Filling Your Emptiness
-Spend time alone with God
-Receive God’s rest and physical nourishment
-Seek communication with God.
-Wait on God’s response.
-Respond honestly to God.
-Place your trust in God.
-Rely on instructions from God.
-Be ready for God’s blessing
Are you mentally, emotionally or physically on the road to a breakdown? Are you driving with all eight cylinders, but running out of gas? Notice the following statement:
God often allows your tank to be empty so that you will seek Him. Come to the King of Kings and learn His ways. The Holy Spirit is drawing you–seeking a personal relationship with you that will lighten your load!
Key Verses to Memorize
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Key Passage to Read and Reread
Even his name Elijah (God is Salvation) announces that he is a messenger approved and sent by God. Elijah had significant spiritual strength, yet he wound up with an empty tank under a broom tree, begging God to deliver him from his great distress.
Elijah on Empty
Scripture reveals the cause of Elijah’s burnout:
-Elijah lost confidence in the sovereign power of God v. 3
-Elijah had reached the end of his resources. v. 4
-Elijah was tired and exhausted. v. 5
Scripture also tells us the steps of Elijah took to be restored:
-Elijah left his servant and got alone with God vv. 3-4
-Elijah received the rest and food provided by God vv. 5-8
-Elijah sought to communicate with God v. 8
-God was not silent but asked Elijah to explain his need v. 9
-Elijah was honest with God about his feelings v. 10
-God showed Elijah that He was still in control vv. 11-12
-God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper vv. 12-13
-Elijah’s response revealed that he did not understand how God was working v. 14
-God revealed part of His future plans to Elijah vv.17-18
-Elijah obeyed God and went back to the job God had given him. v. 19
-God gave Elijah the gift of a genuine friend and companion. vv. 20-21
God sometimes allows difficult situations in your life in order to nurture a stronger relationship with Him. The events in which Elijah found himself were beyond his control and demanded a complete dependence on God. If your prayer life is to penetrate to the deeper layers of your faith, you may find yourself under the broom tree of a broken spirit.
“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Psalm 18:6.
Here, I will discuss what you need to know and believe in order to enable you to have success over stress.
Wrong Belief:
“My life is out of control. I feel helpless to cope with all this stress in my life.”
Right Belief:
God has allowed this stress in my life to bless my life and reveal my weaknesses. I am grateful for the pressures that have pressed me closer to Him. It has caused me to allow Christ to be my strength.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Looking under the hood is not enough. Check out the parts that have received excessive wear and tear. Are you worn and torn by stress? Have you analyzed your own condition? This is not about somebody else. It is about you and your life. Take a close look at Paul’s many experiences, and examine them in the light of your own experiences. You will see the circumstances, which are most likely to cause stress. If you have pressures in your life that are not being used to press you closer to the Lord, you may be on the way to a blowout! [For the headings in the following section, see Ogilvie, Making Stress Work for You, 37. For a list of common surface causes of stress, see Keith W. Sehnert, Stress/Unstress: How You Can Control Stress at Home and on the Job (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1981), 68-69.]
“Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.” 2 Corinthians 11:22-31.
Conflict
Paul was met with what is to be considered as extreme opposition from others vv. 23-24
Examples:
Opposing values of family and friends. Unresolved anger in relationships. Unrealistic expectations of another person. Lack of open communication in relationships.
Crisis
Paul was shipwrecked and often in extreme danger. vv. 25-26
Examples:
Death of a friend or family member. Separation or divorce. Severe illness or handicaps. Unexpected trauma of any kind.
Change
Paul was constantly on the move, often going without sleep. vv. 26-27.
Examples:
Change of environment. Change in financial state. Change in employment. Change in sleeping and health habits.
In order to understand what stress can do to an individual, June Hunt uses the illustration of a car.
When you start hearing noises like clanking and smoke billows from the hood, you respond by going to a nearby station where you can talk to a mechanic. The first phrase that the mechanic says is to look under the hood. Unfortunately, many of us may be more concerned about the distressing condition of our car than the condition of our physical bodies. Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves…
Are you sensitive to the warnings of your emotional engine? Your physical symptoms could register that you are on the brink of burnout.
“A man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in his bones.” Job 33:19
Checklist for Burnout
-I have difficulty relaxing
-I have tightness in my neck and shoulders
-I have lower back pain.
-I feel tired and lifeless most of the time.
-I have frequent severe headaches.
-I get indigestion often.
-I often have diarrhea or constipation.
-I could be getting an ulcer.
-I have trouble sleeping at night.
-I grind my teeth at night.
-I am susceptible to every cold and virus.
-I have allergies or asthma.
-I eat and snack excessively.
-I have lost a lot of weight.
-I often have cold hands and sweating palms.
-I have shortness of breath.
-I have rapid pulse.
-I generally feel nervous and unsettled.
Not everybody will suffer with all of these signs. If you have checked four or more, there is a need to evaluate how you are responding to the pressures in your life. Are you releasing your heavy load to the Lord and allowing His peace to permeate your heart?
“A heart at peace gives life to the body.” Proverbs 14:30
Stage 1
No Light
Insufficient Stress
No motivation to move responsibly.
Stage 2
Green Light
Positive Stress
Motivation to move responsibly.
Stage 3
Yellow Light
Negative Stress
Motivational warning signs to slow down movement.
Stage 4
Red Light
Burnout
Movement is stopped and repair is necessary.
Stage 1: No Light
When there is insufficient stress to move responsibly, you will find that the person…
-avoids responsibility
-has poor relationships
-is not productive
-has no energy
-experiences depression
-lacks perspective on life
Stage 2: Green Light
When there is positive stress, you will see that the person…
-faces responsibility
-has responsible relationships
-is productive
-is energetic
-is enthusiastic
-has fulfillment of purpose
-has a positive perspective
Stage 3: Yellow Light
The warning signs of stress are like the amber lights on a traffic signal: They caution you to be on the alert, to slow down and to be prepared for upcoming change. The physical warning signs of stress can be…
-tension headaches
-muscle aches
-heavy sighing
-high blood pressure
-ulcers
-hyperalterness
-loss of sleep/excessive sleep
-lack of concentration
-indecisiveness
-irritability
Stage 4: Red Light
Burnout is certainly not God’s will for us. It may actually mean that we have not processed the stresses of life in a godly way. Instead of living at Stage 2, we become…
-overwhelmed by responsibility
-withdrawn from relationships
-minimally productive
-depressed (lack of enthusiasm)
-purposeless
-without perspective
-easily fatigued
-lacking the ability to concentrate
-indecisive
-irritable
Stress is a spiritual issue that has an effect on a person’s entire life. Pressure is not the perpetrator. [See Warrick, How to Handle Stress, 5-6]. How an individual reacts to pressure reveals their understanding of God’s ways. An individual can allow pressure to come between them and God. An individual can also make the choice to allow pressure to press them closer to God. There needs to be an evaluation of their mental, emotional and physical response to the pressures that produce stress in their lives.
Mental Response
It must be understood that this kind of stress is a result of how an individual thinks about or interprets events. [Ibid.] If an individual dwells on something negative that is going on, then that person will feel stress. If that person makes the choice to dwell on God’s faithfulness to provide, God will replace their stress with His peace.
You should ask yourself this question: Do you have a positive or negative outlook? When you dwell on negative thoughts, you can turn even good circumstances into stress. That is how much power you can give your thoughts. That is why God wants you to mediate on what is pure and holy.
“If anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.” http://ref.ly/Pp4.8-9
Emotional Response
This is how you process your thoughts. Bitter thoughts bring bitter emotions. If you think forgiving thoughts, you will feel forgiveness in your heart.
Although feelings need to be recognized and acknowledged, they are a product of your thinking. They can be controlled. Emotional immaturity makes you a prisoner to your feelings and keeps you chained to undue stress.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. http://ref.ly/Ro12.2
Physical Response
An individual’s physical body automatically responds to external pressure. When an individual dwells on difficulties, fatigue is developed. If an individual trusts God for His timing, He provides peace.
Medical science has its own special definition of stress. It threads mental and emotional reactions to the central nervous system. “As other physiological systems begin to activate in order to meet the external demands in life, if the pressure is not dealt with in a healthy way, you become susceptible to a variety of physical problems.” [Biblical Counseling Keys by June Hunt] Look what God reveals in Proverbs. We are told to keep His words in our hearts. This is how the believer can avoid many of the consequences of stress.
“Keep them [God’s words of wisdom] within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” http://ref.ly/Pr4.21-22
