The bible warns us that even when we’re standing strong as followers of Christ, we are vulnerable. James 1:14 says that “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” Several years ago, I saw this happen to some brothers and sisters in a church I was pastoring. Some had been wounded by a former church and had serious, lingering trust issues regarding those in Christian leadership; some were upset about decisions that I had made, or that had been made in the church during that time, and a few (involved in ministry) were dealing with burnout and frustration. In the midst of a season of negotiating some turbulent waters, I was told that there were people hoping I would be fired, who were accusing me of terrible things, and even plotting together against me. One man, consumed with envy as he was (he fancied himself a pastor and decided he should be leading the church), actually burst into a meeting and declared me to be killing the church. Aside from the fact that Satan himself can’t do that, the church had experiencing record highs in attendance, and was baptizing more new believers than it ever had in its 20 year history. Another woman told people that she was “praying for division in the church” (yeah you read that right), so that it would fail and I would be removed. One man told others about a dream he had of the church empty with me still in the pulpit (the church has continued to grow strongly). While I have long since forgiven, and pray for those who have hurt me, as a pastor, I know that every person who walks through the doors of a fruit-bearing church has either been led there by God to build, or by Satan to try and tear it down. Jesus warned us to be vigilant against wolves, and I’ve (sadly) encountered them from time to time. That’s to be expected. But what causes me the most pain is the collateral damage that occurs. Although the harm was minimal in terms of the percentage of the church affected, those that WERE affected were scarred worse than they were (and maybe still are) aware of. Each of them had an unprotected area that allowed a wolf to exploit them. Go back to that verse in James. We are dragged away – not by any overwhelming power of the enemy – but by the unconquered rule of the flesh in our lives. Just as a shark smells blood in the water, your enemy smells when you’re holding onto bitterness and offense; when you’re envying the success, possessions or status of another; or when you’re craving that which is not part of God’s plan for your life. And like the predator he is (1Peter 5:8), he circles around wounded prey waiting for the opportunity to exploit that area of weakness and attack; Dragging you away from the protection and covering of the Body of Christ, and quite often wounding others in the process. Today, if there is unforgiveness in your heart towards another, let it go. If you believe that your ministry should be more prominent and significant, release that to God and assume the role of a servant. And if you are wounded by the offenses of the past, bring it to the Throne of Grace. It is not weakness to admit you need to be strengthened, and it is not strength to deny or ignore the areas of your life that could eventually cause you to be ineffective in your service to the Lord (2Peter 1:5-8). If there’s any blood in the water of your life, let it be the blood of Christ! -P. Dave
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 19:00:31 +0000
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