A Word for Christian Leaders

"Ministry is tough and the devil hates the church and hates Christians. It is no different than with Jesus, now the devil persecuted the church, His body. The devil's tactic is the same; strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep."

I wrote these words after hearing the testimony of a very famous Christian leader. They had been in a ministry family and were well known world wide. At one point they were very successful and everything was going good. Through a series of events they lost their ministry assets and even the ministry itself. The pressure was so great it even threatened to end their marriage. Thankfully God is faithful and they are together today and still have a ministry and are moving forward together. 

It is a sobering reality when you hear these types of testimonies from successful and influential people. Success and influence come with a fight. I believe the more significant of a work we do the greater the battle gets. I realize in many ways my ministry is built on the victories others won. I am very blessed to start my ministry where others have done so much. Having said that I can tell you that as I have risen in the ranks of church leadership that it isn't easier but harder. The struggles are greater and the challenges are more numerous. 

The comfort I find in all this is that as I have progressed in life and ministry so has my faith. The Bible tells us that we go from faith to faith, strength to strength, glory to glory. Any time there is a repeat of a statement in the Bible it is for emphasis. The beginning of our faith is great. In fact we get saved through it. As we grow in our knowledge and experience with God we get stronger and stronger. 

Be encouraged that God is growing you up. You are not where you used to be. The battles you face today are preparing you for greater things in the future. As you grow stronger you will be able to handle more. Jesus said that if we are faithful in the little things we will be put over much. We all want that growth but don't want the discipline and the fight to get there. Stay faithful and fight the good fight of faith and you will see the faithfulness of God and have a testimony to tell. 

Day 40 - Our Testimony

"There is a lot that could be said of today. The Word of God was rich. Souls were saved. I met new people to the church and was impacted by who we reach. One lady got out of jail recently and was getting her life right with God. I was impressed meeting her because we showed a testimony about how a lady in our church had been in prison 8 years and was blessed to get two jobs in two weeks. Her son who was a self professed atheist was saved and now raises his hands to The Lord in church. God is good."

There is often shame associated with our past. The devil would love to remind us of who we were and lie to us that we aren't changed and that we aren't forgiven. If you have been born again then where you have been just tells of how great God really is. If God can take the outcast, the murderer, the pimps and the prostitutes and make them preachers, witnesses and power packed Christians then He truly is great! 

I love our church. We often say that we are the church of the ex-es. We are all ex-somethings. Ex-drug addicts, ex-perverts, ex-cons, ex-you fill in the blank. Oh sure we have doctors and lawyers and business professionals and even politicians in our church. But even they were once something that now they have been redeemed from. 

When we tell our testimony it does something. Is releases the power of God and breaks the power of the enemy. In Revelation it says that the saints overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony not loving their lives even unto death. We need to tell of the great and mighty deeds of the Lord. We need to shout Hiss goodness to a lost and dying world! 

What is your story? What has God been up to lately in your life?