Overcoming Spiritual Fatigue

Have you been experiencing spiritual fatigue? 

Symptoms of spiritual fatigue are: A desire to quit essential responsibilities, feeling exhausted even after getting sleep, lacking a sense of purpose or meaning, wanting to disengage from spiritual activities like worship or prayer, dwelling on negative and cynical thoughts, and having persistent feelings of joylessness or hopelessness.

Experiencing spiritual fatigue from time to time is common, even among highly devoted Christ-followers. Here is some good news for you, most Christians overcome their spiritual fatigue and regain their spiritual zest! If you’re currently fighting off spiritual fatigue, Jesus wants to join you in the fight and lead you to victory!

How can people overcome spiritual fatigue?

(1)  Begin by deciding to believe that you will regain your spiritual vitality!

If you’ve lost the hope necessary to make that decision, rekindle your hope by meditating on the Scriptures that depict the power available to you, such as: “With God all things are possible… I can do all things through Christ… [and] We are more than conquerors through Christ” (Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:37). You may need to write these scriptures down on a sheet of paper and carry them around in your pocket for a few weeks, so that you can read them a dozen times a day. The Scriptures awaken our faith, so you may need to saturate yourself in these verses before you can truly make this faith decision.

(2)  Follow up that decision with a prayer like this one:

Heavenly Father, please hear my sincere plea for help. My soul is heavy, my heart is weary, and I am in need of your power. Reveal to me the sources of my spiritual fatigue. Show me the routines I must change, the sins I must repent of, and the wrongs I need to make right. Please bless me with a healing touch from You today that enables me to think more clearly and rest more deeply. Transform my exhaustion into enthusiasm for your glory so that I might be a testimony of your power. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Once you’ve said this prayer and meant it as deeply as you know how, expect God to begin showing you things to do and things to stop doing. Try to act on whatever it is you believe God is showing you. Continue praying the above prayer, or one like it, everyday until your spiritual fatigue is gone.

(3)  In addition to prayer, it is best to talk with a few spiritually mature friends in your life (your Growth Group) about the spiritual fatigue you’ve been experiencing.

Talking about things brings them out into the open where support and encouragement can happen. Another added benefit of your transparency is that your friends will likely offer to pray for you, but if they don’t – go ahead and ask them to! The Scriptures say, “Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well” (James 5:15). So, don’t ever feel awkward about asking people to pray for you.

(4)  One final tip is to praise God more than ever before!

Not only will a habit of praise help your brain develop a thought pattern of rejoicing instead of complaining, but it will also encourage your soul to connect more deeply with God throughout the day, which will result in an infusion of His power.

In conclusion, take comfort in knowing almost every Christian experiences spiritual fatigue from time to time, and by God’s grace they overcome it. So, keep on fighting through it by submitting to Jesus, and soon enough you’ll regain your spiritual zest too!