by Bill Frisbie, Elijah House Spiritual Director
So many people are exhausted right now. Many of us are battling discouragement because we have faced one attack after another this year—in our finances, health, family, etc.
It’s like we’re being bombarded with negative thoughts: “This is foolish. You’re making the wrong choice. This is a mistake! What’s the matter with you?” The heaviness feels overwhelming.
Spiritual refreshment can look like different things, depending on the situation, but here are three general steps that can help us whenever we feel heavy and under assault.
- Remember how gentle His voice is.
Come to me, all 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. (Matt. 11:28–30 ESV)
Leroy Eims served with The Navigators for more than 50 years, and he used to do a simple teaching about how to recognize God’s voice. To paraphrase, he said, “When I compare God’s voice to the enemy’s voice, there are contrasts. When the enemy comes, he’s always harsh, but when God comes, He’s gentle. When the enemy comes, he’s vague in his accusations. If God has something to say to me, He’s very specific. When the enemy comes, it just kills hope. When God comes, it’s always hopeful.”
Years ago when I heard that teaching, it was life changing for me. Oh man, I thought. To this day, that is one of the clearest descriptions of God’s voice versus the enemy’s voice I’ve ever heard.
Whenever I am fighting heavy thoughts, it is good for me to remember what my Father’s voice sounds like.
- Rely on the internal witness of the Spirit.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom. 8:15–16 NASB)
I can know what God’s voice sounds like intellectually, but what I am finding more and more is that I need the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. And if it doesn’t come right away, I need to wait for it.
That internal witness of the Spirit is what rises up and goes to war against negative voices trying to speak to me. The internal sense of His voice gives me what I need to overcome all other voices and really fight off the heaviness I might be feeling.
- Find people who will pray for you.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (Eph. 6:18 NKJV)
The devil hates holiness and does everything in his power to keep us from pursuing it. He despises holy living and those who have set their faces like flint to follow Christ and be the children of God.
Elijah House is a ministry that helps “unlock” people from the lies they believe. “Oh, that’s a lie. I believed that lie for years. What other lies do I believe? Search me, O God. Know my heart! Try me. If You see anything that is jeopardizing or influencing my connection to You, please help me!”
The enemy hates that kind of prayer because it is exactly where we are being transformed into the image of Jesus, which the devil is dead set against.
All that to say, when you feel heavy and like you’re under attack, one of the best things you can do is ask others to pray for you. That is what Sue and I have needed in this season—people around us who will pray and intercede for us. There are days when it feels like we are eating the bread of other people’s intercession.
Do you have people praying for you and the work God has called you to do? Reach out to your friends, and ask them to pray. God can do amazing things with even very simple prayers.
If you’re in need of spiritual refreshment, I hope these three thoughts are like a breath of fresh air. May your heart be refreshed as you remember the gentleness of God’s voice, rely on the internal witness of the Spirit, and find friends who will pray for you.
If you feel you've related to this article, please consider enrolling in the Elijah House School of Heart Healing. Our school has a two-fold purpose: to help our students heal, so they can in turn help heal others. To the glory of God! Click this link to learn more.