I’ve been reading through the Sermon on the Mount lately, and what Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12 has really stood out. As a leader in ministry, we ARE going to be attacked, especially if we are having an impact in the areas in which we are planted. I want to go over four areas in which leaders WILL be attacked and talk about how to handle it.
Area #1 – Your Motives
There is no way around it. People are going to question WHY you do what you do. And the more success you see in ministry, the more people will question your motives.
Let me be clear: You can’t win this fight. The only thing that you can do is consistently check your heart to make sure that you are listening to the voice of God and doing what He says. We can lie to people, but we can’t lie to Him. He knows our hearts. One day our motives, if impure, will be exposed, because He will NOT be mocked! Galatians 6:7
In reality, most people who question your motives don’t have a freakin’ clue where you came from. They don’t know what you’ve put up with, the sleepless nights you’ve gone through, and the personal sacrifices you’ve made to get to where you are. AND you CAN’T waste your time explaining those things to them, because then they’ll accuse you of pride (an accusation you can’t really defend.)
You need to ask yourself the following questions when it comes to why you do what you do:
- Am I allowing Jesus or my personal desires to shape my motives?
- Is this desire in me a passion that will enlarge His Kingdom…or a cool idea that will allow me to become more popular?
- Are my motives being shaped as I study the Scriptures…or does God’s Word conflict with what I want?
- Are the godly people the Lord has placed in my life rebuking me or affirming me?
- Am I doing what I do because I love Jesus and people…or because I love myself and see all of the personal gain I can achieve out of this?
- Am I doing this for attention from others or for AFFIRMATION from my heavenly Father? (Matthew 3:17)
Read Area #2 >>
