“If I pay attention to the spiritual part of my life, the rest will be taken care of. Why would I need to focus any time or energy on my emotions?”

This puzzling comment was directed to me after teaching a session on refueling emotionally. My response to this leader: “So if you take care of your spiritual life, there’s no need to pay attention to your body? You can eat whatever you want and be a couch potato with no negative effects on your health?” And then an icy wind did blow…

A well-rounded leader understands we have three tanks:  Spiritual, physical, and mental/emotional. And to stay healthy, he/she needs to pay attention to all three. Behaviors in each tank cross over and impact the other… but by and large each tank requires a separate set of behaviors.

Over the next three weeks, we’ll look at these three tanks every leader needs to fill. Today we’re going to consider our spiritual reservoir.

It’s easy for leaders to forget why they signed up to lead. For most, they responded to the call because they loved Jesus deeply. He did an amazing work in their lives, and out of gratitude, they began to pour into people. But if we’re not careful, over time and in subtle ways, passion for ministry can crowd out passion for Jesus.

So how can we fill the spiritual tank and keep it full?

Understand Spiritual Fullness is Possible

In Isaiah 26:8-9 – the prophet writes: “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You.”  Listen to the verbs Isaiah used—yearn…long. David in Psalm 63: 8 wrote:“My soul clings to You…” The Hebrew word translated “cling” literally means “glued.” In other words, my soul is glued to You Lord.”

You may wonder: is that kind of spiritual desire really possible for me? Yes it is. Spiritual fullness is not a pipe dream. It’s available to every leader.

Understand Spiritual Fullness Comes from Our Habits

How many of you drink coffee? How many of you had to develop a taste for coffee? How many of you now crave it in the morning?  Hate to compare passion for God with coffee—but the truth is we acquire a spiritual appetite over time and through repetition and soon it becomes as natural as our morning cup of coffee. If a leader will read the bible and pray every day for 3 weeks— even if it’s only 20 minutes/day—he will build a habit and his spiritual tank will fill up. Spiritual fullness flows from our habits.

Declaring God’s Goodness Fuels Spiritual Fullness

In Psalm 63:3 David wrote – “my lips will glorify You.” Two things are in view here. First of all: Worship—both private and public. Participating in private and corporate worship helps a leader fill the spiritual tank. And second of all: Witness—sharing our story fills the spiritual reservoir.  It brings us back to the moment of our conversion over and over again. Sharing our story is a constant reminder of how much we have been forgiven, of how empty our lives were before Christ and how full they have become after Christ.

Leader: don’t forget why you signed up in the first place… love for Jesus. Fill your spiritual tank. Fullness is available to those who understand it’s accessible, it flows from our habits, and it grows when we open our mouth and tell God and others how good He is.

Next week we’ll consider Tank 2: The Emotional Tank