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“The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NLT)Pastor, God is calling you to be a promise person—someone who chooses to focus on him and his promises even when ministry gets tough.When you’re leading something that truly matters, criticism will come. People may misunderstand your decisions, question your motives, or resist your leadership. It’s part of shepherding people toward spiritual growth.But you don’t have to focus on the naysayers or the challenges that come with leadership. Focus instead on the Lord and his promises.Jesus modeled this perfectly: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23 NIV).When criticism comes, resist the urge to defend yourself or vent your frustration. Instead, entrust yourself—and your ministry—to God. Pray, “Lord, I know you love me. I know you’ve called me. I’m going to trust you with both the work and the outcome.”David understood this when he wrote, “The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NLT). You don’t need anyone else’s approval to keep serving faithfully. The Lord is for you, and his opinion is the one that matters most.In the Message paraphrase, David said, “I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart” (Psalm 119:11). That’s the secret to staying steady when criticism or fatigue sets in—keep storing up God’s promises until they outweigh the voices of doubt.So this week, take time to meditate on God’s promises. Write them down. Memorize them. Remind yourself that your worth and success come from his call, not from anyone’s applause.The Lord is for you. Trust his promises—and lead with courage and peace.

Read any book on time management, and you’ll find this advice about delegating: You can’t do everything. The quickest way to burn out is to try to be Superman.Your highest calling as a pastor is to shepherd the spiritual health and growth of your people. If you’re all wrapped up in who’s printing the bulletins and who’s staffing the nursery, you’ll get sidetracked from your primary calling. Delegation helps you keep ministry and administration in balance.Leading with Limited ResourcesDuring the early years of Saddleback Church, I realized I needed someone who could handle administrative details—someone who could carry out the vision daily. So we brought on an executive pastor, whose gifts in administration and organization helped our church thrive.If your church has the resources to add someone like that, do it. But if you don’t, equip gifted volunteers to fill those gaps.At Saddleback, we used the acronym SHAPE to help place people in ministry:- Spiritual Gifts- Heart- Abilities- Personality- ExperiencesOnce you know a person’s SHAPE, you can delegate tasks confidently and give them freedom to accomplish goals creatively.Keys to Delegating EffectivelyI’ve found three simple keys that have helped me delegate well:Break down major goals into smaller tasks. When we started Saddleback, everyone had a specific job. One person managed the bulletins; another set up the nursery. Everyone had ownership.Develop clear job descriptions. People deserve to know what’s expected of them.Match the right person with the right task. The wrong person in the wrong role can kill motivation. The right match brings joy and productivity.Delegation is more than passing off work. It’s about understanding the task, knowing people’s strengths, and setting them free to use their creativity.Equipping People for MinistryAt Saddleback, we had great volunteer teams that modeled this kind of shared ministry. One team helped research stories and examples for my sermons; another created executive summaries of books to lighten my load. These ministries weren’t my idea—they were theirs. That’s the power of delegation. When leaders trust others, they unlock creativity and energy that no single person could generate alone.As pastors, we’re not called to do all the ministry ourselves. Every believer is a minister. Our role is to identify each person’s SHAPE and help them use it in service to God. That’s when we most closely follow Jesus’ example of servant leadership.

Pastor, you can’t have opportunity without opposition. When you’re leading, sooner or later you’ll be ridiculed or face resistance for your plans, or even have rumors spread about you. This opposition may come from inside your church or elsewhere. Whatever opposition you’re facing, Nehemiah 4 gives you a field manual for leading through pushback without losing your calling or your cool.Nehemiah led effectively even through opposition. Here are six ways he responded that you can use in your own ministry this week.1) Rely on God“Then I prayed, ‘Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in the presence of the builders’” (Nehemiah 4:4–5 NLT).When Nehemiah was being opposed, he didn’t bottle up his feelings or lash out at his opposition. Instead, he went to God to let off steam. When you’re ridiculed, don’t suppress it; confess it. In fact, the greater the opposition, the more you need to pray. Don’t take it out on people; talk it out with God.2) Respect the opposition“But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves” (Nehemiah 4:9 NLT).Prayer and prudence go together. Think of it like this: It’s fine to lay in bed at night and pray, “Protect me from burglars.” But you also need to get up and lock your door! In ministry, prayerfully rely on God when you’re being opposed—but also be aware of the strength of your opposition and take practical precautions when you need to.3) Reinforce your weak points“So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows” (Nehemiah 4:13 NLT).Good leaders know where they—and the people they lead—are vulnerable. And they work to reinforce those weak points. Nehemiah posted people around the wall in family groups so they could support each other. Build up the small groups in your church so that your people will have spiritual families that support each other through difficult times.4) Reallocate resources—but don’t stop the work“But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The officers stationed themselves behind the people of Judah” (Nehemiah 4:16 NLT).Nehemiah refused to abandon his God-given mission to chase critics. He addressed his opposition in prudent, practical ways, but he didn’t become distracted by it. In the same way, don’t let your opposition distract you. Keep building what God has told you to build.5) Reassure your people“Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!’” (Nehemiah 4:14 NLT).When your church is under pressure—from within the church or from outside—your job is to raise morale. Raise people’s eyes off of the opposition and point them to the Lord. Fear shrinks when leaders help people “remember the Lord.”6) Refuse to quit“When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall” (Nehemiah 4:15 NLT).Persistence is a leadership superpower. It’s easy to let opposition stall your obedience. But outlast whatever opposition you’re facing. Return to the wall—to the work God has called you to—again and again.Take some time this week to name one vulnerable area in your ministry and take steps to strengthen it. Write out a simple prayer you can return to whenever criticism comes. And remind your team of at least one reason to “remember the Lord” in this season, so together you can keep building what God has called you to do.

Books on preaching often highlight the wrong kind of sermons as examples. Too many teach you to prepare academic outlines so vague and general that they’re robbed of power.Take this outline for a sermon on 1 Corinthians 12, titled The Corinthians and Spiritual Gifts: The source of the Corinthians’ gifts The function of the Corinthians’ gifts  The purpose of the Corinthians’ giftsDoes that grab your attention? Probably not. Here’s why: It’s abstract and academic, not applicational. It’s in the third person—about them, not us.It’s focused only on the past. It doesn’t mention God or people.In short, the points don’t say much to anyone. But you can avoid this pitfall with a few simple steps.Five Keys to Stronger Sermon Points1. Start with application.Use biblical application as your sermon points. Begin with what God wants people to do today, then show how Scripture grounds it.2. Put a verb in every point.Verbs turn biblical truth into action steps. They help your people become doers of the Word, not hearers only.3. Put God in your points.A sermon isn’t a pep talk. Changed lives come from God. Keep him at the center by naming him directly in your points.4. Use personal “you” pronouns.Speak personally: “God gave you gifts.” “Jesus calls you to serve.” Avoid vague “we” language that weakens the application.5. Give a weekly assignment.Jesus often ended with assignments like, “Go and do likewise.” Do the same—offer one specific practice for the week.Instead of the academic outline about the Corinthians’ gifts, try something like this:God gave you gifts. God gave you gifts to use. God gave you gifts for the benefit of the body.This version is personal, practical, God-centered, and positive.