This Is Why You Keep Spiritually Burning Out
You’re showing up to church. You’re lifting your hands. You’re checking all the spiritual boxes. And yet, you’re still exhausted. Dry. Burnt out. Why? Because you’ve been confusing attendance with abiding. In a recent sermon given by Pastor Harvey Feliciano, V1 Church Miami he explains that Christian can not bear fruit if they’re not rooted.
The Danger of Shallow Roots
Psalm 92:13 says, “They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.” Notice the scripture says planted, not visiting, streaming online sometimes or church hopping. But rather planted, which means having roots that run deep.
Pastor Harvey said it plainly: “I went to church for years but I wasn’t rooted.” That’s the spiritual condition of so many believers today. They are busy trying to grow fruit with no roots. Some want to lead, shine, and flourish but are skipping the most vital step and roots come before fruit. Always.
As stated in Colossians 2:6–7 “ just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in Him.” If we are not rooted in Him we can not bear fruit that lasts for Him, it is that simple.
Many believers are struggling because they are mowing weeds in their soul garden that God wants to dig out the root of. We can not treat the symptoms of offense, insecurity, pride, and addiction but avoid the deeper problem.
Going deep with God requires effort, it’s uncomfortable and can get messy. But Pastor Harvey encouraged, “God doesn’t just take away—He replaces. He wants to replant us into truth. However the process is not always instant and sometimes very painful but will always be worth it.
Shock Season
When God replants you, you’ll enter what Pastor Harvey called a shock season. It’s the moment when things feel worse before they get better. You thought that new job, new church, new group would immediately bear fruit—but all you see is dirt. That which you thought would bear fruit in the first year might not even sprout in the second but that doesn’t mean God isn’t working. It means He’s growing our roots before our results.
In this waiting season we must not isolate ourselves. We must stay in the garden.We weren’t made to grow alone. Isolation is the enemy’s oldest trick to get believers alone so he can take you out. Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us not to forsake gathering together. And 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one suffers, all suffer; if one rejoices, all rejoice.” That’s what real community looks like.
The local church isn’t just a place—it’s a garden. Ephesians 4:16 describes it as a living, breathing body each part nourishing the others. We do not just grow best in community, the V1 Church campus pastor said Christians can’t grow without it.
We are nourished through:
Fellowship
Prayer
Discipleship
Correction
Encouragement
If we are spiritually malnourished, it’s likely because we are disconnected from Christ and the body He planted us in. Some believers are called to leadership and want the platform but resist the process. They want to lead, but won’t submit to discipleship. They want influence, but no accountability. That’s not leadership—that’s rebellion.
Followers of Jesus must remember this: Before you’re elevated, you must be established. Before you pour out, you must be poured into. Before you bear fruit, you must be rooted in the house of God. Those that are constantly chasing revival meetings will burn out because encounters can spark a flame, but only a local church can build a fireplace to sustain it.
We have all heard the saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” That is what Christian community should look like.
Where are those that say "Nevertheless"?
There is a cry in those that are rooted in discipleship. In Luke 5:5, Jesus’ disciples tell Him “Master, we’ve toiled all night and caught nothing. But nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.” That is the heart of someone willing to trust beyond their own tiredness.
Nevertheless is the bridge between disappointment and destiny. It’s what you say when nothing’s working, but you’re still willing to obey. It’s the word that pulls you from burnout into breakthrough. It is liberating.
If you find yourself on the verge of burn out and wanting to get rooted remember Jesus calls us to dig deep.
Plant yourself in a local church. Keep in mind there you won't find perfect people, but there are real people there. So let your roots grow.
Submit to discipleship. Let trusted leaders speak into your life.
Stop chasing the next high. Start tending the fire God gave you.
Commit to the slow, often unseen work of growing roots.
Jesus followers weren’t meant to be a potted plant—easily moved, shallow, fragile. We are meant to be an oak of righteousness. A tree that bears fruit. Shade for the weary. Strength for the weak. So it’s time we get rooted!
Pray this:
Lord, I’m tired of being shallow. I’m done with surface faith. Replant me into truth.
Even if it’s painful, even if it takes time, build deep roots in me.
Let my life be nourished by Your Word, Your people, and Your presence.
Let me be rooted, not just for me but so others can find strength in my shade.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the Author
Jeannie Ortega Law is a chart-topping singer, evangelist, media personality and author from New York City. She can be reached on social media: @JeannieOrtega or emailed at Info@JeannieO.com
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