Here are 3 signs that often mean God is telling you that you are doing too much.
1. If You Know What You Should Be Doing But You Don’t Have the Time or Energy to Do It, This Is a Sign God Is Saying You’re Doing Too Much
“I really want to meet someone, but I’m just too busy with work.” “I know I should get more involved at church, but I’m just so involved in a relationship right now.” “I know I should get up early and do a devotional, but I’m just so tempted to stay up late with all the entertainment options I have.” Hebrews 12:1-2 explains:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
If you sense God leading you to actively pursue meeting someone new, you are going to have to sacrifice a little in the career area of life. If you know you need the love and support of a healthy church, you are going to need to find someone who understands that and doesn’t make you feel guilty for doing anything besides being with them. If you know your heart needs to connect with God more before the day starts, you have to turn off the phone and go to bed earlier.
Only by the Spirit can we lay aside every weight that so easily entangles us. But when the Spirit fills us, we will then need to take those practical steps to make our lives focused on what God wants us to focus on.
2. If Your Current Obligations Are Causing You to Miss Golden Opportunities, This Is a Sign God Could Be Telling You that You Are Doing Too Much
Some people look at successful individuals or mature Christians and say, “They just got lucky. My life is just harder and more complicated that theirs.” That may be true, but I think this type of “luck” is actually just the outcome of when opportunity and preparedness intersected.
Yes, you need opportunities in life and sometimes that is truly out of your hands. But you also need to be prepared for when God does bring those opportunities into your life or otherwise you will miss them. Luke 9:57-62 states:
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”
These seem like some brutal words from Jesus. But Jesus will always tell us the truth even if that truth hurts. There are always going to be some barriers to you capitalizing on the opportunities God gives you. Rarely are our roads paved with gold. But oftentimes we are given golden opportunities.
It will take sacrifice to accept these golden opportunities, so if you are doing too many other things that are preventing you from taking advantage of these open doors, this is a sign God is telling you that you are doing too much.
3. If Busyness Is Pulling You Away from the Presence of Christ, This Is a Sign He’s Saying You Are Doing Too Much
Each time period has unique temptations camouflaged by cultural acceptance. In our day and age, one temptation that leads to sin comes in the culturally acceptable mask of busyness. Working ourselves to the bone is often seen as a badge of honor in our culture.
Don’t get me wrong, working hard is really good. Sometimes God will lead you into seasons where you are laser focused and totally consumed with a particular area of work. But if this busyness is detracting your heart away from the presence of Jesus, something is off. Luke 10:38-42 states:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Hosting is a good thing and it requires a lot of work. People need to eat. Serving is a command in the Bible. Yet, when it comes to listening to Jesus or doing something good, we must choose Jesus.
Sometimes the Martha in us is condemning the Mary in us. But remember what Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Work hard when God leads you to work hard. But when busyness is pulling you away from the presence of Christ, this is a sign God is telling you that you are doing too much.
