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Go To Meeting
Norbert Bohnert—July 1, 2022
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One of the things that I've experienced over the last couple of year with the pandemic and so forth is that people are a little bit unsure. They're not exactly comfortable with what's occurred. They're in a state of confusion and uncertainty and displeasure, not knowing where everything is going to lead.
This is leaving many cut off from other people, of course, by the restrictions and isolation. That also has affected the brethren unfortunately, as well, because of travel restrictions, health constraints, getting around and being able to meet with other brethren because we couldn't meet together as a group.
I ask today: The physical burnout as we understand it, has that affected your mental health, physical health? More importantly, has that possibly affected your spiritual health.
I know that for myself, working actively through the pandemic and being exposed to many colleagues and clients during that time, I can truly see that the restrictions and isolation that people are having to have put a real strain on people and subsequently a very, very negative affect on their overall perception of what was going on in the world.
They were getting confused and disgruntled, and really didn't have an answer of why they are behaving the way they do. It basically showed that a very detrimental affect was coming upon them mentally and emotionally.
And that, brethren, has also indirectly affected us, possibly, too, with the circumstances that we're in. Isolation or not being able to meet with family, and of course, with the vaccination requirement, actually breaking up the closeness of families, unfortunately.
This that has occurred would naturally affect everyone to some extent, and possibly distract us from what really we're here for.
We are told that we should pull ourselves out of the world, but physically speaking we still have to experience many of these pressures that are around us, just because we live in this world.
I'm sure that all of you can relate to one extent or another. Is it possible that we sometimes don't realize what effect that things like this have on us, and how it subsequently affects everything as far as growing spiritually.
We get excuses that we're tired; we're daydreaming. We start getting in to the realm of what's happening in the world and really drop off where we should be in getting closer to God and building on that relationship.
We get outbursts of emotion coming out many times, and being impatient, sarcastic and just having an overall bad attitude. Things have occurred in your life as far as isolation is concerned. You're not happy with your job anymore, if you didn't lose your job. You don't have a good relationship with people around you, for whatever reason: your work associates or your friends.
- Does that also sound familiar to you?
- Have you seen that within your own lives?
- Have you seen that in others around you?
You might get to the point that you're asking yourself:
- Why am I forgetting so much lately?
- Why am I feeling inadequate?
- I feel unappreciated
- everything is going back to the self
- I don't have the enthusiasm
- my health continues to go downhill
- I am not looking after myself the way I should be
These are all scenarios that are coming up in people's lives, whether it be in the world or also in the Church. It has become, many times, the case when we have to be careful and we get into that mode of un-motivation. We're not even motivated, sometimes, to get down to the studying of the Bible and we sort of tend to put it aside. Then we really feel guilty about it.
- Have you ever put on a false front in front of people?
- When you're back at home you're actually in the doldrums?
- Your attitude is not right?
- Have you ever done that?
These are so common these days!
- What really is the result of that happening?
Well, it can be referred to 'burnout' at times, because of the society that we live in. The fast pace and forever going somewhere and/or doing something. We've got this and that!
Have you ever been burnt out? Let's define what 'burnout' is! It might be an expression that you don't think is necessary to discuss, but there is that definition found of 'burnout.'
An emotional physical exhaustion resulting from a combination of exposure to environmental and internal stressors.
Has that not been the case with everything that's gone on around us in this world?
We are, at times, unable to cope with and apply any adaptive skills. In addition to physical exhaustion, the person with 'burnout' exhibits an increasingly:
- negative attitude toward his job
- low self-esteem
- personal devaluation
Have you ever thought that this may be partly because of Satan playing a big part of what is occurring in our lives? Of course, what goes around in the world, and the effects of what happens in the world, certainly does affect us indirectly!
It is all dependent on us, on what we do to resist all of those temptation, the distractions that are out there. Satan can bring us to a point where we just plain get worn out, where we are burnt out, exhausted, discouraged and we become depressed to the point that we do not really want to go forward.
Unfortunately, that can be extremely dangerous in our spiritual lives and growth, leading possibly to Satan winning us over. We cannot let that happen to us! We live in a hectic, frantic, fast-paced world; we are always 'under the gun' it appears.
We just push ourselves to keep going! But there comes a point where we cannot push ourselves anymore. Or we reach a stage of mental exhaustion or 'burnout'! We become discouraged, depressed and apathetic!
- Have you ever had that tendency to become apathetic, showing no emotion and having the attitude of 'I don't care anymore'?
- Has that every crossed your mind?
I'm sure that we've all experienced that. I can speak for myself. There are times when I have felt that, as well, and had instances of that occurring.
The first thing we have to recognize it when that occurs. Then we must get rid of that apathetic feeling. It can be dangerous, both in our physical lives, but more importantly in our spiritual lives!
Many of us have spent many years in the Church of God. We have heard and talked about God's Kingdom for a long time.
Can it be that with our attitude and burnout situations that we get ourselves into, that we get away from striving for that reward that God has waiting for us IF we truly apply ourselves and do what we have been taught to do through His Word!
We can lose the enthusiasm about God's Kingdom and the plan that God has set aside for us and for all mankind if we lose that enthusiasm about God's Word and way of life. We lead ourselves right into where Satan wants us!
Satan wants us to become complacent and lethargic, and even apathetic to life itself. I think the last two years really has shown that this can easily happen to mankind and also affect the brethren in the Churches of God.
The stage that was set by the pandemic was a ideal stage for Satan to work. An ideal stage where we either are or have been locked down, or we are partially locked down, whatever the case was. Satan's goal is to sap us of all of the compassion and enthusiasm that we may have to suck it right out of us because Satan hates God's way!
I'm speaking of a spiritual problem, but this also applies to us in a physical sense; both components are involved.
- Have you ever experienced uncharacteristic emotions coming from yourself, those which are total unusual?
- dissatisfaction shows up in our lives
- forgetfulness
- feelings of inadequacy
- feeling sorry for ourselves
- self-pity
- difficulty in motivation ourselves
- Does this sound familiar to you?
- How do we counteract this 'burnout' scenario?
It's a very simple answer: It starts with refocusing on God's goals He has for us! To re-focus on what God is offering us and allowing us to access to understanding His Word and way of life. God does expect that we all apply ourselves to what we have been led to by God the Father's calling.
We need to put ourselves back in the perspective of God's plan! What is our place in God's plan? It's so easy to get away and get distracted and lose everything that is going on around us, what we learn and continue to learn!
The plan of God pertains to all of human kind, but we, the called out ones are so blessed to be able to know and understand the focus of that plan now, and more importantly what our role will be in the Kingdom of God.
That's brief introduction; let's look briefly on the subject of being 'burnt out' in physical sense first.
What we need to do is get organized. Procrastination is so rampant! I think we're all guilty of that, at times. Disarray, disorder that can accentuate the 'burnout' scenario. It becomes very prevalent in our lives if we are not careful.
Another thing that is important is to get some exercise and proper nutrition. Sometimes our hectic schedules do not allow us to eat properly, on a proper schedule. We do not take the time to exercise as we should. Sometimes, unfortunately, we pay the price of that. Sometimes we are exhausted in apathy and become depressed because we have not done what we should be doing on a regular basis.
I think we can all relate to this at some time in our lives, and it is very easy to get back into that stream of things if we're not careful. We in God's Church, on a spiritual plane, know that we are to go to God for help. We know that!
Psalm 55:22: "Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved."
Note carefully that it does not say that He will never permit the righteous to be tested. When we are tested, when we have a trial, it usually has reason for it. We are tested for our own good sometimes, because God, in His wisdom, has determined that we need this test for whatever reason.
We like to think that we usually have control over our own actions and thoughts and know what is going on. Unfortunately, sometimes we begin to become ignorant. God does know and have that overview of what is actually occurring in our lives.
So, the tests or trials that we're given usually is a good thing, though it can be a very painful thing for us to go through.
"Cast your burden upon the LORD…" It clearly states that, but do we do this at times?
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves that we turn inward. It's something that sometimes naturally occurs in us. We forget the basic principles and push aside or forget God's plan for us, and all human kind, for that matter, and what God in turn is expecting of us.
We as individuals, as human as we are, tend to be worriers, taking things into our own hands, and we think that we can fix the problem or solve it, but to no avail. We need God, and we all know that!
- we need God
- we need to study
- we need to pray
- we need to meditate on the Word of God
When we come across a burden, take it to the Lord, and let God fix it! Ask God for His help!
Galatians 6:9: "Now, we should not lose heart in doing well, because we who do not faint will reap in due time."
Satan wants us to lose heart! Above everything, he wants us to divert away from God, from God's ways, and if we drift away we give up and get into states of 'burnout' depression. That's the beginning of letting Satan win! But again, that 'burnout,' the discouragement, the apathy, the lethargy all happens to us in our Christian walk with God.
It is reality that we will face this in our human lives, even when trying to totally follow God. We cannot ignore that fact, and we are not helpless in the face of things occurring.
Now I would like to bring out some very important primary points to consider if we find ourselves in this kind of situation, or even near this kind of situation. Some things that we can do that will help us to get out of that state of depression and 'burnout.'
It all comes back to realizing the state that we're in, to realize that we are drifting and we need to get back to:
- God's plan
- God's way of life
- God's purpose for us
Drive that home into our lives and into our minds!
If we are in a state of complete disturbance, discouragement and depression, we have forgotten and have become complacent in realizing what actually has occurred to us. This should not be! We need to get back on track and bring this back to the forefront of our mind. We cannot ignore it! We really need to deal with it!
Having that in our mind, what God is actually doing with us, what He's doing for us is so important for us to be encouraged to the point that we continue to strive and build on our personal relationship with Him.
We need to practice encouraging and supporting one anther as brothers and sisters in Christ. That is so important! Sometimes, unfortunately, we start lacking in that end.
Daniel 7:25: "And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change the set times and the laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time."
Satan plainly wants to wear us out! That is what I'm trying to bring across to you. Quite frankly, knowing that we are not alone, that others are sharing our burdens and appreciate what we're going through, that they are there to help us and our efforts are not in vain.
That can be encouraging, and we cannot forget that aspect. Let's encourage one another and support each other when there are difficult times. Let us support each other when there's a personal difficulty that a person is dealing with.
So many times it does not come out the way it should. It's so easy to get into that mode of :
- I don't feel like helping anyone
- I don't feel like accomplishing anything
You loose the hope and have no reason to move forward. It's a dangerous, dangerous scenario that you can get yourself into. That is where the support from others is so helpful to get us back on track.
That is the kind of support that can help us from 'burning out,' in the incredibly stressful times that are occurring in our lives. Society is stressful; living in society is stressful! We must resist that and work with what God has given us. That opportunity to let God guide and direct us, let God be there for us!
This situation is very prevalent in the world, but also present more often than you think in the Churches of God. We cannot give up, because what we are striving for and following is right! It is good, solid and we know that. We must bring that to the forefront of our mind!
God has not done anything wrong to us, although many times He is accused of that. When something goes wrong or awry in our lives, it's not God's fault!
God does allow many things to occur, yes, but in the overall picture He is always there for you. God is always in charge. His principles have not changed whatsoever.
Sometimes we 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' and accuse the elder, we accuse the deacon of saying something, or even a friend. But really, why does that matter? We have a personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ! That is what we should be building on, what God requires of us and what we must do to get there.
We cannot give up or let our emotions or the mental state and be influenced by negative things presented to us by whomever. When we get into a state of depression, lethargy or apathy, our perspective will be a negative one. That definitely is wrong.
God does not want us to entertain this kind of thought. He does not want us to give up. That is why we must remember God's perspective on all of this that occurs. Remember, God has a plan for mankind and He has a plan for us all. To go forward with that, He needs us to do our part.
- we need to be connected to that plan
- we need to get rid of that rotten idea of negativity in our lives
- we need to replace it with the positive, the plan of God and our role in that plan
More importantly, our responsibility in fulfilling our part in that role!
- God has called us to an awesome calling
- He has called us for a purpose
- He has called us because He thought that He could work with us
But it is all up to us to run with that and to do what we have to do!
We need to strive to obtain God's mindset and put everything else aside! Easy said, I know, but that's what we have to strive to work on.
Hebrews 6:10: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labor of love by which you have showed honor to His name, in that you have served the saints and are continuing to serve them."
The Church has gone through many uncertain times, as many of us have seen personally. We sometimes concentrate on all those negative things that have occurred in the past. Whether it be in the hierarchy as we knew it and things that were said, and of course, the result, that negative attitudes, the negativity in what occurred. To all about what has occurred and us losing the focus of what God has done for us personally!
Thankfully, He has pulled away from us that negative—and sometimes corruptive—attitude that is so present in many people's lives.
God does not give up on us! So, why should we have a reason to give up on our Superior God and the calling that He has given us, and the possibilities that He has laid out before us. God is always there for us, but it must be our decision. God gives us that choice: Our decision to 'stay above water' and do our part as instructed by His Word.
God is always there for us, but at the same time we must show our commitment and love back to Him and not get into that state of giving up and just being diverted to the point that Satan grabs hold of us.
Hebrews 13:5: "Do not allow the love of money to influence your behavior, but be satisfied with what you have; for He has said, 'In no way will I ever leave you; no, I will never forsake you in any way.'
What causes all of this negativity? Wanting to give up and losing hope?
The reason that we, in this hectic life that we lead allows the cares of the world, the turbulent life around us to cause us to take our eyes off of that overall goal. We are thrown into a society that distracts us and it's very easy to become part of that distraction.
We forget to look at God's perspective, what God wants in our lives, what He expects of each one of us. We have taken our eyes off of that, and unfortunately, we look elsewhere. We go through life a step at a time; we all know that. We put one foot in front of the other and we move forward. That is the way we should also look at our Christian walk with God. That is the only way that it will work. That is the way life actually works. So, if you get in a state of wanting to give up, wake yourself up and be determined to do the opposite and move forward and keep going for that awesome goal that we have to look forward to.
God will help us to do that! But our attitude and want and desires need to be there. Yes, this all takes effort on our part, but God is always there for us. He'll give us that strength that we need. By the power of the Holy Spirit we have that strength to get over that turmoil that we sometimes experience through thick and thin! God is waiting for us to come back if we tend to drift, for whatever reason.
God is always there for us! We must fill our mind with Godly thoughts at all times, because so many times we can stray away from that. What is the solution? It's a very easy solution! It includes:
- prayer
- meditation
- studying God's Word
- fasting at times
It's a very valuable tool to get closer to God!
In our Christian walk with God, many times we just need to step back a bit. We need to regain that proper perspective of who we are and Who God is and what God is doing with us, of God's power and omnipotence of how we fit into His master plan.
Sometimes we tend to forget that; sometimes we just sit back and think and have to divert our attention and pray to God. We can jump into immersing ourselves into His Word and know and appreciate that God is:
- our Protector
- our Provider
- our sustainer
Sometimes we just, unfortunately, let our human carnal nature get us to the point that we start drifting! We forget to recognize what's occurring in our lives!
Job 38:3: "Now gird up your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it if you have understanding! Who has determined its measurements if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it? On what are the foundations fastened to? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (vs 3-7).
What was God saying? Job, let's get this squared away! Who you are and Who I am! I'm God Almighty, and He made it very clear to Job that he is not! We must also realize that. We must not get into that attitude or that way of thinking.
2-Samuel 22:2: "And he said, 'The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer. The God who is my Rock, in Him will I trust. He is my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Savior. You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised. And I shall be saved from my enemies." (vs 2-4).
Sometimes we feel oppressed; everyone is against us. We have enemies everywhere. We get that feeling, or are the thoughts that come across our mind.
- Could it be that we are not as close to God as we should be? He will protect us from all our enemies!
- Shall I be saved from my enemies?
Psalm 18:2: "The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer… [very plainly stated by David] …my God, my Rock in Whom I take refuge; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
God must be brought back to the forefront of our mind at all times; not let everything else get in the way. That's very critical that we cannot get into that state.
Psalm 71:17: "O God, You have taught me from my youth; and until now I have declared Your wonderful works."
That's what we have. We have God working with us, and God working for us, and the wonderful works that He does with us and through us.
1-Peter 5:6: "Be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time."
What is "due time"? We know what due time is, we have a clear idea in our mind when God should do things for us! What He should do, and when He should do it.
We need to back away from that a bit and realize that He's there to help us, there to be our Protector. He's our Sustainer and will do that in time; He knows when that time is! It is God's perspective from where He is:
- He knows the right thing to do
- He knows the right time to do it
We need to be comfortable with that, not question it. He does want the best for all of us. We need to be reminded of that regularly. But it is on His timetable!
There is a purpose for things that occur to us in our lives, usually. That is driven sometimes for us to learn a lesson.
2-Corinthians 4:16: "For this reason, we do not lose heart; but if our outward man is being brought to decay, yet, the inward man is being renewed day-by-day."
The outward man is perishing because of circumstances. But the inward man does not need to perish, because God will renew us every single day IF we seek that renewal! God puts it in our hands; we have to seek that!
Hebrews 6:18: "So that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope that has been set before us."
We all know that God's way is the way of hope. God's way is absolutely the way of hope in a future of hope. We need to comprehend that!
Verse 19: "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both secure and steadfast, and which enters into the sanctuary within the veil, where Jesus has entered for us as a forerunner, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec" (vs 19-20). Hope is the anchor of our souls!
Acts 27:29: "And fearing that we would come upon rocky places, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for day to come."
There are times when we must take that anchor and hang onto the hope that is associated with such.
1-Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to mankind. For God, Who is faithful, will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear; but with the temptation, He will make a way of escape, so that you may be able to bear it."
We can never forget that! God will always give us a way of escape:
- if we want it
- if we pray for it
- if we ask for it
Sometimes He gives it to us even when we do not, but certainly we should!
God gives us a choice about everything we do in our lives. But God is always there for us when we come seeking Him. If we find ourselves in an unpleasant situation, for whatever reason, if we find ourselves near a 'burnout' state or actually 'burnt out,' that is the time to reach out to God, to call out to God and ask for His help and intervention. He does hear our prayers!
John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear."
Isn't it the problem that we so often we do let our heart be troubled? We do allow our heart to become quite afraid, because we cannot go back to God's Word. We do not look at this kind of a Scripture where it plainly reminds us that He is there for us. It reminds us that, oh yes, God is in charge!
He will help us! God will help us! We sometimes get into the attitude and think we must do it all. We get all worried and excited and we really don't need to get into that state. We don't need to do it. It really doesn't help.
Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." It will do that:
- if we wish it to be done
- if we ask for God to do it
- if we want that to happen
- if we look for that way of escape
- if we go to the fortress that God says we are there to take refuge
Verse 13: "I can do all things through Christ, Who empowers me."
This is all Biblical Truth! That is something that God promises. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
In other words, if I follow God, if I follow the principles of life, which have been given to us and shown to us by Jesus Christ our elder Brother by God the Father, and I ask for the help and strength, He will give it to us!
He certainly will give it and we must believe that!
Hebrews 13:5: "…for He [Christ] has said, 'In no way will I ever leave you; no, I will never forsake you in any way.'
Psalm 31:3: "For You are my Rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake lead me and guide me."
That's what we must ask for! That is the thing, we must ask; we have to ask for it! We have to ask for that leadership! We must ask for the guidance in our lives. We can do that directly through prayer!
We get out of difficult situations, such as depression and discouragement by turning ourselves away from self. Away from the inward and looking strictly to God. We need to turn outward and look to God!
Easily said, I realize that. But that's what we have to strive for. Another thing we can do is that is turning to others. Helping others, encouraging others! We must turn our mind outward and serve others and help others. Obviously, we need to serve from a proper motivation,
Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." That's the example given to us!
- Do we take that example of Jesus Christ and do that in our own lives?
or
- Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we do not do that?
It's easily done sometimes!
John 15:15: "No longer do I call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have made known to you all the things that I have heard from My Father."
Christ does not look upon us as servants. He looks upon us as friends. We are talking about relationships here. Jesus Christ sees us as friends. What do relationships thrive on? They thrive on respect, giving and love! That's the focus of what we should be striving for!
Ephesians 3:14: "For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that being rooted and grounded in love, you may be fully able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (vs 14-19).
The Body—the Church—will only function well if the members of the Body have a proper relationship among themselves. We have seen over the years that this has not always been the case. We are all still working on this as it should be, and as we've been taught through His Word.
Now let us cover a few Scriptures that talk about the relationship with one another.
Romans 12:10: "Be kindly affectioned toward one another in brotherly love. Let each esteem the other more highly than himself." Honor, devotion, love one to another!
Romans 15:5: "Now, may the God of patience and encouragement grant you to be likeminded toward one another according to Christ Jesus."
There are many Scriptures on how we should be working together with others, building on that relationship, those of like minds.
Verse 7: "Therefore, receive one another, according as Christ has also received us, to the glory of God."
Verse 13: "May the God of hope fill you now with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit."
Verse 21: "But even as it is written: 'Those to whom He had not been proclaimed shall see; and those who had not heard shall understand'"
None of these things are naturally easy for us to do. They all require effort. They do not come up naturally. We must remember that is what we have to work toward. Sometimes we forget, but because we are in a state of 'burnout' or depressed, lethargic—whatever the case is—we forget and get off base.
We need to read these Scriptures frequently and think about them. And more importantly, apply them to our personal lives.
Make a self-assessment of where we are. Are we getting into a state of 'burnout' and depression?
One more thing I would like to cover. I would like to talk about the importance of sharing our convictions:
- about God
- about God's way of life
- what God is doing for us
Sharing our convictions with others who hold onto the same convictions can be tremendously encouraging. We must be encouraged to strive to do that. We need to look at helping someone else, going outside of ourselves. Not being wrapped up and turned inward to the point that we think that all we think about is the exclusion of God and everyone else out there. That is not a good state of mind. It's not healthy at all. That condones and leads to depression and 'burnout.'
Ezekiel 9:4: "And the LORD said to him, 'Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning because of all the abominations that are done in her midst.'"
They sighed and cried because they wanted to do things the right way. They saw that it was not being done the right way. We all watch the news at some point in our lives. We can do a lot of sighing and crying just over the news we hear about that occurs around us. God says:
I'm going to mark those who are really concerned about doing the right thing, and really concerned when they see everyone around them doing the wrong thing.
Malachi 3:16: "Then those fearing the LORD spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And the LORD listened and heard. And a Book of Remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD, and for those who thought upon His name."
- Do we do that? Not as much as we should!
- Are we speaking to one another about what we believe, about what happens in our lives?
- About how God has helped us in our personal circumstances, whatever that may be? We should be!
It is good for each one of our souls to do that!
1-Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore, encourage one another, and edify one another, even as you are already doing." That is the purpose!
We are there to do that. We have to keep doing it. We have to comfort ourselves together. Talk to each other about what you believe.
- encourage each other
- be there for each other
- talk to each other about the comfort that you can find in God's Word
- talk to each other about what you are studying
- talk to each other about the situation that came up at work or with friends where you managed things improperly
But after studying about it, you saw what should have been done to manage the situation.
That is all part of our growing process spiritually. We are trying to build our lives to the point of developing the mind of Christ!
- How would Christ react?
- How would Christ do this?
When we are faced with certain situations!
Communication and sharing that at times with others is particularly good for all of us. We will be edifying each other as we are told in the Scriptures.
Hebrews 3:13: "Rather, be encouraging one another each day, while it is called 'today,' so that none of you become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
- exhort one another
- encourage each other
- if there are issues, be there for that person
- talk to one another
so we do not just get caught up in the world amongst all the stuff that's going on!
We must be caught up in God's way! That is something to be caught up in, not the world's way!
Hebrews 10:24: "And let us be concerned about one another, and be stirring up one another unto love and good works."
That can't be emphasized enough. We have to encourage one another and talk to each other [inaudible] and encourage someone to do that right thing.
Satan wants to wear us out! That is through total exhaustion! He wants us:
- to burn ourselves out
- to lose our attitude
- to lose focus of where we should be looking to
We need to ask God for that strength to battle us, to overcome Satan and all of the devices he uses. He has many. That is the only way that our spiritual lives will work.
If we continually ask Him every day through the power of the Holy Spirit and God gives us that strength to carry on and do what we must. We need to work on ourselves, each one of us. We need to read some of the basic Scriptures regularly to remind ourselves that what we are here for, and what God wants for us and expects of us. God has a purpose for all of us as we know!
We need to help each other, encouraging each other, especially in the hard times that we are in. We do not have to get into the state of 'burnout'; we really don't! I know that I'm talking idealistically, but we must, first of all, examine and recognize if we are pretending to get into that practice of 'burnout' and depression. If we are at that point, we can certainly come out of it. We can come back from it. God wants and is ready to help us!
The excitement of following God's way can be rekindled, even if we lose it at times. It truly can! Most importantly, it must happen! It takes some time maybe, but if you put one foot in front of the other, you can make that journey happen with God! He will be at our side in helping us the whole way; no questions asked.
When God is for us, who can be against us! Do we really, really grasp that! When God is for us, who can really be against us? We know that Satan is there and he wants to be against us. But with God at our side and us focusing on God, we can and will defeat Satan and his ways. Even ourselves can be against us. But God can turn that around, too. God will help us with that. God is a merciful God, and of course, He is a Mighty God!
Let us go to the fortress; go to God and let's stay in the fortress of God's way, and His principle of life, His Law. There is where we find:
- security
- help
- protection
- nourishment
We cannot give up! Let us try and prevent becoming burnt out or depressed. If we are, let us bound back, because God is there for us! God wants us to bounce back and He will help us to do that. Let us:
- not give up
- not give in to Satan
- endure to the end
- accept the reward that God has in store for us
It's an awesome goal and let us all be there at God's side! Stay refreshed in His Word and destroy the 'burnout' scenario totally from our lives!
Scriptural References:
- Psalm 55:22
- Galatians 6:9
- Daniel 7:25
- Hebrews 6:10
- Hebrews 13:5
- Job 38:3-7
- 2 Samuel 22:2-4
- Psalm 18:2
- Psalm 71:17
- 1 Peter 5:6
- 2 Corinthians 4:16
- Hebrews 6:18-20
- Acts 27:29
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
- John 14:27
- Philippians 4:7, 13
- Hebrews 13:5
- Psalm 31:3
- Mark 10:45
- John 15:15
- Ephesians 3:14-19
- Romans 12:10
- Romans 15:5, 7, 13, 21
- Ezekiel 9:4
- Malachi 3:16
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
- Hebrews 3:13
- Hebrews 10:24
NB:bo
Transcribed: 7/17/22
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