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One reason so many Christians today are worn out and faint is because their lives are complicated. Complication drains energy and produces frustration and fatigue which lead to all kinds of problems.

You were wearied with the length of your way [in trying to find rest and satisfaction in alliances apart from the true God], yet you did not say, there is no result or profit...
(Isaiah 57:10)

There is such a lack of simplicity in our society today, even among God's people.

One reason so many Christians today are worn out and faint is because their lives are complicated. Complication drains energy and produces frustration and fatigue which lead to all kinds of problems.

One translation of the first line of this verse from Isaiah says, "You are wearied out through the multiplicity of your ways."

The answer for the problem of multiplicity is return to simplicity.

Increase Brings Complication
When goods increase, they who eat them increase also. And what gain is there to their owner except to see them with his eyes?
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he east little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not let him sleep. (Eccl. 5:11,12)

In our modern acquisitive society, we seem to have the idea that more is always better. But the writer of Ecclesiastes warns us that the more our goods increase, the more complicated our lives become.

I once heard a pastor say, "I have so many suits in my closet I get worn out trying to decide which one to wear."

Then he went onto explain.

"When I was just starting out in the ministry I only had two suits, one was blue and the other was black. One day I would wear the blue one and the next day I would wear the black one.

"Now that I have become prosperous, it is a lot harder and more complicated to get dressed in the morning because I have so many choices to make."

That does not mean that God does not want us to prosper, but that we must maintain a proper balance in every area of our existence.

If we are not careful even our affluence can cause us some very real problems. I recommend "pruning your possessions."

Sharing Simplifies
...He who has two tunics..., let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do it the same way.  (Luke 3:11)

If God is blessing us, we need to go through our homes, closets and pantries and prune them on a regular basis. We need to take a lot of the excess and share them with those to whom they would be a real blessing. When my house starts looking cluttered with things, I start looking for things to give away.

In Romans 12:8, we are told, "...he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality..."

If we will do that, if we will give in simplicity and liberality, we can assure that not only will the lives of others be blessed, but also that our own life will not become so encumbered with possessions it gets complicated.

Keep it Simple
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Cor. 11:3 KJV)

Because I tend toward being a complicated person, I have noticed that complicated people like me are easily burned out. The reason is because we make everything so much harder than it ought to be. Is your life complicated? If so, maybe you need to do what I had to learn to do: simplify, simplify, simplify.

The Curse of Complication
Thus says the Lord: Cursed [with great evil] is the strong man who trusts in and relies on frail man, making weak [human] flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside form the lord.

For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (Jer. 17:5-6)

This sounds like a lot of people I know. It also sounds like the way I used to be: dry, burned out, worn out, fainting for lack of spiritual water.

The reason I was in that cursed condition is because I was depending on the arm of  flesh—my own strength and knowledge and ability—rather than on the arm of the Lord.

God left me in that curse of frustration until I came to see that what I needed was to give up all my complicated planning, figuring, and striving and simply abide in Him, allowing Him to do the work that needed to be done in me and through me.

The Blessing of Simplicity
[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when the heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit. (Jer. 17:7-8)

Do you realize what the Lord is telling us in this passage? He is saying that the more you and I believe in, trust in, and rely on Him, the more blessed we will be. The more we give up our struggling and striving and simply lean on and depend on Him, the greater will be our reward.

Part of my teaching library is a message titled "Rest and Be Blessed." That is the lesson that each of us needs to learn and be reminded of again and again.

What we are yearning for and looking for is not complicated, it is very simple: Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed (Ps. 37:3).

Keep it simple: trust God.

Source: Weary Warriors, Fainting Saints by Joyce Meyer
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Joyce Meyer
Web site: Joyce Meyer Ministries
 
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
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