Physical numbness is usually a sign of something wrong. Sometimes it’s a minor issue that can be addressed easily, and other times it’s a more serious issue—but it’s an issue either way. On a spiritual level, we church leaders sometimes develop numbness toward differing issues, too. Here are some of the areas where I’ve seen church leaders develop spiritual neuropathy.
- Lostness. We’re no longer broken over non-believers around us, nor do we weep over the billions of people in the world who know nothing about Jesus.
- Church plateau. Gone are the days when we grieved because our church wasn’t reaching lost people; plateau has become acceptable.
- Marriage growth. Early on, we want our own marriages to be strong and growing; then, we allow them to settle into the routine.
- Divorce. Given culture’s increased acceptance of divorce, we lower our standards for marriage. We’re no longer surprised or wounded by marital breakups.
- Family prayer. It’s easy to be committed to it when children are young, but it gets tougher to do as they grow – and we lose our passion for it.
- Carnality. Many of us used to grieve the lack of growth we see among believers, but now we simply see it as the norm. It seems okay if they look a bit like the world.
- Church conflict. More than one pastor I know assumes that the church will erupt in conflict; they’re just waiting for it to happen.
- Ungodly speech. The joke we would never have told when we were fighting for holiness now becomes that much easier to tell–especially if the folks we hang around with also see it as okay.
- Genuine worship. It’s all routine now—it’s no longer a genuine, personal encounter with the living God. We’ve grown numb to its mediocrity.
- Sacrificial giving. Many of us give to a certain level, but we seldom challenge ourselves to give until it hurts. We don’t sacrifice to the point of feeling it.
- Personal sin. Early on in our ministries, we hurt over our own sin. We wanted to make sure we led out of personal purity—but we numbly conclude, “It’s really not that bad.”
- Zeal. Our zeal for Christ and His Word when we were first saved settles down–so much so that we have to urge believers to tell others about Jesus. We even become numb to the glory of Christ.
Evaluate your own life in these areas. Where have you grown numb?
