Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality

Let's chat about something that might seem all too familiar to many of us: having that 'all is well' facade when, underneath, it's a bit of a hot mess. Ever bought a shiny apple that turned out to be rotten inside? That's our topic today - Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality.

Take King Saul, for instance. A prime example pulled straight from 1 Samuel 15. On the outside, Saul seemed like the poster boy for leadership. However, dive a little deeper and we find a man ruled by ego, pride, vanity, and, surprisingly, fear.

Saul's surface actions didn't always align with God's deeper commands. In trying to appease people (or perhaps his own ego), Saul sometimes defied God's exact orders. And when confronted by the Prophet Samuel, Saul did what many of us might do – he tried to spin things to his advantage.
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The heart of the message can be found in 1 Samuel 15:22-23. It emphasizes that obedience to God's voice is more significant than any sacrifice. That's a zinger! It's not about our outer activities or how religious we look, but how authentic our inner relationship with God is.

Contrast Saul with King David. David had his fair share of mistakes, but he was acutely aware of his internal world. He voiced his joys, sorrows, regrets, and praises. David was genuine, both with God and with others. He didn't hide his flaws; he owned them and brought them before God.

Now, here's the kicker: it's easy to brush this off as ancient history, but let's get real. There's a mini-Saul in all of us. Today's church often focuses on scripture and knowing about Jesus, but do we truly know ourselves? Our emotional health and spiritual maturity are intertwined, and we can't grow spiritually if we're stunted emotionally.

For many, there's a cycle of repetitive 'baby' Christianity, year after year, without diving deeper. Instead of progressing in our faith and understanding, we sometimes just circle the same mountain.
In the upcoming weeks, we'll delve into 10 symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. For a teaser, the first three are:

1. Using God to run from God.
2. Ignoring emotions like anger, sadness, and fear.
3. Dying to the wrong things.

So, as we wrap up, remember: it's not about the religious motions or pretenses. God yearns for us to be like David - raw, real, and after His own heart. Let's aim for that, shall we? 💛

Until next time, stay genuine and keep that heart open!

​- Adapted from sermons preached across our 3 campuses on 9/17/2023.