5 Critical Ways Spirit-Led Leaders Beat Burnout

Even race car drivers know they need to pull out for a pit stop during an intense race. (Pixabay)

Every leader faces burnout.

Race car drivers know that to win any race, they must take an occasional pit stop. For without a pit stop, the driver and the machine will quickly burn out and lose.

The Critical Decision

As a leader, your Spirit bears witness that occasionally even you need a break. Jesus took pit stops (Matt. 14:23; 15:29). He knew he needed to get off the track before His spiritual and human engine would overload and ultimately fail.

As simple as this sounds, the necessity to take an occasional pit stop remains one of the most daunting challenges that face many business and ministry leaders I coach. Even these spirit-led leaders fall into the false beliefs that if they get off the track their:

Until you admit that you need to occasionally get off the track (even for a short three-to-six-day pit stop), you will continue on the road to complete burnout.

5 Ways to Overcome Burnout

Once you decide that it's time for a leadership pit stop, here are five ways Holy Spirit can help you recharge your leadership.

1. Refuel

"This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may act carefully according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way successful, and you will be wise" (Josh. 1:9). 

Allow Holy Spirit to show you to a place in the Word you need. He will guide you into all truth and to the exact places in the Word that will refuel your spirit and soul.

2. Rebalance

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).

Typically, burnout occurs when you are severely out of balance, when some things are overwhelming you and those around you.

Luke 2:52 is the only verse in the Bible that tells us how Jesus grew from 12 to 30 years old. As I've taught in previous posts, Jesus grew intellectually, physically, spiritually and relationally.  I encourage you to incorporate this powerful revelation into your leadership pit stop strategy.

3. Retread

"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins will be marred. But new wine must be poured into new wineskins" (Mark 2:22).

Dig deep with Holy Spirit to uncover where you need fresh tread to reestablish your leadership grip to the road set before you.

4. Refocus

"But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own authority. But He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you things that are to come" (John 16:13).

Allow Holy Spirit to show you exactly where you need to focus and where you need to lead. If may be a minor course adjustment or a major shift. Either way, He will guide you and give you snapshots of things yet to come (your future).

5. Re-enter

Once you are properly refueled, have regained balance, retreaded and refocused, you'll be supernaturally recharged to reenter your race.

Word of Caution

Do not come back from your pit stop (conference, vacation, retreat) with your leadership guns blazing. If you do, you'll likely push your team into quickly needing their own pit stop!

Dr. Jim Harris is the author of 14 award-winning business books including Our Unfair Advantage: Unleash the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Business. Download his FREE tool, 55 Critical Resources for Believers in Business. Connect with Dr. Jim on Facebook LinkedIn and Twitter.

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