Leading When You’re Running Low

In Episode 13 of Kingdom Insight, Dr. L. K. Leonard teaches how leaders can continue leading faithfully during seasons of exhaustion, pressure, and emotional depletion.

Leadership often requires constant pouring out, but healthy leaders understand the importance of renewal, rest, support, and spiritual strength.

In this episode, we explore how leaders can recover properly, avoid isolation, and remain healthy while carrying the weight of leadership.

If you are a pastor or ministry leader feeling stretched or running low in this season, this conversation will strengthen and encourage you.

📖 Scriptures Referenced

Isaiah 40:30
 Mark 6:31
 Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
 Isaiah 40:31

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Kingdom Insight with Dr. L.K. Lennon, raising saints back to God through clarity, struction, and spiritual authority. Listen, this is Kingdom Insight, episode 13. Leading when you're running low. A lot of times in leadership, we like we like to lead because leadership can be rewarding. And uh leadership also can be draining. Uh there are seasons when we as leaders feel tired, we're emotionally stretched, uh, we're mentally exhausted, we're spiritually depleted, or we're just going on and we're studying moving, and we don't realize how tired we are. We don't realize that we are emotionally stretched out, and we and some we're getting mentally exhausted, and things are frustrated, and we're agitated easily, and we're spiritually depleted. And one of the hardest parts of leadership is continuing to lead faithfully while you feel in the eternal internally low. We we try to lead even in the the low moments in the low season, and and and because of that, many leaders know how to lead publicly, but they struggle privately. Listen, today we want to talk about leading when you're running low. What what does that look like? And what does that feel like? And what are we to do and how are we to uh recover? What what what are we doing? I I'm I'm low. I'm I'm on low, I'm my my few light is on, and and and and I'm getting ready to be go empty, and I need to get to a gas station. I need uh we can't keep pushing our vehicle when we're um running low, when it's deplete the gas is depleting, it's going down. That there's a in it, there's a a light that comes on, a few light that lets me know and indicates to me that I only have so many more miles that I can go before I run out of gas. And listen, there is indicators in our life, and there was there are um few lights that come on in our life that let us know, hey, you don't have many mile miles to go before you start running low, you don't have any many uh more miles you can go before you need to pull over and and and get some gas. And then even there are times when our service light comes on and says that hey, it's time for service, hey, you need to uh go to the the dealer, you need to check in with the dealer. Catch that you need to go to the dealership and get service provided, and just like we have to do with our vehicles, the same thing we have to do with our lives and when we are in ministry. So I'm encouraging you today to listen. Don't just keep running low. Listen, the first thing I see is even strong leaders will become weary, even the best of cars, even the best of things, they get weary, they get old, they get worn, and they have to, they need service, they need attention. So Isaiah 40 says, every even youth shall faint and be weary. See, weariness is not weakness, and a lot of times we think because we're weary or because we're tired that we're weak and we're weak leaders and we're weak ministers or we weak uh whatever kind of um CEOs or weak, whatever leadership and whatever we lead from. We think because we're weary, we're weak, and we're not spiritual. It's not part it that that's not it, it's part of being human. Strong leaders get tired too. See, even Moses, when he was leading the children of Israel, and when they was leading in battle, he he got weary. He became weary with those people. Elijah became weary. Uh even after the battle, he he he won and he had some high moments, he became weary. Paul, as strong as he was in ministry, they all became weary because they are human. And the danger is not becoming weary. The danger really is not that we become weary, we become tired because that's the human side of us. Even Jesus uh had needed rest. But the real problem, the danger is pretending you're not. A lot of times we're tired and we're weary, and and we pretend we're not. There are members of mine say, Pastor, you look tired, and Pastor, you you you you need some rest. And there are times when I say, I do need rest. I'm gonna get some rest. And there are times when I they think I'm weary and I'm tired, and I'm not. But we have to know when we're running low, when we're tired, and we can't pretend because it's dangerous to pretend you're not tired. Strong leaders are not those who never get tired, they are those who know how to recover properly. You're not strong just because you never get tired. No, you're strong because you know how to recover properly. And so the second thing I see that leaders must take time to refill. You have to be like that vehicle. You have to pull over and go to the service station and get you some gas. You have to go to the service, the dealership, and get you some get recovered. You have to refill. In Mark 6 and 31, it says, Come away by yourself and rest a while. See, Jesus even understood that something that men and leaders forget forget, and that's that rest is necessary. There were times when Jesus had to steal away from the crowd, he had to steal away from his disciples, and he needed to get some rest. And so, so so um some leaders are constantly pouring out sermons, they're having leadership meetings, they're having their leading, they're encouraging people, they're encouraging, they're visiting people, and they're making decisions, they're pouring out so much, but they never refill themselves spiritually, nor do they refill themselves emotionally. You don't take time for yourself spiritually, nor do you do it emotionally. And eventually, empty leaders become leaders, begin to leave from exhaustion instead of strength. And when you're in that moment, you'll be like that commercial you always see, the sneaker uh commercial where you you change and you become a different person. A lot of us leaders have not recognized that we have changed and become a different person. And the moment they get the sneaker, you go back to your regular self, and because they was hungry, and a lot of us are weary, a lot of us are weak, and a lot of us get exhausted and we don't realize that we need to refill, refu, refill, and because we're exhausted and we don't have strength. Listen, you cannot continually pour it out with intention without intentionally being refilled. It refilling is intentional. You have to pull over to the gas station before you get empty. Listen, uh there are times when um I'm driving on a trip and I notice I'll get to the halfway point, I get a half tank of gas, and I pull over. I'm intentionally refilling the car. I don't want to let it go past um half, and I don't want to get it down too low where it's gonna take more for me to catch this. It's gonna take more for me to fill it up when I let it go beyond the halfway mark. It takes more for me to refill. And a lot of us are going beyond the halfway mark, and we're waiting to the light indicator come on, and it takes more for us to refill. But we have to be intentional about refilling. A lot of us do things we get isolated, and that's the th that brings me to my third thing. Isolation makes weariness worse. Listen, when you're isolating, you're by yourself, it makes weariness worse. The um scripture even says that the idol mind is a devil workshop. Listen, I mean, Ecclesiastic 4, 9 through 10 says, Two are better than one. Many leaders suffer silently. They're in the silentness suffering because they have no one with they carry pressure privately and they isolate themselves emotionally, don't want to talk it to anyone, don't want to share with anyone. We think we can do it all by ourselves, we think we're strong enough. But isolation increases exhaustion. The devil tells you you're not good enough, that nobody wants to help you, and you get more and more exhausted, you get more and upset, and so you're more upset because you're thinking about all of the things. And when you need help, then what healthy leaders need is support. You need somebody that'll support you and tell you that it's okay and what and help and hold you accountable, have accountability. You need trusted voices in your life, and you need God to point you to healthy relationships. Isolation may protect your image, but it would damage your strength. You'll protect your image by staying by yourself and people don't and think you people can't see, but it'll damage your strength. The fourth thing is God gives strength for the assignment. We have to go back to God. He's gonna give us strength to know who to talk to, who to be around, who to be able to help the relationship with. Uh Isaiah 40:31 says, They who wait up for the Lord shall renew their strength. God does not only give the assignment, but he gives strength for the assignment. Renewal comes through your prayer life, renewal comes through getting the proper rest and resting at night and not just overdoing it. Resting when you need to rest, go when you need to go. It comes through worship with God. When you're worshiping. Listen, renewal comes when you have time with God and when you have healthy rhythms. Leaders who remain connected to God can continue to lead even in difficult seasons. When you're connected with God and you you'll be, you can, but connecting with God lets you know when you need rest, it lets you know when you need people, it lets you know, but when you're connected with God, you find out those things. Because the same God who called you to lead is able to strengthen you while you lead. I come to tell you, if you are running low, pause before you break. Refill before you collapse. Rest before exhaustion controls your leadership. You don't have to pretend to be strong all the time. Healthy leaders learn how to recover. Because leaders who recover properly lead longer, lead stronger, and lead healthier. Leadership.