“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.”  

Proverbs 4:23

If you lose your heart you lose your ministry.  Who wants to follow somebody that is a dead shell?  Who wants to worship with a man who is doing everything just to get a paycheck?

That is the irony of this job, it isn’t a job.  It isn’t necessarily a calling either, even though many people would argue with me on that point, it is first and foremost a

                     * F I R M       *  S  U  R  E     and     *  P A S S I O N A T E

belief that God is true and every man a liar. A belief like this can only come from a spiritually healthy heart. According to scripture, the heart is the innermost engine of the soul that controls everything else in your life (Acts 13:22). 3 questions must be asked to see if your heart is healthy; it is a quick cardiogram to first see if your heart is strong enough to go into this spiritually exhausting occupation called the pastorate:

1. If others stop following Jesus, will you?  And if the answer is no, why not? 

2. Why are you following Jesus – – what do you want from him? 

3. What if all of your expectations are not met, and you are even asked to suffer, will you still go on? 

These are the root questions that uncover the condition of your heart, and it is here we must start if we are going to make ministry a lifetime endeavor.  The foundation must be solid, for if it isn’t the super-structure is bound to fall.  That is why I believe Paul would often use one word when he ministered  –  see if you can find it from the following verses?

–  1 Corinthians 5:8   –   2 Corinthians 1:12   –   2 Corinthians 2:17   –

The key word here is S_________________!  If you are not sincere, get out!  Stop and go somewhere else  – because this may be one of the only careers that completely depends upon you “living & proclaiming” what you are convinced is the real truth.  Yes, it is tough knowing the full truth, but we must sincerely believe that we have at least a part of it.  Or we fall into the trap of the “Emergent Movement’s” horrific syndrome of only asking questions. It takes courage in our day to offer answers.

Do you believe we as ministers of the gospel have answers? __________________  I hope we have some, or why even bother? Here is what I have settled on as the truths that are supremely vital to believe:

 (1)  The atonement of Christ (his death, burial and resurrection) is our only hope. 

 (2)  God is Sovereign (He has full rights to do whatever he wants).

(3) Mercy is why I am allowed to live and Grace is why I continue living.

I sincerely believe those things…if I don’t, when I stand in the pulpit I will have nothing really to declare. And I believe over time God will allow me to be proven both a liar and a charlatan.  People can spot a lying minister a mile away!

So, take heed before you say you know what you know for sure – – because the heart is so easily deceived (Jeremiah 17:9). This is every human’s handicap:  We can lie to ourselves and we can be very easily lied to.  So for the heart to be foundationally strong, we must avoid the major or most toxic pollutants to the heart.  And I believe there are three that have the potential to pervert the truth, and poison the heart of all pastors (2 Peter 3:15-16):

a.  Arrogance  –  Listen to what Augustine said about this
serpent to the soul.  “Haughtiness or pride imitates God’s
lofty remove  –  but God alone is far removed from sin.  It
is the arrogation on the creature’s part of something that
properly belongs to God alone.”  Oh, what a miserable
trap arrogance is, and how easy it is to fall into.
Because the more we are sure of ourselves, the
less we will listen to the people pointing out our faults.

Arrogance asks…
 “How can we ever be wrong when we know we are always right?”

This is not the heart of Christ.  Philippians 2:6, “Being in the
very nature of God did not consider equality with God
something to be GRASPED!”  Woe!   Who then am I to
grasp if Jesus never once did?  My rule of thumb for
conquering this sneaky creep called arrogance is Isaiah 66:2b:

 –  Walk Humbly  –  if someone points out a fault, then
listen!  They may be right, and most likely are.

–  Tremble at His Word  –  if your decisions are derived from
his principles and you believe they are in line with
his will, you will be able to stand up to pressure. Because
it will not be based on your position or person, but rather on his
principles.  And when you have that “YOU can really STAND!”

b.  Greed  –  Yes, you should be paid fairly, but you are not
in it for pay.  Don’t take a job because of the pay, but
don’t kill your family either.  There is balance here.

QUESTION:  “How do you practically walk this tightrope?”
Some ideas. . .

*  Live in the “Median Wage” for those you serve.
(salary, benefits and investments).

*  Increase pay raise as any wage earner would (ie:
include years of experience, education level, and
amount of responsibility)

*  Find a wage that will free you up to serve, without
taking advantage of people’s generosity.

c.  Lust  –  Let’s face it, this battle is raging right now!  Every one must
be honest, or they have already lost – – lust is lurking ready to
pounce any minute:

 *  internet       *  movies      *  magazines     *  summer!

It is all around us and we are CALLED to be MATURE on
this issue.  Maturity, I believe, means that I don’t do things
         secretly that feed my “appetite”, nor am I afraid of women
because they are pretty and I might be tempted to sin. This is
why some pastors will only talk to men – – which is sad because
we are meant to pastor the whole church.

How do you do this without falling into sexual sin?

1.  Realize the Penalty of Lust:  My wife, my kids, my
congregation are intimately linked with my fidelity.
Do you want to kill your kid?  LUST.  Do you want to
kill your wife?  LUST.  Do you want to kill the
church?  LUST.

Why?  “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

Job 31:1 & 23.  Enough said there!

2.  Realize how Powerful of a Temptation this is!
Just being honest here. . .More ministries and
families have been destroyed through lust issues
than anything else.  This is Satan’s weapon of
choice to destroy a church.  So when fighting, prepare yourself for
this onslaught.   It is a battle!

Look at the words scripture uses when fighting sins
of the flesh. . .

*  1 Corinthians 9:27  –  “Is Paul serious?”

*  1 Peter 4:1  –  “What is arming yourself mean?”

*  Revelation 2:20-23  –  “What is the penalty of
of sexual immorality?”

CONCLUSION:  “How is your heart?”

1.  Is there anyone who you feel you can be honest with about your
temptations? _______________________________________________

2.  Is there anyone who you feel that is positionally beneath you that you
can spend time with and actually try to learn from them? (this helps
fight arrogance): _____________________________________________

3.  How is your family budget?  Are you a big spender or
are you genuinely content with your life situation?
__________________________________________

Never, never, never forget, if you don’t have a healthy heart, you will become a very dangerous and deceptive person!!

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