Fellowship Preaching/Teaching Leadership Celebrate Recovery Discipleship Small Groups Evangelism Worship Ministry

Four Benefits of Trusting God

The Purpose Driven Life Book

What's Driving Your Life: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start

40 Days of Prayer Study Kit

Faith is an interesting substance. You don’t get it by sitting in a Bible study group. You don’t get it by just talking about it. You don’t get it by just thinking, hoping, or wishing.

Faith is like a muscle. You develop it more by using it more. The more you use a muscle, the stronger it gets. The more you use the little faith you have, the more it gets stretched. The more it gets stretched, the more God blesses your life.

Just ask Joshua.

Joshua 1 tells the story of his installment as the leader of Israel. God had given Joshua the impossible task of possessing the Promised Land. As you know, the rest of the book tells the story of Joshua leading God’s people to do exactly that.

I don’t know what God has called you to do through your ministry, but I know he is leading you to a step of faith that feels just as impossible as Joshua’s.

But I also know this: Your ministry will never please God if you don’t take risks. The Bible says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

The good news is that God is faithful. The Bible teaches that when we trust God and depend on his promises, we experience great benefits.

In Joshua 1, God gives us four promises that we can lean on as we step out in faith to follow Jesus.

God promises us power. “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5 NIV). God told Joshua that he would be invincible. Nothing will stop us either if we’re conscious of God’s power within us.
God promises us protection. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5 NIV). Nothing can harm us because God will be with us wherever we go.

God promises us prosperity. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7 NIV). The success God promises doesn’t mean you’ll someday lead a mega-church if you study and obey his Word. Prosperity means that you're being all that God wants you to be, using the talents he gave you.
God guarantees his presence. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5 NIV). That’s quite a guarantee. Choosing to trust in God has consistently provided me with a new sense of his presence during times of loneliness as a leader.

But notice that God promises all of this with a condition. He says, “Be careful to observe all the law my servant Moses gave you” (Joshua 1:7 NIV). If we want God’s power, we don’t get the option of picking and choosing the rules we like and throwing out the rest.

You see that all throughout the life of Joshua. He obeyed God in faith, and God blessed him. In fact, Joshua 24:15—which tells about Joshua near the end of his life—perfectly encapsulates the life of faith he pursued:

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (NIV).

God gives his power to the people that demonstrate the kind of faith Joshua did. No matter what risk God is calling you to take, he stands ready and willing to give you his power, protection, prosperity, and presence.

Are you ready to step out in faith?

Recent Articles

Who Is Watching Out for You?

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)Pastor, you probably know what it’s like to watch over others while quietly feeling unseen yourself. You help people stay steady in temptation, grief, conflict, and doubt. You pray for them, counsel them, and carry burdens you cannot always share.So here is a Monday-morning question worth asking: Who is watching out for you?When you go on vacation, you ask someone to keep an eye on the house. That is wisdom. But in ministry, it is easy to let the “watching out” stop with everyone else. And when a pastor becomes isolated, discouragement can deepen, temptations get louder, and blind spots grow.Scripture gives a better way: “Look out for one another's interests, not just for your own” (Philippians 2:4 GNT). God intends for the family of God to be a protective gift, not just a place we serve.Ecclesiastes calls it a braided cord. Strength comes from connection. Not performative connection. Not “I have plenty of people around me.” Real, honest, mutual care.Pastor, you were not meant to stand alone.Here’s a simple encouragement for this week: Choose one trusted person and invite a real check-in. Not a ministry update. A soul check. The Lord often protects pastors through faithful friends who lovingly “look out” when you cannot see what is happening in your own blind spots.You are better together.

Lead with Your Ears First

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 (NIV)Pastor, have you noticed how hard it is to be heard these days?Conversations move fast. Opinions move faster. Everyone has something to say—and most people are ready to say it before anyone else finishes.And if we’re not careful, that hurried pace can slip into our leadership.After a long Sunday, you may walk into Monday already carrying frustration. A critical comment. A tense hallway exchange. A leadership disagreement that didn’t resolve. When you’re tired, it doesn’t take much to spark irritation.That’s why James’s words are so timely for church leaders: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19 NIV).Notice the order:Quick to listenSlow to speakSlow to become angryIn ministry, listening is more than a communication skill. It’s a pastoral discipline. When you truly listen to a staff member, a volunteer, or a hurting church member, you’re modeling the patience of Christ. You’re saying, “You matter enough for me to slow down.”Anger in leadership doesn’t always look explosive. Some pastors are what you might call “skunks.” When they’re upset, everyone knows it. The room fills with tension. Words come quickly and sharply.Others are “turtles.” They retreat into their shells. The frustration simmers quietly. Nothing is said—but nothing is resolved either.Both styles can wound a church. Both need the same remedy: Slow down and listen first.Listening forces humility. It creates space for understanding. It lowers the temperature in the room. And often, it reveals that what first felt like defiance was really confusion, fear, or hurt.Pastor, your people don’t need a reaction. They need a shepherd.So before you respond to that email. Before you correct that staff member. Before you step into that difficult conversation—pause.Ask one more question. Pray one short prayer.Take one slow breath. Be quick to listen. Be slow to speak. And you may find your anger softening into wisdom.That kind of leadership reflects the heart of Christ. And your church will feel the difference.

Before You Lead, Be Still

“Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray.” Luke 5:15–16 (NCV)Pastor, after a full Sunday of preaching, praying, counseling, and carrying the needs of others, Monday can feel strangely quiet.And strangely heavy.In a world of constant pressure and ministry demands, prayer is more than a discipline; it’s your lifeline.Jesus understood that. The Gospels show him repeatedly stepping away from the noise and expectations to be alone with the Father. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV). And Luke tells us this wasn’t occasional—it was his rhythm. Crowds grew. Needs multiplied. But “Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15–16 NCV).If the Son of God needed unhurried time with the Father, how much more do you?You may think, I don’t have time. The meetings are waiting. The emails are stacking up. Next Sunday is already coming.But you have nothing lasting to give your church if you’re running on empty.God doesn’t just call you to shepherd others. He calls you to let him shepherd you.“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NCV). Stillness isn’t weakness. It’s trust. It’s the quiet confession that God is God—and you are not.So carve out a small space today. Not to prepare a message. Not to plan a strategy. Just to listen.Sit before God and ask, “Father, what do you want to say to me?”You may sense a gentle nudge. A Scripture coming to mind. A quiet correction. Or simply a deep breath of peace that reminds you you’re not carrying this ministry alone.And if worry crowds your thoughts—about your family, church attendance, leadership conflicts, finances—let God redirect your attention to his Word. Anchor your mind there instead of spiraling through scenarios.Pastor, God wants to speak to you. Not just through you. He isn’t waiting for you to perform. He’s inviting you to be present. Step away for a moment. Let him refill what Sunday poured out.Then return to your calling, not depleted, but renewed.

How to Help Members Feel Like They Belong

Joining your church does not automatically make someone feel like they belong.People need more than their name on a membership roll. They need to feel welcomed, wanted, recognized, affirmed, and celebrated. They need to feel special.When a church is small, you may be able to do this informally. But as your church grows, you’ll need to create intentional moments that say publicly: “You are now one of us.”Celebrate New Beginnings PubliclyBaptism is an obvious example. When I was pastor at Saddleback, baptisms were always big celebrations—filled with laughter, applause, and shouts of joy. We took a photograph of each person just before baptism and later presented it in a beautiful leather-bound certificate. It became something people proudly displayed.When Saddleback was much smaller, we rented a nearby country club every three months and hosted a new members banquet. Each new member shared a brief testimony. Older members paid for their meals. I rarely made it through one of those evenings without tears. Hearing stories of changed lives reminds your church why it exists.For years, Kay and I hosted a monthly Pastor’s Chat in our home for new members and guests. It was simple hospitality—an opportunity to meet face-to-face and ask questions. Those evenings built hundreds of lasting relationships.Hospitality grows a healthy church.There are many simple ways to make members feel special:Send birthday cardsRecognize first anniversaries of membershipCelebrate life events in your newsletterFeature testimonies in servicesHold staff receptionsReturn a “We prayed for you” note in response to prayer requestsThe point is this: A warm handshake at the end of a service is not enough to help someone feel like they truly belong.Create Opportunities for Real RelationshipsRelationships are the glue that holds a church together.Research shows that the more friends a person has in a congregation, the less likely they are to become inactive or leave. In one survey of 400 church dropouts, more than 75 percent said they left because they didn’t feel anyone cared whether they were there or not.It’s a myth that people must know everyone in the church to feel connected. The average church member knows about 67 people, whether the church has 200 or 2,000 attending. A member doesn’t have to know everyone. But they do have to know someone.While some friendships form naturally, the friendship factor in assimilation is too important to leave to chance. You can’t just hope people make friends. You must encourage it, plan for it, structure for it, and facilitate it.Emphasize the Corporate Nature of the Christian LifePastor, continually emphasize that we belong together.Preach it. Teach it. Talk about it one-on-one.We need each other. We are a family. We are connected. We are one body.When people feel special and supported, they stay. And when they stay, they grow.Belonging doesn’t happen accidentally. It happens because leaders make it a priority. It happens because someone notices the newcomer. Because someone makes the call. Because someone plans the event. Because someone creates the space for friendships to form.You can’t force fellowship, but you can cultivate it.And when you do, you’ll build more than programs. You’ll build a church family where people don’t just attend; they belong.This article is adapted from chapter 17 of The Purpose Driven Church.

At Pastors.com, our passion is to have healthy pastors leading healthy churches for the global glory of God.