1 00:00:01,900 --> 00:00:05,000 All right, cross in church. How are you doing today, doing? 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,800 All right. I don't know how we can't be 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:09,500 doing. All right. 4 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:13,300 When we serve a God, that turns Graves into Gardens, when we 5 00:00:13,300 --> 00:00:16,800 serve a God, who turns bones into a mean and we all know, 6 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,500 hopefully, you know, today he is the only one who can do that. 7 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:25,100 You can't do that, I can't do that, but he can do that and 8 00:00:25,100 --> 00:00:29,300 he's doing incredible things even now I was I was talking to 9 00:00:29,300 --> 00:00:34,300 Bill twaddle back there who for the Su campus, he's right over 10 00:00:34,300 --> 00:00:38,200 here, but the Vandalia. Oh, It's prison. 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:44,900 I think we have What 80s is it? 8686 baptism schedule. 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,700 You know what, you call that in a church, you call that Revival 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,200 and you can have a Revival in a women's prison. 14 00:00:54,100 --> 00:00:55,400 And that's pretty awesome. Isn't it? 15 00:00:55,408 --> 00:00:57,700 What God can do? Because he can turn all of those 16 00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:00,200 things into other things. I want to welcome all of our 17 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,300 campuses joining with us all across this region if you're 18 00:01:03,300 --> 00:01:07,000 inside or online. So thankful for each and every 19 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,500 one of you. And we're celebrating Monmouth 20 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:13,700 is having its fourth anniversary today, awesome. 21 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,800 All those people way up in the north. 22 00:01:16,900 --> 00:01:20,300 Mus and we're so excited for that. 23 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,500 And you think with all the victories that we experienced in 24 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:26,700 the kingdom of God, and with one another, you think it, we just 25 00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:29,400 ought to be walking around with these dumb smiles on our faces 26 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,100 all the time. But that's really not the case. 27 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:36,700 Is it many of us are dealing rhyming, all of us right now, at 28 00:01:36,708 --> 00:01:40,600 some level are dealing with stress, And some of us are in a 29 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,700 stage of burnout. We're struggling with that, 30 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:45,500 that's what this series is about. 31 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,300 It's about mental health weeds in my garden and you know, we 32 00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:52,100 struggle in these various areas. We don't like to talk about it 33 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:55,300 so much because you know, we don't project weakness or we 34 00:01:55,300 --> 00:01:58,200 don't know project that we're kind of maybe in some way in 35 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,000 some form out of control in our lives. 36 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,700 But we really, really do need to deal with it. 37 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:10,100 There was a barn study, came out last week about pastors and said 38 00:02:10,100 --> 00:02:15,700 between 2121 and 2022. The incidents of pastors who are 39 00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:21,300 stepping out a Ministry because of burnout had increased 13% in 40 00:02:21,300 --> 00:02:27,100 one year, And if pastors don't have that idea that 41 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:31,100 understanding of God, you know, and the victories that God's 42 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:34,500 giving and you know, they have supposedly all the tools and 43 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:38,100 that's happening how much everybody else is dealing with 44 00:02:38,100 --> 00:02:41,900 this these realities. So I imagine right now, every 45 00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:45,100 single one of us in this room and all the rooms cross everyone 46 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:49,200 that's listening to me. You're dealing with some sort of 47 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:54,100 stress right now because it comes, From literally every area 48 00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:58,800 of our life. Let's list them, you might be 49 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,900 under pressure, you might be facing some big change in your 50 00:03:02,900 --> 00:03:05,200 life. You might be feeling a lack of 51 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,300 control. You may be shouldering a heavy 52 00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:11,800 responsibility. You may be feeling uncertain 53 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,200 about the future, you might be because you're facing multiple 54 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,200 issues at once. That's mine one. 55 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,300 I'm good. Give me three or four. 56 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,300 Okay, it's hard for me to deal with multiple issues at once. 57 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,400 You might be feeling The effect of past experiences on present 58 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:34,100 experiences, you might be having a lack of resources right now or 59 00:03:34,100 --> 00:03:36,100 feeling a lack of support right now. 60 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:41,200 It might be triggered by illness or injury, or parenting, or 61 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,800 infertility, or bereavement, or abuse, or marriage or divorce or 62 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:50,800 relationships or caregiving, you might have lost your job. 63 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,400 You might have be dealing with unemployment, long term. 64 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,600 May be retiring feeling the Sure. 65 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,400 A deadlines exams work, Strife, a new job. 66 00:04:00,500 --> 00:04:03,800 You might be moving dealing with difficult neighbors worrying, 67 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,600 about money or drowning in debt. Wow. 68 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,500 Did I find it? One of those hits you you're 69 00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:17,399 going no Jerry about 14 of them did. 70 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,500 Right? Because we're all dealing with 71 00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:25,100 stress and it is an abnormal to experience stress in our life. 72 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:28,400 We shouldn't expect that. We could avoid it because it's a 73 00:04:28,407 --> 00:04:31,700 part of life. The issue isn't whether or not 74 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,000 we're experiencing stress. The issue is if we're managing 75 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,500 it in a healthy way or in an unhealthy way. 76 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:44,000 Because if we're not It can lead to a lot of bad things but 77 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,900 particularly it could lead to something else that is far more 78 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:50,500 debilitating, and that's burnouts. 79 00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:53,400 I know we use that term generically we use a lot of 80 00:04:53,407 --> 00:04:57,200 terms generically but there is such a thing as clinical 81 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,800 burnouts. Let me show you the difference. 82 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,000 So there's a difference between stress and burnout. 83 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,300 Let's look at those today, here's the first one. 84 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:10,600 Stress is over engagement. You understand what that means? 85 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,000 That's like, where you commit to too many things and you just 86 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:17,000 don't seem to have enough time or energy to manage them all. 87 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:22,900 But burnout is disengagement. You might have overactive 88 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:25,100 emotions. You're getting too passionate or 89 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:27,600 just really, really strong emotions when you're under 90 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,500 stress but when you're in, burn out your emotions, get blunted 91 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,800 even. You might even describe yourself 92 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:41,000 as numb. under stress, there's urgency or hyperactivity like 93 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,800 you just, you know, just totally on all the time but in Burnout 94 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,300 the opposite happens helplessness and hopelessness 95 00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:53,200 Under stress. There can be a loss of energy 96 00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:57,000 but under burnout, there's a loss of motivation and a loss of 97 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,400 Hope. Under stress. 98 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,500 You might be dealing with issues of anxiety, but in Burnout you 99 00:06:03,500 --> 00:06:05,800 get detached and you feel depressed. 100 00:06:07,300 --> 00:06:09,400 Under stress. You can physically damage 101 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,100 yourself heart attack stroke. I mean things like that can 102 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:15,700 happen, right? But in Burnout, you have, 103 00:06:15,700 --> 00:06:20,000 emotional damage, not just physical damage and stress can 104 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,600 be life threatening. As I said, but burnout life 105 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,000 doesn't feel like it's worth living anymore. 106 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,800 Some of us even in positive moments of Our Lives can be so 107 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,100 driven by our purpose and our passion that we can allow 108 00:06:35,100 --> 00:06:37,900 massive amounts of stress into our lives. 109 00:06:38,700 --> 00:06:43,100 But if we're not coming from a position of well-being, we can 110 00:06:43,100 --> 00:06:47,400 spin out and end up in a ditch can really happen. 111 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:51,900 Some of you right now are relating to what I'm saying. 112 00:06:51,900 --> 00:06:57,300 Way, way more than you want to. Because you fit the description. 113 00:06:57,500 --> 00:06:59,500 I was putting some of those things up and you're like wow 114 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:03,300 that's oh that it's me too right? 115 00:07:03,300 --> 00:07:05,200 Maybe you're burned out right now. 116 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,700 At this moment I want to give you some Hope on the front end 117 00:07:08,700 --> 00:07:12,300 of the sermon that does not mean that you're done just because 118 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:17,800 you're burned out because God can help you, he could even use 119 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:23,000 the negative space that's in your life right now and and 120 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,200 transform it into the part of your testimony. 121 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,300 So I need for all of you to lean into what I'm saying today. 122 00:07:31,500 --> 00:07:34,000 What is burnout? Well, here's the clinical 123 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,500 definition burnout, is a debilitating condition, that our 124 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:42,400 roads energy optimism, and Effectiveness. 125 00:07:43,500 --> 00:07:48,000 And the prevalence of burnout is far greater than our willingness 126 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,900 to talk about it or to take steps to deal with it. 127 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,100 And burnout is kind of like a train that pulls into stations, 128 00:07:57,100 --> 00:07:58,800 okay. And there's six of these 129 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,500 stations or stages of burnout. This is kind of how it begins, 130 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,700 and this is how it develops until you are clinically burned 131 00:08:07,700 --> 00:08:09,100 out. And I want us to go through 132 00:08:09,100 --> 00:08:14,000 those stages together. The first stage of burnout is 133 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,700 emotional exhaustion, are you feeling that? 134 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:22,000 And what if anybody's feeling that some emotional exhaustion? 135 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,200 That's when you need to be thinking, oh, am I am I coming? 136 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:27,900 I'm right. Am I on this train track? 137 00:08:27,900 --> 00:08:31,100 And I'm a headache toward clinical burnout, second stage, 138 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:35,200 increased frequency, and duration of negative assessment. 139 00:08:35,299 --> 00:08:38,200 So this has to do with how you view yourself, okay? 140 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:41,400 So if you view yourself in a negative light, if you're in 141 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,400 Burnout or moving in the direction of burnout, there's 142 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,800 more of those times you feel that way and they last longer 143 00:08:48,100 --> 00:08:52,900 than they normally do stage 3. Loss of emotional stability, 144 00:08:52,900 --> 00:08:56,500 personal discipline and resiliency emotional stability. 145 00:08:56,500 --> 00:09:01,300 Means you lose your filters and you your start riding the roller 146 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:03,500 coaster of emotions personal discipline. 147 00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:06,800 It could be one thing or another thing in ways that you let 148 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,600 yourself go or you disconnect from things that they were 149 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,900 normally rules in your life. And resiliency you just don't 150 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:19,100 bounce back like you used to bounce back stage for isolation. 151 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:24,400 Really getting dangerous here. Where we think nobody 152 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,900 understands what? We're, I'm dealing with. 153 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,600 I don't see any way out of this, and no one can help me. 154 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,200 Stage 5, diminish work, Effectiveness. 155 00:09:34,500 --> 00:09:39,100 You just can't do what you used to be able to do as well as you 156 00:09:39,100 --> 00:09:42,300 were able to do it before because of those other four 157 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:47,700 stages and stage 6, which is clinical burnout is identity 158 00:09:47,700 --> 00:09:53,000 impairment and Confusion. You no longer understand who and 159 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,800 whose you are and you're confused about it. 160 00:09:57,500 --> 00:10:00,400 Now I'm no doctor actually. Most of all that came from a 161 00:10:00,408 --> 00:10:05,000 doctor, but I'm not a doctor or a therapist but I do know God's 162 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,700 word. And there are plenty of examples 163 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:12,700 in God's word of people that were working through burnout or 164 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:16,200 dealing with burnout. And I want to use one of those 165 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,400 examples today because I think it's going to teach us how to 166 00:10:19,500 --> 00:10:25,200 Spot those signs and how to manage the stress that is in our 167 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,700 lives, so that we don't end up in a place called burnout. 168 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,100 And if we do how to find our way out of that, or how to access 169 00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:36,400 God to get out of that, and the example I'm going to use today 170 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,900 is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. 171 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,100 It's the story of Elijah Elijah, the prophet of the Old 172 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:45,800 Testament. Now, God kind of calls Elijah 173 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,700 out of nowhere, you just all of the sudden read about him. 174 00:10:48,900 --> 00:10:52,200 You don't get Any background story, you don't understand like 175 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:57,800 how he got to where he was, but God just delivers a message to 176 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,200 Elijah that he has to deliver his message. 177 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:05,100 God's message to the king of Israel, and he was an evil King. 178 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:11,100 His name was Ahab and his wife was even more evil than he was. 179 00:11:11,300 --> 00:11:15,300 Her name is Jezebel. Now, there's not very many 180 00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:18,300 people that want to say and I want to name my child Ahab. 181 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,900 And even less for have a little princess of a girl to say 182 00:11:22,900 --> 00:11:24,900 Jezebel, that's going to be her name. 183 00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:28,600 You know, those those names are kind of like off the table 184 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,200 because of the story in the Bible. 185 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,600 And Elijah wasn't a guy who delivered good news and because 186 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,300 of that he was not appreciated and that's an understatement. 187 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:45,300 He wasn't that he just wasn't appreciated, he lived every day 188 00:11:45,300 --> 00:11:49,000 in fear of his life because the people who are angry with the 189 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,600 message that God delivered through, Elijah would take it 190 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,400 out on Elijah. Think about the stress of that. 191 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,800 So, this is a man who lived in this world of stress every day. 192 00:12:01,900 --> 00:12:06,500 He was called out of a simple life to bring bad news about 193 00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:10,000 God's judgment, by the way, most profits delivered bad news. 194 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,700 They didn't deliver good news and then they had to face 195 00:12:13,700 --> 00:12:17,800 whatever response there would be from whatever God said. 196 00:12:18,700 --> 00:12:22,900 Now Elijah's first assignment in First Kings 18 was to declare 197 00:12:23,300 --> 00:12:29,000 that because of the rebellion and the idolatry and the 198 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,500 godlessness of the people of Israel. 199 00:12:31,900 --> 00:12:37,400 God was bringing a drought. Was it going to rain for years? 200 00:12:37,700 --> 00:12:39,800 And that meant there was going to be a famine. 201 00:12:40,700 --> 00:12:43,300 Now, that was going to cause a lot of stress to the people of 202 00:12:43,300 --> 00:12:47,300 Israel, and that was designed to bring them to repentance. 203 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:50,900 But it was also going to create a lot of stress for Elijah 204 00:12:50,900 --> 00:12:53,200 because he was the one delivering that message. 205 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,200 Well, when that started and the drought began and the famine in 206 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,000 sued, he had to leave the country. 207 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,700 So, there's a lot of stress in that after the pull up and just 208 00:13:05,700 --> 00:13:09,800 leave the country go to a place that you're not used to, he had 209 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:11,800 to totally depend on God. It's better. 210 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,400 In fact, God had him sit at a brook and he had to be fed every 211 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,200 day by a Ravens. Pretty amazing story about how 212 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:23,800 God kept him healthy during this time of drought. 213 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,300 In famine. But can you imagine this live in 214 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:29,300 that every day not knowing are the Ravens coming back are the 215 00:13:29,900 --> 00:13:31,500 is the water going to continue to float? 216 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:36,800 As a matter of fact, the water did stop flowing more stress and 217 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,000 when the water dried up God said I want you to go to this other 218 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,800 country and live in the home of a widow. 219 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:48,200 But she was a gentile and Jews, don't do that. 220 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,500 More stress. And then he helped us Widow 221 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:55,500 along here. God gave him a message to tell 222 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:58,800 the Widow, take the last little bit of food because she said, 223 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,000 I'm going to take this last a little bit of flour and this 224 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,800 last little bit of oil and I'm going to make a cake in my son 225 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,200 and I are going to eat it. We're going to die of starvation 226 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,100 because it was the last that she had. 227 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:11,900 And God told Elijah to tell the Widow to make that cake for him 228 00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:16,000 instead of her and her son. How would you like to tell that 229 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:17,900 two people are starving to death? 230 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,700 And then God worked a great miracle. 231 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,400 But and they were surviving because the oil continued to 232 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,900 flow. Right, that you, maybe remember 233 00:14:30,900 --> 00:14:34,600 that story from the Old Testament, but in the even with 234 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:39,300 all of this good happening, the sun, grows ill and dies. 235 00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:42,800 And then the Widow's like now, what do I do? 236 00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:46,600 More stress. So God calls Elijah to raise the 237 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,500 boy back to life, which he does. But think about the stress of 238 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:55,300 just day-to-day life and on top of all of that, a Hab was having 239 00:14:55,300 --> 00:14:58,000 to worry about whether or not ahab's people were going to 240 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,400 catch him, find him and catch him because they were looking 241 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,000 for him to kill him. It says it in First Kings 1810. 242 00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:06,900 As surely as the Lord, your God lives. 243 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,700 There is not a nation or Kingdom where my master Hab has not sent 244 00:15:11,700 --> 00:15:14,800 someone to look for you and whenever a nation or Kingdom 245 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,300 claimed, you were not there. He made them swear, they could 246 00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:24,900 not find you. Every day, every single day, for 247 00:15:24,900 --> 00:15:28,400 three solid years, he dealt with that stress. 248 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,800 I guess I'm just saying that Elijah is a good character in 249 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,700 the Bible to look at if we're dealing dealing with stress or 250 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:40,400 what can come from stress, which is burnout. 251 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,000 Then God tells him after 3 years. 252 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:50,000 We're going to have a duel with Ahab a duel. 253 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,000 Like when I think a duel I think of like a western right. 254 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:55,400 Well, this is a little different than that. 255 00:15:56,300 --> 00:16:00,200 So Elijah challenges Ahab, just going to Ahab. 256 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:04,700 He's risking his life and Jezebel's profits of the idol 257 00:16:04,700 --> 00:16:07,900 Baal or we might say bail. There were four hundred and 258 00:16:07,900 --> 00:16:11,800 fifty of them to a duel. Now, this is what the Dual look 259 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:13,100 like. It was going to be on Mount 260 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:16,800 Carmel, which is by the Mediterranean Sea, it rises up 261 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,500 from the Mediterranean Sea, high mountain top. 262 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:22,100 And on top of this mountain Elijah was going to meet with 263 00:16:22,100 --> 00:16:24,700 the prophets of Baal and they were going to both build an 264 00:16:24,700 --> 00:16:29,000 altar to their God and they were good, both gonna put a sacrifice 265 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:33,600 would and a sacrifice on that altar to their God and then 266 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:37,100 whoever it was God was going to burn up the sacrifice. 267 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,800 Elijah said to the people of Israel. 268 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,800 How long are you going to waver between two opinions? 269 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,400 This Baal is God, Fails. God, serve him. 270 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:52,100 If the Lord is God serve him. And so the whole nation comes 271 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:57,100 together to watch this duel between one Prophet Elijah and 272 00:16:57,100 --> 00:17:01,400 the 450 prophets of Baal. They both build their altars. 273 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,800 They both put the sacrifices on the wood on And Elijah said to 274 00:17:05,808 --> 00:17:07,599 the prophets of Baal, you go, first. 275 00:17:09,300 --> 00:17:11,599 So they go first, they start praying to their God, nothing 276 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:14,300 happens, they pray, louder, nothing happens, they pray, 277 00:17:14,300 --> 00:17:17,400 louder, nothing happens. And then Elijah starts, taunting 278 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,800 them. He goes, maybe you should pray a 279 00:17:19,808 --> 00:17:20,900 little louder. Maybe. 280 00:17:21,099 --> 00:17:24,099 Maybe he just having trouble hearing you maybe he's in a far 281 00:17:24,099 --> 00:17:25,400 country. Might want to pray a little 282 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,500 louder. Maybe he's in the bathroom 283 00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:29,600 literally says that in the Bible. 284 00:17:29,900 --> 00:17:34,600 Anyway, All day long. That cry out to their God and 285 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:39,400 nothing happens. They become frantic in there. 286 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,900 Crying out, they start cutting themselves with knives, trying 287 00:17:42,900 --> 00:17:45,000 to show their Devotion to their God. 288 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,200 But by the time evening cane, they were completely exhausted 289 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,800 and nothing had happened on that altar. 290 00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:57,200 To bail. And then Elijah said, well, 291 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:01,700 okay, it's my turn. He goes before I pray to my God. 292 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:05,200 I want to take the most precious thing we have right now. 293 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:12,600 I want to douse this altar with water so he he brought this 294 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,100 precious water. Up to the altar. 295 00:18:16,100 --> 00:18:19,200 They dug a trench around the altar. 296 00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:24,600 He covered the altar with water until the sacrifice was soaked. 297 00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:30,200 The wood was soaked. The the stones of the altar were 298 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,800 soaked and even the trench was completely filled. 299 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,900 And then he takes a knee, praise one little prayer and goes. 300 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:40,800 Let the people of Israel know that there is only one God and 301 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:45,700 Israel. And fire came down from heaven 302 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,200 and didn't just burn up the sacrifice. 303 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,200 It blew up the rocks of that alter. 304 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:55,100 It looked up all of the water and evaporated it and there was 305 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:59,100 nothing left but scorched Earth and all of the people of Israel 306 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:03,200 that were gathered around that mountain that day said the Lord, 307 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:07,900 he is God, the Lord, he is God. And then Elijah said, take those 308 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:11,600 prophets of Baal down to the kai-shan, Brooke and X. 309 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,500 Acute them and all 450 of them were executed that day. 310 00:19:16,100 --> 00:19:20,900 What a win for God, what an incredible moment. 311 00:19:21,100 --> 00:19:24,700 What a win for Elijah. They should hope throw a party. 312 00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:28,400 They should have a parade, you know, it's so good to see the 313 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,700 good guy win. Not so much. 314 00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:37,500 Not so much. What happens next pretty 315 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:43,000 interesting. First Kings, 19, 125 a Now, I 316 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,200 have told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had 317 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,200 killed all the prophets with the sword. 318 00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:53,900 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say May the gods deal 319 00:19:53,900 --> 00:19:54,900 with me. Be it ever. 320 00:19:54,900 --> 00:19:58,500 So severely, if by this time tomorrow, I don't make your life 321 00:19:58,700 --> 00:20:05,100 like that of one of them. Molly kill you, dude. 322 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,900 Why she was afraid? Are you kidding me? 323 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,500 What God's done. Look at all the wins. 324 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:24,300 You kidding me. As a matter of fact, after the 325 00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:28,500 prophets of Baal were killed, Elijah sent someone out to look 326 00:20:28,500 --> 00:20:32,900 over the sea and say, tell me if you see any clouds member hadn't 327 00:20:32,900 --> 00:20:35,600 rained for three years, and he didn't see any. 328 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,100 And then he said, go back and he sent him back. 329 00:20:37,100 --> 00:20:38,600 Seven times. Look seventh time, he goes, 330 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,100 there's a little teeny Cloud right at the Horizon. 331 00:20:41,100 --> 00:20:43,400 He goes better start running because it's going to start 332 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,400 raining. Sure enough that very day. 333 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:54,000 The rains came and the ground was made fertile again, you 334 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,200 think that Elijah would have begun? 335 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,100 Yeah, but he was afraid, can't believe in Elijah. 336 00:20:58,100 --> 00:21:00,300 You're my hero. How Could You Be Afraid? 337 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:03,800 Not only was afraid. He ran for his life, the time 338 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,900 when he should be Relish in the victory. 339 00:21:05,900 --> 00:21:08,600 He runs for his life and he went to Beersheba in the middle of 340 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,000 the Wilderness in Judah. And he left his servant there 341 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,300 and then he himself went a Day's Journey Into the Wilderness. 342 00:21:15,300 --> 00:21:18,100 He came to a broom Bush. He sat down. 343 00:21:18,300 --> 00:21:22,100 Under it and he prayed that he might die. 344 00:21:23,300 --> 00:21:29,000 What is going on? Tells God this I have had enough 345 00:21:29,100 --> 00:21:32,700 Lord. He said take my life. 346 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:36,200 I am no better than my ancestors. 347 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,200 The lay down under the bush. I fell asleep. 348 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,700 Now before you're going, what happened to my hero? 349 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:49,600 Maybe you should consider this. Elijah is burned out. 350 00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:55,100 He's burned out. Let's go through those stages 351 00:21:55,100 --> 00:21:57,500 again. Number one, is he emotionally 352 00:21:57,500 --> 00:22:01,100 exhausted? You bet he is look what he's 353 00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:02,800 been doing for three solid years. 354 00:22:05,300 --> 00:22:08,200 Does he have an increased frequency and duration of - 355 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,900 self-assessment? Yeah, he said, I am no better 356 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:14,800 than my ancestors to get to God, right? 357 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:21,100 Does he have a loss of emotional stability and resiliency? 358 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:28,400 Yeah, he goes Lord, I've had enough, I quit Does he feel 359 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:33,600 totally isolated look at First Kings 19 10, he replied this is 360 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,800 talking to God. He goes, I have been very 361 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,500 zealous for the Lord. God Almighty. 362 00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:40,900 The Israelites have rejected, your Covenant, torn down your 363 00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:43,200 altars, put your profits to death with the sword. 364 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:48,500 Look at this and I am the only one left And now they're trying 365 00:22:48,500 --> 00:22:52,500 to kill me too. He says that the god two times. 366 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,900 After a while got answers him. He goes you know what Elijah I 367 00:22:57,900 --> 00:23:01,500 have 7000 in Israel that haven't bowed the knee to Baal. 368 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:11,000 He feels isolated, but he's not. And he's no longer effective. 369 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,600 That's God's assessment of him. This is what it says in 1990. 370 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,900 It says and the word of the Lord came to him. 371 00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:21,800 What are you doing here? A lot Elijah. 372 00:23:23,100 --> 00:23:25,500 Me, he had disconnected from his mission. 373 00:23:28,100 --> 00:23:33,800 He has identity impairment. And confusion, you have to have 374 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,800 identity impairment and confusion. 375 00:23:35,900 --> 00:23:39,600 If you're asking God to take your life to kill you. 376 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,500 What am I saying this for well? Because Elijah is messed up. 377 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:51,300 He's burned out clinically when you have identity impairment and 378 00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:53,900 confusion, you are clinically burned out. 379 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,900 And some of you right now are relating to him, you may not be 380 00:23:57,900 --> 00:24:00,400 dealing with what he's dealing with, maybe completely 381 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,400 different. But you understand what I'm 382 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:07,500 saying? So the if that is the situation 383 00:24:07,500 --> 00:24:10,900 and we can all be in this situation and some of us are on 384 00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:13,500 those tracks now and some of us are dealing with high amounts of 385 00:24:13,508 --> 00:24:17,000 stress right now. What do we do about it? 386 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,900 What do we learn from God's word about dealing with it? 387 00:24:19,900 --> 00:24:25,700 Number one, God took care of Elijah physically. 388 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:32,300 He fed him a see. You may not know this by looking 389 00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:35,900 at me but I'm a stress eater. That's a joke. 390 00:24:35,900 --> 00:24:37,100 Never mind. Anyway. 391 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:40,800 Elijah went the other direction, he would need it. 392 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,500 All when he was stressed, he wouldn't eat. 393 00:24:43,500 --> 00:24:46,000 He would he would neglect himself in that way. 394 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:50,200 And so God had to provide food for him, had to provide water 395 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,000 and sustenance for him. And the other thing was he 396 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,400 needed to sleep. And God, let him sleep and when 397 00:24:55,400 --> 00:25:00,700 you read that, he slept quite a while he was wiped out. 398 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,200 So God took care of him physically. 399 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,200 This actually puts Elijah in a position where he can actually 400 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,300 hear God again. Some of us, we are in a position 401 00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:14,100 where we can't even hear God. Right now because we're dealing 402 00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:18,100 with burnout, if you are dealing with burnout, this is what you 403 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:21,700 need to look at first, you need to look at how are you 404 00:25:21,700 --> 00:25:23,000 physically? Because you need to be in a 405 00:25:23,008 --> 00:25:25,800 position where you can even hear God, right? 406 00:25:25,900 --> 00:25:28,800 Are you eating right? Are you getting enough sleep? 407 00:25:28,900 --> 00:25:32,000 What are the proactive things that you can do to modify your 408 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:37,000 behavior or your workload? So that you can be in that more 409 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,200 healthy headspace. To be able to listen to God 410 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,500 spiritually. Secondly, God did this. 411 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,300 He reminded Elijah of the big picture. 412 00:25:48,100 --> 00:25:50,700 What he was doing. Remember Elijah wasn't the one 413 00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:53,900 delivering the people Elijah was the one that made the fire come 414 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:56,900 down from heaven. God did that this was all God's 415 00:25:56,900 --> 00:25:58,500 doing? It wasn't Elijah's doing. 416 00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:02,700 Although I just doing is playing a part that God wanted him to 417 00:26:02,700 --> 00:26:06,900 play in this process of what he the heavenly father was doing, 418 00:26:07,700 --> 00:26:13,500 but Elijah in his mind had really drifted He thought it all 419 00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:17,000 depended on him. He was real specific with God. 420 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,800 That way. I'm the only one left now. 421 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,700 They're trying to kill me too. I have been very zealous forgot 422 00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:26,300 for you God you know he's he's kind of puffing himself up 423 00:26:26,300 --> 00:26:30,100 thinking it was all on him it wasn't on him, it was on God and 424 00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:34,000 so Elijah's Mission had really drifted. 425 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,700 He had forgotten, his priorities, he'd forgotten the 426 00:26:37,700 --> 00:26:42,500 main things. Those priorities in those main 427 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:47,600 things are really important. Do your priorities and your main 428 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:54,500 things. fall away because the Urgent in your life can 429 00:26:54,500 --> 00:26:58,000 overpower, can overpower the important things in your life 430 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:03,900 that true We can give the next thing all that we have and then 431 00:27:03,900 --> 00:27:05,700 have nothing left for the important things. 432 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,600 Let me just tell you. I have had that problem in my 433 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,100 life where I have just poured it out and poured it out and poured 434 00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:16,600 it out for the church and my mission and feeling like that, 435 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,200 all that burden was on me. And then I come home to my wife 436 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,500 and my family, and there's nothing left for them and they 437 00:27:23,500 --> 00:27:27,500 say one little thing and it pops me on, you know, anybody anybody 438 00:27:27,500 --> 00:27:35,200 connecting with this. And I'm hiding behind my 439 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,500 relationship with God. When I'm forgetting the 440 00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:39,900 important things that that my first Ministry. 441 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,400 My first Ministry is to my family and if my family is a 442 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,700 strong and I'm not strong with them, I am not coming from a 443 00:27:47,700 --> 00:27:51,800 place of strength and I'm not much good for anyone. 444 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,900 Number three, got a told Elijah that he didn't need to be doing 445 00:27:58,900 --> 00:28:03,000 this alone that he needed partnership in Ministry that he 446 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,900 needed to go find someone to walk with him in Ministry 447 00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:10,400 because Elijah was under the false assumption that he was 448 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,700 completely alone. And he could do it alone because 449 00:28:12,700 --> 00:28:17,900 of stage 4 of burnout. He was isolated that isolation 450 00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:21,000 took away his resiliency and his accountability. 451 00:28:22,700 --> 00:28:26,200 As I said before, God reminded him that he wasn't alone, that 452 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,600 there were 7,000 people like him, that hadn't bothered to to 453 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:34,900 bail and one of them needed to be a more constant companion and 454 00:28:34,900 --> 00:28:39,300 a successor. See, we were never meant to do 455 00:28:39,300 --> 00:28:43,500 this life alone. And it's in isolation where 456 00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:49,700 Satan can get to us. Okay. 457 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,400 I don't have time to tell you about the incredible time that 458 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,400 God had with Elijah when he spoke to him on the mountain. 459 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:01,900 But I'll tell you this, Elijah was burnout. 460 00:29:01,900 --> 00:29:06,000 They didn't stay that way. Even though he had this 461 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:11,500 incredibly dark moment in his life, maybe an extended time of 462 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:16,300 all of the great examples in the Bible, Elijah actually finished 463 00:29:16,300 --> 00:29:19,800 really really well. He's one of only two people that 464 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,300 never died in the Bible. Did you know that only to Enoch 465 00:29:23,700 --> 00:29:26,700 the Book of Genesis and Elijah? The prophet? 466 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:29,800 And boy, did he leave in a powerful way? 467 00:29:30,900 --> 00:29:35,400 When God told him, it was time to go, he went to the other side 468 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,300 of the Jordan River, he'd raised up a companion who had been with 469 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:42,700 him for quite some time Elijah and the two of them made it to 470 00:29:42,700 --> 00:29:45,700 the other side of the Jordan. And the Bible says that a 471 00:29:45,700 --> 00:29:51,400 whirlwind, a tornado came down from heaven, and picked Elijah 472 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,500 up. And he wrote a whirlwind to 473 00:29:55,500 --> 00:30:01,600 Heaven, it says also that a chariot of fire with an angel 474 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:06,300 was in between that Whirlwind and Elijah protecting Elijah 475 00:30:06,300 --> 00:30:09,300 from the Whirlwind. And the Bible says that Elijah 476 00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:14,500 tore his clothes and he said, my God, my God, the Chariots in the 477 00:30:14,500 --> 00:30:19,300 horsemen of Israel. Just the two of them over there. 478 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:20,800 What? A way to go. 479 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:29,800 Never died. and when Elijah, Started to walk across the other 480 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:35,600 side of the Jordan. He had asked God and Elijah for 481 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:38,000 a double portion of the spirit of God. 482 00:30:39,100 --> 00:30:42,300 And Elijah said, that's not mine to give, but if God wants to 483 00:30:42,300 --> 00:30:45,100 give it to you, he will. And the mantle or the covered. 484 00:30:45,100 --> 00:30:51,200 The cloak of Elijah came down from that Whirlwind, and Elijah 485 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,800 picked it up. He says he rolled it up when he 486 00:30:53,808 --> 00:30:57,200 went over to the Jordan, and he smacked the water and he goes, 487 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,200 wheres the god of Elijah and the water parted and he walked 488 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:05,100 across it on dry land. Wow, he left an incredible 489 00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:08,000 successor and he was a faithful prophet. 490 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:13,900 And he was a faithful Prophet for sixty years in Israel. 491 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,500 Lots longer than Elijah had been. 492 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,200 And when he died an old man in his bed, surrounded by the 493 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,900 Elders of Israel. There was no Whirlwind. 494 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,100 There were no Chariots of Fire. But with moment, he breathed his 495 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:33,800 last, all the Elders of Israel, toward their clothes and said my 496 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:37,400 God, my God, the Chariots and Horsemen in his room. 497 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,500 Elijah finish so well. My question to you is how do you 498 00:31:44,500 --> 00:31:48,100 make your story like that? You're going to deal with 499 00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:49,800 stress, I'm going to deal with stress. 500 00:31:49,900 --> 00:31:53,000 There's no avoiding it, but if you want to prevent burnout, the 501 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,900 best thing you can do is Catch it early. 502 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,500 You remember that? First stage emotional 503 00:31:57,500 --> 00:32:01,000 exhaustion, are you feeling a loss in Vitality? 504 00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:03,700 Are you feeling overextended emotionally? 505 00:32:03,700 --> 00:32:09,700 Are you having prolonged stress? This is where you start need to 506 00:32:09,700 --> 00:32:13,500 take, take care of those things. How am I doing physically? 507 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:18,000 If I'm at my mission drifting? Am I trying to do it by myself? 508 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,100 Where am I in those stages of burnout? 509 00:32:21,300 --> 00:32:24,600 Some of you in all of our locations are here today, and 510 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,100 part of your job is responsibility for the wellness 511 00:32:28,100 --> 00:32:30,100 of others. Not just physical, but 512 00:32:30,100 --> 00:32:34,100 educational emotional, right? And if you're in that position, 513 00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:41,000 you're a much greater risk. You might feel responsible for 514 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,600 outcomes. In their life. 515 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,000 I know I've done that in counseling, I'm counseling a 516 00:32:46,008 --> 00:32:49,000 married couple, they're getting their they're contemplating 517 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,600 divorce and I pour my heart into them and they still get divorced 518 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:55,700 or you know, or something like that. 519 00:32:56,100 --> 00:32:59,200 And so I start to feel responsible for specific 520 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:03,000 outcomes when I do not have full control of the inputs, just 521 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,300 because I'm Counseling doesn't mean they're following that 522 00:33:05,300 --> 00:33:09,800 advice. Some of you are a greater risk 523 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,300 because you're dealing with that. 524 00:33:11,300 --> 00:33:14,700 You might have inadequate boundaries for self-care, and 525 00:33:14,700 --> 00:33:17,300 your overriding, your personal needs because you need to come 526 00:33:17,300 --> 00:33:22,000 from a position of strength. For others. 527 00:33:22,900 --> 00:33:25,800 And you might think that's Noble but you're not going to help 528 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,200 them unless you're in a strong Place yourself. 529 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:34,000 So I would encourage you do a physical assessment, do what you 530 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,900 need to do, to put you in a place to hear and respond to 531 00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:40,900 God. Better number to find places of 532 00:33:40,900 --> 00:33:44,600 personal, emotional, replenishment, a place where you 533 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:49,900 can disconnect from the stress, and have a moment or maybe a few 534 00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:55,900 moments with God, you need that. Because in that you rebuild the 535 00:33:55,900 --> 00:34:02,000 position of stability, Number three, remember the big picture? 536 00:34:03,700 --> 00:34:08,800 Prioritize the important over the urgent. because that's where 537 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:13,100 we can Mission drift and sometimes doing that costs you 538 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:19,500 I've known people and, you know, they, they find a faith at like 539 00:34:19,500 --> 00:34:23,300 our church at the Crossing and then there will be a job 540 00:34:23,300 --> 00:34:25,400 opportunity. It'll be another place and 541 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:27,600 they're thinking about the money, they're thinking about 542 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:31,000 the prestige, they're thinking about the better lifestyle and 543 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,600 they'll move. And I'm not opposed to that. 544 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,199 But where are they going to get their spiritual sustenance. 545 00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:40,500 And if that is even considered, and then they go there and there 546 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:44,699 is any place, I can't tell you how many times I've seen people 547 00:34:44,699 --> 00:34:48,500 just flameout. Because they were getting that 548 00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:52,199 the sometimes the money or the prestige isn't the most 549 00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:55,500 important thing. Sometimes, the Urgent wins over 550 00:34:55,500 --> 00:34:59,200 the important. Make sure the important wins 551 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:03,000 even though it costs you. I like to say it this way, find 552 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,300 a place where God becomes bigger and you become smaller. 553 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,400 It's not that God wasn't always bigger. 554 00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:15,000 It's that it's a redirection of our priorities, where you 555 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,900 realize it doesn't all depend on you. 556 00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:21,000 It depends on God and God is going to use you for his glory 557 00:35:21,500 --> 00:35:24,700 and the final one never ever walk alone. 558 00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:28,200 Do you know everywhere Jesus ever went? 559 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:34,300 He walked he didn't get an Uber. Didn't take a bus, didn't catch 560 00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:37,100 a plane. Didn't have to stay in a 561 00:35:37,107 --> 00:35:39,500 terminal because his flight got canceled. 562 00:35:40,900 --> 00:35:44,900 He walked. Let me ask you a question. 563 00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:46,200 What do you think the most important walk? 564 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:51,700 Jesus Took was somebody say it. Of all of his walks, which was 565 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:55,800 the most important one. The one to the Cross. 566 00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:59,700 Me ask you a question. Was he alone? 567 00:36:01,900 --> 00:36:05,200 No. There was someone else carry his 568 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,900 cross, while he walked to Calvary. 569 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,800 And if Jesus wasn't alone, why should you be alone? 570 00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:20,600 We weren't meant to walk alone. Your story can be like, Elijah, 571 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,400 even if you're dealing with burnout, even if you're stressed 572 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:28,200 out, you can be like Elijah, you can finish. 573 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:34,100 Well, you can do well, but the first step of that, Is getting 574 00:36:34,100 --> 00:36:35,800 that priority right with the Lord. 575 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,300 I want you to consider that as we move to a time of decision, 576 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:49,400 so, some of you right now, Are doing life on your own. 577 00:36:51,300 --> 00:36:54,500 You're doing life on your own. You're just like, hey, I grew 578 00:36:54,500 --> 00:36:57,100 up, I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps. 579 00:36:57,700 --> 00:37:02,600 I am not, not asking anybody. I'm I do I can do it. 580 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:04,600 Like, you're like that. Two-year-old kid, I do it. 581 00:37:07,300 --> 00:37:10,900 And I just have to tell you a hard truth if you're doing life 582 00:37:10,900 --> 00:37:14,200 on your own, I'm not going to tell you might fail. 583 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:20,000 I'm going to tell you will you will fail. 584 00:37:21,700 --> 00:37:23,100 Because you're not meant for that. 585 00:37:24,700 --> 00:37:29,300 And the person that needs to be the first one in the group that 586 00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:31,800 is, you walking forward is Jesus Christ. 587 00:37:31,900 --> 00:37:34,400 And if you don't have an intimate personal relationship 588 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:38,200 with Jesus Christ, you are destined for failure, but if you 589 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,900 are in a relationship with Jesus Christ, that's intimate, and 590 00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:45,300 personal you will succeed. Because the Bible says, he who 591 00:37:45,300 --> 00:37:48,900 began a good work in, you will be faithful to complete it until 592 00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:54,200 the day of Jesus Christ. Some people say, well you use 593 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,700 Jesus as a crutch, that's an old saying. 594 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,200 And you know, the answer to that one. 595 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,500 No, I don't use Jesus as a crutch. 596 00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:09,400 I use him as a stretcher. Because I can't even limp in the 597 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:16,400 right direction without it. You need him first. 598 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,400 If you don't have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 599 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:20,800 Christ, someone's going to be right over there. 600 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:24,300 By that baptistry rate at talk to you about that, pray with you 601 00:38:24,300 --> 00:38:26,300 about that, they're no better than you. 602 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,300 No smarter than, you know more, it's more experience than you, 603 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:35,200 they just want to help. We'll settle that first. 604 00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:38,700 Some of you are like cool. Got that settled. 605 00:38:38,900 --> 00:38:40,700 I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. 606 00:38:40,700 --> 00:38:42,800 I got that relationship really good. 607 00:38:42,900 --> 00:38:44,800 Awesome. How you doing? 608 00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:49,400 How you doing? No, not the lie. 609 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,800 You tell, everybody that you said to everybody in the lobby 610 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:56,700 before you came in fine, that's a four letter word. 611 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:04,000 Because we're not fine. But you don't want to burden 612 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:05,800 everybody else with your problems. 613 00:39:05,900 --> 00:39:08,500 I get that. That's why we don't like to talk 614 00:39:08,500 --> 00:39:12,200 about stress and burnout because we don't burn everybody else 615 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:18,700 right? Cast, all your cares on him. 616 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:24,300 Because he cares for you. The steps that are up here right 617 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:27,700 now or up here for one reason not so people can get up and 618 00:39:27,700 --> 00:39:31,700 down from the stage but so that the children of God can come up 619 00:39:31,700 --> 00:39:36,100 here, humble themselves before an almighty God, feel his loving 620 00:39:36,100 --> 00:39:40,200 arms around them lifting them up and give him strength to carry 621 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:45,400 on. And sometimes in our lives, we 622 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:47,600 just need God to press the reboot button. 623 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:55,300 We need to be reminded. I think there's some people in 624 00:39:55,300 --> 00:39:58,500 this room right now. They need to come down here. 625 00:40:02,300 --> 00:40:04,600 And insert your name. God's going to go. 626 00:40:04,700 --> 00:40:13,100 What are you doing here? And he will remind you who you 627 00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:16,000 are. Who's you are, how loved you 628 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:18,500 are. What it, what he was willing to 629 00:40:18,500 --> 00:40:23,100 pay to set you free and you could get back up on your feet 630 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:29,600 with the help of the Arms of Jesus and be better than when 631 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:32,000 you walked up here. And I encourage you to take 632 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:37,500 advantage of these steps today, whatever God is saying to you. 633 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:41,900 Listen to The Still Small Voice in your heart. 634 00:40:43,300 --> 00:40:47,800 And do what he says. Would you stand with me in Jesus 635 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,900 name? I pray heavenly father, with all 636 00:40:50,900 --> 00:40:55,800 of the burdens and all of the cares that we carry with us. 637 00:40:57,100 --> 00:41:02,700 That we have that we realize. That not only do you want to 638 00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:06,700 carry our burdens, you're willing to carry us. 639 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:16,100 So father, I pray right now that we would yield To you into your 640 00:41:16,100 --> 00:41:21,000 arms. And to let you take care of us. 641 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,600 In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.