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Hitting the Plateau

Ask anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight, and they can tell you in a flat second what it means to hit a plateau. For those who don’t know, it means losing weight for about a month or two, then the pounds no longer come off. You get discouraged and feel Scaleslike giving up. There’s only one solution, you have to change what you’re doing, and do something extreme.

The same is true on your Christian walk. We have all had our faith ebb and flow. New Christians appear to be the most excited about the Lord. Yet in time, their joy seems to diminish. When that happens, some walk away thinking it wasn’t real in the first place.

What exactly is a plateau? According to dictionary.com, it’s a state or period of little or no growth or decline. If your faith has hit a plateau, it means you don’t feel like you’re growing much in Jesus. Basically you feel stale in your walk, or you’re in a rut with your faith.

There are things you can do to get that joy back. You have to be extreme. You have to move forward and change the way you are doing things.

Being extreme means different things to different people. With regard to exercise, it might mean adding an extra mile to your run. Others, it might mean adding jumping jacks and squat thrusts. When it comes to your faith, you could volunteer at a soup kitchen, go to a large Christian conference, or even teach a Bible study at your church.

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There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. – Bruce Lee
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Most of the time our euphoria diminishes when it comes to our faith because we’re not involved with other Christians. God wants us to be with other believers so we don’t lose our faith. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. By being with other believers, we keep that joy alive. We’re able to learn more about Jesus and to learn what works for others when they’ve hit these plateaus in their faith.

And the more you do in Jesus’ name, the more you will keep that joy. When you are studying the Bible in order to teach a class, you can’t help but feel God’s presence. The more time you spend with other believers and with His book, the less chance you will ebb and flow.

HaitiEveryone has good days and bad with it comes to faith. You just need to hold on. And if things have gotten really bad, get extreme. Go on a mission trip to Haiti or start your own Bible study group. Even greeting people at the door of your church can help get those joyful feelings back.

Once we get sedate in our belief, the less we feel the Lord in our lives. The only way to get it back is to change what it is you are doing. So step out and do something extreme.

Have you ever had times where you felt you were on a plateau with your faith? If so, how did you get that feeling of joy back?

Please share your comments below. And if this post has touched you in some way, feel free to share it on your social media sites.

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