God Is Never Late, And He Usually Isn't Early!

Weary Warriors, Fainting Saints: How You Can Outlast Every Attack of the Enemy
by Joyce Meyer

1

Tired, Busy and Moving Fast

When we ask people how they are these days, usually the answer is, “Tired!” or, “Busy!” When I asked what the lifestyle was like in one city, the answer was, “Fast!”

The word “weary” means “faint,” “worn out,” “1. Tired: fatigued. 2. Exhausted of tolerance or patience.” It can also be associated with sickness: “…the common accompaniment of 'sickness'” is “weariness of mind...which not infrequently hinders physical recovery…”

Satan is working hard to wear us out. He wants us to faint, be sick at heart and sick in our body. Many people who have no peace of mind, who live in a state of worry can become physically sick from weariness of mind - just from being worn out in their mind. So many people are worn out today, there are even fatigue diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

“Faint” “denotes (a) 'to loose, release,'…(b) 'to unloose,' as a bow-string, 'to relax…'” People who “faint” feel like giving up. Some Christians decide to quit several times a week, but pick themselves up, deciding, again, to go on with God.

Why would you think that you're going to give up and quit? What else would you do?

What else would we do besides serve God? For most of us, what we were doing before receiving the Lord wasn't working. Why would we want to quit and go back to that?

Once when I was having one of my give-up days, I decided to quit. I had been going around saying, “I'm so tired of this. God, I'm so tired of this.” I didn't even know exactly what it was I was so tired of.

Then I changed for a while to saying, “I'm trying so hard. God. I'm trying, but nothing's changing.” Finally, I said, “That's it. I just give up, God. I can't do this any more; I quit.”

I got really dramatic about it - down on the floor on my knees, like in one of those old movies, crying, “Help me, God. Nobody loves me. And I'm trying so hard. I give up - I just quit”

And this is what I heard the Holy Spirit inside me say to me in response - He said, “Really? Really?” Then He began teaching me something very important.

A Good Type of Quitting

The only time the Holy Spirit gets to do anything for us is when we quit trying to do something in our own works long enough to let Him work. I had actually come to a type of believing. I had reached the end of my rope and was expressing my total dependence on the Lord.

I was saying:

“I can't do anything without you, Lord. I can't change myself, my husband or my kids. I can't make prosperity come to me or force a healing on my body. I can't make my ministry grow. I can't force myself to be nice. I've tried to be quiet. Every time instead I talk more than I ever have in my life. I've tried to think positive thoughts, and I have two negative thoughts instead of one.”

In the midst of all our human trying, we forget to believe. We often tell God how hard we're trying when the Bible tells us if we will just believe God, He will give us His rest. (Hebrews 3:18,19; 4:9-11.)

The Bible doesn't tell us to try to do everything on our own; it tells us to believe. And it tells us to wait on the Lord

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. (Emphasis mine.)

Isaiah 40:28-31

Waiting for the Lord Renews Our Strength

The first reason people can grow weary and faint is from functioning in their own strength rather than waiting on the Lord to renew their strength. The Bible plainly tells us if we don't spend time waiting on the Lord, we will faint. He wants us to stay in Him so that we can run and not get weary, walk and not faint. He wants us to do everything He tells us to do and still have energy.

Waiting on the Lord is an inner heart attitude we develop of, “God, I cannot do anything apart from You.” This attitude says, “I'm waiting on You, Lord, all day long. I'm looking to you for what I need: for the wisdom, strength, energy I need and for the anointing to be released through me.”

Don't ever think because you have done something well in the past that you can do it well again. Without dependence on God, you can fall flat on your face at any time.

Anointing increases from waiting, depending and leaning on God like a helpless child, saying, “God help me. I need You; I can't do this without You.” Until we learn this dependency on God for help and direction, we will be worn out all the time - weary warriors and fainting saints.

God's flow of energy will not freely come to us until we understand that the humble are the ones who receive help. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:6 KJV). (Emphasis mine.)

Copyright © 1998 by Joyce Meyer

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.