The Daily CHEW™
Moving God’s Love from Head to Heart for Christian Professionals
Rachel, a healthcare executive, endured two years of financial crisis, praying fervently and trusting God daily. When the crisis resolved and her income stabilized, she stopped her morning prayer routine, binge-watched Netflix to “finally relax,” and within weeks was distant from God, irritable with her family, and tempted by old patterns of control and criticism. She asks her counselor: “Why did I fall apart after God answered my prayers?” The relief floods in—but so does vulnerability. Many Christians who clung desperately to God during prolonged crisis suddenly stumble into sin shortly after breakthrough. Like Noah, who got drunk after surviving the flood, we’re most vulnerable not in the storm, but in the calm that follows. For Christian high performers used to managing pressure, the transition from survival mode to normalcy is spiritually treacherous—without intentional practices, the very relief we longed for can become a doorway to complacency, pride, or self-indulgence.
Gospel Insight: God Works Transformation Not Only Through Crisis But Through the Vigilance We Maintain After Breakthrough
God works transformation not only in the intensity of crisis but through the vigilance and intentionality we sustain after breakthrough. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV). Post-crisis is a season of heightened spiritual vulnerability—when exhaustion, relief, isolation, and a false sense of safety converge to make sin appealing.
Surprise: Research on prayer shows that spiritual disciplines liberate cognitive resources consumed by worry and rumination—but when we drop those disciplines after crisis, we become vulnerable again. We’re most vulnerable to temptation after great success or relief, not during it. Noah survived the flood but fell into drunkenness shortly after. Elijah defeated 400 prophets but collapsed in despair immediately after. Physical exhaustion, emotional depletion, isolation, and the subtle shift from dependence on God to self-reliance create the perfect storm for sin. The key? Transition well by sustaining the spiritual disciplines that carried you through crisis—prayer, Scripture, community, rest, praise, and thanksgiving—anchoring in God’s love, not just His deliverance.
Let’s CHEW on this right now.
CHEW On This™ in 3–5 Minutes
- Confess (C): “Father, I confess that now that the crisis is over, I’ve drifted. I stopped praying as urgently. I’ve let distractions fill the space You once occupied. I’m vulnerable, exhausted, and tempted to coast rather than stay close to You.”
- Hear (H): “Father, what Scripture do You want me to wrestle with right now?”
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV).
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV).
God calls us to vigilance—not just during crisis, but especially after breakthrough. The enemy attacks when we drop our guard, thinking the danger has passed. - Exchange (E): “If I really believed God’s love is faithful not just in crisis but in relief, sustaining me through transitions, how would that change my tendency to drift after breakthrough?”
Today, I give You my exhaustion and false sense of safety, and I receive Your call to sustained vigilance, rest, and dependence on You—not just when I’m desperate. - Walk (W): “Holy Spirit, guide me to the next step that pleases You.”
Here’s the step I believe pleases You: Reinstate one daily spiritual discipline I dropped after the crisis—morning prayer, Scripture reading, or gratitude practice. Schedule a check-in with my accountability partner this week.
How to Transition Well After Crisis Ends
1. Recognize Post-Crisis Vulnerability
You are most vulnerable to temptation after success, relief, or the end of a trial—not during it.
- Why it happens: Physical exhaustion, emotional depletion, isolation, and the shift from dependence on God to self-sufficiency create openings for sin.
- Noah’s example: After surviving the flood and faithfully obeying God for decades, Noah got drunk and lay naked in his tent shortly after the crisis ended. Scholars suggest he was haunted by trauma, exhausted, isolated, or seeking relief—but the result was sin and shame.
- Elijah’s example: After defeating 400 prophets of Baal, Elijah collapsed under a tree and asked God to take his life—physically and emotionally spent, vulnerable to despair.
- The warning: “Success and comfort can become a trap”. When you stop clinging to God because the crisis has passed, you become vulnerable to the very sins you resisted during the storm.
2. Don’t Drop Spiritual Disciplines After Breakthrough
The practices that sustained you during crisis must continue after relief.
- Why it works: Research shows that prayer liberates cognitive resources consumed by worry and rumination, improving attention and task performance. But when you drop prayer after crisis, those resources are consumed again—leaving you vulnerable to temptation.
- Morning prayer and Scripture: If you prayed fervently during crisis, don’t stop when relief comes. Keep the rhythm—God is still your sustainer, not just your rescuer.
- Community and accountability: Post-crisis isolation is dangerous. Maintain connection to your CHEW group, accountability partner, or church community.
- Weekly worship and the Lord’s Supper: Weekly worship reminds you: “This is my body given for you”—God’s love isn’t conditional on crisis. It’s constant.
3. Practice CHEW Daily—Especially After Crisis
Use the CHEW rhythm to transition well, not just to survive.
- Confess honestly: Where am I feeling relieved but also vulnerable? What temptations or old patterns am I noticing?
- Hear from Scripture: What truth does God want me to wrestle with in this season of relief and transition?
- Exchange complacency for vigilance: If I believed God’s love sustains me post-crisis, not just during it, how would I live differently?
- Walk in a small step: One 10-minute action that keeps me dependent on God—prayer, gratitude, confession, reaching out to my accountability partner.
4. Build Trust Through Rest, Praise, and Thanksgiving—Not Just Relief
Rest isn’t passivity—it’s active trust in God’s continued provision.
- Sabbath rest: After crisis, rest in God—not through numbing, binge-watching, or indulgence, but through intentional Sabbath that declares: “God provides, even when I stop striving”.
- Daily praise and thanksgiving: Name 3 specific ways God showed faithfulness today—in crisis and in relief. Gratitude retrains your heart to see God’s active love in every season.
- Celebrate breakthrough without idolizing it: Thank God for deliverance, but anchor your identity in His love, not His answers to your prayers.
- Why it works: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4, ESV). Gratitude and praise actively realign hearts to trust God’s character, not just His provision.
5. Identify Sin Patterns and Root Out Core False Beliefs
Post-crisis is when old sin patterns resurface—address them at the root.
- Ask: What sin patterns am I noticing now that the pressure is off? (Control, numbing, people-pleasing, lust, comparison)
- Dig deeper: What core false belief fuels this sin?
- Full repentance: Confess not just the behavior, but the lie beneath it. Turn from the false belief and anchor in God’s truth: “God’s love is constant, not crisis-dependent. I need Him daily, not just desperately.”
6. Stay Alert—Don’t Mistake Relief for Safety
The enemy attacks when you drop your guard.
- Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. Post-crisis pride—”I made it through!”—makes you vulnerable.
- Stay sober-minded: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41, ESV).
- The warning: Maintain vigilance through prayer, Scripture, and community—especially when you feel safe.
7. Lean Into Ordinary Means of Grace
God sustains you post-crisis through the same means He sustained you during it.
- Prayer, Scripture, worship, sacraments, and community are not just crisis tools—they’re lifelong rhythms for every season.
- “Put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18, ESV)—truth, righteousness, faith, Gospel peace, and salvation. These aren’t emergency measures; they’re daily armor.
8. Recognize Signs of Drift and Address Them Quickly
Early warning signs of post-crisis drift:
- Diminished desire for God—prayer feels optional, Scripture sits unread
- Increased temptation or recurring sin
- Emotional instability—anxiety, irritability, or numbing
- Isolation—avoiding accountability or fellowship
- Action: Confess immediately. Return to CHEW. Reach out to your community.
Worship Invitation
Thank God today that His love sustains you not just through crisis, but through relief, transition, and every ordinary day. Worship Him by committing to vigilance, rest, and daily dependence—anchored in His faithful love.
Community + Resources
Practice with others
Want More? The Daily CHEW™ | Make CHEWing a daily rhythm
Select Resources:
- The CHEW Triad Guide
- Spiritual Disciplines and Mental Resiliency
- Strengthening Your Discipline of Prayer
Every step remains prayerful and relational—God is the active subject, we receive and respond. Transition well after crisis by sustaining spiritual disciplines, practicing vigilance, and anchoring in God’s love—not just His deliverance. Join a CHEW group, share your post-crisis struggles honestly, and let Gospel rhythms keep you dependent on God in every season—not just emergencies.
With you on the journey,
Ryan
Was this helpful?
