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I woke up last night with ministry on my mind.
You see, preachers have always occupied a special place in my heart.
As a P.K. and pastor, I know what it’s like to be on the front lines.
There are the highs of witnessing thousands of lives transformed by the blood of Jesus.
And there are the lows which result from the seemingly never-ending, daily grind of being a messenger of His glorious word. Don’t shoot the messenger!
As our ministries grow larger, so do the targets on our backs. That’s why we should determine in our hearts to be even more diligent to vigilantly avoid the landmines positioned to take us out.
Here are 7 Practical ministry tips that have helped me in my call. I hope they will help you as well.
#1 Feed Daily on the Word
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night… — Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
The Bible is so much more than a reference book used to prepare sermons. We can renew our spirit man by feeding on the Word daily.
#2 Accountability Partners
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. — 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV)
We can’t expect to do everything on our own. We should seek out mentors who live a well-balanced life then follow them as they follow Christ. Having someone you can be open up to can make all the difference.
#3 Live a Disciplined Life
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. — 1 Corinthians 9:27 (KJV)
When our spirit man is strong, our flesh is weak. But tragedy strikes when this gets upside down. A malnourished spirit + a tired flesh = the perfect environment for bad decisions. We should exercise and get plenty of rest for our physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
#4 Daily Prayer
We spend so much time praying for other people that we forget or put off praying for ourselves. But it makes a huge difference when I go into a room, shut the door, turn on some worship music and just rest in His presence.
Prayer is replenishment. In the same way that we plug in our phones every night, we should plug into the Giver of Life to recharge our spirit man.
#5 Persecution and Criticism
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, — 2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV)
Paul suffered persecutions and afflictions but he said, “I endured, and the Lord delivered me out of them all.” In the same way, criticism comes with the territory. So do what’s right because it’s right and do it right (and don’t worry about your haters).
#6 Ministry is Not a Competition
Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are. — 2 Corinthians 10:12 (ISV)
Stop competing with others. Comparison is deadly. It will steal your momentum, joy and peace.
# 7 Rest
There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. — Hebrews 4:11 (ESV)
Preachers don’t get weekends off so we need to make sure we make our own. A wise old man in ministry once told me, “If you don’t take a break, you will break.” That’s a great reason to commit to scheduling sabbatical right now.
Friends, we’re not God, but we do work for Him.
He has guaranteed our success! So even if your ministry is not where you thought it should be by now or if where you are right now doesn’t seem as glorious as you thought it would be – let me assure you, you are exactly where God needs you. Remember, it’s not how you start but how you finish.
Share Your Ministry Tip or Testimony
If any of these ministry tips spoke to you today, please take a moment to comment in the section below.
Your comment could very well be what’s needed to help another brother or sister overcome their present trial. Nothing is off limits. Leave a comment right now.
