Spiritual burnout occurs when the fierce fire to please God goes off due to the Christian’s exposure to the wind of overzealous spiritual stress. It is a terrible situation that must be handled carefully when the signal starts to manifest.

Today’s message about spiritual burnout is for the servants of God and the disciples of Jesus who give their strength and resources for the spread of the Gospel.

Barna Research Group made press release in 2017 and reports that one in three American Pastors is on the verge of burnout. This troubling number revealed that nearly half of the Pastors face relational risks in their marriages, families and friendships.

Pentecostal Theology Group posted a survey on Pastors that:

33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.

40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.

45% of pastors say that they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.

1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.

These statistics scare me so much that I think it is important we encourage ourselves in Christ. The level of faith in our generation must not be a disappointment to the Lord. Jesus’ question in Luke 18:8 is a serious concern: “…Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Seven Spiritual Burnout Signals to Avoid?

1. Spiritual strain; you feel incapable to play your spiritual roles

2. Feeling depressed; tired of everything about Jesus

3. You don’t feel like participating in public evangelism anymore

4. Spiritual disappointment; you doubt God just because something unwanted happened to you.

5. Feeling hopeless; when your faith level is diminishing.

6. Spiritual disconnection; when your time for personal fellowship with God is scheduled for something else.

7. Inability to concentrate; takes you too long to connect your mind to God and your spiritual roles.

What are the Causes of Spiritual Burnout?

Spiritual burnout is the result of overwhelming duties you admit to place on yourself which you cannot bear the weight anymore. Some causes include:

1. A long period of effort at a particular task; when you do the same thing at the same time at same place using the same church doctrine…

2. Carrying too many burdens; Only you want to help everyone that comes your way with your strength just like the blunder of Moses.

3. Vigorous sourcing for a million dollars to feed a million people.

4. Not asking for God’s wisdom and direction to handle the cases of people around you – the blunder of self-reliance!

5. Pleasing everyone by sacrificing your sleep, poor nourishment of your body, extending your schedules, and loving your neighbours more than yourself could put you into terrible burnout.

10 Effects of Spiritual Meltdown

1. Spiritual coldness

2. Separation from the LORD

3. Backsliding

4. High risk of becoming an Atheist

5. Spiritual status of lukewarmness

6. Resolves to misconception of the scriptures

7. A mere church goer

8. Finding it easy to commit sin without restrain

9. Running away from church or renouncing evangelism

10. The Gospel of Jesus looks strange and unwanted!

How to Overcome Spiritual Burnout

A Christian must not get overworked to the point of burnout, but if you noticed this stage in your life then the following points would restore you:

1. Don’t love your neighbour more than yourself. Jesus says: “…You shall love your neighbour as yourself…” (Matthew 22:39)

2. Don’t act like Mr. Know all; Always ask for directions from the Lord. The Holy Spirit is there for you. Not all things are profitable! You would hit the wall of frustration without the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

3. Always observe sabbath; Find time to sleep well and burnout would not trouble you. You are a human and not GOD (who don’t rest). The deep sleep of Jesus in the storm was a clear indication that our body needs rest after ministration. (Matthew 8:24)

Though, I was a culprit to murdering my rest, but when I noticed it drains me and gets me weaker than my age. I knew if I continue the habit of missing my sleep, I may die young. I tried to increase my sleep from 3 to 5 hours daily. I made up my mind to still improve better…

4. Monotonous way of doing things brings boredom, so practice holy dynamism. For instance, Jesus did not restrict His ministration to the temple only, He ministered in the market, at the sea chore, on the mountain and so on. Thus, follow the example of Jesus and you won’t burnout.

5. Don’t put the burden of people on yourself but on God.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

6. Ministration can take your whole day but it’s not good for you. Create time for prayers and Bible Study like Jesus did when on earth.

My experience about this point is not funny; most times when I am through with the offline and online ministration, I became worn-out to the point of negative impact on my brain… But I have learnt my lesson to always take the ministration easy and find time for refill of anointing…

7. Stop counting your efforts or money you put for the progress of the Gospel. (Luke 18:11-14)

8. Delegate some tasks to trusted Christians who share the same vision with you.

9. Any spiritual stress in me melts away when I listen to inspirational or worship songs. So, it would work for you as well because music is life in Heaven. Don’t joke with your MP3 Player!

10. Don’t prove to be over-confidence when temptation knocks on the door of your heart, always respond with the word of God and flee!

Spiritual burnout is a terrible condition that pulls people away from God. It is destructive and without respect for any Christian. You won’t experience such if you always seek God’s direction in all your actions. Put all burdens on God and enjoy your sabbath.