Burnout

By Dustin D. Christensen

The Scriptures are filled with fire, including the encounter that Moses had at the burning bush.

The truth that Moses discovered holds the same relevance today as it did thousands of years ago—and you will live a more fulfilling life when you appreciate the everlasting fire of the Lord.

God wants you to possess the fire that He has to offer. In this book, the author celebrates the power of God’s fire, answering questions such as:

• Does the fire of God ever really burn out in your life?

• How can you rekindle God’s fire if you’re struggling with your faith?

• Why should you let the everlasting fire of God burn within you?

The primary message of this book is that although you may be filled with hurt and pain, God’s Spirit can burn in you again and make you whole.

Join the author as he explores how to overcome obstacles and enjoy the warmth of God’s fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664299993

Dustin D. Christensen

Dustin D. Christensen, a native of Antigo, Wisconsin felt the call to minister the word of God from a young age. He graduated with a degree in biblical studies from Indiana Bible College, where he became involved in ministry and outreach. He also served as the student body president. He is an Apostolic, Pentecostal minister with the United Pentecostal Church International. He serves as the associate pastor of Apostolic Worship Center in Elton, Wisconsin.

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BURNOUT

DUSTIN D. CHRISTENSEN

Copyright © 2023 Dustin D. Christensen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version

(Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic

Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9998-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9999-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909130

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/01/2023

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Dedication

Chapter 1     Fire

Chapter 2     Burnout

Chapter 3     Moses and the Burning Bush

Chapter 4     The Perpetual Fire of God in the Tabernacle

Chapter 5     The Baptism of Fire by the Holy Spirit

Chapter 6     Under Fire

Chapter 7     The Sabbath

Sources

PREFACE

Burnout is just as complex as it is real. And being that the causes and effects of burnout cover such a vast spectrum, we will not endeavor to exhaustively explain and remedy every stage and state of burnout. Burnout manifests itself in numerous ways. It is not always evident or experienced in the same manner. In many ways, each case is unique and distinct. Because we as individuals introduce personal factors that are particular to each of us, we must deal directly and honestly with our own situations. We are complex and intricate beings. Our intellect and emotions both play a part in the case of burnout. Not to mention that our upbringing and worldview set the stage for the story of our lives.

The purpose of this book, then, is not to diagnose every case but rather to offer hope and shed light as to how we can overcome burnout in our own lives. Although every case may be special and distinct, the reality of burnout is universal, and the truths are constant.

I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to have all the answers to the tragedy of burnout. Yet, I do believe that I’ve been graced to understand the most important answer. And therefore, I am compelled to write what I believe will aid the soul of every reader who has ever experienced the pains of burnout. If there has ever been a source to help reignite the flames of hope in a cold, dark life, this is it. God’s Word is supreme and holds the answers that we seek. And so I will be drawing my conclusions from the holy rite: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Ps 119:105).

INTRODUCTION

To anyone who leads a life that seems to take from you and gives back virtually nothing in return. To those who know what it’s like to have a surplus of people who are constantly in need of your time and talent. And ultimately, to everyone who has given their all, whether to a purpose or people, and now feels like they just don’t have anything else that they can possibly give. One word summarizes where this road of endless turmoil has led you: burnout.

This book reaches out to and identifies with more than just the tired and worn out. It’s for people across our world who have literally reached the end of themselves and are unable to live the lives that they were created to live.

And so, for the hopeless and forgotten, for the used and abused, a spark of new life is rekindled within the pages that follow. Could there really be hope for you even after you have burnt out? Dare to find out? Rediscover purpose and passion in your life. God can still use and resurrect the ashes of your life into something alive, new, and beautiful. Let me introduce you to the solution to burnout.

DEDICATION

I pray that the healing hands of God begin to work in the lives of every reader of this book. Thanks be to God for the victory that he gives us over burnout in our lives. He is worthy of the highest praise. To Jesus be the glory for all that he has done.

And to the one whose hand I hold as we walk through life each day. Words can only express in part, how much you mean to me. I love you Becca.

1

Fire

Life is a story; life is a song. Life is a journey—an adventure of awe. Life is a puzzle with the pieces scattered and undone. Life is a riddle, but the laughter has gone. For all that life is and all that it isn’t, one similitude best expresses the exact definition of life. Life is a fire that burns within us all. With its warmth and its light, we live out our years. None of us know when the flames will burn out. From the moment that it begins to flicker until the last bit of it burns, each of us cherish this fire we call life.

And yet it seems that life is lived so carelessly. We go on living as though life were nothing more than a mundane movie. And we sit waiting for the curtains to close. With no real passion and void of purpose, the flames of life grow dim and fade into obscurity. What is life when the fire has burned out? Does anything really matter or hold any meaning when the purpose for living has escaped from our souls?

Some argue its existence as a legend or a myth. Others deny its definition and refuse to call it what it is. But burnout is a reality for many cold, dark hearts. And until you’ve lived to feel its chill, it may always be a fairy tale to you.

Life has been compared to many forms and forces. But may I submit that fire is life’s most accurate nature. It is the most powerful force in our world! If used by the right hands and in the right way, fire can be used as one of the greatest blessings known to humankind. However, if kindled by the wrong hands, with the wrong intentions, fire can also become one of the most destructive forces known to humankind. Without respect and understanding, fire can have detrimental and even fatal effects on those who disregard its tremendous power.

So where does this fire come from and where do we find its origin? If a fire must be kindled, then life must be created. And considering this analogy, we find the maker of our fire. Made in his image and illuminated in his likeness, is there a better description of our maker than that of a consuming fire (Dt 4:24; Heb 12:29)?

To begin to understand just how our God can be a consuming fire, we must approach our epistemology of him in the same way that you would approach any consuming fire—with care and respect. Proverbs 9:10 explains: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. To fear the Lord (that is, to honor and respect him) is the way in which we begin to gain knowledge and understanding of him.

Just as fire has the power to consume whatever it engulfs, so our God has the same consuming power. Fire is a phenomenon that is unmatched in nature. To what may we compare the fury of fire? Its blaze is fiercer than the most aggressive force of its kind. Humankind is unable to bear its heat. Its flames transform that which it burns. Once fire has touched something or someone, it cannot remain the same.

Likewise, we are never the same after we encounter the Lord Jesus Christ. A spark is lit; we see the glow. As the fire grows, we smell the smoke. As the flames begin raging, we feel the heat. As the fire burns, it transforms its host. Truly our God is a consuming fire.

NATURAL/SUPERNATURAL

Jesus himself often would use earthly ideas and concepts in his teachings to bring about a heavenly understanding. Consider John 3. Jesus explained to Nicodemus about being born again to see and enter the kingdom of God. He used two ideas common to humankind: the idea of birth and the concept of the wind.

Sadly, Nicodemus did not understand the principle that Jesus Christ was teaching. For Jesus stated in verse 12: If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

The scriptures are filled with and even centered on this common element called fire. There is a deep and lasting connection that is to be discovered between this element of fire and God himself. Here again, we find this concept of corresponding the earthly (fire) to the spiritual (God). Hebrews 12:29 tells us that our God is a consuming fire.

Certainly, we see the awesome and powerful judgment of God on display in the context of Hebrews 12. But is fire only ever referenced in comparison to God’s wrath and fury? A deeper look at the scriptures later in this book will determine that.

Many parallels in scripture compare God to something that we as mortal human beings can identify. But there is certainly none more powerful than that of Hebrews 12:29: For our God is a consuming fire. I believe that the writer of Hebrews was on to something exclusively unique about the fire of God.

Fire in general will consume what it is burning and eventually burn out. But God desires each of us to possess the fire that he has to offer. We cannot start this fire by our own human resources. And just as we cannot start this fire, neither can we extinguish it.

Though it seems at first glance that many have experienced the fire of God burning out in their lives, I propose that the fire of God never burned out. We simply refused to let the everlasting fire of God burn within us anymore. The fire did not burn out. The fire had been removed altogether. It changed location. The fire went from our hearts back to God.

What burned out was our flesh. The Spirit of God did not burn out. What burned out was our own ambitions, resources, and energy. However, none of these things constitute what God gave us when he filled us with his Spirit. When God filled us with his Spirit, he filled us with an everlasting fire. He filled us with a spiritual and supernatural fire. And this fire burns within us if we allow him to live within us.

So the good news is that if you feel like you have experienced burnout, it can only be your flesh that has experienced this fate. And though your mind may be bombarded with frustration and disappointment, and though your heart may be full of hurt and pain, God’s Spirit, which has never burned out, can burn in you again and restore life back into you.

THE ELEMENT OF FIRE

Throughout the centuries, cultures and civilizations have always been fascinated by fire. In some ways, fire is essential to life itself. Fire provides warmth to our bodies and light to our eyes. Fire allows us to cook and sanitize. Without fire, many of our factories, industries, and even our transportation would be severely limited. Science is in some ways based on the concept of incorporating fire into its very fundamental basis. The element of fire makes up a quarter of what we would label the four elements: water, earth, air, and fire. Aristotle added a fifth element—ether. It has been called akasha in India and quintessence in Europe. However, it is the first four elements that we can speak of with much more certainty, as they apply to life on earth in a much more tangible way.

These four basic elements are of course essential to the very makeup of nature and even life itself. From these four elements we draw understanding of things like the periodic table of elements, decomposition, pressure, growth, and so on. All four of these elements contribute to the cycles of life as well as maintain the very existence of life.

Each one of them possesses great power. And just as we ought to acknowledge their necessity to maintain life, we must also respect their ability to destroy life. Each one of these elements, when displayed in their fury, can bring about catastrophic disaster.

Have you ever witnessed the devastation that is brought about by a tsunami? Or considered that God arranged for the windows of heaven to be opened and the fountains of the great deep to be broken up, resulting in a worldwide flood that ultimately destroyed every living thing? Though we understand that water is the most basic and essential means to maintain life, it also possesses the power to destroy life when it is unleashed upon the earth in this massive way.

Or consider for a moment the aftermath after a hurricane hits the coast, or the ruin that testifies to the touching down of a tornado on the earth. Homes, possessions, and entire cities are left in utter desolation once the powerful force of the air tears through the atmosphere and levels and destroys anything and everything in its path. The winds hold no pity for the lives that they have claimed in their relentless journeys.

Even the earth itself possesses the ability at times to manifest great terror and fury in the event of an earthquake. The earth holds no certainty for refuge when it begins to shake and tremble. Whatever is upon it stands only at its mercy as it quakes relentlessly.

History tells the stories of how these three elements have mercilessly manifested their destructive power upon the world. Is it then a coincidence that the elements