Controlled by wrong things

Here are a few things that we sometimes allow to control us in the ministry or life.

The fear of Man

It’s very easy to make decisions based on what others will think and not really what is biblical or best.

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

Also, when Paul says that he desires to become all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:22-23), he is not saying that he is willing to please a man while disobeying God. We must decide that while we desire to please others, we must only please them if we can also obey and please our Lord first.

True unity comes when all those involved desires to please God! In 1 Corinthians 9:23 we find Paul’s motivation. He says,

“And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”

Paul truly wanted to please God and that motivated him to reach out and become to the lost, anything that would ultimately bring them to the Savior.

Negative people or wrong mindsets

The ministry can be like a roller coaster at times. We are up one Sunday and down the next. People come and people go. We hear a lot of negativity and we can easily become taken over by these people or negative and unbiblical thoughts.

We need to take control of our minds just as Paul explains in Philippians.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:6-8

When the passage says, “Be careful for nothing” it has the idea of not worrying but going to God and being thankful in all things. We as leaders in the ministry really can live with the peace of God on a daily bases. We must realize that our joy comes from within when we walk with God and allow Him to control our thoughts.

Wanting to see results Sometimes leads us to make bad decisions because we cannot wait on the Lord. We are so often controlled by what happened on Sunday or what didn't happen. We end up making rash decisions that we later regret.

A rash decision is one where the results are not thought out ahead of time, and the results are usually not very good, or beneficial to anyone involved.

Abraham was a man of faith and yet because of his lack of patients, he allowed things to take a wrong turn. We also know that the frustration of not having a child got to Abraham and Sarah as they made a plan to take matters into their own hands with Sarah’s servant, Hagar (Genesis 16:1-15).

What we do in the ministry, or in our families should always be based on the Word of God and not how we are feeling because of a lack of results. Mature Christians do not allow the things around them to control what they will think or do.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10