Rekindled

by Rocky Fleming

Day Three – The First Step in the Right Direction

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” (Psalms 23:1-3 NIV)

“He refreshes my soul.”  The writer of this Psalms was a man who experienced the very thing all God’s men and women need, especially when the spiritual fire within us begins to fade in our soul.  Don’t you know that David was beaten up in many ways, but sorrowfully as a leader and King, he thought that he could not leave his responsibilities to personally heal?  

Many of you are “watchmen” for your families, friends, and other areas of responsibilities, including your own soul.  This constant vigilance will be a drain on our physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.  But it is required.  Even so, there will be times that our soul will cool to our walk with Christ, and we will then become vulnerable to temptation, discouragement, and feelings of defeat.  This happens when we get too busy to spend time alone with Him.  Our instinct is to run, but where do we run, and what do we run into as we become another victim of Satan’s redirection efforts?  

David made a mistake and ran into the arms of another man’s wife during his burnout time, and then came to have deep regrets because of it.  Without a doubt, we will always regret what Satan tempts us to run to.  But fleeing or running away is an instinctive impulse when we are spiritually burned out.  We look for the exit door.  For example, every month, there are about 1,700 pastors in America who are leaving their ministry  Is the biggest cause discouragement because that is what they believe to be the reason?  There is this problem, for sure.  

However, are we seeing the problem or the results of a deeper problem?  I believe discouragement in spiritual burnout victims is the result of not protecting the health of their soul, not because of the demands on them but rather their neglect.  It is because they forgot the war they are in and the importance of being soul healthy.  This is the biggest concern to be able to deal with other challenges.  

Bottom line:  We forgot to watch out for our soul as importantly as we watch out for others.  

This condition could fall on every Christian man or woman and not just pastors.  We all have a ministry to our family, friends, students, co-workers and people whose lives we influence.  We can watch out for them and take care of them and at the same time forget ourselves.  This happens a lot to our precious servant leaders.  What does God do about this?  He shows us our need with the symptoms, and He is waiting for His man to come and get his need met.

David had at one time been a shepherd. For that reason, his association with his own need and the care of the Father over his life was likened to a good shepherd taking care of his flock.  In John 10:14 Jesus mentioned that He is that “Good Shepherd.”  In John 10:27 Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  What is your Shepherd’s voice saying to you right now?  Do you hear Him calling you to come and follow Him, to be with Him to be refreshed?  If you are in a spiritually burned out condition, you can know for sure that your Good Shepherd knows what you are going through and He wants to help you get through it.  The condition oftentimes reveals the need, and with burnout, the need is clear.  The load must be removed and you need to have your fire rekindled.

If you are like Timothy and need to have the dying fire within you rekindled, the first step to be taken is to take one in the right direction, which is toward your relationship with Jesus, not your work for Him.  Don’t continue to pile on all those good things you do and the important demands on you and hope things get better.  They can wait for a while.  You cannot wait.  I’m not asking you to desert your post, but rather to be refreshed so you can get back into the battle.  Don’t think of this as being irresponsible.  Override that voice of the Accuser and see this as being entirely responsible for your ability to be the guardian you have been asked to be. 

What will come from your refreshment time will more than make up for the lost time.  Therefore, it is important for you to give yourself permission to admit you have this need, and it is God’s instruction to you to come and get it filled.  Will you make this first step and cry out, “Lord I have a need to be rekindled.  Will you take me to Your presence to find the refreshment to my soul that is needed?”  He will come and help you find what you ask for.

Tomorrow we will build on the first step in the right direction.  Tune in for there are more steps toward getting this behind you.