What Does It Mean To Do Things With All Your Strength?

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) where you are going."

- Ecclesiastes 9.10 // AMP

It's only the 15th day of the 2nd month of February and if you're like me, this picture is a little too familiar. Tired.

Ecclesiastes 9.10 teaches us to do everything with all our might, but what does that look like when you have zero (I'm talking about ZILCH) energy left to do a single thing. This could be physical energy, but it could also be emotional and mental fatigue. Sometimes, it's the spirit that needs a jolt to keep going.

If any of the above resonates with you, then this is for you.

Doing things with all your strength and feeling like you're pouring into a cup with a hole in the bottom doesn't feel great, does it? Could be that you're pouring your all into work and not seeing results, but you're watching others get promoted or recognised for doing the bare minimum. Maybe you're a mum just trying to do the best for your kids but you can't seem to get it together like the other moms. Perhaps you've just been trying in life for so long and you don't see the point anymore. Maybe you were already tired before the New Year...now you're done.

Sometimes it's like watching all the cool kids playing in the playground while you watch from a dark room.

In case you've noticed, this isn't one of those pep-talk posts. Do those really help when you're done and tired, though? They don't help me - in fact, they make me feel worse and make me wonder, "What's wrong with me?" Anyone else?

The purpose of this post is simply this: to tell you that you're not crazy.

There are a number of reasons why life can seem a little too much to keep up with or a bit hard, making you feel tired and worn out. To name a few:

• you might be going through a season where the Lord is testing if your faith in Him will remain, even in the face of challenges

• it might be the enemy picking on you and you might need to either pick up your sword (the Word) and fight back, or leave this one for God to handle like Exodus 14.14 teaches us

• that's life...especially the life of the one who follows Jesus, who tells us that we will face persecution and troubles (but the good part is that He has already won; this makes us victors even before we taste the victory)

• you might be striving and trying to do things your own way, and this is leaving you exhausted

• might be that you have too much on your plate right now...stretching seasons can be exhausting

• poor diet, lack of exercise, mineral/vitamin/nutritional deficiencies, poor gut health, time of the month...etc.

Whatever the case, our bodies are interesting - especially as women - because so much can affect our hormones. The interesting part is that the enemy tries to use these situations and our own emotions to exhaust us in the spirit. Believe it or not, sometimes what we feel isn't coming from us (most times, actually). It's like clicking a dodgy link from a dodgy email and ending up with a dodgy virus!

The word 'inspire' comes from the Latin word 'inspirare' which means 'to breathe into'; it is also linked the word 'spiritus' (spirit, soul, life force). Some ideas, thoughts, even feelings come from outside of us from evil spirits that try their best to keep us from God. Do we have to take them on? Nope? The Word of God tells us to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10.5). This is because they have NO authority over those that are in Jesus, but they use deception to try and get authority to gain access to our lives at times. They do so by trying to get us to come into agreement with them in thought, confession, through our actions. This is one of the reasons why the Word teaches us to guard our hearts with all diligence.

When there is a spirit involved (e.g. a spirit of heaviness), most times, you can feel the emotion go away either instantly, after a few seconds, or after a short time when you command it to go away (with no doubt). Other times, you will need to contend and fight for a longer time. Certain things that have been labelled as 'conditions' originate from spirits that seek to torment us, but let's leave this here for now...that's a WHOLE other topic for a different post. The good news is that you are not alone, and you fight from a place of victory. When life gets real, and you just can't (you know what I mean), then now more than ever, you need to let your guard down and talk to your Heavenly Father. He is with you.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you." - Isaiah 43.2

So what does 'doing things with all your strength' even mean or look like when you're physically, mentally, emotionally drained? Here are a few things that I have been learning from the Holy Spirit lately (still learning):

1. Show up anyway and remain consistent, especially when you want to give up. In times like this, maybe the Lord is testing fortitude, trust, and developing endurance.

2. Do things with a positive attitude. The biggest test in times like this is our hearts and characters - will they look like Jesus when put under pressure?

3. Stop criticising and speak poorly of yourself - there is nothing wrong with you, so things like 'I'm so stupid,' should never come out of our mouths. Jesus died for you and made you His, so to insult yourself is to insult Him.

4. Colossians 3.23 - whatever you're doing, do it for God, not man. When you're so tired, everything you do can feel like it's void of purpose. But when you do things as if you're doing it for God, even the mundane and seemingly useless things are a seed that we sow in God's garden. We know from Job 42.2 that nothing of God can fail, so you can trust that in due time, it will bear fruit.

5. You must trust God. When you understand that the real battle here isn't about you or your circumstances, but it is the enemy's plot to destroy your trust (and therefore relationship) with God, you learn to cling to Holy Spirit (your Helper) as your source of strength. He will keep you in perfect peace, even when it doesn't make sense. And He will strengthen you so that you keep your faith in God.

6. Read your bible - even when you don't want to (especially then). John 1 teaches us that the Word (Jesus - the living Word) was there from the beginning. He is God's Son, and He is God. When you spend time reading the bible (the Word), you're spending time with God. It's a sign of faith as you trust Him to mould you into the image of Christ (which was the plan from the very beginning). The Holy Spirit uses the Word to edify us and encourage us in hard times. He also uses it to teach and correct us. And when we spend time with Jesus, it's like sitting with a friend after a long day and listening to them speak kind refreshing words over your soul, except that this Friend juuust so happens to know you inside out , so He knows how to be there for you in the ways you need the most (even when it doesn't look like it).

7. Trust that God is good. Wait on Him, and He will renew your strength.

So congratulations - you're in a season where God is moulding you into being more like Him. He's trusting you to represent Him well. He wouldn't have it so if He didn't think the world of you. I hope by now that you see that doing things with all your strength doesn't always mean physical strength or effort. It means spiritual, mental and emotional effort, too.

You've got this, and I believe in you. Most importantly, God believes in you. Now go make Him proud.

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God bless, and Jesus loves you.

Pam.

Jeremiah 29.11