Whether under pressure, tempted by pride, or it could be your sincere zeal for the church, be careful not to allow performance to override reliance upon God. Your real source of power.
2. Allowing Outside Pressures To Dampen Inner Convictions
Culture sets a current tone that can put a subtle squeeze on the church. Are you holding strong to your convictions?
From political and economic pressures to macro societal trends slowly devaluing the gathered and organized body of Christ (the Church), we feel the pressure.
At a minimum, leaders can become discouraged, and it’s not uncommon to throw in the towel and quit even though one’s heart still carries conviction to build the church.
A pastor said to me (paraphrased), “I’m afraid to speak freely . . . hesitant to speak my convictions. People get angry or leave. It goes against my nature to run people off that we worked so hard to welcome in.”
I understand! It’s so easy to offend. But the church needs you to hold steadfast to your convictions.
Yes, speak with grace and the heart of a shepherd, but be strong and speak the truth.
Deep down people are looking for answers, they desire a way of life that actually makes sense on a spiritual level. You have what they are looking for.
Where are you tempted to allow outside pressures to curb your inner convictions?
Hold fast to your convictions:
- Don’t surrender your vision to pressure.
- Don’t pull back on teaching God’s Word
- Don’t hesitate to live out your values.
3. Avoiding Difficult Decisions To Keep the Peace
We understand difficult decisions—they contain factors such as; someone is likely to get upset, a substantial amount of money is involved, we might look foolish, it impacts a lot of people, or the outcomes are uncertain but incredibly important.
Sound familiar?
So we can be tempted to delay or even avoid making the decision.
Your dilemma—make the decision and blow up the peace or don’t make the decision and stall progress.
But you know the right thing to do.
Keeping the peace over choosing progress is a false choice, because in time, peace turns to stagnancy which causes greater unrest than your tough decision.
It’s important to remember that tough decisions only become more difficult the longer you delay in making them.
What decision do you need to make this week?
Is there a major decision that you need to make next month?
