Recent Articles

To accomplish something significant in your ministry, you must push through delays, difficulties, and dead ends. Every Christian leader faces them sooner or later.What separates the leaders who finish from the people who fade is commitment. High achievers make a decision and then dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to it.You see that kind of resolve in Joshua 3. On the day Israel stood on the edge of the Jordan, with no turning back, Joshua told the people: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5 NIV)That word “consecrate” is total, unreserved commitment. It’s saying, “God, we’re going to go for it, even if we fail. We’re going to obey and step forward.”You can’t jump across a canyon with baby steps. If you’re going to cross, you’ve got to go for it.That is true in a marriage, in a job, and in your ministry. Things don’t work until you commit to making them work, whatever it takes.In ministry, you'll face three specific temptations to quit early—problems, pressures, and people. Resist them and press forward with unwavering commitment.Here’s how.Don’t quit when the work gets hard.Every vision runs into obstacles. You launch a new church, and suddenly money gets tight. You share the gospel in a new community, and nobody responds. You pour into someone, and they walk away anyway.If that’s you, you’re not alone. Even the Promised Land had giants in it. What matters isn’t the problem you face. It’s how you choose to see that problem.Numbers 13 shows two ways of looking at the exact same situation. The 12 spies see the land, but they don’t all interpret it the same way. Ten look through fear. Two—Joshua and Caleb—look through faith.Ten say, “We can’t.” Two say, “We can.” And in a strange way, they’re both right—because your attitude shapes your next step.The ten spies report: “The people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!" (Numbers 13:28 NLT).But Caleb silences the crowd and says: “Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it!” (Numbers 13:30 NLT).The same thing happens in ministry today. You can look at your problems through eyes of faith or eyes of fear. Yes, problems may discourage you. But don’t let them drive you into despair. Let them drive you to prayer.Problems won’t defeat you. A hopeless perspective will.Don’t quit when the weight gets heavy.Ministry pressures can feel overwhelming. Sometimes you want to throw in the towel because it feels like too much responsibility.Exodus 18 gives a picture of that. Moses is burning out because he’s trying to carry everything himself. He’s worn down, stretched thin, and buried under the weight.Then Jethro—his father-in-law—steps in with blunt wisdom: “You can’t do it alone” (Exodus 18:18 CEV). He tells Moses to share the load, appoint leaders, and build a structure that won’t crush him.I call it “Jethro-gation” instead of delegation, because he’s the one who came up with it. And honestly, I believe God gave him those insights.The point is simple: Stop trying to do everything yourself. God never designed ministry to be a solo act. He designed it to be shared.When the weight gets heavy, remember: You don’t have to carry it alone.Don’t quit when the voices against you get loud.People are human, which means they’re imperfect. People bring baggage. People disappoint you. People criticize, misunderstand, and sometimes turn sour—and that negativity spreads fast.So what do you do when the comments won’t stop?Follow Nehemiah’s example. Don’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. Don’t stuff it down. Take it straight to God.Nehemiah doesn’t waste time fighting insult with insult. He prays. He tells the Lord exactly what’s happening, and he asks God to deal with it—because Nehemiah knows God can defend him better than he can defend himself.Nehemiah prays: “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 front of the builders” (Nehemiah 4:4–5 NLT).Take the criticism to God. Keep doing what God has called you to do. Trust him to handle what you can’t.I don’t know what you’re facing in your ministry today. Maybe the problems keep piling up. Maybe the pressure feels relentless. Maybe the criticism is unfair.But don’t quit.If God has called you to this work, then stay with it and trust him to “do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5 NIV).

Pastor, don’t let doubt stop you from what God has clearly called you to do. Doubt is the opposite of faith. Scripture says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). And Paul reminds us, “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23 NIV).Once you’ve set a God-given goal, you need to move forward in faith.But here’s what often happens. As soon as you set your goal, the enemy starts whispering questions.Is this really God’s will?What if I’m wrong?Do I really deserve this?Am I being selfish or prideful?I once saw a Peanuts cartoon that perfectly captured this struggle. Charlie Brown stands on the pitcher’s mound. A pop fly is coming down. If he catches it, they win the game. He prays, “Please let me catch it. Please let me be the hero.” Then, as the ball drops, he starts second-guessing himself. “Do I deserve to be the hero? Is baseball really that important? Lots of kids don’t even have a place to sleep.”The ball hits his glove and falls to the ground.When Linus asks how he missed such an easy catch, Charlie Brown says, “I prayed myself out of it.”I know there have been times I’ve prayed myself out of great goals and dreams.You must have confidence that God wants to work through you. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV). If God put the desire there and you’ve surrendered your will to his, you can trust him with it.Joshua struggled with this. After Moses’ death, he felt inadequate. So God gave him a repeated command: “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6 NIV). Four times in that chapter God tells him to be strong and courageous.Why?Because fear keeps you in the desert. Not problems. Not obstacles. Fear.Fear keeps you from becoming all God wants you to be. Fear keeps your church from becoming what God designed it to become.Here are three common things that rob pastors of confidence.1. ExperienceExperience can be a blessing, but it can also become baggage.We say, “Yes, I know God wants me to do this, but I’ve tried before. It hasn’t worked before. I’ve failed too many times.”Sometimes inexperience is an advantage because you don’t yet know what “can’t” be done.Past defeats, old hurts, and previous mistakes can quietly control your future if you let them. Don’t allow yesterday’s disappointments to dictate tomorrow’s obedience.Never let bad memories control the future.2. EmotionsToo many leaders trust their moods.I don’t feel like it. I’m too tired.I’m inadequate.There have been Sundays when I didn’t feel like preaching. But Scripture says, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV). Faithfulness is not based on feelings.One of the hardest parts of ministry is keeping your emotional tank filled with the love, peace, joy, and confidence of God so you have something to give away. If you don’t manage your emotions, they will manage you.And here’s a simple rule: Never make a major decision when you’re down. When you’re discouraged or depleted, postpone big decisions if you can. Decisions made in depression are rarely wise ones.Don’t let your moods rob you of your calling.3. ExcusesExcuses are rational lies. They sound reasonable, but they aren’t rooted in faith.I don’t have the time.I don’t have the money.I don’t have the staff.I don’t have the training.Scripture says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2 NIV). If you lack something necessary to fulfill God’s vision, ask him for it. God is not limited by what you currently lack.Excuses shrink vision. Faith expands it.Pastor, if you have predetermined to do God’s will—if you’ve honestly said, “God, I want what you want”—then you can trust the desires he places in your heart.Don’t let experience, emotions, or excuses rob you of confidence.Step forward in faith.Be strong and courageous.And watch what God does through a leader who refuses to stay in the desert.

“But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.” 2 Timothy 4:17 (NLT)When you’re lonely in ministry, where is God?He’s where he has always been—right beside you.Even when you don’t feel it.Pastoral loneliness is often quiet. You can be surrounded by people on Sunday and still feel unseen on Monday. You carry the weight of others’ needs. You listen more than you’re listened to. And sometimes, after pouring yourself out, you wonder who is standing with you.Paul knew that feeling. Near the end of his life, he wrote from a place of abandonment and opposition. Yet he could say with confidence, “The Lord stood with me and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:17 NLT).God’s presence didn’t remove Paul’s hardship, but it sustained him through it.Scripture reminds us again and again that if you belong to Christ, you are never alone. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NIV). That promise wasn’t just for crowded moments of ministry. It was for prison cells, lonely roads, and weary hearts.Loneliness can actually become a place of deeper fellowship with God.Not because loneliness is good—but because God is faithful.When leadership feels isolating, God doesn’t step back. He leans in. He uses quiet seasons to remind you that your identity isn’t rooted in response or results, but in his presence.Prayer, then, becomes more than a discipline. It becomes companionship.You don’t have to sound strong when you pray. You can say exactly what you feel: “God, I’m tired. I’m lonely. I’m discouraged. I don’t know if I’m making a difference.” Those prayers don’t push God away. They draw him closer.David asked, “Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 NIV). The answer was simple: nowhere. Pastor, if you’ve trusted Christ, God is with you—in your office, in your questions, in your weariness, and in your faithfulness. Even when leadership feels lonely, you are never alone.The Lord is standing with you today.

There comes a point in ministry when you realize you’re working hard—but you’re not sure what you’re aiming for anymore.You’re preaching every week. You’re caring for people. You’re putting out fires and keeping things moving. But somewhere along the way, the sense of direction has faded. Instead of leading forward, you feel like you’re maintaining the status quo.Too many church leaders don’t know what they want for their church, and often they don’t know what they want for their family either. The result is frustration. You’re busy, but you’re drifting.Most pastors don’t fail because they’re unfaithful. They stall because they’re unclear.All leaders need clarity. When Joshua stepped into leadership, it was at a moment when clarity was desperately needed.After the death of Moses, God gave Joshua an assignment that looked impossible. The land God promised was already occupied by nations larger and stronger than Israel (see Deuteronomy 7:1). Even the Promised Land had problems.That’s an important reminder for pastors. Even when God is blessing your ministry, difficulties will come. Faith doesn’t remove obstacles; faith moves forward in spite of them.God never asks us to do anything without his help. And in Joshua 1, God gives Joshua a leadership key to success that still applies to every pastor and church leader today.God Begins with ClarityBefore Joshua ever leads a battle, God gives him something far more important: clear direction.“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west" (Joshua 1:2–4 NIV).In these verses, God clearly outlines what Joshua is to do, when he is to do it, and where he is to go. Joshua isn’t left guessing. He has a precise assignment and a specific target. He knows exactly what God wants him to do.If you’re going to be a leader God can use, you must first be clear in your direction.What feels personal in a pastor’s heart never stays personal for long. Direction—or the lack of it—always shapes the people you lead.Nothing precedes purpose. Until you know why something exists, you have no foundation, no motivation, and no direction. That’s true for churches just as much as it is for leaders.If you’re starting a new church, your first task isn’t programs or plans—it’s defining purpose. And if you’re serving in an existing church that feels plateaued, declining, or discouraged, your first task is to recapture that purpose.Absolutely nothing will revitalize a discouraged church faster than rediscovering its purpose.As I prepared to start Saddleback, one of the most important things I discovered was that growing, healthy churches have a clear-cut identity. They understand their reason for being. They are precise in their purpose. They know exactly what God has called them to do—and they know what is not their business.When that clarity is missing, confusion fills the gap.If you ask church members why their church exists, you’ll often get a wide range of answers. Many assume the church exists primarily to meet their needs and their family’s needs. Meanwhile, pastors often describe the church’s purpose very differently. When a congregation and its leadership can’t even agree on why the church exists, conflict and stagnation are inevitable.Clarity Is a Leadership ResponsibilityThat’s why clarity isn’t a luxury for leaders. It’s a responsibility.I’ve seen this play out repeatedly in ministry. At Saddleback—as we built up our people and our programs—we spent years looking for a piece of property that would become our church campus. We faced resistance, delays, and setbacks. But eventually God brought us to the right property, and the direction was clear.That clear direction raised morale. It increased commitment. It energized people. Simply having a clear destination created momentum. When the direction was specific, people were willing to sacrifice and move forward together.When you get specific, people get excited.Many pastors hesitate to define direction because clarity feels risky. Once you name a goal, it can be evaluated. Once you define a direction, you open yourself to criticism. Vague vision feels safer—but it can’t inspire faith.Clarity is an act of faith.God didn’t tell Joshua to feel ready. He told him where to go. And that clarity gave Joshua the confidence to move forward into uncertainty.The same is true for you. God doesn’t hold you responsible for outcomes you can’t control—but he does call you to be clear about the direction he’s given you.So let me ask you this:Where has God already made the direction clear—but you’ve kept it vague to avoid risk?Clarity won’t remove the challenges in front of you. But it will give you the confidence to move forward through them.