Series: Balanced Living [#5]
YOUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH
1 Kings 19:1-15
Introduction:
As we continue in our study “Balanced Living”, we will look at being emotionally balanced. With today's high-pressure lifestyle, it's easy to run out of emotional energy. You can call it depression, burnout, etc… It's a warning light that something is out of balance in your life. We are going to look at Elijah right after he had just experienced a huge victory on Mount Carmel.
1 Kings 19:1-10
Elijah got depressed. He ran off to the other side of the mountain and hid under a tree, then later hid in a cave and said, "God, I'm so depressed I want You to kill me."
What causes that kind of burnout?
* Fear causes it.
* Resentment can cause burnout.
* Low self-esteem.
* Anger can cause burnout.
* Loneliness.
* Worry.
Elijah was an emotional wreck. He had fear, resentment, low self esteem, anger, loneliness and worry. Do you think that would cause depression? I think so.
How do people get themselves in such an emotional mess? The answer- Faulty thinking. The Bible says that our thinking controls our emotions, and our emotions control the way we act. The problem is, when we're at an emotional low, we typically make 4 common mistakes. In this study I want to give you 4 mistakes we make and then look at how God helped Elijah overcome his burnout. When we're emotionally drained, we tend to make these mistakes that only make matters worse.
A mistake that we make is…
1. Focusing on feelings rather than facts.
Look at what he says in verse 4. “He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said.” He is saying, I have wasted my life. I’m fed up. I’m done. I quit.” This is emotional reasoning. Emotional reasoning says, "If I feel it, it must be so." I feel like a failure, therefore I am a failure. I don't feel close to God; then I must not be close to God. Stop doing that to yourself. Feelings lie.
A mistake that we make is…
2. Comparing ourselves to others.
When we are emotionally drained, we start comparing ourselves. This is what Elijah did. He said, “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” He starts comparing himself to his family tree. Do not compare. When you start comparing yourself to other people you are setting yourself up for depression. Everybody is different. Everybody is unique.
We motivate ourselves through criticism. We compare ourselves and then say, "I should be able to read my Bible like that person" or "I should be a better Christian like that person" or "I should witness like that person". The moment you start using the word "should" in your vocabulary, you are guaranteeing procrastination. It is human nature that we resist what is forced against us. How do you get motivated for those things you know that are important in life? You change them from, "I ought to” to “I want to.
A mistake that we make is…
3. Taking all the blame.
Elijah had been serving and following God. Look at what he said in verse 10. “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.” In his depression, Elijah blames himself for failing to convert the entire nation of Israel. He takes this big load upon his shoulders and says, "It's all my fault. I've been working like crazy and yet nobody's changed." He took it personally. That's a heavy responsibility.
When you start trying to assume responsibility for other people, you're going to get depressed. You can be responsible to someone without being responsible for someone. We tend to blame ourselves and when we're feeling emotionally low, we tend to blame all of the world's problems on ourselves. This is what Elijah did. You can influence people; but you cannot control them- They have a free will.
A mistake that we make is…
4. Exaggerating the negative.
We blow it out of proportion. All of a sudden, everything is wrong. Elijah says, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” This guy is having a giant pity party. He was feeling sorry for himself when there was only 1 person after him- Jezebel. She had gotten jealous of Elijah's popularity and power in the nation; so, the Queen sent him a message to let him know that if he didn’t leave the country that she was going to have him killed. Elijah ran across the desert and hid in a cave and had a pity party. There was only 1 person against him; but he said that everybody was against him.
If he had really thought it out, if Elijah had not listened to his feelings but looked at the facts he would have thought, "Jezebel sent a messenger to warn me that she was going to kill me." If Jezebel had really intended to kill him, she wouldn't have sent a messenger to warn him. She would have just sent a hit man. Why warn him? Jezebel was clever enough to know that if she killed Elijah that would only make matters worse- That would make him a martyr. Pretty soon he'd be a hero in the Nation and might even cause a revolt among the people. On top of that, Jezebel worried about what God would do to her if she touched God's man. So instead, she just thought, "I won't kill him. I'll just embarrass him." So, she threatened him and let him run away; and then he runs off to be remembered as a coward.
Have you noticed the fact that when you're depressed everything seems to go wrong? Not just the thing you're depressed about. Everything goes wrong. Elijah said, "I'm the only one," and God said, "No, you're not. I have reserved 7000 in Israel who haven't bowed their knees to Baal. There are 7000 people in this Nation that haven't followed this false god, this idol. They're still true to Me. They're still faithful."
Of the many things that I love about the Bible is that it doesn't just give us the causes of our problems in life, but it gives us the cures. God helped Elijah do 4 things that are just as applicable to our lives today. If you are on the verge of burnout, depressed, and you want to be like Elijah and run away from that job or that relationship or that problem you're facing; then you need to do these 4 things.
1 Kings 19:5-8
A solution is…
1. Rest your body.
Relax. Take care of your physical needs. That's the 1st thing you do when you're getting emotionally burned out. It's interesting to me that when Elijah started having a pity party and started contemplating suicide and started saying, "God, I just want to die"; that God did not scold Elijah. He did not give him a sermon (which would have only added to his guilt). God's remedy, step 1, was simply eat, sleep, eat, and sleep. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed. It's amazing how a good night's rest will do wonders for your attitude.
1 Kings 19:9-10
A solution is…
2. Release your frustrations.
Pray about it. Tell it to God. Get it off your chest. Complain to the Lord. Confess it to God. Spill your guts. Share with God what you don't like. Elijah told God how he felt. The thing I like about this is that God let him complain until he was out of words. God did not criticize him. God is not shocked when you complain.
1 Kings 19:11-13
A solution is…
3. Refocus on God.
Get your eyes off the problem and get a fresh awareness of what God wants to do in your life. God took Elijah outside and got his attention. There was thunder, lightning, and earthquakes; but God spoke to him in a whisper. God reminded Elijah that he was right there, that He hadn't gone away, that He was there beside him, and He said, "Just be quiet. Realize I'm here with you."
1 Kings 19:15
A solution is…
4. Recommit your life.
Recommit your life to God's purpose. Let God give you a new direction, a new purpose, a new job, a new career if need be, a new ministry. He said, get back to work Elijah, go to this city and anoint this man to be the king. He gave him a project, a job.
The quickest way to defeat your depression is to get involved in the needs of other people. Get a ministry. Get a place to give yourself away. As you give yourself away, God gives to you and you become a channel.
Conclusion:
We have all wanted to give up. We have wanted God to give us a way out and there is a way out. You don't have to stay depressed. God can help you through it.
