Will This Ever End?
Nov/085
Probably not. But I wish it would.
I just heard about another pastor whose family fell apart. This time his wife left and took the kids.
As soon as I heard this news, I hung my head and thought, "Not again."
It almost feels like there isn't a week that goes by where I don't hear of another pastor who is caught in adulterous sin. Or a pastor who helped himself to church money. Or in this case, a pastor who was blindsided when his wife walked away.
Satan's plan is very clear. He desires to take down any and every pastor that he possibly can. There may be nothing more damaging to a church than this.
It seems like Satan's strategy goes like this: "If I can take down a Christian, good. If I can take down a minister, great! There's a good chance that the church will simply fall apart. And if that happens, I win BIG TIME!"
So what do we do? First of all, if you're in ministry, realize this: your integrity matters more than you can imagine.
Guard your marriage. Protect your children.
Don't touch a dime of church money. Don't even hold an offering plate.
If your wife tells you to be cautious around a particular woman, listen to her! She has a heightened awareness to this kind of thing.
And for Christ's sake, don't ever, ever, EVER be alone with a woman other than your wife. And by the way, I'm not taking the Lord's name in vain. I literally mean that you should do that for the sake of Jesus Christ. His name is disparaged and dishonored every time a pastor falls.
If you're not in vocational ministry, here's what you need to do: pray for the ministers on staff at your church. Pray for them all the time. Seriously. You can't even measure what kind of difference that will make.
The pastor, youth minister, children's minister, worship minister, executive minister, creative minister, pastoral care minister, etc…..they're ALL under attack! They live every single day on the edge, knowing that one bad decision could cost them their career, their reputation, and their family. They need your prayers. In fact, they are desperate for them.
God, we need you…now more than ever.
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4:18 pm on November 24th, 2008
Don't know why this type of advice is limited to the 'professional' Christians. I think this should be pointed at lay leaders as well. I think about these same issues and guard against them whether I am teaching a roomful of high school students or dealing with my bible fellowship class.
4:22 pm on November 24th, 2008
I strongly dislike the term "professional Christian." At the same time, there is absolutely no denying the fact that ministers on staff are greater targets, simply because Satan gets a greater impact if he takes one of them down. I see it everyday.
4:28 pm on November 24th, 2008
Don't get me wrong…every single church leader MUST protect their families and their integrity. It just seems like pastors are on top of the devil's hit list.
10:49 pm on November 24th, 2008
Didn't mean the term to be derogatory. Its a new phrase I have learned here on blog land that separates staff from the lay member.
I have no doubts that attacking a pastor is high on the list of the evil one… but he is also working to divide from the inside too.
I also think that Satan gets more blame than he is due. Sometimes its just us giving into our own fleshly desires that brings us down. That is not a comment to discount the amount of spiritual warfare that occurs on a daily basis. Paul does instruct us to put on our spiritual armor.
5:56 am on November 25th, 2008
I just bristle at the "professional Christian" terminology. It sounds degrading to me, but I understand that wasn't your intent.
I agree that sometimes we do Satan's job for him and simply follow our own desires. But I can tell you this…the temptations I face in ministry are far greater than I faced before I entered the ministry. I do attribute that largely to the devil. I'm the same person, but I became a much bigger target.