Drifting away from intimacy with God always leads somewhere. When we neglect our soul, we slowly trade intimacy for activity, obedience for performance. Over time, that drift leads to brokenness and sometimes even moral failure. This is why burnout rarely surprises others—the cracks were visible long before the collapse.
Here are three signs that you are drifting away from God:
• You’re not being honest with yourself. You’ve got a polished “2 p.m. version” of yourself that everyone sees, but your “2 a.m. version”—the secret fears, addictions and doubts—goes unaddressed.
• You live in chaos more than in peace. Ministry becomes constant tension, and true rest feels impossible. If moments of reprieve are the best you can find, your soul is starving.
• You justify unhealthy patterns. Instead of interrupting sinful or destructive behaviors, you excuse them. And as I have learned, what you justify will only grow stronger. You cannot talk your way out of what you behaved your way into.
A Return to Center
The good news is no matter how far you have gone away from him, God’s grace invites you back. Just as my friends and I had to swim together and pull our boat back toward the middle of the lake, pastors can return to that place of intimacy with Jesus.
For me, that meant confessing (James 5:16), learning to abide in Christ again (John 15:5), and trusting that he really is a good shepherd (John 10:10). It wasn’t about quitting ministry but remembering that ministry flows out of my relationship with him—not the other way around.
Every pastor faces the drift factor, and that separation from God will hurt your soul. The question isn’t if drift will happen—the question is whether you’ll notice and fight it.
Don’t ignore it. Get back to the center of the lake where peace, presence and intimacy with Jesus hold you steady, and drop your anchor.
Mark Neal is the founder of the Clarity Leadership Collective, helping ministry leaders embrace sustainable rhythms and lead from a place of wholeness.
