“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
Psalm 23:2 (NIV) What should you do when you’re emotionally exhausted? When the Prophet Elijah faced emotional exhaustion, God led him to do three things that helped him recover—and they’re things that can help you recover, too, when you’re at the end of your rope. 1. Rest your body. In the world’s most famous psalm, the Bible says of God, “He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2 NIV). Sometimes God has to make you lie down because you’re unwilling to do it on your own. You can’t be spiritually and emotionally strong while you’re physically depleted. That’s what happened to Elijah. God did not scold Elijah. God didn’t say, “Come on, man. You’re just having a pity party.” He simply let Elijah sleep. The Bible says about Elijah: “Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep” (1 Kings 19:5 NIV). Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do when you’re emotionally exhausted is to take a nap. 2. Release your frustrations. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. In 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah says this to God: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (NIV). Elijah didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t filter his feelings. Instead, he told God his frustrations. Here’s the point you can’t miss about this verse: God isn’t shocked when you complain to him; he’ll listen to you until you run out of words. Let them all out. God can handle anything you throw at him. 3. Remember and refocus on God. When you’re emotionally exhausted and approaching burnout, you need to remember what God says and who he is. When you do that, you shift your eyes away from your problem and toward Jesus. You get a fresh awareness of God’s power, God’s presence, and God’s personality. You need to see God far more than you need to see your problems. If you read 1 Kings 19:11-13, you’ll see how God demonstrated his power firsthand to Elijah. The Lord showed him who was in control. When you’re struggling through burnout, it’s often because you’re trying to play God and control everything. When you refocus on God, you realize he is in control—and you stop trying to exert your own control. If you’re feeling burned out and emotionally exhausted, God hasn’t forgotten you. Just like God did with Elijah, God stands ready and willing to help you.
0 Comments
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Psalm 23:4 (NIV) No one gets through life without setbacks. All of us will face storms from time to time. The real issue is how we respond. When you experience a setback, what happens next? Do setbacks dominate you? Do you stop trying and give up? If we’re not careful, setbacks will cause us to make unhelpful decisions:
The true test of faith is not how high you jump when you’re singing praises to God, but how straight you walk when you’re going through the valley of the shadow of death. You’ll always drift in a storm without the right anchor. And only one anchor will really do. One of the Bible’s most famous passages says it like this: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). God’s presence is the greatest anchor in any situation. When you’re feeling hopeless, remember that God hasn’t left you. Choose to make him your rock-solid anchor. No matter how dark your valley, you’ve never been closer to God than you are at this exact moment. When I remind people of that truth while they’re in the middle of a setback, they often tell me: “Well, I don’t feel his presence.” But it really has nothing to do with how you feel. The Bible says God is there in your darkest valley. That’s reality—whether you believe it or not. The Bible says, “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:38-39 The Message). No matter what you’re going through, God and his love are right there with you. That truth offers stability in any storm. “Because you are praying for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me, I know this trouble will bring my freedom.”
Philippians 1:19 (NCV) When we experience setbacks, our most common response is our worst response: We want to withdraw, to build a wall around ourselves, to push people away. But that’s the last thing we should do. When setbacks leave your faith weak, you need other people to trust God for you. You need a church family to help support you. When Job lost his family, finances, and health, it was a devastating setback—just as it would have been for anyone. But here’s what one of Job’s friends told him: “Don’t let your anger and the pain you endured make you sneer at God . . . Others have praised God for what he has done, so join with them” (Job 36:18, 24 CEV). That’s great advice. When you’re in the midst of troubles, don’t get bitter. Join with others who can pray with you, worship with you, and support you. Where do you find that kind of support? First, join with others for worship at a local church. Worshiping with other people will give you a new perspective on your setbacks. Second, get involved in some kind of small group Bible study. Most churches are too big to build relationships just through attending worship services. You need a group of 10 to 12 people to gather with not only to study the Bible, but also to share your pain and pray together. You won’t find a comeback on your own. You need God’s people to build you up and help you focus on God. Gathering with others will be a huge step toward your comeback. Just ask Paul. As he sat in a Roman prison, Paul wrote this about the support of other Christians: “Because you are praying for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me, I know this trouble will bring my freedom” (Philippians 1:19 NCV). With the support and prayers of God’s people, your setback is only temporary. Your best days are ahead. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT) Lasting love is persistent. It is determined. It is diligent. It is resolute. It endures the worst and doesn’t give up on a relationship. It’s stubborn! The purpose of a relationship is not just to make you happy but also to make you holy. Relationships—whether with a spouse or child or even a close friend—teach you to think of others more than you think of yourself. As you persevere with them through difficult times, you will learn certain things that you would never learn any other way. Maybe you need to hear this today: Don’t give up. Keep on. Persevere. Be stubborn. Don’t let go of God’s gift of lasting love because you have to work for it. It will always be worth the fight. Learning to love is the single greatest lesson in life. It is why God put you on this planet. But it’s not always easy—and it’s just plain hard to love some people. There really isn’t a “secret” to lasting love. The key, however, is to let God’s love flow through you. Philippians 2:5 says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (NLT). Human love wears out. But having Jesus’ love in you lets you offer lasting love to others. Open your life to him—and then let him love others through you. “Love . . . always looks for the best.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 (MSG) When you have high expectations of someone, you don’t tell it like it is. You tell it like it could be. What does that mean? It’s means you believe in what God wants to do in and through that person, and you affirm God’s purpose for them. An excellent example of how this works is a story from Bruce Wilkinson, an author and teacher. Years ago, he was a new professor at Multnomah University, and at the first faculty meeting, he received his class assignments. Another professor saw his sheet and said, “Bruce, you’ve been given two of the section A classes. They’re the brightest students in the university. They’re really engaged and a joy to teach. You’re fortunate to have section A students in your first year.” Bruce discovered that to be true—he absolutely loved teaching those kids. They were so much more fun to teach than the other classes. They were smarter and asked better questions. At the end of the year, Bruce told his department supervisor, “Man, I sure hope I get the section A classes again next year!” The supervisor told him, “Bruce, there is no section A. We canceled that program six years ago.” When Bruce went back and checked his grade books, he found that those “section A” classes may not have been advanced placement, but they received higher grades and wrote more thoughtful term papers than his other classes. Bruce realized—because he expected them to be better students—they rose to the challenge. Throughout your life, you will shape the people around you by your expectations of them. When you expect the best from others, you are reflecting the lasting love of Jesus. The Bible says that love does not nag or perpetually bring up past mistakes. The apostle Paul said it this way: “Love . . . always looks for the best” (1 Corinthians 13:7 MSG). Lasting love is forward-looking. It’s optimistic. Lasting love is full of hope. “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
Ephesians 4:2 (NLT) No relationship will survive without grace. You’ve got to cut people some slack! You’ve got to let things go. The Bible says, “Love patiently accepts all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NCV). In the original Greek, this literally means “covered with a roof.” Would you buy a house without a roof? Of course not. You’d have no protection from wind and rain. A roof covers and protects your home. In the same way, biblical love covers a relationship and lets some things slide. It doesn’t hold people accountable for every little mistake they make. You need a roof on your relationship, because people damage pretty easily, and we need the kind of love that extends grace. Why is grace essential to relationships? Because we are all sinners. If you’re married, you married a sinner—and your spouse did too! Two imperfect spouses will never make a perfect marriage. And it’s the same way in friendships. No friendship is perfect—because no friend is perfect! Two imperfect people will never create a perfect relationship. The Bible says in Romans 3:10, “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one” (NCV). Nobody gets it right 100 percent of the time. It’s never just one person’s fault. We all make mistakes, and there’s always responsibility on both sides. The saying goes, “It takes two to tango.” It also takes two to disagree! That’s why the Bible says we have to learn to extend grace to each other. Forgiveness is a two-way street. We cannot receive what we’re unwilling to give to other people. You build strong relationships by treating other people the way God treats you. Romans 15:7 says, “Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you” (NLT). Accepting others may look like listening without judging to a friend or giving space to a tired, grumpy family member. When you accept others as they are, looking past their faults for the sake of love, that’s extending grace. “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”
Matthew 12:34 (NLT) How does God help you with a bad habit of anger? He goes straight to the heart of the problem because it is a problem in the heart. Anger doesn’t start in your behavior, your background, or your feelings. It begins in the heart. The Bible says, “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Matthew 12:34 NLT). Our mouths just reveal what we’re really like inside. Sometimes I hear people say something really mean or unkind, and then they say, “Oh, I don’t know what got into me. That’s not like me.” Oh, yes it is! Your mouth just reveals what’s in your heart. Someone’s harsh tongue reveals an angry heart. When you meet somebody with a negative tongue, you know he’s got a fearful heart. A boasting tongue reveals an insecure heart. A judgmental tongue exposes a guilty heart. And a filthy tongue represents an impure heart. On the other hand, if you find somebody who’s always encouraging others, she has a happy heart. If he’s always speaking in a gentle way, you know he’s got a loving heart. If she’s able to control her words, you know she’s got a peaceful heart. Are you satisfied with the words that naturally come out of your mouth? If not, then you need a heart transplant. You need a new heart! David says in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (NIV). The real secret to managing anger is God’s power to change you on the inside. Romans 15:5 says, “May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants” (NCV). If your heart is crying out, it’s because you haven’t ever fully received the warmth and security of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus can replace a hurting heart with his love. He cares about your pain, and he will help you heal so that your words give life and reveal the hope you have in Christ. “You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws.”
Psalm 119:73 (TLB) It’s hard to love when you’re tired. That’s right: Your physical condition has a strong impact on your relationships. Having energy makes a big difference! What happens to your relationships when you’re run down? Things that are usually small issues become big problems. You may be crankier, more defensive, or more critical when you’re low on energy. If you’re committed to becoming better at loving others, then you need to develop habits that refresh you physically. The Bible teaches many principles for health, but the three most basic are proper rest, a balanced diet, and regular exercise. Rest. Psalm 127:2 says, “It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night . . . for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest” (TLB). If you are too tired to love your kids, your spouse, or a friend, then your problem is first physical, not spiritual. It’s amazing how much better things look after a good night’s sleep. Balanced diet. The Bible says, “You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws” (Psalm 119:73 TLB). God provides wonderful delights for us to enjoy and savor. We are meant to enjoy food! But he has also given us wisdom to know what and how much is good to put in our body—and what is not. We just need to do it. Regular exercise. “God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God” (1 Corinthians 6:20 TLB). To overcome fatigue, you must commit to regular exercise. Study after study shows that exercise doesn’t deplete your energy. It actually increases your energy. God never meant for you to go through life exhausted. When you’re too tired to love others well, take a good look at how much you’re resting, what you’re eating, and how often you exercise. Then make better—and often more difficult—choices to take care of yourself. You and those you love will only benefit in the long run. “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”
Proverbs 29:11 (NLT) If you want to tame your temper, you must resolve to manage it. You have to quit saying, “I can’t control it!” and realize that you can. Just like love, anger is a choice. When you get angry, you choose to get angry. Nobody is forcing you to get angry. People often say things like, “You make me so mad!” But the truth is that nobody can make you mad without your permission. Anger is a choice, and you must choose to control it if you want to be a loving person. You have far more control over your anger than you may want to admit. Here's an example. Let’s say you’re at home and you’re in an argument with somebody in your family. Your voices are raised, and you’re getting agitated. You’re upset. All of a sudden, the phone rings, and you answer sweetly, “Hello? Oh, yes! It’s for you, honey!” What happened? You didn’t want to be embarrassed or have to explain, so you switched your anger off real quick. Anger is highly controllable! The Bible says in Proverbs 29:11, “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back” (NLT). Do you want to be a foolish person or a wise person? How you respond to a situation is your responsibility and yours alone. Anger is a choice. The time to decide to manage your anger is not when your blood pressure is rising, your adrenaline is shooting into your system, you can feel the flush in your face, and your muscles start to tense. At that point, you’ve already lost the battle. Instead, resolve to manage your anger before you go into that meeting or walk through that front door when you get home. Decide this: “Today, I’m just not going to get angry. I’m not going to let things get to me.” You manage your anger by first resolving—deciding in advance—that you’re going to hold it back. “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) Some people always want their own way. They’ve got a right way and a wrong way to do something, and your way is always the wrong way. When you don’t meet their standards, they’re going to let you know about it. And it always seems you can never quite please them. So how do you respond in love to demanding people? The Bible tells us that patience comes from perspective: “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). The more you understand a person—their background, battles, and burdens—the more patient you’re going to be with them. We often look at people and think, “Look how far they have to go.” But we don’t stop and say, “I wonder how far they’ve come?” Maybe they were raised in a family where they had no model of kindness or courtesy. Maybe they grew up in a very dysfunctional home, and it’s a miracle, really, that they made it this far. What are the burdens they’re carrying? They may be sick. They may have a family issue. They may have just lost their job. There are all kinds of battles and burdens people carry that you and I don’t know about. Proverbs 19:11 tells us to overlook offenses. Do you overlook offenses, or are you offended by offenses? Are you so touchy and irritable that you’re offended by anybody who looks at you funny or forgets to say something or doesn’t see you? Love lets it go. The Bible says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31 NIV). Love is understanding, not demanding—and it’s what you would want others to do to you when you’re having a bad day or don’t feel well or are carrying heavy burdens. Does that mean you’re just supposed to let people run over you? Do you just let them push you around? Do you act like a doormat, cave in, and let them say whatever they want? No. Here’s the key: Be tender without surrender. Jesus never caved in to manipulators—the religious leaders and Pharisees who were extremely demanding and legalistic. They had all kinds of demands that they themselves couldn’t even keep. But Jesus did not let demanding people push him into a corner. He was tender without surrender. That’s what you call love in action. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|