By Dan Reiland<\/p>\n
It\u2019s troubling to see a called, gifted and talented leader give up a lifetime of ministry for a moment of temptation. And the sobering truth is that we all face temptation.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s rarely a \u201cI never saw it coming \u2013 it took me by surprise\u201d situation. Our downfall may start with a moment of temptation, but it\u2019s most often about a long slow drift from the values we embrace to the enticements that entrap us.<\/p>\n
None of us as leaders will escape this challenge. But how we handle our temptations will determine to a great degree, the effectiveness and longevity of our ministry.<\/p>\n
James 4:7-8<\/strong>\u00a0helps us know what to do. Let\u2019s begin with three important questions:<\/p>\n I\u2019m not convinced all temptation is from the devil. I\u2019m not certain it\u2019s all spiritual warfare. Some of this is simply part of being human and imperfect and we can take\u00a0ownership for creating some temptations ourselves.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t need to start a theological debate. If you consider temptation to be a wholly a spiritual issue by asserting that we are spiritual beings, great. If you believe it to be entirely a spiritual issue by taking it back to Genesis chapter 3, also great.\u00a0My purpose here is to be helpful in a practical way.<\/strong><\/p>\n Temptation seems to be naturally grouped into four categories for church leaders. If you know the potential temptation, you are more likely to\u00a0see it coming<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0proactively resist<\/strong>\u00a0what tempts you. That\u2019s the goal here.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s name the temptations, own what is ours, and intentionally resist.<\/em><\/p>\n 1) Pressure Temptations<\/strong> Here are three common examples.<\/p>\n Are any of these danger zones for you?<\/p>\n By learning how to use appropriate pressure relief tools such as a friend to talk to, a real day off, a good counselor, learning to say no, doing something fun, exercise, or developing other leaders to help carry the load, etc., you can handle pressure in healthy ways.<\/p>\n Do you consistently engage healthy pressure relief practices that work for you as a church leader?<\/p>\n 2) Power Temptations<\/strong> Here are three common examples.<\/p>\n Are you susceptible to any of these potential snares?<\/p>\n Leaning into genuine humility, possessing a servant\u2019s heart, and intentionally expressing your love for people is a great help in overcoming temptations involving leadership power.<\/p>\n 3) Purity Temptations<\/strong> The following are three common examples.<\/p>\n Do any of these temptations catch you?<\/p>\n It\u2019s best to make a conscious choice not to play with fire because it\u2019s just too easy to end up burned. Get honest about your temptation and talk with a friend or leader you respect for accountability.<\/p>\n 4) People Temptations<\/strong> An intentional effort to be yourself, look for the best in people, and be generous in giving grace will go a long way to help resist common people temptations.<\/p>\n The good news in all this is that we can resist!<\/strong><\/p>\n The good news is that we can resist temptation. We can say no. We are not on our own, our Father in heaven is for us not against us! Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.<\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2024 Dan Reiland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Dan Reiland It\u2019s troubling to see a called, gifted and talented leader give up a lifetime of ministry for a moment of temptation. And the sobering truth is that we all face temptation. It\u2019s rarely a \u201cI never saw it coming \u2013 it took me by surprise\u201d situation. Our downfall may start with a <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":82184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3380,4661,276,266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-leadership-articles","category-resources-ndi","category-sunday-school-and-discipleship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSubmit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\nIf you know it, you can fight against it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nConfession is good for the soul and accountability helps keep you honest.<\/li>\n
\nGod does not condemn you or me for our struggles, but He does want us to fight to live a holy life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nAs your ministry grows, gains complexity, and the demands increase, pressure rises. When pressure rises margin decreases, and any of us can become an easy target for pressure-related temptations.<\/p>\n\n
\nFor example, you can be tempted to over-exaggerate something in a message you teach. Or perhaps you might bend under financial pressure to use monies designated for one thing for a completely different purpose.<\/li>\n
\nTime pressures, for example, might cause you to over-use AI rather than invest the needed thought and prayer into the next talk you deliver.<\/li>\n
\nSustained high-levels of pressure can cause leaders to be impatient, angry, or even harsh with others with no legitimate reason. Are you aware of your personal \u201cpressure levels?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nThe temptation for more power seems to be less common in the local church. That\u2019s a good thing, but it still lurks in the background and is a real possibility for any of us.<\/p>\n\n
\nManipulation is using authority or position to control or take advantage of people rather than serve them. Manipulation is essentially using people to build your ministry, rather than building people and empowering them to lead the ministry God designed for them.<\/li>\n
\nIt\u2019s a great misuse of leadership when a leader rises \u201cabove the law\u201d and begins to live by a different set of rules than others are held accountable to.<\/li>\n
\nGood leaders exercise control for the good of the organization. This is quite different than becoming a controlling leader and holding people down rather than training and empowering in a way that builds them up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nIt\u2019s difficult to avoid the dominant presence of the internet and the temptations that lie within. Nearly anything is only a click away. This is a huge temptation. But not all purity temptations are online.<\/p>\n\n
\nTemptation against purity begins in the mind. What do we do? Scripture says to take every thought captive, but we know that is not always easy. Philippians 4:8 says:\u00a0 . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2014if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things.<\/li>\n
\nWe all know stories of friends who have lost their marriages and in many cases, lost their ministry too. It\u2019s heartbreaking and can happen to anyone. This temptation always leads to regret! Stay alert. Exercise wisdom.<\/li>\n
\nA wise counselor once said, \u201cYoung leaders, beware of innocent flirting, for there is no such thing.\u201d What starts innocently, even while working together in ministry, can end in disaster. Remain on your guard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nThis last category is not often included within the topic of temptation. It is therefore overlooked, even though it is likely among the most common of temptations that a church leader will face. We work with and serve people every day, and these common temptations are always with us. Here are three common examples:<\/p>\n\n
\nThe temptation to please people often finds its origin in a genuine heart to serve others. However, that can slowly slip into behavior that is less than genuine and a performance-orientation can begin to take over.<\/li>\n
\nEven the most loving of pastors and volunteer church leaders can lose perspective under all the demands of ministry. Then instead of a loving heart, our hearts become critical.<\/li>\n
\nLeaders are not immune from being hurt in their close relationships. If hurt enough, our hearts can become hardened, and forgiveness becomes hard to find. We know the right thing to do but may need spiritual help to get there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nEach day is a new day and a fresh start.<\/p>\n
\nMatthew 26:41<\/em><\/p>\n