Latest / Arise Women of God / Can Spiritual Warfare Make You Tired?
Transcript
- 0:00Hey my friend, have you ever wondered if spiritual warfare can make you feel tired?
- 0:06Because you are striving your very hardest to live right, to do everything for your family, but you still feel completely drained, heavy and physically exhausted.
- 0:19This, my friends, is a common and a wearying situation because you want to know how to battle back against this heavy fatigue and truly find rest unto your soul.
- 0:31Well, take heart, you are in the right place.
- 0:34And by the end of today's episode, you will know exactly why invisible battles take a physical toll on your body, the difference between pure exhaustion and spiritual stretching, and how to claim God's divine reset to recover your strength.
- 0:52Stay tuned.
- 0:54Ordinary women extraordinary faith When God calls, we say yes.
- 1:04Hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
- 1:08I'm your host, Tamara K.
- 1:10Anderson, and joining me today is the amazing Amy Johnson, a wonderful ministry leader, busy mom and grandma, and a battle tested warrior of light for her and her family.
- 1:25And she is here today to share her deep practical wisdom as we talk about can spiritual warfare make you feel tired?
- 1:32To do this, we're going to map out three key concepts.
- 1:35First, the weight of the spirit, why spiritual stretching and battling darkness can drain your physical battery.
- 1:44Second, we're going to talk about Moses and mission lessons, deep insights into how spiritual output impacts us physically.
- 1:54And third, the Juniper Tree protocol, how God handles exhausted warriors with very tender care.
- 2:01But first, let's validate exactly what you are feeling.
- 2:05Yes, spiritual warfare can make you feel incredibly tired.
- 2:10Just because you can't see the battle being waged with your physical eyes doesn't mean it's not impacting your soul and your physical frame.
- 2:20In Matthew, chapter 26, verse 41, the Savior reminds us, watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.
- 2:30The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.
- 2:35So my friend, our mortal flesh gets tired when we are stretching for the things of God or battling against the darkness.
- 2:44Listen as Amy shares how even some of the greatest prophets and spiritual experiences can leave us feeling physically drained.
- 2:53I believe that not only spiritual warfare, but just things of the spirit can make us very tired.
- 3:00We are very mortal and this world is very dark.
- 3:07And anytime we have a major shift where we feel the things of the spirit, the things of God, he can handle way more than I can handle.
- 3:19And so I believe that anytime we're dealing with anything with the things of the spirit, it exhausts us.
- 3:26Moses, he is a good example.
- 3:29He comes down from Mount Sinai and he's got the Ten Commandments and he's ready and they're making a golden calf and they're doing all their thing, and he flips.
- 3:41And I believe he flips because he's exhausted, because you read about Moses and he's pretty steady, Eddy.
- 3:51Even when Jethro comes to him and says, these people are going to wear you out and make suggestions to him, he's pretty steady, Eddie.
- 3:59But he comes down off the mountain, he's had this major spiritual experience with the Lord, and he just flips.
- 4:08I like to think it was because he was exhausted, because I know how that feels when I get exhausted.
- 4:14Also, When I was 21 to 23, I served a mission for my church.
- 4:21And all we were doing all the time was praying.
- 4:25We prayed so much.
- 4:27Like, every time we got in the car, every time we started an appointment, every time we ended an appointment, every time we woke up, every time we ate, we prayed so much.
- 4:37But also, I really believe that when you're teaching the things of the Spirit, God backs you up and sends an added measure of his spirit.
- 4:47And so I remember coming home at the end of a day and laying on my bed and thinking, I can't move.
- 4:56I'm so tired.
- 5:00So I think it's really important to remember that it's not just the battle that makes us tired.
- 5:11Battles make us tired, but it's also things of the Spirit that take our strength because we are not familiar.
- 5:20We're not doing it all day, every day.
- 5:22The beginning of that mission, I was way more tired than the end.
- 5:28At the end, I was weary.
- 5:31There's a difference.
- 5:33I had gotten used to feeling the things of the Spirit in that kind of capacity every day, all day long.
- 5:40And so I just.
- 5:41I really think it's important to remember that, yeah, we are in a battle.
- 5:46We are absolutely in a battle.
- 5:49But being exhausted isn't necessarily bad.
- 5:52And it isn't necessarily because of the battle.
- 5:55Sometimes it's because we are stretching and reaching for things of the Spirit and receiving things of the Spirit.
- 6:04Amy is so right.
- 6:05I remember when I was on my mission doing God's work, ministering to people who had heavy needs and helping others battle back darkness and fear so that they could move closer to Jesus Christ.
- 6:18It was spiritual warfare, and it was, hands down, one of the most exhausting times of my life.
- 6:25Spiritually pushing back darkness does take its toll.
- 6:29But thank goodness I knew I wasn't alone and I knew I was on God's errand.
- 6:35So how does God react when we are completely spent?
- 6:39Look at the story of Elijah in the Old Testament, right after winning a massive, intense spiritual victory against the prophets of baal.
- 6:49On Mount Carmel, he was hit with a vicious death threat from Queen Jezebel.
- 6:55He was completely exhausted, terrified and depleted.
- 6:59And so he ran into the wilderness, sat under a juniper tree, and begged God to let him die, saying, it is enough, O Lord, take away my life.
- 7:11I love how God responded to him.
- 7:13He didn't deliver a stern lecture.
- 7:15He didn't tell him to pray harder or scold him for lacking more faith.
- 7:21Instead, God sent him an angel to bake him a hot meal, give him a drink of water, and let him sleep to recover his physical and spiritual strength.
- 7:31God understands that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is eat, rest your body, and replenish your strength.
- 7:40As moms, this partnership with God that we have to minister to our children and our family is particularly exhausting.
- 7:50Let's listen as Amy shares her beautiful thoughts on the weight of bringing children into this world.
- 7:56I felt an exhaustion as I started to bring children into this world, and at first I just thought it was the physical exhaustion of having babies because, let's be honest, that's a physically taxing job.
- 8:12But I later realized that it's more than that.
- 8:18It's that now I've chosen to become a partner with God and it's exhausting.
- 8:25His spirit is not familiar enough in this world to me that until I get used to that walk with God, it takes a lot out of me.
- 8:36So my friend, if you are going to be walking closely with God, you are going to feel tired sometimes, but take heart, you are simply getting used to the weight of his light work in a very dark world.
- 8:51Remember the beautiful encouragement found in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, where it reads and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
- 9:05The enemy is trying to wear you down so you are too exhausted to stand guard over your home.
- 9:11And so we have a wonderful gift that we would like to give you to help you with your important mission.
- 9:17It is our A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family and it's free at the link below.
- 9:27When you get your workbook, I want you to turn straight back to the bonus section at the end of the booklet and look at the not to do list.
- 9:36This powerful tool is designed to help you prayerfully identify and eliminate good distractions that are taking up your time and your physical and emotional energy.
- 9:48It will help you clear your plate and have the strength to focus on what matters most connecting with God and protecting yourself and your family.
- 10:00So my friend, take a breath, get some rest and trust that God will carry you.
- 10:06He is strong enough.
- 10:08Lean on Jesus because He will help you.
- 10:11And until next time, may you arise.
- 10:13Do it God's way.
- 10:15God strong.
- 10:17If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe.
- 10:23It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.