Hindrances in the Ministry of the Word

One great hindrance to holiness in the ministry of the word is that we are prone to preach & write without pressing into the things we say & making them real to our own souls. Over the years words begin to come easy, & we find we can speak of:

• mysteries without standing in awe;


• purity without feeling pure;


• zeal without spiritual passion;


• God's holiness without trembling;


• sin without sorrow;


• heaven without eagerness.

And the result is a terrible hardening of the spiritual life.

From: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1466_The_Chief_Design_of_My_Life_Mortification_and_Universal_Holiness/