Don’t Give Into Weariness
A lot is going on in the world and the church. It can take a toll on you. It can bring on weariness. Weariness is not the same as tiredness. Tiredness can be alleviated with rest. Weariness can not. I can speak on this because I am walking through it. The disciples asked Jesus to give them a sign about His coming at the end of the age. He responded with a snapshot of the future.
In Matthew 24:4-14, we see an answer straight from our Savior,
“And Jesus answered, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Jesus spoke about deception first because when we seek a sign, we become vulnerable and open to believing anything. We live in a time when most of us are looking for signs and answers.
Look at some of the signs people are pointing to:
• Damar Hamlin – literally died and was revived on the football field, he unites us as millions pray for Him, but then he wears a jacket to the Super Bowl that looks like a mockery of Jesus.
• Lightning Strike in Brazil on the “Christ the Redeemer” statue. Many consider that a sign.
• A horrific earthquake with a death toll of over 41,000
• The Chiefs win the Super Bowl with a Bob Jones prophecy about that occurring at the same time as the last revival before the end of time.
• A Revival is breaking out at Asbury and Lee Universities.
• And a Movie is coming out called the Jesus Revolution.
And there are more I could list. We need to recognize the signs around us.
I am reading a book, Unmasking the Spirit of Weariness, by John Tetsola. It tells me that the only way to keep from being deceived is to focus on Christ and His Word. Some of us feel tired. Exhausted. I am walking with you in that. I felt led to read this book, yet I am distracted and exhausted whenever I try to read it. What is that? I hope that sharing what I am experiencing will help us all. This book reminds us that the enemy uses weariness against us to destroy the call of God on our lives.
Here are the stops on the pathway to weariness:
1. The first stop on this destructive pathway is frustration. When we allow it to take over, depression, hopelessness, and more accompanying spirits join in.
2. Then we begin to complain. That is telling others about our discontent.
3. Then discouragement joins in. Everyone gets to this point at times. But when you are fatigued, you are a prime candidate for this. It’s satan’s potent weapon upon God’s chosen people.
4. After we let discouragement take root, depression sets in, lurking and taking control over our thoughts. And that spirit has many companions.
5. Satan’s final goal is to have you quit. Even when Jesus was in the garden, He was tempted to quit/leave.
I will be honest and genuine. I could give in to this. As a pastor starting to launch a new business, I feel like I am operating from a place of fear. I don’t want to let anyone down. There are fires I am running around trying to put out. I feel the exhaustion, yet I can’t get any traction.
But that’s NOT operating from a place of victory. I have EVERYTHING I need in Him. (Psalm 23:1) Are we being attacked by weariness? If so, we can’t give in. Paul, in 2nd Thessalonians 3:13, said,
“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.”
And again, in Galatians 6:9, he teaches,
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time; we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
We have to pay attention to this.
I know better than to quit. But never have I felt this desire to do just that. This is weariness. Someone told me recently, “you are exactly where you need to be. Every speck of Egypt is being washed off of you in the wilderness.” The children of Israel couldn’t take any remains of Egypt into the promised land. I don’t want to be left out, and I don’t want you to be left out. I say, “do it, Lord! Wash it all off!” I want Egypt to be purified from us all. Let’s all go in together to our promised land. I wrote this down. My wife and I often say, “I’m tired, boss,” when we’re tired. That’s a quote from the movie Green Mile. That character was tired of living. Don’t give up if you are tired, exhausted, or weary.
In Isaiah 40:31 (NLT), we receive strength,
“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Trust means a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or strength of someone or something. I need His new strength every day. I can’t go on yesterday’s strength. So how do we overcome the spirit of weariness? It’s simple. We go to Him. In Matthew 11: 28, we are given that direction.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
There are principles from the book I mentioned that I want to share. I know they are helping me.
- 1st principle – push into God. The enemy wants you to pull back. We have to fight that. We have to lean in.
- 2nd principle – live and function through His Grace. That’s God’s heartbeat.
- 3rd principle – Get into His Word to feed our spirits. God told me to stop snacking on His Word. You have to consume it and digest it. That can’t just be a snack. I have to go back for 2nds and 3rds.
- 4th principle – keep your eye on your vision. Some of you have prophetic Words and vision. Keep your eyes on that.
- 5th principle – have people you can turn to and talk to.
- 6th principle – seek God for wisdom as to why it’s not going as planned. We may have acted disobediently. Are we acting on his Word and what He has told us to do? If not, obey Him and move forward.
I want to share one more important point. I was leaving the donut shop this morning, and God spoke to me through a simple story someone shared. Then this song came on; Breakthrough’s Coming.
Here are some of the lyrics.
“Might feel like there is no way
Might feel like your chains won’t break
But when Jesus shows up on the scene, You know something’s about to change.
Might feel like there is no hope
Staring at a Jericho
But when Jesus shows up on the scene, You know something’s about to change!”
And finally, Psalm 23:4 reminds us,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
I thank you, God, for being right there with us ALL THE TIME. You give us hope. We don’t have to fear. We honor and trust you. If this is speaking to you – don’t throw in the towel. Do not quit. Something’s about to change! We have a promised land to get to. When we get together and link arms, we can move mountains.
Thank you for walking with me.