Do Not Worship the Anointing or Fall in Love with Your ministry…
Do you remember the days when you desired to know God and abide in him? Well, this must exceed your desire to serve him and abide in your giftedness. Too many well-meaning men and women of God have been taken out by this mistake.
In simpler words, do not worship the anointing or fall in love with your calling.
God wants a man or a woman to chase after Him, rather than chasing after ministry.
Some might be tempted to say:
“You can take my calling and…,”
…well, you get the meaning. This too is self-worship and idolatry. They find out that this god-business is too much for them, and the energy of propping up a false pretense each week is exhausting. Duplicity, after all, is only fun until the real man becomes overpowered by the false man, and when you have lost your courage to be real.
The danger escalates when the ministry becomes your mistress and you believe all that flattery stuff.
If you have to, take a vacation and pursue your First Love, until you’ve become captivated with the Lover of your soul. Otherwise, what you call “light,” will become darkness; for then, how great will your darkness be! Matt. 6:23
To be known by God, and for you to intimately know his ways and his heart for you, is your antidote against self-delusion and ministry worship. In other words, check yourself before you wreck yourself and your family. Stay humble by being transparent and honest with a few good men.
Better to be known by your true humility then to be praised by thousands for your many talents and earthshaking ministry.
Abase yourselves, even in front of your congregation, so that God’s people may know the way to true greatness, that is, through your true humility. I have seen it happen, and it is beautiful!
It may be that you suffer from a lack of humanness. You know, your super-saint persona, how others perceive you in public may not match how you act in private. Maintaining a glittering image is costly, because it robs you of brokenness and being approachable. This is one of the reasons why so many pastors and ministers suffer from loneliness.
Only you and God know how well you can fake it, well, maybe your wife too. But, all the while you can still bring God’s house down in applause, even with unconfessed sin in your heart, the anointing still flows. (And that’s pretty scary stuff.) But, if you’re not going to be true, but just sit there with your mouth opened and your heart hardened; then it will be your own house, which will be brought down, and how terrible its fall will be!
Those that worship worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8
Don’t forfeit God’s grace because of pride, trust in Him — in do time, He will lift you up. He is near the brokenhearted and will surely hear your cry for help.
“The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Repent now, and not later. Fall into grace or fall into hell. Decide now, while you still have a choice. I guarantee people will follow you to either place — after all, you are the Pastor!
Break your love affair with ministry and become true to the Lover of your soul again.
Your greatest identity is not “Pastor,” but God’s beloved son. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” Maybe you’ve forgotten that. Maybe, at some point, and in some way, you stepped into the role as messiah and went straight into giving your life as a ransom for many.
The acclaim and burden is too much for you — it’s time to stop this and save your heart and soul. It belongs to God.
End the affair now. Better you decide before God does.
Call To Courage 