burnt out - Thoughts About God

Burn Out Refill

Devotionals — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 08:03:43 +0000

If you don’t want to risk burnout think about how you can be refilled

Do you ever feel nearly burned out? Can’t really hum This Little Light of Mine with fervor at that moment? Yeah, I know the feeling.

One of my duties at church is to make sure the candles on the altar are filled with liquid wax/oil so they do not burn out during the service. Because it is hard to determine the amount of influence the AC vents will have on the burn rate Sunday to Sunday, we always “top them off”… just in case.

Today, as I squirted the liquid inside the cylinders, God spoke to me. “You are running low, Julie. You need to be filled anew. Let Me refill you.”

And I have been. I admit it. My light isn’t shining as brightly as it should because I have been dimmed by physical pain and a questioning of whether or not I have a secure employment future in this new year. Being a missionary is tough, especially when the funds don’t roll in.

Yes, I know…God provides. But lately my trust has slowly burned down to below normal levels. And that is when the devil can slip into the dark corners of the mind and begin to whisper doubts.

Today, my task at church reminded me of the parable of the bridesmaids in Matthew 25. The ones who kept their lamps primed with oil were the wise ones. They were always ready for the bridegroom.

As Christians, we should strive to always have our lamps filled so we are ready to shine when God calls upon us to do so– and to ward off the darkness where doubt, envy, and pouting lurks. When we shine our light brightly, it not only helps another to see the path but us as well. God illuminates us both, as well as others off to the side whom we may not notice are watching and wondering.

We can be refilled with the Holy Spirit through prayer and by meditating on His Word. If we don’t do so regularly, our levels of faith will drop. We will shine brightly for a while, but slowly start to flicker and dim. And when the time comes for God to use us, we may not have enough in reserve.

So, if you don’t want to risk burnout think about how you can constantly be refilled…just in case. Then ask the Lord to help refill you so you are always ready to shine

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28.

By Julie Cosgrove
|Used by Permission
From: https://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/

When We Feel Burned Out

Devotionals — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 08:01:08 +0000

Read:

Matthew 11:28-30

What emotions come to mind when you hear the words burden and burnout? These terms make us sigh, don’t they? In this fast-paced, overworked world, most of us have felt the tiring numbness of carrying too much on our shoulders, in our schedules, and on our minds.

Here are three ways a Christian should respond to these feelings:

Surrender to Christ

Jesus said to come to Him. There’s peaceful rest in surrendering our load to the Lord. His hands are large enough to hold anything and everything we need Him to handle. If we try to control and manage everything, we will wear ourselves out and eventually start dropping it all.

Depend on Christ

Jesus invites us to take His yoke and let Him bear our burdens. Although at first we may readily relinquish our concerns to the Lord, after a while we may try to take our burden back in an attempt to fix things ourselves. But by doing this, we interfere with the solution God wants to bring, and we end up wearing ourselves out once again.

The truth is that only God has both the power and perspective to bring all matters to their proper conclusion
(Romans 8:28).

Trust Christ

The Savior encourages us to learn from Him. As we fill our minds with the truth of His words, our trust in Him grows. His yoke will become easy, and we’ll see it as the safest and happiest place to be. When we know we never have to carry burdens alone, they get lighter.

What do you have to lose by coming to Jesus, taking His yoke, and learning from Him? Nothing but your burdens of exhaustion, stress, and anxiety.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission

A Prayer to Invite Christ Into Your Life

Here is a sample prayer that you can pray to invite Christ Jesus into your life and begin to give Him your burdens.

God, I believe that You created me to know You. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus as a sacrifice to pay the penalty that I deserve. I believe that His death and resurrection has restored me to You. Please forgive me for everything that has offended You. Take first place in my life and help me become the person that You created me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Burned Out or Left Out

Devotionals — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 08:03:14 +0000

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, … So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together … Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:1a; 2a; 3-4

Have you experienced burn-out when it comes to serving in your church?

One time on a retreat we were asked to think about what “body part” we were in the Body of Christ. One lady said she felt she was the big toe. Often hidden, but she felt all else weighed upon her. We laughed, but she made her point clear. It spurred us to have a deep conversation about burn-out and training up others to help out so they feel less left out.

I have seen it happen over and over. Drawn to minister in small, starter churches, I see people sacrificially giving of their time and efforts. As the congregation grows, these initial leaders take on too much and never ask the newer members to help out. Eventually griping filters in. “Why aren’t any of the new folks helping out?” Perhaps it is because no one asked them or they felt too intimidated to volunteer.

No matter what size of church we attend, we can take a lesson from the early church as it grew. They multiplied their efforts by divvying up the tasks, each according to their gifts and talents. And that is the key. Everyone’s service to the Body of Christ is of equal importance. When it comes to the ship called the church, it should be all hands on deck.

Dear Lord, you sent the disciples out two by two to do your work. You taught them to divvy up the tasks, so when your church began to grow, they knew what to do. Let us not get to the point where we put the burden solely on ourselves or fool ourselves into thinking it is your will that we do it all. Show us others who can come along side, and help us to recognize their talents even if they do not see them yet. Then give us the humility to ask for their help. In your name, we pray, Amen.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by Permission

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws