Can Spiritual Warfare Make You Tired?
Jul 20, 2026Summary
Have you ever asked yourself, can spiritual warfare make you tired? You are striving your hardest to live right and care for your family, yet you constantly feel drained, heavy, and physically exhausted. It is a wearying situation, and you might wonder if you are doing something wrong.
You are not alone, and you are in the exact right place! In this episode of the Arise Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson is joined by ministry leader Amy Johnson to validate exactly what you are feeling. We dive into why invisible battles take a very real, physical toll on your mortal body. We explore the difference between pure burnout and "spiritual stretching"—learning how holding the heavy weight of the Spirit in a dark world naturally drains your physical battery.
Discover the "Juniper Tree Protocol," looking at how God tenderly handled the prophet Elijah’s total exhaustion not with a stern lecture, but with a warm meal, water, and sleep. We also discuss how partnering with Jesus Christ in motherhood is a divine, albeit exhausting, calling. Tune in to learn how to claim God's divine reset, implement a "Not-To-Do" list to protect your precious energy, and find true rest for your weary soul!
Episode Takeaways
- The Weight of the Spirit: Spiritual warfare and spiritual stretching both drain your physical battery. Your mortal body gets tired holding and reaching for spiritual light in a very dark, fallen world.
- Moses & Mission Lessons: Even great prophets (like Moses coming down from Sinai) and missionaries experience sheer exhaustion. Feeling tired does not mean you are failing; it means you are actively doing the work.
- The Juniper Tree Protocol: When Elijah was exhausted and terrified, God didn't scold him or tell him to pray harder. God sent an angel to give him food, water, and sleep. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap and replenish your body!
- Motherhood is a Divine Partnership: Bringing children into the world and raising them in the light is a direct partnership with God. It is physically and spiritually taxing, and you must lean on Him for strength.
Free Resource: A Woman's Guide to Spiritual Warfare
Get our free A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide: 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home & Family downloadable pdf here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/A-Mothers-Spiritual-Defense-Guide
Reflection Questions
- When you feel spiritually and physically drained, do you allow yourself the grace of the "Juniper Tree Protocol" (eating, resting, sleeping), or do you beat yourself up for lacking faith?
- How does viewing your exhaustion as "spiritual stretching" change your perspective on your daily parenting duties?
- What is one good but unnecessary distraction you can place on your "Not-To-Do" list this week to protect your physical and emotional energy?
Host & Guest
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Amy Johnson @amyajohnson5
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.640 - 00:02:52.930
Hey my friend, have you ever wondered if spiritual warfare can make you feel tired?
Because you are striving your very hardest to live right, to do everything for your family, but you still feel completely drained, heavy and physically exhausted.
This, my friends, is a common and a wearying situation because you want to know how to battle back against this heavy fatigue and truly find rest unto your soul. Well, take heart, you are in the right place.
And by the end of today's episode, you will know exactly why invisible battles take a physical toll on your body, the difference between pure exhaustion and spiritual stretching, and how to claim God's divine reset to recover your strength. Stay tuned. Ordinary women extraordinary faith When God calls, we say yes. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, and joining me today is the amazing Amy Johnson, a wonderful ministry leader, busy mom and grandma, and a battle tested warrior of light for her and her family. And she is here today to share her deep practical wisdom as we talk about can spiritual warfare make you feel tired?
To do this, we're going to map out three key concepts. First, the weight of the spirit, why spiritual stretching and battling darkness can drain your physical battery.
Second, we're going to talk about Moses and mission lessons, deep insights into how spiritual output impacts us physically. And third, the Juniper Tree protocol, how God handles exhausted warriors with very tender care.
But first, let's validate exactly what you are feeling. Yes, spiritual warfare can make you feel incredibly tired.
Just because you can't see the battle being waged with your physical eyes doesn't mean it's not impacting your soul and your physical frame. In Matthew, chapter 26, verse 41, the Savior reminds us, watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.
The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. So my friend, our mortal flesh gets tired when we are stretching for the things of God or battling against the darkness.
Listen as Amy shares how even some of the greatest prophets and spiritual experiences can leave us feeling physically drained.
Amy Johnson
00:02:53.650 - 00:06:03.360
I believe that not only spiritual warfare, but just things of the spirit can make us very tired. We are very mortal and this world is very dark.
And anytime we have a major shift where we feel the things of the spirit, the things of God, he can handle way more than I can handle. And so I believe that anytime we're dealing with anything with the things of the spirit, it exhausts us. Moses, he is a good example.
He comes down from Mount Sinai and he's got the Ten Commandments and he's ready and they're making a golden calf and they're doing all their thing, and he flips. And I believe he flips because he's exhausted, because you read about Moses and he's pretty steady, Eddy.
Even when Jethro comes to him and says, these people are going to wear you out and make suggestions to him, he's pretty steady, Eddie. But he comes down off the mountain, he's had this major spiritual experience with the Lord, and he just flips.
I like to think it was because he was exhausted, because I know how that feels when I get exhausted. Also, When I was 21 to 23, I served a mission for my church. And all we were doing all the time was praying. We prayed so much.
Like, every time we got in the car, every time we started an appointment, every time we ended an appointment, every time we woke up, every time we ate, we prayed so much. But also, I really believe that when you're teaching the things of the Spirit, God backs you up and sends an added measure of his spirit.
And so I remember coming home at the end of a day and laying on my bed and thinking, I can't move. I'm so tired. So I think it's really important to remember that it's not just the battle that makes us tired.
Battles make us tired, but it's also things of the Spirit that take our strength because we are not familiar. We're not doing it all day, every day. The beginning of that mission, I was way more tired than the end. At the end, I was weary. There's a difference.
I had gotten used to feeling the things of the Spirit in that kind of capacity every day, all day long. And so I just. I really think it's important to remember that, yeah, we are in a battle. We are absolutely in a battle.
But being exhausted isn't necessarily bad. And it isn't necessarily because of the battle.
Sometimes it's because we are stretching and reaching for things of the Spirit and receiving things of the Spirit.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:06:04.160 - 00:07:56.070
Amy is so right.
I remember when I was on my mission doing God's work, ministering to people who had heavy needs and helping others battle back darkness and fear so that they could move closer to Jesus Christ. It was spiritual warfare, and it was, hands down, one of the most exhausting times of my life. Spiritually pushing back darkness does take its toll.
But thank goodness I knew I wasn't alone and I knew I was on God's errand. So how does God react when we are completely spent?
Look at the story of Elijah in the Old Testament, right after winning a massive, intense spiritual victory against the prophets of baal. On Mount Carmel, he was hit with a vicious death threat from Queen Jezebel. He was completely exhausted, terrified and depleted.
And so he ran into the wilderness, sat under a juniper tree, and begged God to let him die, saying, it is enough, O Lord, take away my life. I love how God responded to him. He didn't deliver a stern lecture. He didn't tell him to pray harder or scold him for lacking more faith.
Instead, God sent him an angel to bake him a hot meal, give him a drink of water, and let him sleep to recover his physical and spiritual strength. God understands that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is eat, rest your body, and replenish your strength.
As moms, this partnership with God that we have to minister to our children and our family is particularly exhausting. Let's listen as Amy shares her beautiful thoughts on the weight of bringing children into this world.
Amy Johnson
00:07:56.470 - 00:08:36.120
I felt an exhaustion as I started to bring children into this world, and at first I just thought it was the physical exhaustion of having babies because, let's be honest, that's a physically taxing job. But I later realized that it's more than that. It's that now I've chosen to become a partner with God and it's exhausting.
His spirit is not familiar enough in this world to me that until I get used to that walk with God, it takes a lot out of me.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:36.920 - 00:10:28.890
So my friend, if you are going to be walking closely with God, you are going to feel tired sometimes, but take heart, you are simply getting used to the weight of his light work in a very dark world.
Remember the beautiful encouragement found in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, where it reads and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. The enemy is trying to wear you down so you are too exhausted to stand guard over your home.
And so we have a wonderful gift that we would like to give you to help you with your important mission. It is our A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family and it's free at the link below.
When you get your workbook, I want you to turn straight back to the bonus section at the end of the booklet and look at the not to do list.
This powerful tool is designed to help you prayerfully identify and eliminate good distractions that are taking up your time and your physical and emotional energy. It will help you clear your plate and have the strength to focus on what matters most connecting with God and protecting yourself and your family.
So my friend, take a breath, get some rest and trust that God will carry you. He is strong enough. Lean on Jesus because He will help you. And until next time, may you arise. Do it God's way. God strong.
If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe. It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.
