Don’t Let The Fire Die Within You

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

The Broken Altars Within Us

“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use.” — Edward McKendree Bounds

If we are honest, many believers — and especially many leaders — are exhausted. Not just physically tired, but inwardly dry. Something deeper is happening beneath the surface of modern ministry culture. Behind the smiles, sermons, conferences and social media posts, there is a growing weariness quietly spreading through the Body of Christ.

In January 2025, Carey Nieuwhof reported that one-third of pastors were considering quitting ministry altogether. Ten years ago, nearly three quarters of ministers described themselves as satisfied in ministry. Today, barely half do.

Even more sobering are the wider trends beneath the statistics.

Spiritual wellbeing among ministers has collapsed. Mental and emotional health has sharply declined. Physical health has deteriorated. Feelings of isolation have grown. True friendships have halved. And the number of pastors considered at high risk of burnout has risen almost four hundred percent since 2015.

Those are not merely organisational problems.

They are altar problems.

Because no ministry system can remain healthy when the inner altar has gone cold.

Springs for the Land

One of the great deceptions of leadership is that outward increase can disguise inward emptiness for quite a long time. Churches can grow while souls shrink. Influence can expand while intimacy with God quietly weakens. Platforms can become larger while prayer lives become smaller. We can accumulate land while losing the springs that once made the land fruitful.

In the Bible, Caleb’s daughter says something deeply profound:

“Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” — Judges 1:15 (NIV)

What a request!

She understood that land without springs eventually becomes burden, not blessing. Property without water is just dry ground waiting to crack under the heat. Expansion means little if there is no life flowing through it.

And the same is true spiritually.

A growing church means more people to care for, more complexity, more responsibility, more pressure and more demands upon the soul. A growing business means more administration, more financial strain, more expectations and more weight to carry. Even promotion, success and influence can quietly become exhausting if they are not accompanied by fresh springs from God.

Many leaders ask God for more land. More influence. More growth. More opportunity. More responsibility.

But perhaps far fewer ask for deeper springs?

Yet without fresh encounters, renewed prayer, greater grace and ongoing infillings of the Holy Spirit, the very things we once prayed for can slowly drain the life out of us.

We need springs to go with our land.

We need stronger altars beneath expanding assignments.

We need fresh oil for fresh seasons. Fresh Pentecost for fresh pressures. Fresh encounters for fresh responsibilities.

Because it is entirely possible to keep functioning publicly while drying out privately.

Finish Burning

And perhaps this is why I find myself increasingly reflective as I approach my mid-fifties. I think about the thousands of people I have worshipped beside, prayed with, laughed with and walked alongside over the years who are no longer really walking with God. Some burned brightly once. Some carried genuine fire. Some were passionate, gifted, hungry and wholehearted.

Yet somewhere along the journey, the fire faded.

Some became distracted. Some wounded. Some exhausted. Some cynical. Some seduced by success. Some simply drifted.

They began in fire, but ended in smoke.

And honestly, that thought unsettles me deeply.

Because I do not merely want to start well. I want to finish burning.

That longing has forced me to confront some uncomfortable questions in my own life. What slowly extinguishes spiritual fire in people? What breaks down the altar within? Why do some believers remain tender, hungry and alive in God after decades, while others slowly become cold, weary or spiritually numb?

Because before God rebuilds altars publicly in the Church, He often rebuilds them privately within us first.

An extract from The ALTAR by Jarrod Cooper. Order Your Copy Below 👇

Believe & Confess Meditation & Declaration

I will guard my heart diligently because everything in my life flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). The Lord will renew my strength as I wait upon Him, and I will not grow weary in His presence (Isaiah 40:31). Rivers of living water will flow from within me through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). God will refresh my soul with fresh oil, fresh grace and fresh encounters in every season (Psalm 92:10). I will not merely start in the Spirit — I will continue burning with wholehearted devotion to Jesus until the very end (Matthew 24:13). My inner altar will remain alive with prayer, surrender and holy fire before the Lord (Leviticus 6:12-13). The One who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

👉 If this devotional spoke to your heart, why not share it with friends on social media or forward it by email to someone who needs fresh springs from God today?

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THE ALTAR

Creating lives & cultures ready to host the glory of God.

Something is stirring.

Across the world, hunger for God’s presence is rising—and many are asking: how do we truly host His glory?

In The Altar, Jarrod Cooper calls us back to the place where heaven meets earth—the altar. A place of encounter, devotion, and transformation.

This book will help you:
• Deepen your personal encounter with God
• Build a lifestyle of worship
• Hear His voice clearly
• Create cultures that carry His presence

This isn’t just a book—it’s a call.
When the altar is restored, the fire falls again.

 Order Your Copy Here