River Church NOLA
Wed September 10 Wednesday
  • My Redeemer Lives
  • One Way
  • You Are My All In All
  • Make Room
  • Intro
    We have all experienced setbacks in our lives. Some of us are going through them now. Maybe your setback is financial… relational… emotional… health issue… job setback… personal setback… spiritual setback… many differnt kinds of setbacks.
    One of the common side effects of setbacks is that can drain your emotional tank empty so that you have no reservers for daily living. You feel empty… running on fumes… nothing left to give… and you drag yourself through the day.

    Setbacks can drain our emotional tank empty.

    Last week we looked at Elijah and this week I want to use him again because Elijah clearly illustrates for us how God helps us when we are drained emotionally.
    If you know much about Elijah, you probably didn’t expect him to be the kind of guy to be drained emotionally because God so many powerful and amazing things through him. But the Bible says he was a man just like us in James 5:17 “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!”
    What does that mean? It means that he was susceptible to the same troubles and the same temptations… the same emotions that we all face each day.
    In this setback of Elijah we will identify some warning signs that our tank is empty. we need to know them so we can change directions. We will also identify steps God will use to refull your life with hope, joy and liive when you hit bottom and your tank is empty.
    Last week we looked at this story, but let me refresh you a bit. Israel had fallen into idol worship… the worship of Baal. It was being ruled by an evil king and queen. Ahab and Jezebel. At this time there was only one true prophet of God left in Israel and his name was Elijah.
    Elijah finally gets fed up of all of the idolatry and worship of Baal and he issues a challenge to them. How long will you waiver between two ways of life? Worship God or worship Baal. If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal is God follow Him. He called for a contest.
    So he gathers the entire nation on Mt Carmel and has the contest. The Prophets of Baal sream and yell all day, but there is nothing happening. When it was Elijah’s turn, he simply prayed, Lord, I know you're the God of Abraham and Isaac and Israel. Now prove that you are the real God and that I am your servant! Show these people that you told me to do this. Lord, answer my prayer so these people will know that you're God and that they will change their minds.
    The people were amazed and worshipped the Lord… revival broke out. They all became angry with the false prophets that had been sacrificing their kids and leading them astray for years that they helped Elijah kill them all. Like I said last week, revival had broken out. But with every mountain, there is a valley. Look what happened next. Jezebel hears what happened and looked for her false prophets and she becomes angry.
    1 Kings 19:1–5 NLT
    1 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”
    1 Kings 19:10 NLT
    10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
    1 Kings 19:1–5 “When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
    A death threat from the wicked Queen. Look at what happens next.
    3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”” 1 Kings 19:10 “10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.””
    Elijah is on empty. He is burned out and ready to quit. We will learn 10 signs of emotional burnout from Elijah in this story. It ‘s important to know these signes so that we can respond but more importantly, the story will teach us how God refills our tank.

    How can we know our emotional tank is empty?

    1. Fear creeps into my life.

    You become more and more fearful
    Elijah was afraid
    When fear comes into your life, it’s because your emotional tank is empty.

    2. I begin to run away from things.

    We begin to run away from things when we run out of emotional energy.
    and fled for his life
    What are you running from right now? If you are, it’s a sign you are low on emotional gas.

    3. I start abandoning relationships.

    We back away from relationships. Look what he did…
    he left his servant there
    He left his servant in Beersheba. This servant had been with Elijah a long time, and he is walking away from him… giving up on their ministry and friendship.
    Are you walking away from any relationships? If you are, it’s a sign that you are emotionally drianed.

    4. I make foolish and impulsive decisions.

    Make sure to write that one down because we do that. Look what Elijah did.
    Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day…
    Do you think it’s smart to walk a full day in the wilderness alone? He si walking in the wrong direction and he has no plan. He didn’t take food or water with him.
    making foolish decisions impulsively is a sign that your emotional tank is low.

    5. I push myself past my physical limits.

    He sat down under a solitary broom tree … collapsed
    Some translations say he collapsed. We think that we can get more … we burn the candles at both ends. He finally collapsed.

    6. My work seems pointless.

    I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets…
    He had worked hard, but he had not seen any results. He had worked hard and the nation is worshipping false gods. He blamed himself for things that were not his fault. Now the nation is falling apart and he blames himself.
    One of the GREAT causes of emotional burnout is trying to control everything. We think we are atlas holding up the world. Listen to me. You can quit your job as the CEO of the universe. It won’t fall apart becuase the world doesn’t rest on your shoulders.
    There are a lot of things beyond your control and you are not responsible for for other people’s responses in this life. I have to deal with this too. I can teach you what the WOG says, but you have to do something with it…

    7. I want to give up and quit.

    That’s what Elijah said,
    I have had enough, Lord,
    He was at the end of his rope and ready to quit. When your emotional tank is low, you lose your vision and forget what your pupose is and just want to give up and quit… you stop caring.

    8. I feel isolated and attacked.

    Notice what Elijah said,
    I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.
    The truth is that Elijah is exaggerating his problem. When we are low on emotional energy, we make the problem worse than it really is. the truth was that there were 7,000 people who worshipped God. Elijah was not alone. Because Elijah was drained emotionally, his view of reality was distorted.
    Think about it. Elijah had just called fire from heaven and God helped him kill 850 false prophets. And now one woman with an empty threat causes his setback. If Jezabel was going to kill him, why send a messanger? just send a hit man. He’s not think straight because he is emotionally drained.

    9. I compare my self to others and feel bad about me.

    Over and over the bible tells us not to compare ourselves to others. Look what Elijah did…
    for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.
    We tend to depreciate ourselves when we are drained. We put ourselves down and talk bad to ourselves. At the same time, we elevate others when we compare ourselves to them.
    Our self talk is something like, “I’m no good… I am not qualified… It doesn’t matter…
    Then you try to motivate yourself with criticism with statements like: “I must… I should… I have to…” and you become hyper critical of yourself and you become your own worst enemy.
    You are focusing on your feelings and not the facts. “I feel this way so it must be true.” Everyone becomes discouraged after a great performance. athletes… singers… speakers… ministers… Remember after every mountain top there is a valley. You are emotionally depleted and you are not and cannot think straight.

    10. I think death would be a relief.

    Notice Elijah…
    He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life
    If you are feeling like or have ever felt like dying would bring relief. Don’t. It will not bring relief. It will bring heartache to everyone. Never make a decision when you are depressed. There is help. Look at Elijah…
    James 5:17 NLT
    17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
    That’s a long check list. Now let’s look at how God will refill our emotional tank.

    How can God refill our emotional tank?

    1. God wants me to rest physically.

    God wants you to rest your body. Look at Psalms 23.
    Psalm 23:2–3 NLT
    2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
    Sometimes God has to make you lie down because you are not smart enough to do it yourself. At some point He will force you to rest. You can’t be spiritually and emotionally strong when you are physically depleted.
    Look what happens next.
    1 Kings 19:5–7 NLT
    5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
    God is practical. Part of the antidote for Elijah’s burnout is rest and food. So God’s first prescription was rest, food and relaxation. God didn’t scold him and say… you are a poor example of a prophet… suck it up buttercup.
    Like I said last week. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to hit the buffet and take a nap. In Psalm 127:2 “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” God gives rest to those he loves.
    Vince Lombardi said, Fatigue makes cowards of all of us. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do for you.
    So the first thing God wants you to do when you are emotionally depleted is to take care of your body. Control the controllables and don’t try to control the uncontrollables. Control what you can control. One thing you can control is that you can rest your body.
    Maybe you need a check up at the doctor…
    Look at the next thing God does…

    2. God encourages me to release my frustrations.

    Revealing your feelings is the beginning of healing.
    1 Kings 19:8–9 NLT
    8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
    1 Kings 19:8–9 “So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
    That’s where God gave the 10 commandments.
    9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
    He has just run across the desert and now he spent the night in the cave.
    But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
    Then for the next few verses Elijah releases his feelings and complaints.
    Remember when God asks you are question, he already knows the answer. Elijah answers the question by unloading his complaints. God allows Elijah to blow off some steam.
    vs. 3 Fear - Elijah was afraid
    Vs 10 vents his anger - I have worked hard and no one changed…
    vs. 4 Low self-esteem - I have had enough … I am done…
    vs. 10 Worry - they are trying to kill me too. He is saying Im afraid, lonely, worried, angry…
    God isn’t shocked when you complain to Him. He’ll listen to you until you run out of words. Many of the Psalms are David unloading his feelings and complaints. God put these in the Bible for a reason… to show us it’s ok to unload our feelings.
    So the first step back is to rest physically. then when you feel lost, lonely, worried, angry, empty… tell God how you feel. 1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Just pour your heart out to Jesus.
    It also helps to have friends you can be open and honest with as well.

    3. God wants me to remember & refocus on Him.

    We need to remember who he is… all of his promises… all he has done in the past and then refocus on him. Get your focus off of the problems and onto God who can fix the problems. Stop looking at the trials, the problems, thr troubles, the temptations and look at Jesus. when you are depleted you need a fresh awareness of God’s power, presence and personality.
    1 Kings 19:11–13 NLT
    11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
    He is asking the question again. God put on quite a show for Elijah. Windstorm… earthquake… fire… finally a whisper. What was God doing through all of this? He was demonstrating his power and saying why are you worried about this woman? I am the one who is in control… not her.
    One of the root causes of emotional burnout is we try to play God. We want to control everything and we can’t. That’s God’s job.
    Frank sinatra - I did it my way. That was a famous song he sang, but it was also the theme of his life. Do yiou know what his last words were? I’m losing it. Why? Because he realized that he really wasn’t in control of his life. You aren’t either.
    Here is another verse from the prophet Jeremiah. It comes fromt eh book of Lamentations. Jeremiah was lamenting to God. Lamentations means my complaints.
    Jeremiah is complaining to God about how bad things were, but he finds an antidote. He begins to remember how good God is and he refocused on God and his promises.
    Lamentations 3:19–24 NLT
    19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
    Lamentations 3:19–24 “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.
    He was lost and didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t have any idea about what to do or where to go.
    20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
    He is so depressed that his sufferings are all he can think about. But look at what happens.
    21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
    He had hope. He refocused. Look at how God renewed his hope. 5 things.
    22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
    23 Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
    24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!””
    Those 5 things will pull you out of depression, out of burnoout, and will refill your tank if you will remember and refocus on those 5 qualities of God.
    A lot of people… most of us, eat sweets when we are down and out… depressed. so let me give you some of God’s sugar tonight.

    God’s Sugar

    1. Steadfast Love

    2. Unfailing Mercy

    3. Great Faithfulness

    4. Always Kind

    5. Real Hope

    That’s real sugar and that sugar will give you a sugar high without a crash. Build your life on these 5 qualities of God that Jermiah depended on… that pulled him out of his sadness, his grief, his depression and his emptiness after his setback.
    Here is the last thing God says to Elijah…
    1 Kings 19:15–16 NLT
    15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.
    He told him to retrace his steps. go back the same way you came… just the opposite. Then gives him instructions… purpose.
    He tells him to anoint a man named Hazael… Jehu … Elisha… He says to appoint them to replace Ahab… to replace himself.
    God gave Elijah an brand new assignment. Why? because God wasn’t through with Elijah and God isn’t though with you either. I don’t know what you are going through and what setbacks have drained your emotional tank. But I believe that God has you here tonight so you can hear these words and so God can say, are you ready? I’m not thorugh with you.
    One of the fast ways to defeat depression is to focus on helping soemoen else. Jesus said when you give your life away, you find it. You may be defeated, emotionally empty tonight, but you need to remember and refocus. That’s what Elijah had to do… what Jeremiah had to do and what God wants you and I to do.
    Maybe you can’t hardly get out of bed…
    Maybe you have a short fuse…
    Maybe you have envn thougth it would be better to not be here…
    If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, there is hope in Jesus. He cares and so do we. This is God’s recover plan to get well. You have to deal with all the different areas of your life: physical, spiritual, mental, emotional.
    You have to take care of your physical needs.
    You have to deal with and release those emotions.
    You have to remember and refocus around Jesus. Remember SUGAR
    Then you have to get involved helping someone else. Notice Elijah was told to get three helpers to help him.
    Follow these and let God refill your emotional tank.
    Prayer
    Jesus, you know that many people are tired, and you know that they're frazzled by their emotions and some of them are empty, and there are people here I know that this message has really spoken to them, and as we went down through that checklist, they were going, "Yep, that's me. Yep, that's me. Yes, that is me." Would you help them today as they turn to you? Would you restore their soul?
    Now it’s your turn. pray this.
    "Jesus, I want to take these initial steps to refill my tank. Help me to rest my body. Help me to do whatever I need to do to get in better shape, to take care of the physical parts of my body that I've been ignoring. I've been trying to burn the candle at both ends or whatever." Then say, "Lord, I need to release. I need to release my frustrations," and just tell him what you're worried about. Tell him what you're bitter about. Tell him what you're sad about. Tell him what you're afraid of. Tell him what makes you angry. He can handle it. Release your frustrations.
    Then, finally, would you refocus and remember God's steadfast love, and God's unfailing mercy, and God's great faithfulness, and remember God is always, always kind, and remember that he is the source of real hope. That's real sugar.
    Father, I pray for everyone listening today, for those who have never opened their lives to Jesus Christ. May they do so right now. If you've never done so, say, "Jesus Christ, come into my life and start changing me from the inside out. I want to know you. I want to learn to love you and trust you."
    I pray, Father, that you would bless each person in the sound of my voice in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

      • 1 Kings 19:1–5TLB

      • 1 Kings 19:10TLB

      • James 5:17TLB

      • Psalm 23:2–3TLB

      • 1 Kings 19:5–7TLB

      • 1 Kings 19:8–9TLB

      • 1 Kings 19:11–13TLB

      • Lamentations 3:19–24TLB

      • 1 Kings 19:15–16TLB

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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