We’re in the time of year when people begin to feel the stress of finances, career choices, relationships, and a plethora of other things. No one is exempt from these feelings. The Lord spoke to me this morning concerning burn out and discouragement this morning. I believe this post will help some of you who have been feeling like throwing in the towel.
1. Be sure to surrender any sinful thoughts or actions to the Lord. When things are not going the way you want, the stress to perform can sometimes trigger a craving for relief…even if that relief comes in the form of something sinful. It may bring an immediate sense of gratification, but you’ll only end up deepening your depression once the guilt of what you did sets in. It is a never ending cycle that will take your farther than you ever intended to go. Hosea 14:1-2 says, “O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, ‘Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves [fruit, sacrifices] of our lips.”
2. Serve God and not yourself. Take it from a guy that has been there and done that! Chasing my own dreams is a relentless pursuit to perform for others. When does one reach “success”? Chasing your own dreams only leads to chronic disappointment which then can lead to burn out and discouragement. You never have a nice enough house. You can always get a higher paying position at work. There are always areas of interest to try to prove yourself. There is always more to do and more people to impress. Hosea 14:3 says, “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Ye are our gods…’”. Discouragement comes when things consistently do not go the way we want them to. We all know this feeling…trying to open doors that have been locked tight; banging our heads up against a wall. Stop and ask yourself, “Who am I serving? Who am I trying to please? Whose directing my life right now…me or God?”
Once your sin has been repented of and you begin to strive to build God’s kingdom instead of yours, then and only then will you find God saying to you what he told Israel in Hosea 14:4-6…
“I will heal your backsliding, I will love you freely: for mine anger is turned away from you. I will be as the dew unto you: you shall grow as the lily and cast forth your roots as Lebanon. Your branches shall spread and your beauty shall be as the olive tree, and your smell as Lebanon.”
God doesn’t want you discouraged. His will is not for you to burn out. Shoot me some comments of your thoughts on this subject so that others can see, or just ask for prayer so that we can pray for you during this time.
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