Tag: forgiveness

  • Letter #59 (The Body’s Head–2)

    Dear Small Church Congregation,

         In the last letter, I challenged you to take a serious look at your relationship with Jesus to see if there is anything that separates you from following the will of God for your life.  If there is, name it.  This is the first step in overcoming whatever obstacle could interfere with your fulfilling God’s will.

         That obstacle could be anything form self-righteousness to basic selfishness to outright disobedience to scripture and the teachings of Christ.  How might you now overcome this obstacle?  Now that you know what it is, the only way to overcome it is to choose to set that obstacle aside by dying to your self-will, repenting of falling to the temptation to disobey God and seeking His forgiveness.

         Let me be absolutely clear about this—Jesus has taken care of the obstacle already on the cross when He shed His blood so you could be forgiven.  Any obstacle, temptation, trial, or disobedient choice you have made has already been defeated through the shed blood of Jesus.  When Jesus died, was buried and rose from the grave, He conquered every work of the devil.  In fact, Jesus destroyed the works of the devil so you can have victory over the enemy of your soul.  Jesus has already won the victory over sin and all its evil consequences that separate members of His Body from Him.

         Obstacles to our relationships with God, our neighbors and even ourselves have been dealt with by Christ.  The Head of the Body has already done what was necessary for you to get back into right standing inside the Body of Christ.  By doing that, Jesus has given you the pathway to fulfilling God’s will.

         When you admit an obstacle exists, name it, repent of it and seek forgiveness, and choose to live according to God’s instructions on how to live in holiness before Him, you have won.  Allow me to repeat myself—And you have won because Jesus did what was necessary for you to win through faith in His name.  Jesus, the Head of the Body that you belong to because you belong to God now, won the spiritual battle first a very long time ago so you can win your battle today.  (If you feel like shouting a praise to Jesus, now would be a good time to do that.)

         Understand that you will need to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you daily live for Christ.  Understand that you will continually need to examine your life, defeat any obstacle that tries to interfere with your relationship with Christ and choose Jesus over the obstacles.  In other words, your walk with Jesus is an ongoing journey in which you intentionally choose to examine yourself to be sure you are fulfilling the call on your life that God has placed in you as part of the Body of Christ.  As you do that, you will win victories over the enemy of your soul, and you will complete your function in the Body.  And you will stay connected to the Body’s Head.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #42 (Quicksand)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         Old western shows or safari movies sometimes showed someone getting caught in quicksand.  The hero usually was able to save the victim just in time.  However, these videos have created a misconception about quicksand that needs to be corrected. 

         A victim normally won’t sink completely and drown if caught in quicksand.  The body density usually causes a victim to float around the waist or chest level.  Deaths from quicksand, according to a net search I did, rarely occur, and most often a death is caused by succumbing to rising tide waters, dehydration or extreme heat or cold.  Quicksand is not the “death grip” that movies make it out to be.

         Quicksand is very much like temptations that plague everyone, even pastors.  The devil has done all he can to make pastors think their ministries will be destroyed because of succumbing to some temptation.  Satan hunts any pastor he can and tries to deceive the pastor into thinking that improper thoughts, words or actions will result in the complete death of a pastor’s ability to minister.  Essentially, the devil wants us to believe the temptation is terminal, just like quicksand has been depicted as being deadly in and of itself.

         As with quicksand, the giving in to temptation is not the destroyer of ministry.  The destruction can occur if what occurs around the temptation is not addressed.  High tides, dehydration and extreme temperatures are the real killers with quicksand.  In like manner, lack of repentance, self-righteousness and rationalizations are what can kill a pastor’s effectiveness.

         If a pastor yields to temptation and sins, the immediate remedy is repentance.  The pastor must repent, seek God’s forgiveness and recommit to following the path of holiness to which every pastor has been called.  Falling into quicksand requires calm decision-making so one doesn’t fall prey to rising tides or other dangers.  Submitting to temptation and sinning require the same thing.  Failure to repent and seek forgiveness can kill a ministry.

         As with dehydration for a sinking victim, self-righteousness can also harm a pastor’s ministry.  The idea that “this is the first time I’ve done that in my ministry and I can shake it off” simply will not suffice to save a ministry.  The idea that “I know better than to do that, but I’m sure I can control myself next time” is a deception from the devil.  He’s trying to make you think you’re good enough to deal with this yourself.  YOU ARE NOT!! (Yes, I know I yelled.)  The power to overcome future temptations originates in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in you.  Self-righteousness can kill a ministry.

         Extreme temperatures can kill anyone who Is caught without proper supplies or shelter when stuck in quicksand.  The same holds true for rationalizations in connection to a sin committed.  The devil will convince you, if possible, that this temptation is experienced by all in ministry and that you are no different than others who gave in, too.  Satan tells you things like, “You’re like everyone else, so don’t let this get the best of you.”  “Everyone sins occasionally.  You’re normal.”  “No one will find out.”  “This is minor compared to what some others have done.”  He tries to get you to think you don’t need to do anything other than remain quiet about what happened.  Silence in rationalizations when help is needed and available can be deadly.  You need to talk to God first and then seek spiritual direction from those who are part of your own spiritual umbrella of authority.  Rationalizations can kill a ministry.

         Temptation and quicksand are definitely very much alike.  Neither will kill you in and of itself.  It’s what happens after getting stuck that will determine the outcome of falling into temptation or quicksand.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor