If I could go back in time and talk to my much younger self, I would say, “Don’t get on the emotional roller coaster. Dig as deep as you can into the Bible for it is God’s love story to you. Draw as close as you can to Jesus. Learn the truth and be on guard for the lies Satan wants you to believe. The enemy is watching you to learn your weaknesses, and his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy you in any way he can.”
I was about ten years old when my best friend moved several states away. I was devastated and continuously tried to fill the void that had now been left in my soul. Yes, I was just a kid, but now it’s been over 50 years, and no matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never had a best friend again. As soon as I thought someone was going to become that friend I missed, they would either betray me, one of us would move, or they would pass away. My enemy knew that through loneliness and using people to lie and betray me, he could destroy my joy, my peace, and my trust. My feelings became my compass in life instead of the truth. For many years, I built up walls to protect myself. I still have certain walls that I don’t know will ever come down.
Maybe you can relate to this part of my life, or maybe you can’t. The fact is, for many years, I never learned the truth about who I was. Instead of filling my spirit with the Word, joy, and the presence of the God who loved and created me, I chose to ride the emotional roller coaster. Are you on the roller coaster?
As human beings, we love to laugh, have fun, have a great time, cry (usually over a good movie), be happy, joyful, and live in peace and harmony. The truth is that kind of life will come, but not in this lifetime, only in our eternal lifetime as believers in Jesus Christ. In John 16:33, Jesus gives us this promise: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV) We will face trials and temptations of all kinds, but if we don’t try to learn how to handle situations that come into our lives, we might not be able to find a way to get off the roller coaster. It helps to know our enemy and how he works to destroy us. It helps if we can develop a battle plan to fight him with. And as we take simple steps to know the One who will give us the victory over our battles, our faith and trust grow. For me, that means reading my Bible. Even if I only manage to read one or two verses or a Psalm, it provides me with peace and personally shows me I am making some progress toward winning today’s battle.
You may not own a Bible. That’s okay. You don’t have to own a physical Bible, though I recommend you get one so you can underline the verses that speak to your heart or take notes about the verses that provide guidance and instructions. Technology now makes it possible to download Bible apps. Some apps may even offer study Bibles. Google will provide any translation of text, book, chapter, or verse to read. There are even ways to listen to someone reading to you from the Bible. I like having a physical copy so I don’t need to rely on an internet connection, and it allows me to read it anytime and anywhere, but you do what works best for you. It may help you read your Bible from God’s view as a love story to you personally. Find joy in reading the Bible with the intention of getting to know God on a personal level, for He is the God who sees you and knows you. He longs for a relationship with you. Reading God’s Word can lead you to the truth and help you to fight the lies the enemy tells you.
If you don’t know what to read, I recommend you start at the beginning. I do well until I hit the laws starting in Exodus through Deuteronomy. Once I hit that section, I have to slow down and read only 10 verses a day from those books, or I skip those and move on to a different book. Some days I read from the New Testament or a chapter in Psalms or Proverbs instead. No matter what chapters I read, I ask God to speak to my heart and give me understanding.
There are many books and Christian speakers out there, but nothing can take the place of God’s personal words to you, His daughter.
God, I pray that as we seek to know You, You will soften our hearts toward You. That we would know Your truth and that the truth would set us free from our emotional roller coaster. That we would trust You in every situation of our lives. That You would protect us from our enemy, whose desire is to steal our joy, peace, and purpose. Hold us in Your loving arms as we struggle. Give us the strength to take up the Armor of God, starting with truth. Help us to fall in love with You deeper and deeper every day.
Gram