Friday Fight 109: Spiritual Vertigo
Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF109.
A few months ago, I visited a planetarium for the first time. Unfortunately, the experience revealed a difference between what I believed I was seeing and what was happening around me. My eyes thought I was moving, and I quickly fell as a result of experiencing vertigo. Since then, I have been reflecting on this experience that was entirely gone by that evening. But the process of how my reality shifted so quickly can parallel our spiritual lives also. What exactly does that look like?
Spiritual Vertigo
What if we applied the changing of our reality, or result of this process to our spiritual lives? Ever been in a situation where things went sideways quicker than you could wrap your mind around? It could be sudden death, declining health, marriage, or any big life change. Vertigo is a false sense that our body is moving when it isn’t. I certainly believed the room was moving and struggled to understand what was happening. Vertigo is the term used to describe the process of your brain trying to sort out the confusion between what you see versus what is being signaled. Something as foundational as being able to stand, let alone walk, completely changed. Suppose we find out our spouse is leaving, it’s in those times that Satan will torment our minds until we feel like we can’t even stand.
So what can we do when something in our lives is significantly moving or spinning out of our control? Where do we find encouragement? In Deuteronomy 31:8, God says He will never leave or forsake us. Fear and vulnerability welcome immeasurable instability whenever our surroundings rapidly change. Questions laced with lies from the enemy flood our minds about our position in the coming days, weeks, or months. Everything we believe surrounds us is now twisting in a funnel of confusion we cannot process. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring and want to feel stable again. But, we can because of His promise!
Darkness will lead us with lies, slowly and consistently. Satan does this hoping if it is subtle enough, we will not notice and believe it. He wants our soul; it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get it. If we blame God for our circumstances or spiritual vertigo, darkness can begin the long-term goal of separating us from our loving Creator. As long as we are blaming God, our faith can be slowly shaken. But doubt and faith are not mutually exclusive. So when doubt creeps in, let those thoughts lead you to God instead of away from Him.
God promises never to leave us or forsake us: is a huge encouragement. Knowing that God has never hurt, abandoned, or rejected us when we made poor choices and always wants what is best for us is everything. He is our foundation, and through the sacrifice of His Son and the atonement of His blood, we can remain in the comfort of this unparalleled stability. We can leave our discouragement and fear at His feet and walk in His grace, comfort, and mercy. God speaks through His Word and works His Word through each of us. Remember that walking in a community with others is how God designed us. In experiencing these declining shifts, He knew that other people could provide a safe environment to process this spiritual vertigo. Therefore, he graciously wants us to walk and seek Him together.
Pastor Shannon
New Life Calvert