Sometimes problems in ministry can stem from emotional burnout. To determine if you need a break for some emotional renewal, assess yourself according to the following statements below:

When you take an accurate, honest reading of your emotional gauge and find that it's reading low, you need to take time to recharge. Some people recharge by running, others by taking a bath, others by reading, and others by listening to music. Usually it means doing something totally unrelated to ministry—golfing, motorcycling, woodcarving. The important thing is to build a leadership and ministry schedule that allows adequate time for emotional recharging.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the use of your major spiritual gifts breathes life back into you. When you have identified your spiritual gifts and use them under the direction of Jesus Christ, you make a difference. You feel the affirmation of God. Many times you feel more energized after service than before.