July 2020 | Page 04
1) Overwork Without A Break Can
Discourage Us
Elijah was very active in the kingdom of God.
He was very zealous for the Lord. He had a strong
spirit. God gave a great victory to him on Mount
Carmel. He prayed to God for rain and it rained.
He killed 450 prophets of Baal. In fact, the work
was phenomenal.
But soon after this incident, Elijah could not
face the threat of Jezebel. He was afraid and ran
for his life. This can happen to anyone of us
whether we are in secular job or in ministerial
service. Continuous work without physical rest
and relaxation may take a toll on one's mental well
being.
The Sabbatical rest was instituted by God
Himself. Even God rested on the seventh day.
God's direction is that we take a day of rest from
our regular labour and rest at His feet. Sadly, for
many of us Sunday is a hectic day. We run here
and there to entertain ourselves only to return
home weak and tired. God has also required
Sabbatical year rests from us. I personally believe
we might need to take a break once in six years of
active service. For many who are in professional
life, this suggestion may not be practically
possible. But this is how it works. I know people
who went for two year studies after twelve years of
active service. I strongly believe, this is very much
needed for those of us who are in ministry. These
years of rest will enable us to rejuvenate
ourselves, and get fresh directions from the Lord.
We see that God gave Elijah the much
needed rest.
1Ki 19:5 “And he lay down and slept under a
broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and
said to him, “Arise and eat.”
1Ki 19:7 “And the angel of the Lord came
again a second time and touched him and said,
“Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”
We find Elijah was twice asked to eat. What
a loving God we have! He exactly knows what we
need. Many a times in our life, our need is not a
revival or a revelation. We simply need to rest in
the feet of the Lord. Beloved of God, do not be
hard on yourself. In our life, there will be
mountain top experiences. These exhilarating
experiences are exciting and encouraging. But
there will be lows of life as well. We may pass
through the valley of shadow of death. There is no
excitement there.
We experience darkness and we do not 'feel'
the presence of the Lord. Life becomes dry and
gloomy. Well, this may be because we have not
fed ourselves with proper balanced diet and have
not given our physical bodies the needed rest.
Sleep is one of the gifts from God. Note the
following verses:
Psa 3:5 - “I lay down and slept.”
www.bymonline.org
Psa 4:8 - “I will both lie down and sleep.”
Psa 127:2 - “He gives to His beloved sleep.”
All though oversleeping is condemned by the
Bible (Pro 6:9,11 20:13), we should not overwork.
Medical professionals suggest a minimum of 7
hours of deep sleep for our well-being.
Today, too many are discouraged simply
because they do not get adequate rest. Good sleep
and good food are a prerequisite for a sound mind.
When we are physically worn out and mentally
upset, we tend to say weird things and take crazy
decisions. These are our vulnerable moments. We
should never forget that the devil is waiting for a
chance to attack us. Hence, take adequate rest
and spend time with the Lord.
2) Low Self Esteem Can Discourage Us
'I am not worthy', 'I am not experienced', 'I
am not educated', 'I am not fit' - Have you uttered
these statements? Then welcome to the low selfesteem
club! Moses complained about his lack of
eloquence (Exo 4:10) and we find Elijah too
singing a similar song.
“It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life,
for I am no better than my father's” (1 Ki 19:4).
We are born and brought up in different
situations and circumstances. During our
childhood, people might have verbally abused us.
Our friends would have made fun of us. We would
have failed in exams or sports. All these negative
experiences cause a dent in our personality,