18 Aug Noah Aguiar | “Beating the Burnout”
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BEATING THE BURNOUT | NOAH AGUIAR
Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:1-18 ESV
What is Burnout? Burnout: “ruin one’s health or become completely exhausted through overwork.” Just like a car spinning its tires and going nowhere.
Normally, being burnt out means you are through, you’re finished, but to God, it is something different. Burnout is not the end, it is just the beginning of a journey. All the people of the Bible are human beings just as we are. These are the lives of real people who have had experiences with God.
In 1 Kings 17 and 18, God had given Elijah victory over his adversaries. But, at the beginning of chapter 19, Elijah is tired isolated and afraid.
1. BURNOUT EMPHASIZES THE WORLD AROUND YOU.
Elijah was not scared, he was burnt out. Elijah has the power of God in his life, but because of his circumstances, he was afraid. Burnout makes us think we have no one and that we are weak. When it finally hits, it tires us our, isolates us and then kills us. That is why depression and suicide have hit an all-time high in the younger generation. As Christians, if we are not careful, burnout will tire us from our faith, isolate us from our faith and kill our faith. Some may feel burnt out in their job, family or even church.
Q. Are you experiencing burnout and how? What can you share about a past experience with burnout?
2. GOD’S THREE-STEP PROGRAM:
Self Care vs. taking care of ourselves – Peoples normal approach vs. letting Jesus support us.
Self-care is me, myself and I. This is a big part of our culture today. We need ‘me’ time. ‘Me’ time is okay, but it should not last for 3 months. We tend to want to make sure we have what we need, that we are secure in who we are, we love ourselves. The Bible warns us about this: 2 Timothy 3:2
1. Eat & Drink
Sometimes we just need a nap and a snack. Elijah was freaking out until the Angel of the Lord appeared and told him to eat and drink.
2. Sleep
In normal life, we go to a therapist, but we need to go to Jesus. Yes, we should talk to someone but when they cannot solve our problems for us, we need Jesus. We are literally God’s children and children need someone to tell them they need a nap and a snack. God knows what we need. We need the Bread of Life that will never make us hungry.
Q. When you hit a stage of burnout, what is your approach? Why is it important to feed on the word of God and rest in Him?
3. Journey
Elijah is living in a self-care mentality right now. He forgot God he had been with him up to this point. This is the same guy who went up against 450 adversaries in chapter 18 and God gave him victory. The God who understands our burn out knows what we need when we are experiencing burn out.
Q. What are some victories God has given you in the past that you can remember to help you through your struggles today?
God can provide for us when we are in the desert. He does not just give us a hug, but he gives us what we really need. Our problem is us, and if we are the problem then the problem cannot fix the problem, it needs a solution. God takes Elijah to a mountain top through the desert. Jesus prepares us because He wants to speak to us.
Q. What mountain top experience have you had where at first you had to go through the desert?
3. THE JOURNEY REVEALS A PERCEPTION PROBLEM.
God continually reveals himself (we have a one-dimensional view).
God shows up to Elijah three times the way he had expected him to. We tend to think God does not show up unless he shows up in a big way, but God gently whispered to Elijah.
Q. In what small way has God shown up in your life that at first, you may not have recognized it was him because it was not in a big way that you had expected?
God is preparing us in our burnout, for the things He prepared in our burnout.
God tells Elijah to stand out on the mountain, and when he did God passed by. He showed up. God shows up. He is waiting to speak to us in the mountain through our burnout. It may be a gentle whisper but he is preparing us for what he has prepared in our burnout.
God is preparing victory in our burnout. He is waiting with us. He has a plan for us and he is not done with us. It is not over. Jesus beat death on the cross. He does not tell us the problem is fixed, but he is preparing a plan for us when things don’t work out.
Q. In your burnout, what was God preparing you for? How had he revealed Himself to you?
Make time for prayer and fellowship and allow yourselves to end on time.
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