Toil

Satan's strategy to wear you down

Greetings Prosperous Souls,

Today, let’s talk about toil. It’s an intense feeling that I hope none of you ever experience.

Toil is a severe state of exhaustion and hopelessness—one of Satan’s strategies to keep you from excelling in your calling.

Toil isn’t just about working hard or meeting tight deadlines. Scripture defines it as sorrow, a sadness that drains away hope (Proverbs 10:22).

Someone who suffers from toil experiences emptiness so profound that they’re unable to listen to others’ testimonies about God. It’s a sense of emptiness that steals joy.

In last week’s lesson, I mentioned how I used to struggle with toil. Back when I was the CFO of Bethel Church and ran my own business, I was weighed down by twelve to sixteen hour work days.

I had everything on paper—money, success, family. But inside, I was dead. Revival was breaking out, but I was too exhausted to even notice.

The Cure for Toil

I realized that I had a problem when my wife, Dawna, said something hurtful to me and I didn’t react. It was like my feeler was turned off. Frightened, I scheduled a meeting with Danny Silk and confessed, “Something’s wrong. I can’t feel anything.”

In his typical, casual manner, Danny said, “Ah, you’ll be fine. Just take the day off. You need a break.”

Take the day off? I wondered. How will that help?

I ended up finding my answer a few weeks later. I asked God, “How do I get out of this situation?” Do you what He said? “Keep My Sabbath.”

Sabbath? At first, I didn’t get it. The Sabbath felt outdated, Old Testament. All I knew was that Sabbath meant taking time off work. I knew the following verse, but that was it:

But the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. — Deuteronomy 5:14 (NASB)

Great. On the seventh day (Saturday in my case), I’d rest. Easy, right?

Not really. I was so used to grinding that rest felt uncomfortable. It appeared to make my productivity drop. It seemed lazy.

Nevertheless, I tried it. On Saturday mornings, I’d wake. Watch cartoons with my boys. Get in the car. Drive to Whiskeytown lake. I made an effort to not work at all. This even came down to household chores. If Dawna asked me to take out the trash, I’d say, “Sorry, honey, it’s my Sabbath.” Eventually, she joined me in my rest days too.

Months went by, and I noticed something amazing. My emotions came back. I was no longer depressed. I returned to work feeling energized and ready to serve. Plus, my side business exploded. Somehow, after adding rest to my schedule, I got more done in less time.

The Sabbath ended up being a strategy that gave me a second chance. It saved my marriage and taught me: Sometimes it requires more faith to do nothing than to do something.

Your Homework

Find out more about toil in my handout here. To go even deeper into Sabbath, check out my training: Prosperous Soul Online: Advanced.

Want to go deeper into the Sabbath?

No Live Meeting This Afternoon

Dawna and I are flying back from our anniversary trip, so there’s no meeting today. Instead, download my handouts here and get started on your path to “resting better.”

God bless your Prosperous Soul,
Stephen K. De Silva

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About: Stephen K. De Silva is an author, speaker, and financial mentor. From 1995 until 2017, he served as the CFO of Bethel Church, and a member of the senior leadership team. Stephen’s blend of experience, training, and gifting make him a pioneer in the subject of money. You can reach Stephen at hello@prosperoussoul.com