There is a difference between burnout and drift, and most people in ministry have never stopped to figure out which one they are actually in. Burnout is what happens when you gave everything and the tank ran dry. Drift is what happens when something in you quietly decided it was not worth it anymore.

Romans 12:11 addresses both, and it does it in three short phrases. Not lagging in diligence. Fervent in spirit. Serving the Lord.

In this episode we work through what Paul is actually saying here, because this verse is easy to read as a motivational push and it is not that. The word for fervent is zeō, to boil. Water does not decide to boil. It boils because of what it is near. Fervency in the Spirit is not something you manufacture. It is what happens when you stay close to the right source long enough.

We also look at the third phrase, which turns out to be the anchor for everything else. Serving the Lord. Not serving the vision. Not serving the metrics. Not serving the approval of the room. Because when that shift happens quietly, and it does happen quietly, fervency becomes unsustainable. You are drawing from a well that cannot hold water.

This one is for anyone who has felt the energy go out of their ministry and is not sure where it went.

Formation to Transformation is a worship devotional for people who want worship to be more than a song set. New episodes every week through Romans 12.

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