You Are Depleted, and This is The Reason Why.

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Have you felt depleted lately? Do you have moments when you feel you don’t have the strength to go on? Have you been taking longer to complete tasks that were not a struggle before? Maybe you have been having a hard time waking up in the morning, yet you considered yourself a morning person? Whatever the case may be if you have been experiencing fatigue and feeling depleted, then this word will help you.

Table of Contents

• • 3 reasons you are depleted.
  • You have been doing things the same way, yet God wants to take you higher, and it requires you to do something different.
  • You have not been pouring into yourself.
  • You are spending time on things that God has not called you to do, and this takes away from what God called you to do.
• How then can you partner with God when you are depleted?
  • Surrender.
  • Some of the ways you can fill up your tank so you are not depleted is by.
  • Flexibility
  • One way you can be open is by.
  • Learn to prioritize.
    • Some of the ways you can lean in when God is emptying you are by.
  • Choose yourself.
• Conclusion.

The first thing you need to realize if you are depleted is that God will never pour into you if you are full. He has to empty you first before He can pour into you. So if you have been telling depleted it is because God wants to pour something new into you and that’s why He is emptying you. Depletion comes from a place of emptiness. You are feeling empty because you have been pouring from an empty cup and have not had it filled.

God is emptying you because He wants to launch you into a new space and level. You cannot go to the next level looking the same or even thinking the same way. So God wants to empty you now and fill you with fresh manna.

Remember in the scripture where Jesus said that you cannot pour new wine into an old wineskin? Well, God wants to pour new wine into you. He is emptying you to prepare you for more.

3 reasons you are depleted.

You have been doing things the same way, yet God wants to take you higher, and it requires you to do something different.

You cannot fight new giants using old tactics. They are not the same and oftentimes are stronger than the ones you encountered before. Why then do you expect that the short time you used to spend will be effective now? You see, with every new level comes new strategies. Every time the Israelites went to war, they had to deploy new strategies because every enemy was different. The Same case applies to you. You have been using old strategies in this new space and it has not been working.

You have not been pouring into yourself.

It’s important to realize that you can never pour from an empty cup. Sooner or later, you are going to run on empty. Have you been taking time to fill your tank? What have you been doing to pour into yourself? Even Jesus withdrew to spend time with God because He understood He had to be filled up so that He could be effective in what God called Him to do.

You are spending time on things that God has not called you to do, and this takes away from what God called you to do.

God has given each one of us a measure of grace for what He has called us to do. And not every good thing is your God-ordained thing. You cannot do everything. Even Jesus did not heal everyone. This is because He understood He had an assignment and everything He did was geared toward His purpose.

And to give you an example, let’s read John 11. In John chapter 11, we are introduced to Mary and her sister Martha. They had a brother called Lazarus. And unfortunately, their brother was sick. So they sent a word to Jesus telling Him that Lazarus, whom He loved, was sick. The interesting thing was that Lazarus and his sisters both had a personal relationship with God.

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But Jesus did not go when He got the message. He waited for 4 more days. In doing so, Lazarus died. Jesus recognized He had an assignment where He was and He could not just leave it because He had a purpose and a goal. He was okay with disappointing the sisters because He knew the overall plan was better than the pain they were feeling at the moment. I hope this helps you see the importance of sticking to your purpose and not allowing everything to derail you. You need to learn to prioritize things. The truth of the matter is that there will always be things that need your attention. But it is your ability to prioritize that will help you become effective and not get depleted.

How then can you partner with God when you are depleted?

Surrender.

Depletion yields desperation which leads to surrender. You need to realize just how much you need God. So surrender to what He is doing. Allow Him to do the very thing He wants to do in your life. God is the author and the finisher of your life and faith. He knows the best version of you. And He wants you to become your best self. But for you to get there you have to surrender to His ways and not your ways.

Ask Him to show you what He is doing. He promises in Jeremiah 33:3 that when you ask Him, He will answer and show you great and mighty things you do not know, He wants to help you. He knows you are weak. Ask Him to lead you in the way you should go because He promises he will never leave you nor forsake you. Again, God promises He will lead you down a path of green pastures. This means that He will never mislead you. He already knows the beginning from the end. And not just that, He has amazing plans for your life. Why then would you not surrender?

For you to surrender to God, you need to trust Him. Trust comes from a place of intimacy. So if you want to learn to surrender and let go, spend time with God. In the seasons where you are depleted, you should spend more time in the prayer closet. Depletion is a sign that your tank is empty. Fill it up in your secret time.

Some of the ways you can fill up your tank so you are not depleted is by.

•  Prayer and fasting. In seasons where you are depleted, prayer and fasting will help fill you. As you pray and commune with God, God will fill you up and you will have your tank full again.
• Worship and praise. Worship is the ultimate form of surrender. As you worship, you release all your cares to God. In worship, your focus is on God and this helps you even surrender more. Worshiping can be through songs or even just adoration of God. Where you just praise Him for WHO he is and acknowledge who He is and what He has done. Worship is focused on God while praise is thanking God for all that He has done for you. They are both important as they help you relinquish control and put your trust in God.
• Reading the Bible. Ultimately, you need to know God’s character, His ways, and even His words. For you to know all these, you need to spend time in His word. You can never trust someone you don’t know. So if you want to learn to trust God, read his word. You can start with the New Testament, especially the Book of John. Find out the sacrifice that Jesus made and His character and love for you. The sacrifice is what will draw you to Him. His love will pull you to Him. Remember, the only reason you love God is because He first loved you. And the more you read the Bible, the more you get to understand Him and see His love for you too. Through this, you will learn to let go, trust Him and fully surrender to Him.

Surrender is the ultimate key when you are depleted. Lean on God in this season.

Flexibility

The second thing is to be open and flexible. Like I told you earlier. The real reason you are depleted is that God is emptying you. As He is emptying you, He is preparing you for something new. The new He is bringing your way requires a different you. And therefore flexibility is important. God will require that you let go of the old mindsets and even old ways of doing things. And for you to embrace the new thing He wants to do in your life.

One way you can be open is by.

•  Going with the flow. God might ask you to do something you have never done before. And this will require you to get out of your comfort zone. Will you do it? So it could be something that you had let go of that God is asking you to take it back. Or it could be a fresh way of doing things. The reality is that it will be something that will challenge you. Will you do it? Sometimes God might not even tell you to do something. It might just be a sudden desire that springs up. Start a new hobby or do something you had done before and stopped. The goal here is to go with the flow and do the thing you feel God is calling you to do. Be open to what God is doing. As Jesus was on earth, He left room for God to lead Him. That’s why He was okay going to the wilderness after John baptized Him and God had validated Him. Don’t be too rigid with your plans, because God can change them. Now I am not condoning not having a plan or a vision for your life. All I am simply saying is that you should make room for God to lead you where He wants. Ultimately, His plans are better than yours. But it will take you to have a plan for Him to interrupt it.

Learn to prioritize.

Since we know that sometimes depletion comes from doing unnecessary things, prioritizing is important if you want to be effective and efficient. Some exercises can help you with that. If you want to check out books that help with time management check out audible plus. You will have access to unlimited books. Here is the link to the same.

An exercise that can help you learn to prioritize the important things

Action Priority Matrix– This is an exercise that helps you do the important things first before tackling those that are not necessary. In doing so you can divide your tasks into small bits that help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

God has given you a measure of grace for what He has called you to do. And when you are operating from that place of God’s will, you will not get depleted. Depletion comes from a place of not being aligned with God’s will. That’s why He will empty you to fill you up with the things that matter.

Some of the ways you can lean in when God is emptying you are by.

1. Unlearning the old mindsets. Again, God will require you to become the person worthy of the place He is taking you, so some things will have to go. Unlearning and relearning require consistency and determination. Maybe there are books you need to read. Or even podcasts that you should listen to. It could even mean you doing some training or even attending seminars. Whatever it takes, do it so that you can get the skills you need to get you to the place God wants to take you.
2. Take your time with God a notch higher. If you used to spend 30 minutes a day with God, try doing 40 minutes. You see when you are depleted, desperation should be evident. No one wants to stay in that position forever, so take the time to gain the strategies for your next season from God. Get to know what He wants you to do to get out of that funk. The more you spend time with God, the more you will gain the strategies needed and have God fill you up. He wants you but He can only do that when you are willing to lay your time before Him. Be open with Him and tell Him to fill you up. A contrite and desperate heart He will not despise. It is in your weakness that His strength will be manifested. So use the season of depletion to inquire from God.

Choose yourself.

You can never run on empty. And you can never be effective when all you do is pour into others without pouring into yourself. Choosing yourself means saying no to things that do not serve you. When you choose yourself, you will say no to people-pleasing and you will not give room for FOMO to reign in your life.

JESUS IS YOUR ULTIMATE SOURCE.

Some of the ways you can choose yourself are by.

• Doing the things that you love. Do you love reading books, watching a movie, etc? Whatever you love doing. Go ahead and do that. Pick a day for self-care and guard that time. And do not feel guilty for choosing yourself coz it is in the best interest of those around you, you choose yourself.
• Journalling. – it is important for you to listen to your soul and spirit. That is how you will even get to know what God is telling you to do. Hearing from God requires that you spend time alone. Solitude will increase your sensitivity to hearing from God. And it is through journaling that you gain clarity. As you journal, everything becomes clear. You can also deal with the junk in your mind that could cause you to be depleted. Journaling gives you clarity on your purpose and this helps you to learn to prioritize and be effective in your purpose and calling.

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Conclusion.

When you are depleted, it is a sign that God is emptying you to prepare you for more. Don’t feel discouraged rather, lean in to what God is doing and allow Him to show you what He is doing. As you lean in, you will get to learn aspects of yourself you did not know and this will help you to press in. Today. I want to encourage you to lean into what God is doing. And to also choose yourself. You will reap a reward if you faint not. Do not allow frustration to get you to forfeit the promise. You will get to the other side and you will be your best self. This is not the end it is a new beginning. It is time for you to embrace the new path that God has for you.