The Burned-Out Christian
If you have your Bible, please open it to 2 Timothy 1. Three boys at school were bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he then calls it a poem, they give him $50.00.” The second boy says, “That’s nothing, My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.00.” The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!”
Today marks the end of the 4-part series of The State of Many Christians Today. We have had The Unsaved Christian, The Dead Christian, The Lazy Christian and today, we have The Burned Out Christian. I believe that many Christians today are either burned out or, have been burned out before. A man by the name of Bill Gaultiere said this about Spiritual Burnout:
“The real culprit to burnout is when working for God crowds out personal intimacy with God.”
Burnout comes when you become more focused on working for God than your relationship with God. It is something that most of us make the mistake of doing at some point in our lifetime. Working for God is important. We all need to be working for God, but working for God should never take the place of our relationship with God. Let us look at 2 Timothy Chapter 1 starting in verse 1.
READ 2 TIMOTHY 1:1-8
Here, Paul starts off lifting up the young Pastor Timothy. Paul says that he longs to see Timothy and that Paul prays for him daily. He even acknowledges Timothy for how great his faith is. Paul then encourages Timothy. Look back at verse 6.
“For this reason, I remind you to fan into the flame the gift of God...”
Paul encourages Timothy to fan his flame for God. I am here today to encourage you to fan your flame for God. A spiritual burnout happens when that flame has gone out. When you are no longer on fire for God. I believe a lot of times that a spiritual burnout is unintentional. If often comes when we unintentionally neglect our relationship with God. Here, Paul encourages Timothy to fan his flame and to endure. He encourages him to not let that flame go out. So, the question is, how can I tell if I am spiritually burned out or not? Here are 3 signs that you are spiritually burned out:
1. Your Passion Fades
One of the biggest signs that you are burned out is that you no longer have that passion you once had. No longer do you enjoy or look forward to doing the work for the Lord, but rather you now dread it and maybe even despise the thing you are doing. No longer do you look forward to gathering with the Body of Christ, but now you are dreading going because you know that you will have to do something. Listen folks, most Christians face that at some point in their life especially here in America. A lot of times we tend to focus more on doing our jobs and fulfilling our roles within the church than we focus on worship and connecting with God. We tend to get caught up in doing church that we forget to be the church. Folks, do not get me wrong, doing things within the church is important. Serving within the church is important and I believe we are called and told to do it, but serving should never come before your relationship with God. That leads to burn out. This is the biggest sign of a spiritual burn out. Your passion fades away and you no longer love or look forward to doing what you once did.
2. Sleep and Time Off No Longer Refuel You
No longer are you refreshed or refueled from a good night's sleep or some time off from work or your everyday work activities. Instead, now you are always tired despite getting sleep and despite having time off. A spiritual burn out drains you. It drains your energy, and it drains your desire to do something even if you once loved to do it. This is another big sign of burn out. This often leads to you just going through the motions. Just trying to survive the day. This also leads many Christians to either stop serving or stop serving with their whole heart and often leads to them leaving the church. You have that feeling like you could sleep for a month straight and be just fine with it. You feel like you are running on empty. That is what a spiritual burnout can do to you. Instead of running off of God`s will and power, you unintentionally run off of your own power and it leads to you being exhausted. It will have you longing for a break from everything until you just want to quit and give in. A spiritual burnout leads you to be exhausted and on the verge of quitting.
3. Everybody Drains You
When you are spiritually burned out, other people are going to drain you. They are. They will keep asking you to help them with something and ask you to serve somewhere and they will end up draining and aggravating you by the time the dust settles. In this area of burnout, this is where a lot of people's hearts tend to harden, and they become bitter. They begin to get annoyed and aggravated, especially towards the people who may be doing less than them or maybe doing nothing at all within the church. They feel drained and they begin to question and wonder why someone else cannot do it. Spiritual burnout causes other people to drain you and often times, they do not even know that they are doing so. How can they know if you do not say something? Now, I am not saying to get an attitude about it, or speak out of anger or resentment, but have an honest sit down conversation with them and tell them how you feel. Do not let a burnout divide you from your brothers and sisters in Christ. Burnout leads to drainage. Be careful and do not become bitter also.
I said it earlier, but most of the Christians today are either currently spiritually burned out or have been at some point. If you have never been spiritually burned out, well first off, I tip my hat to you. If you have never been spiritually burned out or if you are currently not burned out, here are 3 ways to avoid spiritual burnout:
1. Refresh Your Spiritual Batteries
I mentioned it earlier when talking about losing your passion. We get busy working and doing a lot within the church that before we know it, our batteries have run dead. Listen folks, if you do not charge batteries they will eventually go out and if we do not charge our spiritual batteries, they will go out also. Think about it. A drill cannot work when the battery that gives it life and power is dead or removed. Nehemiah 8:9-10 says this:
“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Despite what many will say or tell you, it is okay to take a break sometimes. Here in Nehemiah, the people of Israel. They have not long been home since returning from their exile where they stayed in modern-day Iran or Iraq. They have been working their fingers to the bone ever since they got back. They have been rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem while fighting off enemies. They were worn out and they were burned out. In the middle of their tiredness and being worn out, Nehemiah and Ezra decided to put the focus back where it belonged. Back on God. They called every together and publicly read the scriptures together and they sat a day aside for God and marked it as holy.
In the middle of their tiredness, they put the focus back on God. They became so caught up in doing work for the Lord that they neglected their relationship with the very one they were working for. They got so caught up in it that their batteries began to go out. They refreshed their spiritual batteries and charged them by putting their focus back on God. If you want to recharge your batteries, you must put your focus back on God. Put your focus back on your relationship with Him. Most people here today have a cell phone I imagine. If not, I am sure you know someone who does. When your phone begins to die or gets close to it, what do you do? You charge it. You charge it right then. You do not wait for it to completely die but you charge it before it runs out of battery. Likewise, if you want to avoid your spiritual batteries dying out, you must charge them before they go out. If you do not get your batteries charged up, they will go out. If you want to avoid a spiritual burnout, you must refresh and charge your batteries.
2. Refresh Your Thinking
Most of the time, burnout can be avoided if we change how we think. A lot of burnouts are caused by people not having the right mindset. I can tell you as a football and track coach, the greatest threat to an athlete's success is their own mind. I have seen a lot of talented kids waste it because they cannot get out of their own head. I believe that we as Christians often times face a similar issue. We are in our own heads so much that it results in a lack of performance. Zechariah 4:6-7 says this:
“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
I believe a lot of us tend to unintentionally be like Zerubbabel here. Zerubbabel was charged with rebuilding the temple. As many of you know, anytime you do work for the Lord, you more than likely will face opposition for it. For example, look at Nehemiah. He faced all types of opposition to do what he had been called to do. The mountain mentioned in verse 7 are the obstacles preventing Zerubbabel from building the temple. God tells Zerubbabel in verse 6 that the obstacles will be removed but not by Zerubbabel`s power, but only by God`s power.
How many times do we face obstacles in our day to day lives or in the work we do for God, and we try to figure out how to fix it ourselves? How many times do we try to face and fix our problems ourselves? Folks, trying to figure things out on our own will lead to burnout. We must have faith that God will take care of us and that He has a plan even when we cannot see it. There was a mountain blocking Zerubbabel from doing what God had commanded him to do and God said that what looks like a mountain now will become a plain that will you build on. If we want to avoid burnout, we must refresh our thinking. We must refresh it by stopping trying to figure things out by ourselves. That leads to nothing but anxiety, stress, and worry. Not a single one of those are from The Lord, but every one of those is from the devil. When we rely on ourselves, we will fail every time, but when we give it to God, we will be okay. Matthew 4:19 says this:
“And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Following Jesus means denying yourself. Denying yourself requires us to give our problems over to God. If we want to avoid burnout, we must refresh our minds and change the way we do and handle things.
3. Refresh Your Workload
If we want to avoid spiritual burnout, we must monitor our workload. We must keep in check the number of tasks and jobs we take on both inside and outside of the church. Folks it is hard to stay energized and on fire for the Lord if you load yourself down with things to do. Earlier, we talked about losing your passion. It is hard to maintain and keep your passion if you have a million things to do every time you come to church. We talked about being tired even after rest or having time off. It is hard to rest if you are constantly having to run around doing things. We talked about being drained by others. It is hard not to be if you take on a lot of different tasks and responsibilities. Romans 12: 3-8 says this:
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Folks, not everything in the church is your responsibility to do. God gives us gifts and abilities to do certain things not everything. We were each created, designed, and meant to do certain things. God told David to go and slay Goliath. He did not tell David to go and slay the entire Philistine army. He did not tell David to go and motivate the army of Israel to fight that day. God told David to go and kill Goliath and that was it. In that moment, that was David`s purpose. He was not meant to do the other things; he was meant to go and kill Goliath. How many times do we volunteer and do things that God did not tell us to do? Paul said we are one body of Christ. Each body part has a purpose. You cannot expect an eye to do the job of a toe. You cannot expect a thumb to do the job of a knee. Each body part has specific functions and tasks and likewise, we have specific functions and tasks. What God has called and told me to do is not going to be the same as you. God did not call me to lead music so, I am not going to lead music. A lot of times, burnout comes when we try to do tasks and jobs that we were never called to do. If God called and told someone to do something, that is for them to do not you. If you want to avoid burnout, you must manage and refresh your workload.
Those are 3 of many ways to avoid spiritual burnout. If you have never experienced it, my advice to you is try to keep it that way. So, the question is, what do I do if I am currently burned out? Well, I am glad you asked. Here are 3 ways to overcome spiritual burnout:
1. Be Honest with God
When you get to that place where you are spiritually burned out, it can be hard to leave it. Of course, it is different for everyone, but for me it took a while before I was out of it. In my opinion, the first step and the most crucial step to getting out a spiritual burnout is being honest with God. We must be honest with God. Somewhere along the way, I think we have adapted this viewpoint where we cannot be honest with Him about how we truly feel. Matthew 6:5-8 says this:
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room, and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Here, Jesus is condemning empty prayers. The prayers with no meaning or sincerity behind them. The prayers where you are doing it just to look good. Jesus tells us that we do not need to be like those who are just talking to hear themselves talk. If we want to escape the spiritual burnout, we must be honest with God. Not just saying empty words or rambling on to look good, but we need to be completely honest with God. Even Jesus Himself was honest with God in His prayer before He was arrested and crucified. He said:
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus was honest there. Father your will be done but, if possible, can there be another way? Jesus was honest with God about how He felt. We should also be honest with God with how we feel. It is okay to tell God that you are tired. It is okay to tell God you have lost your passion. It is okay to be honest with God. If you want to get out of a spiritual burnout, you must be honest with God.
2. Be Honest with Yourself
You must be honest with God, and you must also be honest with yourself. How can a problem be fixed if you are not even willing to admit that it exists? You cannot get out of a spiritual burnout if you refuse to admit that you are even in one. Being honest with God is extremely important and so is being honest with yourself. You must be willing to be honest with yourself and see that you are burned out. Proverbs 11:3 says this:
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
Integrity can be defined as the quality or state of being honest, truthful, and consistent with strong moral or ethical principles and values. So, when you plug that into Proverbs 11: 3, it says that honesty guides us and crookedness or lying, cheating, and stealing destroys us. That means being honest with others. Being honest with God and being honest with yourself. Nehemiah 1:4 says this:
“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.”
This is after Nehemiah learned of the Jews that escaped exile and returned home were in trouble and that the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed. Nehemiah heard what the messenger told him and the very first thing that Nehemiah did was acknowledge the problem. He mourned and wept for days. He acknowledged that there was indeed a problem and as soon as he acknowledged it, he turned to God. If you are spiritually burned out today, you must acknowledge the problem. Before Nehemiah brought the Israelites out of exile and back home to Israel and before he rebuilt the city walls and gates before he did all that he had to admit that there was a problem. How can you rebuild your relationship with God and rebuild your fire if you refuse to acknowledge the problem?
3. Be Honest with Others
This one is also very important. We must be honest with others. We need to be honest with God with how we feel. We need to be honest with ourselves with how we feel, and we need to be honest with others with how we feel. Colossians 3:9 says this:
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices”
We all need someone that we can open up to and be honest with about how we feel and what we are going through. I can personally tell you that in my opinion the best person to talk to about stuff like that is Aunt Peggy. She is a great listener, she gives great advice, and she tells you when you are wrong. Like the song says:
We all need somebody to lean on
It does not necessarily have to be a spouse or a significant other. It can be a friend, a family member, or someone from your church family. Listen folks, we were not made and designed to walk this life alone. God saw Adam in the garden alone and decided to make Eve. We need somebody that we can be honest with. If you want to get out of a spiritual burnout, you need someone that you can open up to and be honest with how you are feeling. Listen folks, my number is in the bulletin if you ever need to talk. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to be there for each other. If someone is hurting, we need to be there for them. If someone is celebrating, we need to be there to celebrate with them. That is what we are supposed to do. If you want to get out of a spiritual burnout, you need to be honest with others.
As we come to a close today, I want you to examine yourself and be honest with yourself. Are you spiritually burned out? Are you the burned-out Christian? If so, during the invitation time I am going to ask you to find a partner and pray. Pray for God to light that fire back in you. Maybe today, you realize that your flame has never been lit. I would love to talk to you about it. As the invitation plays, I encourage and challenge everyone to pray. Either with a partner, or down here at the altar.
Let us pray.
