Finding the Strength to Keep Going When I'm Emotionally Worn Out—Part 1

0:32 Emotionally Worn Out. You know, because Daily Hope is heard on hundreds of radio stations around the world and on podcasts, I get a lot of letters every day. I want to read just one of them to start us off in today's message. It said, Dear Pastor Rick, I listen to your message every day on Daily Hope program, so I thought I'd write and ask you to pray for me. With all that our world has been going through in the last year and a half, it seems that everybody I meet has run out of gas emotionally and relationally. Everybody seems to be going through the motions, but you can tell that their heart is not really in it. Everybody is tired and worn out. For me personally, I don't know how much longer I can keep up with the new demands. I try to look energetic and I try to be positive, I'm ready to throw in the towel. I'm ready to give up on my career, my dreams, and even my marriage.

1:33 What can I do to get my spark back? You know, you may or may not identify with that letter, but today I want us to look in God's word at finding the strength to keep going, finding the strength to keep going when I'm emotionally worn out. Now, notice I'm not talking about when you're physically worn out, when you're physically tired. That's a much easier problem actually to solve. When you're physically tired, you just need rest and relaxation. You just get some time off and get some sleep. But sleep and rest alone will not cure the emotional fatigue, the spiritual fatigue, the relational fatigue that many people are feeling after the last year and a half of massive change in our lives. What you need is a strategy to recharge your spiritual and emotional battery. You know, there's going to be many times in life when you need to keep going, when your mind and your emotions have already shut down. They've shut down from emotional overload or from fatigue and just working too long and putting out too much time and helping Today, I want us to look at four solutions from God's word about how to keep on going when you feel like giving up. The Bible has a lot to say about developing the qualities of resilience and endurance and determination. But before we actually look at some secret steps or keys or principles, I want to give you two examples in scripture of determination to keep going.

3:14 One is Jesus and the other is the apostle Paul. Let me just show you these two. They're there at the top of your outline if you're taking notes. The first is the determination of Jesus to keep going in spite of opposition. Jesus faced constant opposition in his ministry. Both the religious leaders and the political leaders were constantly trying to stop Jesus from teaching and ministering. They didn't want him doing this. He was too popular. And at one point, they tried to intimidate Jesus to stop his ministry by telling him, quote, King Herod wants to kill you, end quote. Now, in Luke chapter 13, verse 32 and 33, we find Jesus' response. When they came and they're trying to intimidate Jesus and get him to stop doing, to stop keeping on, keeping on. And here's what Jesus said. He said, I want you to go back to Herod. He called him that old fox. And he said, I want you to tell King Herod this. This is the verse on your outline, quote, I'm willing, I will keep on driving out demons. I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow and on the next day, and then I'll reach my goal. In any case, Jesus says, I must keep going.

4:36 Do you hear that? I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. Jesus said, nothing's going to stop me, least of all a fear of somebody else or some kind of criticism or opposition. So Jesus had the quality of resilience and endurance and determination to keep on keeping on. The second example we have is the determination of Paul. And Paul was determined to keep going in spite of pain. We find that in 2 Corinthians 4, verses 8 and 9. It's there on your outline. Paul says there in the New Living Translation, we are hard pressed on every side by troubles. Does that sound familiar? Maybe you feel right now, you're hard pressed on every side by troubles. In other words, it's coming at you from any different directions.

5:28 Paul says we're hard pressed on many sides, every side by troubles, but we're not crushed and broken. And then he says, we're perplexed. In other words, sometimes we're confused. We don't know which way to go, don't give up and quit. That's the termination. We don't give up and quit. And then he says, we're hunted down, but God never abandons us. And he says, yes, we get knocked down, but we get up again and we keep going. Both Jesus and Paul use this phrase, how to keep going. How do you keep going? So where do I get the strength to keep going when I feel like I'm I'm tired, I'm worn out. I don't have the emotional energy to keep doing. The answer is you get the power and the strength to keep going the same place Jesus and Paul got it.

6:24 He get it from God. But that's just the simple answer. There are actually some key actions, four, four key actions and attitudes that you're gonna need to make it to your finish line, to have the strength to keep on keeping on in the things you know God wants you to do when you feel like giving up. Now let's get right into it. The first key to daily strength, the daily strength that you're going to need to keep going in a time of crisis or conflict or chronic stress. The first key to daily strength that you need to keep going is this, write it down. Honestly, tell God what I'm feeling. That's the starting point. You start with just being honest to God. Honestly, tell God what I'm feeling right now. I'm running out of energy. I'm running out of gas. You don't tell him what you think you ought to feel. You admit what you're really feeling. So are you feeling frustrated? Then tell God. Are you feeling exhausted? Then tell that to him. Do you feel like you can't go on like this? Tell him. You feel like you're under attack? Tell God. You feel like you're discouraged? Tell God. You feel overwhelmed?

7:42 Tell God. You just go ahead and dump everything you're feeling right now on the Lord. You say, can I actually do that? Well, the Bible says it. 1 Peter 5, 7, New Jerusalem translation says this, unload all your burdens on him since he is concerned about you. I love that. Unload, unload. You know, that word in the Greek, which the Bible is originally written in, the word unload means literally drop it. That's what it means. You let it go. It's not like you're throwing it a long distance. It's like if you're carrying a big boulder, you just let it go. You dump it. You unburden yourself. The Bible says that when you feel like you're overstressed, You're over-worried. You're over-burdened. You just let it go. Now, how do you do that? By being honest to God.

8:36 Now, sometimes it's intimidating being honest to God. We kind of pretend like God doesn't really know everything in our lives. If you're going to be truly honest to God, you need to remember three facts, okay? Number one, God already knows every emotion I feel. Write that down. God already knows every emotion I feel. The Bible says in Proverbs 33, excuse me, Psalm 33, verse 15, the Lord gave each of us our mind so nothing we can do can be hidden from him. Well, of course, since God created your mind, obviously he can read it. so nothing can be hidden from God. So you're not ever going to surprise him. And when you start telling God exactly how you feel right now, he's never going to say, wow, I didn't know that. I didn't know you felt that way. That's a surprise to me. Golly. Now get this.

9:37 When I confess my feelings to God, it's not for God's benefit. It's always for my benefit because God already knows. So why does God want me to unburden? Why does he want me to unload? Why does he want me to confess, to admit, to just tell him the stress that I'm under? It's for my benefit. When you talk it out to God, when you tell God, it relieves a lot of unconscious tension and a lot of internal conflict and stress in your life. Now, that's just the first thing you have to remember, God not only knows everything I'm feeling before I even mention it. The second thing is God understands my feelings better than I do. Yeah, you have the feelings, but God understands them better than you do. First Chronicles chapter 28, verse nine says this in the new century version, the Lord knows what's in everybody's mind and he understands, encircle that. He understands everything you think. Now, I certainly don't understand everything I think. I doubt you understand everything you think. A lot of times we have thoughts, we go, where'd that come from? What does that mean? And why did I think it? When you have an emotion, a lot of times you go, where did that come from? Why do I feel this way? We don't always understand, but God always understands your emotions. Why? Well, because he gave them to you. You see,

11:08 you're made in God's image. God is an emotional God. The Bible says God gets jealous. He gets angry. He gets sad. The Bible said God laughs. All these emotions are appropriate in their right place. God is an emotional God. And the only reason you have emotions is because you're made in God's image. Horses don't get jealous. Ants don't get sad. Every emotion you have is God-given. Now, as I said, they can be misused. Your emotions can be abused. Your emotions can be used inappropriately to hurt people and to harm people like every other gift of God, but your ability to feel emotions is actually part of being human. So your reticence to tell God what you're feeling really is kind of dumb because number one, God already knows what you're feeling. And number two, he understands your feeling better than you do.

12:07 Third fact you need to realize and remember is this, God loves to listen to me. Write that down. God loves to listen to me. Did you know that? In Psalm 116 verses one and two, today's English version, David says this, I love the Lord. He says, I love the Lord because he listens. He listens to my prayers. He listens to me every time I call to him. God is a listening God. And that's the third reason why you should tell God exactly what you're feeling every day. God is never too busy for a conversation with you. You get too busy for a conversation with him, never too busy for a conversation with you. God has an unlimited data plan, okay? He doesn't have call waiting. He doesn't have a recording, say, push two if you want the Holy Spirit, push three if you want to talk to Jesus. No, he doesn't have attention deficit and go, what were you talking about? Can you say that again? God is always attentive and he's always ready to have a conversation. You see, the truth is God is always waiting on you to talk. God is never going to say now. I can't talk about it. I'm busy. Can you talk to me a little bit later about this?" No, God is waiting to talk to you. You say, well, what about when I'm just complaining?

13:32 He still listens. Did you know that? The Bible says that God listens to your complaint. When you complain, he says, God is listening. That's a prayer. Can a prayer be a complaint? Yeah. A lot of the Psalms are complaints of David. In Psalm 55 verse 17, David says this, morning, noon, and night, I complain of my distress. And still the Lord hears my voice. Now listen to me. God can handle your complaints. He can handle your frustrations. He can handle your doubts. God, I doubt this. He can handle your fears. He's not going to be upset with you on that. He can handle your questions. He can handle your grief. He can handle your discouragement. He can

14:21 Why? Because he made you to love you. You can't make God stop loving you. You can try, but you'll fail because God's love is based on who he is. Psalm 103 verse 13 says this, the Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate. I love that verse. You know why? Because as a father, I love it when my kids who are now adults, I love it when my kids want to talk to me about but I especially love it when they wanna talk to me about their feelings and telling me what's going on in their heart. And God loves that too. When you are honestly free with telling God how you really feel, you tell God what's really on your heart. Psalm 145 verse nine says this on the screen, the Lord is good to everyone and he shows compassion to all he has made. Did you get that? The Lord is good to everyone. He shows good things to everybody, even those who are atheists who don't believe in him or whatever, who are rejecting him, who are mad at him. The Lord is good to everyone and he shows compassion to all he has made. By the way, if God is good to everybody and he shows compassion to all he has made, shouldn't you and I do the same with people we disagree with? Do you show compassion to people you disagree with? Are you good to people who you think are an enemy? God is good to everyone and compassionate with everyone. Now, because God knows every feeling you already have, and God understands every feeling and he knows it better than you do, and God loves to listen to us and even our complaints about stress and everything else change, and he's always listening, then God tells us to come quickly to him whenever we're stressed, whenever we're at the end of our

16:28 rope, when we're ever ready to throw in the towel, as that letter said, whenever you're distressed, Lamentations 2, verse 19 says this, cry out to God. Cry out in the night, pour out. Can you hear this? Cry out in the night, pour out your heart like water in prayer to the Lord. Have you been doing that? If you haven't, that's one of the reasons why you may be emotionally dry and drained and that. Do you hear the passion in that verse? Do you hear the urgency in that verse that God wants you to have? He says, cry out, not mumble some memorized cliche prayer for the gift and the giver and bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and on. No, he says, cry out. Say, God, help me. Help me. I don't know if I can keep going or not. It's just too hard. I'm about to lose it. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm out of options. I can't handle this. That's being honest to God. Now, this is the first key to gaining daily strength, the daily strength that you need in order to keep going and make it to the finish line and finish well in your life.

17:48 And the first key is this, honestly tell God what I'm feeling. Now, the second key to daily strength you're going to need to keep going is this. You don't just honestly tell God what you're feeling. Number two, you humbly ask God for strength. I humbly ask God for strength. There's an action step and there's an attitude with each of these four keys. Psalm 105 verse four says this, look to the Lord and to his strength. That's pretty clear. He says, you know, don't look for any other source for emotional strength. Look to the Lord. Who are you looking to for emotional strength in your life? Look to the Lord for his strength. Job chapter 12, verse 13 says this, God is the real source of wisdom and strength. God is the real source. So why don't you keep, why do you keep asking other people for support and for strength? God is the real source.

18:52 why don't, if God is the real source of strength in your life, emotional, spiritual, mental, physical strength, why don't you keep asking for strength literally throughout your day? Not just once in the morning or once at night. Why not throughout the day? God, I need strength as I'm going into this meeting. God, I need strength as I'm doing this doctor's appointment. God, I need strength as I'm picking up the kids. God, I need strength as I'm preparing this task or this meal or whatever. You know, the Bible says you do not have it because you don't ask God for it. You have not because you ask not. Did you know that about 20 times in the New Testament, we are commanded by God to ask. We are commanded about 20 times to ask in prayer. The Bible says, ask and it shall be given. Seek and you'll find. Knock and the door will be opened. Jesus said, if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.

19:48 Jesus said, ask so that your joy will be full. You know, this week, I was reading an article that said that one of the primary symptoms of emotional fatigue and emotional stress is often sleeplessness. It's insomnia, that when you are emotionally empty,

20:14 you have the inability to get to sleep. Now studies have confirmed this, scientific studies have confirmed that the more depleted you are emotionally, the harder it is for you to get to sleep or to stay asleep. Now you may have never realized this, but did you know that your relationship with God can affect your sleep? When you're out of fellowship with God, when you are estranged from God, war with God. He tells you to do something, I don't want to do it. When you're in rebellion against God, did you know that your body recognizes that even if you aren't consciously aware of the conflict? And your body takes it out. But when you're in harmony with God, you get the peace and you get the strength of God. And the peace and the strength of God, Do you know what it does? It leads to better sleep. I give you an example of this. When King David was a fugitive, he's running for his life. People were trying to kill him, and he's running for his life, and he's hiding in caves. During that time, he wrote these words, Psalm 3, verse 5.

21:28 He says, I can lay down, I can lie down and go to sleep, and I'll wake up again because the Lord gives me strength. You see the connection between God giving you strength and you being able to sleep? So here's the second way you can gain new strength to keep going when you feel like, I don't know if I've got the energy to keep going. Keep asking God for strength every day, over and over and over. God will never get tired. You can ask him 50 times or 100 times a day. Psalm 138 verse 3 says this, when I pray, you answer me and you encourage me by giving me the strength I need. How do I get strength I need? By asking for it in prayer. So I humbly ask God for strength, just like I honestly tell God what I'm feeling. Now, I told you that there's a for each of these four actions in developing resilience, in developing endurance, in developing an attitude of continuing to keep on, keep on. One of these attitudes is seen in the life of Daniel.

22:49 There on your outline in Daniel 10, verses 11 and 12, God told this to Daniel. Daniel was in a situation where he was under enormous stress in his culture. And God says this to Daniel, oh, Daniel, greatly loved of God. By the way, you're greatly loved by God. Oh, Daniel, greatly loved of God. Listen carefully. Since the first day you began to pray and humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. He said, what? You've been praying for this for a long time. I heard the request. We answered it, decided to answer it instantly. But notice, he said, when you prayed and you humbled yourself before God, circle that word humbled. And then I want you to write down this next truth. The attitude that moves God to answer your prayers, are you ready for this? Is humility.

23:52 humility. The attitude that moves God to answer your prayers is humility. God, I'm depending on you. I'm trusting in you. I can't do this on my own. I don't have the wherewithal. I don't have the emotional energy to keep on keeping on. That admission is humility.

24:16 I don't know about you, but I am encouraged after that message. And let's keep the encouragement going with a letter from one of our listeners. Here's Rick. Here's a note that I got from a woman named Becky. She said, Pastor Rick, the Daily Hope ministry has truly helped me in many ways. I attend church on a regular basis. However, the Daily Hope broadcast has taught me so much, and I can honestly say that I never miss one of those Monday through Friday morning quiet times listening to Pastor Rick's teaching, growing closer to the Lord, and applying what he's taught me through his messages. I am blessed beyond measure, and I absolutely love the way the Lord is using Pastor Rick to reach out and teach Christians and non-Christians as well. One day, I believe I'm going to be able to increase my monthly contribution. I also believe that in the not-too-distant future that will happen. Woo-hoo! Faithfully fit, Becky. I love your heart, and I love your faith, and I love this phrase, faithfully fit, Becky. That's great. I want everybody to please pray with me that the Daily Hope radio broadcast and all of our online resources will continue to transform lives with the simple truth of hope through Jesus Christ. And thanks for listening today. Let's all stay, like Becky, faithfully fit.