P. Boye Motivations

Dear Reader,

A soul does not become lean overnight. It usually happens gradually.

Just as the body becomes weak when it is not properly fed, the soul becomes weak when it is fed with the wrong things or deprived of what gives it life.

Here are some ways leanness of soul can happen.

1. When We Get What We Want but Lose Contentment

This is the heart of Psalm 106:15.

The Israelites wanted meat. God gave it to them. But their craving exposed a deeper sickness: they were not satisfied with God.

This still happens today.

A person may pray desperately for a job. God opens the door. But after getting the job, they become too busy for prayer, too tired for worship, and too proud to depend on God.

Another person may desire marriage. When they finally marry, they begin to place all their identity and happiness on their spouse. Instead of marriage becoming a blessing, it becomes an idol.

Someone may long for money, recognition, a visa, a promotion, a platform, or a relationship. They finally receive it, but instead of becoming more grateful, they become more anxious, distracted, and spiritually cold.

The thing they wanted did not destroy them by itself. The problem was that their desire became greater than their devotion.

Sometimes God allows us to receive what we insist on, not because it is best for us, but because He wants us to see what is really in our hearts.

2. When Appetite Becomes Stronger Than Obedience

Leanness of soul often begins with uncontrolled appetite.

Appetite is not only about food. Appetite can be desire for:

• attention
• pleasure
• approval
• success
• comfort
• revenge
• control
• sexual satisfaction
• luxury
• popularity
• validation
• power

Desire itself is not always evil. God created humans with desires. But when desire rules the soul, the soul becomes enslaved.

A person may know something is not good for them, but they keep returning to it. They know the relationship is draining them spiritually, but they cannot let go. They know the habit is weakening their prayer life, but they keep feeding it. They know bitterness is poisoning them, but they keep rehearsing the offense.

Over time, the soul becomes lean because it is no longer being governed by truth. It is being governed by appetite.

A soul ruled by appetite may say:

• “I know it is wrong, but I need it.”
• “I know God said wait, but I cannot wait.”
• “I know this is hurting me, but I like how it feels.”
• “I know I should forgive, but I want them to suffer.”
• “I know I should pray, but I am too busy chasing what I want.”

This is how the soul becomes thin. Not because God is absent, but because desire has taken the throne.

3. When We Confuse Full Hands with a Full Heart

Many people today have full hands but empty hearts.

They have phones, clothes, opportunities, entertainment, and social media followers. They are busy, connected, and informed. Yet inwardly, they feel dry.

This is one of the clearest modern pictures of leanness of soul.

A person can spend hours scrolling online, laughing at videos, reading posts, watching other people’s lives, and still feel empty afterward. Why? Because the soul was stimulated, but not nourished.

Stimulation is not the same as nourishment.

Entertainment can distract the soul, but it cannot heal it. Applause can excite the soul, but it cannot anchor it. Money can comfort the body, but it cannot satisfy the deepest hunger of the spirit.

The modern world gives us many things to consume but very little that truly forms the soul.

So we become full of information but lacking wisdom. Full of opinions but lacking peace. Full of activity but lacking presence. Full of ambition but lacking contentment.

That is leanness of soul.

4. When Prayer Becomes Rare

One of the first signs of a lean soul is a weakened prayer life.

Prayer is not just a religious duty. It is breath for the soul.

When prayer becomes rare, the soul begins to live on its own strength. At first, everything may seem normal. You still go to work. You still smile. You still attend church. You still post Scripture. You still say “God is good.”

But inwardly, something begins to dry up.

You become more irritable. More anxious. More easily offended. More fearful. More impatient. More dependent on people’s approval. More controlled by circumstances.

This does not always mean you have abandoned God completely. It may simply mean your soul is underfed.

A prayerless soul is like a body trying to survive without oxygen. It may continue for a while, but weakness will eventually show.

5. When We Serve God Publicly but Neglect Him Privately

Another real-life example of leanness of soul is when a person is active in ministry but empty in secret.

This can happen to pastors, singers, ushers, teachers, intercessors, bloggers, and anyone who serves in spiritual spaces.

A person can speak about God often but speak to God rarely.

They can lead worship but no longer worship in private. They can teach Scripture but no longer tremble before it. They can encourage others but feel spiritually numb inside. They can be known as “strong” while quietly starving.

This kind of leanness is dangerous because religious activity can hide spiritual emptiness.

People may applaud your gift while your soul is crying for nourishment.

This is why private devotion matters. The soul cannot live on public usefulness alone. Being used by God is not the same as being close to God.

6. When Bitterness Drains the Inner Life

Bitterness can also make the soul lean.

When someone hurts us, disappoints us, betrays us, or dishonors us, the pain is real. But if that pain is not brought to God, it can become a root inside the soul.

Bitterness consumes spiritual energy. It keeps the heart rehearsing old wounds. It makes the soul suspicious, defensive, and hard. It affects prayer, worship, relationships, and even physical health.

A bitter soul may look strong, but often it is tired.

It takes strength to keep anger alive. It takes energy to replay offenses. It takes emotional space to hold unforgiveness.

Over time, bitterness thins the soul because it feeds on pain instead of grace.

Forgiveness does not mean pretending nothing happened. It means refusing to let the wound become your spiritual identity. It means releasing the debt to God and allowing Him to heal what revenge cannot heal.

7. When Success Becomes an Idol

Success is not evil. Promotion is not evil. Wealth is not evil. Influence is not evil.

But when success becomes the measure of our worth, the soul becomes lean.

A person may achieve more and more, yet feel less and less satisfied. They reach one goal and immediately need another. They receive praise but still feel insecure. They compare themselves constantly. They cannot rest because rest feels like failure.

This is a lean soul wearing expensive clothes.

The soul was not created to be sustained by achievement. It was created to be sustained by God.

When success becomes an idol, peace becomes fragile. Joy depends on performance. Identity depends on results. Failure feels like death. Criticism feels unbearable.

But when the soul is rooted in God, success becomes a tool, not a master.

Take some time to reflect on whether this may be your current situation and actively pray to God ( remember to do it PRIVATELY) for help.

Sharon Paulina Boye

May 24, 2026.