According to Ephesians six, the Christian is fighting a deadly spiritual battle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Paul instructs us to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." As physical warfare causes battle fatigue, so does spiritual warfare. If a battle weary soldier does not overcome that fatigue, he will not be a good soldier. That is true in both physical and spiritual warfare.
Jeremiah, the prophet, complained about the distress and persecution he faced because he proclaimed God's Word. The people of Judah did not want to hear God's truth. God pointed out their sin and His coming judgement. The people tormented Jeremiah because he was the messenger. Jeremiah became disillusioned with serving the Lord and said, "I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name." Suffering from spiritual battle fatigue, he gave up. Thank God, he overcame the fatigue and later reentered the fray.
Elijah also suffered fatigue from the spiritual battle. He alone stood against the treachery of wicked Ahab. After the three year drought, he faced the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel as God's representative. When God sent rain in answer to his prayer, Elijah ran to Jezreel which was almost thirty miles away. He was spiritually and physically drained as he read Jezebel's message that she was going to kill him. Elijah fled to a juniper tree where he gave up. Spiritual battle fatigue overcame him.
Martha became weary with spiritual fatigue when she "was cumbered about much serving." When she complained about not having any help, Jesus said, "thou art careful and troubled about many things." John the Baptist experienced spiritual weariness when Herod imprisoned him. He had believed Jesus was the Messiah, but suffering because of his obedience to God planted doubts in his mind. After Abraham's battle with the Eastern kings, Abraham encountered spiritual exhaustion. Although God's blessing was on him, he did not have a son to carry on his name. David and his men also were crushed by spiritual exhaustion when they returned home from battle to find their wives and children kidnapped by the Amalakites.
Spiritual exhaustion overcomes godly people for a variety of reasons. Spiritual battle fatigue can come from the sense of serving the Lord while none help or from serving the Lord but seeing no visible results. It also may hit us as we experience personal troubles, heartaches and fears. Physical weariness can lead to spiritual weariness.
Rest from the battle can help a soldier overcome battle fatigue. So rest in the Lord will help the soldier of Christ drive away spiritual battle fatigue. Jesus saw the need of rest from the Lord's work. He told his disciples to, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while." When spiritual weariness rolled over David, he asked himself, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?" He answered, "hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."
Knowing the battle was overpowering, Paul frequently advised his pastor friends, "Take heed unto thyself."
Even during the heat of the spiritual battle, we can be strong and fresh if we heed Paul's instruction to the Galatian believers. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Isaiah offers his encouragement with these words, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."