV, which is the New King James Version, which basically puts the KJV in more modern language. Maybe you could try reading one of the other versions I spoke of? :)

~C

Jess

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm

Wow! this is exactly what I needed, very encouraging I must say!
I've always been one of those people who decides to start reading my bible everyday but after a few days, weeks, months etc.. I tend to just stop doing it. From now on I will start pushing myself to do it. The pastor at my church mentioned that it is like having a shower everyday to stay clean but instead taking in the word of God everyday to keep our christian minds healthy and sp that we can be more like Jesus
Thankyou so much for these blogs.. they are very encouraging!!

Blue

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 7:56 pm

Okay..

Tabby

Question
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 8:27 pm

Well... I used to love reading my Bible and everything and I felt like I got something out of it. But now I'm kind of in cycle of doubting and believing and doubting again... I'm having a hard time trusting God and Jesus and the Bible lately... any advice?

Mel

Renee
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 8:50 pm

Renee some of the encouraging scrips in the bible are: psalms 37:4, psalms 118:17, matthew 5:1-12, luke 18:27, romans 8:31, jeremiah 29:11-13, psalm 34:18, james 4:8, 1 peter 5:7, proverbs 31:30, etc...God bless u renee. Hope all is well.

Mel

Re:
on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 9:01 pm

Renee another good scrip is proverbs 18:24. Well regarding the post, i get discouraged when i dont understand what I am reading in the bible :(...i try to be in the Word everyday by the grace of God.

Lorree, with the LYWB team

Tabby
on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 4:43 pm

I am sorry for the struggle you are having with your belief in God and the truths He has for you, Tabby. There isn’t anything wrong with having doubts and questions. I only encourage you to bring them to God and openly confess them to Him. Ask Him to make His love for you known through His Word. There’s nothing we can do that will separate us from God’s love (Rom. 8:38-39). Bringing questions to God and working through them using the Truth of God’s Word is the way we make our faith our own.

Is there an older godly woman in your life you could approach with your questions? She could meet with you, pray for you, encourage you and keep you pointed in the right direction. If you don’t know of one, you might ask your pastor if he could suggest someone for you.

I love the story of the father who came to Jesus seeking healing of his son in Mark 9:14-29. Jesus tells him “All things are possible for one who believes”. The father responds, “I believe; help my unbelief.” Jesus didn’t rebuke him for his unbelief, but healed his son.

I’m praying for you Tabby! I’m asking God to continue to draw you to His Word and to faithfully answer your questions and doubts as He continues to draw you closer in your relationship to Him. Stay in the Word, Tabby! It is the lifeline for your soul!

Last Edit: on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 4:43pm by ljohnson

Lorree, with the LYWB team

Anonomous
on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 4:45 pm

I have also struggled through this issue – how does the sovereignty of God, the omniscience of God mesh with the free will of man and the choices we make.

I believe “disappointment” is the wrong word to use. Disappointment is based on unmet expectations which lead us to believe that God doesn’t know everything. This is clearly not in line with Scripture. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he died for all our sins, past, present and future. He knew what we would do and he died in payment for all of them. God knows everything and has taken care of our sins on the cross.

God is our Father and experiences all the emotions of a father. He loves us and hates sin – He hates to see the consequences we go through when we choose to sin. He tells us in Eph. 4:30 not to grieve the Holy Spirit. So we know that God feels the emotions of sadness and grief when we choose to sin, when we choose to walk in the flesh rather than abiding in Him and relying on Him to enable us to overcome our sin.

God knows we are sinners. He also knows that apart from Him we cannot do anything that pleases Him (Jn. 15:5). That’s why when we come to faith in Him, He puts His Spirit in our souls so that we have the ability now to choose to follow and obey Him. When we choose to sin, I believe it does make Him sad as we have missed His mark of holiness (1 Pet. 1:13-16) and will have to deal with the consequences of that sin. He grace is always there for us, to pick us up and get us back on solid ground again as we turn to Him, confess our sins and repent of our sins (1 Jn. 1:9).

Nothing will ever stop His love for us, my friend. I love the verse in Romans 8:38-39 that assures me of the Truth of this. I’m praying that you will experience the grace and unconditional love of your Heavenly Father today.

Jennifer

Anonymous
on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 5:20 pm

I agree very much with Erin. I was going to say pretty much that. I think that disappointed is the wrong word, but I think that sad is more like it.

Sarah, with the LYWB team

@K...
on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 7:14 am

We are so glad you are on the blog from England! :-) Contact Samaritans Purse at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Who_We_Are/Contact_Us to see if their relief work would be available for giving. The Operation Christmas Child program would be a lovely way to help children know the love of Christ. Also, Compassion, at compassion.com sponsors children around the world. God bless you, K, for your heart to make a difference in a child's life.

Sarah, with the LYWB team

@Renee
on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 7:26 am

RachelAllison has a great plan! I agree with her; you can't beat the Psalms to lift your heart and mind out of depression and sadness. Psalm 139 is one of my favorites...you will see God's great care and design for you! You will see that He is watching everything you do...because He can't take His eyes off of you. :-) And you will read there that God thinks of you more often than the number of grains of sand on the seashore! Be encouraged my sweet friend! God loves you!!

Last Edit: on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 7:27am by skrause

Lorree, with the LYWB team

Danica
on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Our enemy does not want us to read the Bible, Danica. That is part of why it is so hard to get into the habit of doing it. Your friend is right, though, we need to read it and just make a habit of it. Sometimes reading in a different version of the Bible makes it more understandable. I find that doing a Bible study along with reading helps me to process my thoughts and forces me to slow down, think about what I read and allow God to work in my heart. The Lies Young Women Believe Companion guide would be a great place for you to start. It will take you to Scripture, ask a question, and then you write your answer down. Perhaps you can find a friend to do this with – not only does it make it more enjoyable, but it provides accountability, too! Praying for you, Danica!

Alice4God

Hide the Truth in your heart
on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 8:46 pm

So true! Several years ago I reached the bottom of a long downward thought cycle of lies, even most of which I knew were irrational - they didn't even agree with each other - and the root issue was that I had stopped reading God's Word. One day the Holy Spirit got through to me and said, HIDE THE WORD IN YOUR HEART. If you don't feel like you can read 5 chapters a day, THAT'S OK! To start, find a verse that directly contradicts that lie you're rehearsing like a broken record, and meditate on it. Memorize it. Let it sink in.

I recently posted a short guest blog about this at http://ow.ly/c1r4Q

Praise God for the Truth of His WORD. It is "sharper than a double-edged sword." You may not believe right now that it will make any difference - it will.

deanna joy

Re:
on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 4:24 pm

This is a really relate-able topic. I definitely suffered from mountaintop-syndrome after Ecduador. When I read the first post, I just knew you were going to say read your Bible. God's been showing me so many valuable reasons to make time for His word each day, and here, it's yet another very important reason. Please pray for me though. The desire to do my devos in the morning keeps coming back, but during the school year, that requires getting up very very early when my brain is mush. I think it might help if I did something active before I did them, but then I'd have to get up even earlier....it seems as though during the school year, the most practical thing is to do them at night....but like I said I often find myself wanting to do them in the morning. I guess pray that God will make me a morning person, and if not, that He would help me to be content with doing them at night. Thanks! Love ya!

Lorree, with the LYWB team

Deanna Joy
on Monday, July 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm

Thank you for your honesty and transparency, Deanna Joy! Mornings aren’t always the best time for everyone. In fact, as you go through the seasons of your life as a woman, your time with the Lord may need to move to different parts of the day. The critical thing is that you are making a commitment to spend time each day with the Lord.

You might consider praying for just a few minutes before you even get out of bed in the morning by thanking God for your rest and the new day ahead. Then commit your day and life to God. You can then choose to continue to have your focused time with the Lord in the evenings. I know that the Lord will reveal how He wants you to meet with Him. I’m praying for you, Deanna Joy.

Christen

One Girl
on Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 7:23 pm

I might recommend Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elizabeth Elliot. I haven't read all of it, but what I did read was good.
Also, this is gonna sound cheesy, get involved. If having empty time to kill causes you to make bad choices, then fill up your time doing God-honoring things. If you have younger siblings, you can spend time playing with them (which gives your parents a break from watching them and sets a good example of kindness/service to the kids).
There are also lots of volunteer opportunities in your comunity. Libraries, The Salvation Army, the Rescue Mission, some museums, parents needing babysitting, Ronald McDonald Charity Houses, nursing homes, and most hospitals offer volunteer programs and are glad to accept your help. I volunteer at a library, and its pretty fun for me; you just have to find a place that fits the gifts God has given you. :)
Reading the word, listening to worship music, praying, etc. is also a great use of time. Helping around the house is good too.
It's wonderful that God is inspiring you to use your time wisely. The Bible often teaches on the importance of spending our time profitably. Ephesians 5:16
"making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."
I hope I haven't sounded too harsh here. I guess I'll add here that God is also really gracious in his dealings with us and our shortcomings.
I've struggled with a lot of the same things related to having time to kill that you mentioned. I'll pray for you!
Love,
Christen

ANNONOMOUS

thank u
on Monday, July 16, 2012 at 9:36 am

thank u to those who answered my question. ive been thinking eally hard about it.... still confusing but i think im starting to get it now:) thank u again...

Elizabeth

Nightmare with MATH
on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:20 pm

I am very frustrated. I'm homeschooled and math is terrible. Ikeep skipping lessons so my mom sends me back to do them. Im doing math from morning to night and Ive had it up to here with it. Ive been praying for help. Any advice?

Lorree, with the LYWB team

@ Elizabeth
on Monday, January 28, 2013 at 6:12 pm

I’m glad you are praying and wanting to find a way through this, Elizabeth. As you have found, skipping lessons probably isn’t the best way to handle math. What would happen if you decided to tackle your math first thing in the morning? I’ve found that doing my least favorite thing first and getting it out of the way frees me to enjoy the things I like during the rest of the day. It would also be good if you asked your mom to forgive you for not being obedient in your school assignments. That will help to clear the air between you as you move forward with new study habits. I’m joining you in prayer today and asking God to help you do the hard things first as you start your school day.

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