Introduction: Embracing the Rhythm of Spiritual Life
Welcome. If you have walked the path of faith for any length of time, you know that it is not a straight, predictable line. Instead, our spiritual life often feels like a wave, with natural high and low points. There are moments of profound connection and moments of quiet distance. It’s easy to feel discouraged, or even to question our faith, when the vibrant feelings fade. The challenge we all face is learning how to navigate these fluctuations without losing our spiritual direction.
This reflection is designed to offer a stable anchor in the midst of these waves. We will introduce the concept of the ‘Purity Centerline’—a steadfast focus on Jesus—and explore a framework for maintaining this crucial orientation, regardless of whether we find ourselves at a spiritual peak or in a quiet valley.
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1. Deconstructing the Waves: The Dangers of Highs and Lows
To navigate the spiritual life well, it is vital to correctly diagnose our state. The goal is not to eliminate the natural waves of faith but to understand the unique spiritual dangers that are present at both the low and high points. Scripture warns us that the true risk is not the emotional state itself, but rather the potential for either state to cause a “heart that loses Jesus.”
The Quiet Valley: Understanding Spiritual Numbness
The spiritual low point is often characterized by a sense of apathy, listlessness, and emotional numbness. We may find that prayer feels empty, and scripture seems distant. The true danger of this state, however, is not the lack of feeling. The critical risk is the subtle erosion of our will to look toward Jesus. When emotional rewards fade, the temptation is to let our gaze drift away entirely, mistaking the absence of feeling for the absence of God.
The Rushing Peak: The Danger of Spiritual Overheating
The spiritual high point can be equally perilous. This state is often marked by an anxiety-driven over-immersion in spiritual activities, a sense of excessive responsibility, and a feeling of being “overheated.” This spiritual ‘overheating’ is a counterfeit fervor, driven not by love for God, but by a fear of not being enough for Him. It is a subtle shift from worship to performance. This anxiety cunningly steals our gaze away from Jesus and places it squarely on our own efforts, our responsibilities, or our fears of failure. We become busy for God but lose our focus on God.
In both the low and the high, the common threat is the same: our focus is pulled away from Christ. How, then, can we maintain a steady gaze amidst these powerful and distracting internal forces?
2. The Purity Centerline: A New Direction for Faith
To safely navigate the waves of our spiritual experience, we need a different kind of anchor—one that is not dependent on our fluctuating emotions but is grounded in a consistent direction. This essential principle is the ‘Purity Centerline’.
Redefine Spiritual Purity
The key to finding this centerline lies in redefining what spiritual purity truly is. Commonly, we mistake purity for a “good moral state” or a feeling of spiritual cleanliness. However, a more robust, biblical understanding of purity is this:
Purity is a state of mind where the direction toward Jesus is not blurred.
This reorients our spiritual health check-in from “How do I feel?” to “Where am I looking?”—a far more stable and grace-centered question. This is a paradigm shift. Purity is not primarily a matter of the heart’s emotional condition, but of the gaze’s direction. It is less about maintaining a perfectly clean heart and more about consistently guarding the focus of our attention, ensuring it remains fixed on Jesus.
Questions for Personal Reflection
Take a moment to assess the direction of your own gaze with these questions:
• In my current spiritual state, where is my gaze primarily directed: toward my feelings of emptiness or fullness, or toward Jesus?
• When I think about my faith, do I measure its health by my emotional intensity or by the consistency of my orientation toward Christ?
• What factors in my life—whether positive challenges or negative pressures—are currently blurring my focus on Jesus?
Understanding the Purity Centerline is the first step; learning to hold it steady in the ebb and flow of daily life is the next.
3. Anchoring Practices: Holding the Centerline in Real Life
Maintaining the Purity Centerline is not an abstract idea but a discipline sustained through tangible, intentional practices. These practices are specifically tailored to counteract the unique dangers of our spiritual highs and lows.
Navigating the Lows with Intentional Will
During periods of spiritual numbness, the key is to maintain “small units” of scripture and prayer. The purpose of this practice is not to generate a feeling or force an emotional breakthrough. Rather, it is an act of the will—a conscious decision to keep one’s gaze fixed on Jesus even when there is no immediate emotional reward. This might look like reading a single verse of a Psalm, or speaking a one-sentence prayer like, “Jesus, I turn my heart to you,” holding that intention for just a minute.
This act of will is a direct counter-assault on the true danger of the low point—the erosion of our will itself. It rebuilds the very spiritual muscle that numbness seeks to atrophy. In this state, this simple act of intentionality is the practice of purity. It is a declaration that our commitment is to Christ Himself, not to the feelings He may or may not provide.
Navigating the Highs with Holy Moderation
During periods of spiritual overheating driven by anxiety, the corresponding practice is “moderation by looking only as far as Jesus has given.” This is the antidote to fear-based over-commitment. It is a conscious act of trust, choosing to rest in the grace and provision Jesus has given for today rather than striving anxiously for a future we cannot control. This is the practice of a Sabbath-heart, a deliberate choice to trust God’s sovereign pace over our own anxious striving. It is an act of faith that declares His provision is sufficient.
This intentional restraint—this choice to trust God’s portion over our own anxious efforts—is the practice of purity in this state.
4. The Three Foundational Pillars of the Centerline
The daily practices of maintaining the centerline are grounded in three foundational spiritual disciplines. These pillars work together to continuously correct our direction and keep us oriented toward God, ensuring the wave of our faith, no matter its height, is always directed upward.
• The Word (Logos): Scripture serves to fix and anchor the centerline. Like an objective North Star, its unchanging truth provides the stable reference point we need when our internal feelings are in flux.
• Prayer (Ruach): Prayer functions to realign the heart’s orientation. It is the active process of turning our attention and affection back toward God, like a compass needle being reset to true north after being jostled.
• The Character of Jesus (Agape): Meditating on the nature and character of Christ Himself restores our spiritual gaze when it wanders. He is not just a concept, but the destination. Focusing on His love (Agape), His grace, and His faithfulness puts our own anxieties and apathy into their proper, diminished perspective.
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Conclusion: A Blessing for the Journey
The spiritual journey is a dynamic one, filled with seasons of consolation and seasons of quiet. The core message of the Purity Centerline is that the highs and lows of our faith are temporary and survivable, but the center to which we are anchored is eternal. By redefining purity as a directional gaze and engaging in intentional practices, we can learn to navigate the waves with grace and stability.
Remember, this is not a call to perfection, but to direction. The goal is not a waveless faith, but a faith that, in every wave, learns to look toward the unwavering shore who is Christ.
Both the low points and the high points will pass, but the center does not change. May your day be one lived on the Purity Centerline, with your gaze fixed upon Jesus.
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