When Life Gets In Your Way (Part 5)

Philippians 3:13, 14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
If you are called to be a minister full-time, life can really get in the way. Finances will affect your decisions, there's less time with your companion and family, and an insecure future hold many in a prison. Yes, you trust God, but somehow you've lost faith in people. Hey, I've been there and done that. When you've had people you love turn on you over something stupid, life becomes as real as it gets. It affects every part of your being and can even hamper the fulfillment of your calling.

Ministry without passion is imprisonment in any profession.  Even if you aren’t super-passionate about your ministry, you’ve got to at least be interested in it.  When you design a lifestyle in which your ministry is something you suffer through daily strictly to pay your bills, you end up spending your entire life wishing you had someone else’s.

Think about it.  This is your life; your ministry will fill a large percentage of it.  It’s not all about the money; it’s about you.  Ignore the propaganda, especially from people who say, “Don’t let your ministry define you.”  Reverse this message and mediate on it:  “I will do ministry that defines me.”  When the essence of who you are defines at least some slice of the ministry you do for a living, it generates fulfillment and an understanding of dealing with life when it gets in your way. Devotion in your ministry puts quality in your output and happiness in your mind.  Don’t settle for just a paycheck.  

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Truth be told, when we harbor feelings of hate, it eventually gets the best of us.  It takes control of us and spoils our ministry.  We forget why we hate, what we hate, and whom we hate, and we simply hate for the sake of hating.  And then, naturally, we begin to hate ourselves too because we can't get rid of the bitterness and hurt caused by the conflict. That's why ministry has to be more than just a job and a paycheck.

Everything and everyone you hate rents permanent space in both your head and heart.  So if you want to eliminate something or someone from your mind, don’t hate.  Instead, disconnect yourself, move on, and don’t look back. Don't let life get in your way another moment with things that deteriorate your ministry and steal your anointing. Stand up and declare your rights as a Child of the King and move forward in Jesus name!