Most Christians have been there. Life gets busy, seasons change, and somewhere along the way, the fire that once burned brightly starts to dim. If you have ever felt spiritually stalled, stagnant, or simply going through the motions, you are not alone. And more importantly, you do not have to stay there.

A survey of 15,000 Christians found that 95% admitted to having been stalled at some point in their faith walk. That is not a small number. That is nearly everyone.

The number one reason people who once attended church regularly no longer do so is simple: they are too busy. Life fills up fast. Work, family, responsibilities, and distractions crowd out the things that matter most. And before long, a week becomes a month, a month becomes a year, and years pass without ever stepping into what God placed in your heart.

Romans 12:11 speaks directly to this: "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." The call is clear. But how do we get back there when we have drifted?

One of the first things worth understanding when fear or anxiety creeps in is this: the enemy is described as roaming around "like" a roaring lion, but he is not the Lion. Jesus is the Lion of Judah. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Much of what the enemy does is cast a shadow. He tries to make himself appear bigger and more powerful than he actually is. The valley David wrote about in Psalm 23 is the valley of the "shadow" of death. A shadow is not the real thing. Whatever you are facing today, fear and anxiety included, you are not facing something greater than your God.

In Philippians 2:19-22, the Apostle Paul describes Timothy in remarkable terms: "I have no one else like Him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his Father, He has served with me in the work of the gospel."

Timothy was not a nobody. He had a rich spiritual heritage, a faithful family, and a mentor in Paul Himself. And yet, something had caused him to stall. We are not told exactly what it was. Maybe life got hard. Maybe questions went unanswered. Maybe he simply got too busy. But the point is that even someone with every spiritual advantage can find themselves stuck.

Paul wrote to Timothy from prison, knowing his own time was short. And even in that condition, his focus was on encouraging someone else. In 2 Timothy 1:5-7, he writes:

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

Paul did not tell Timothy to wait for God to do something new. He told him to fan the flame. To stir up what was already there. The responsibility was Timothy's. And it is ours too.

Sometimes we spend our energy asking God for something we feel we do not have, when He is saying: live up to what I have already given you, and I will give you more.

The gifts, the calling, the faith, the heritage. These things do not disappear when life gets hard. They go dormant. They sit in our pockets, as it were, unused and unactivated. But we were never meant to hide what God has placed in us. Good convictions can only take you so far. At some point, faith has to be activated. It has to move.

In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus encounters fishermen who have worked all night and caught nothing. When He finds them, they are washing their nets. In that culture, you only washed your nets when you had completely given up on catching anything more that day.

Too many people have washed their nets spiritually. They have lowered their expectations of what God can do. They have settled into religion instead of genuine relationship. They have become comfortable with the routine of life and stopped believing for anything beyond it.

But notice what Jesus did. He did not mirror their low expectations. He said: "Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). He called them to go further, not to settle.

"Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets'" (Luke 5:5).

That phrase, "because you say so," is everything. Simon was tired. He had already tried. He had already failed. But he chose to trust the word of Jesus over His own experience. And the result was a catch so large it began to sink two boats.

Have you ever been diligent and still felt like you had nothing to show for it? That feeling can cause people to let go right before the breakthrough. Scripture reminds us that we will reap if we do not faint (Galatians 6:9). Do not give up before the nets fill.

In 1 Kings 19:19-21, the prophet Elijah finds Elisha plowing a field and throws his cloak over him, signifying that Elisha would be his successor. Elisha's response is striking:

"Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah... He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant."

Elisha did not leave himself a backup plan. He did not keep the oxen just in case. He burned the plows. He was all in. There was no going back.

That kind of commitment is what it looks like to fully step into a calling. Not a partial yes. Not a "maybe later." A complete surrender to what God has placed before you.

It is easy to look at the heroes of Scripture and assume they had nothing else going on. No jobs, no families, no responsibilities. But a closer look tells a different story. The Bible is full of armor bearers, blacksmiths, carpenters, farmers, fishermen, shepherds, soldiers, tax collectors, tent makers, and more. These were busy people with real lives. And yet God moved through them in extraordinary ways.

God does not require you to have an empty schedule to be used by Him. He requires a willing heart.

This week, identify one area of your faith where you have washed your nets. Maybe it is prayer. Maybe it is reading Scripture. Maybe it is a calling you have been putting off for years. Choose one specific action to fan that flame back into life. Do not wait for the perfect moment or the perfect season. Fan the flame now, and trust that God will meet you there.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

• Where have I lowered my expectations of what God can do in my life?
• What gift or calling has been sitting in my pocket, unused and unactivated?
• Am I willing to burn the plows, to go all in, or am I still holding onto a plan B?
• What would it look like for me to go into deeper water with God this week?

The same God who filled two boats to the point of sinking is the same God who is speaking to you today. Do not wash your net. Fan the flame. Go deeper.