From Deep Spirituality

How to Get Out of a Spiritual Burnout

God and the Bible give us solutions to dealing with spiritual burnout so we don't get knocked down and give up.

After many years of a global pandemic, it’s easy to feel tired. As stressors have built up, we are all at risk of burnout. The good thing is God and the Bible give us solutions to dealing with spiritual burnout so we don’t get knocked down and give up. Things like religiosity, behaviorism, and a performance-driven mindset will make us feel burned out.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

— Matthew 23:1-4 NLT

When we don’t engage in deep relationships, deep spirituality, and deep honesty, we become impersonal, detached, and behavior-focused. This affects both ourselves and those around us. We need to acknowledge what is wearing us out, especially the ways in which we become focused on rules and behaviors.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

— Matthew 23:25-26 NLT

Addressing these things with God and friends will bring us relief. Check out this One Quick Thought to learn how God wants to give us the relief and refreshment we’re looking for through our relationship with him.

Show notes

Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?”

— Mark 12:24 NRSV

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

— Matthew 23:1-4 NLT

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. [6] And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. [7] They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

— Matthew 23:5-7 NLT

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

— Matthew 23:25-26 NLT