The fear of man will cripple a person. Trust me, I know. It is far too easy to get caught in the trap of trying to please everyone on the face of the earth. All too often, we compromise our personal convictions for the sake of the approval of others.
For much of my adult life, I tried to win the approval of everyone within my sphere of influence. There were many factors that led to this, details of which I don't have time to explain in this post. I would go out of my way to make sure that everyone was pleased with me. If I knew that one person didn't approve of something that I did, I would lose sleep over it, and then I would take steps to improve my image in the eyes of that person. These efforts wore me out ragged. It was tearing my soul apart. This mentality is ultimately what led me to burn-out in ministry, which I experienced five years ago. The fear of man was a shackle around my neck that tied me up in a dungeon of despair.
What I needed was a proper understanding of my position in Christ. God led me through a season of healing, and ultimately, Jesus set me free from the fear of man. It all started with my admitting, before God, that I needed help. Let me share a couple insights I learned through this process.
Pleasing God is more important than pleasing man. If God has given you a conviction, hold to it. If it is a conviction that matches up with the very Word of God, then don't do anything to change. The fear of man goes away when our complete trust, faith, and reliance is in Jesus Christ. The reality is that there will always people who disagree with us. Don't allow the opinions of people keep you from obeying the voice of God. This leads to a healthy fear of God.
Fearing God is not about worrying that He'll strike us dead if we sin, it is living with the utmost respect and honor of God in our lives. That we seek to honor Him in all we do, and that His name and renown be the desire of our heart. May our fear of God be what drives us. Paul says in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
At the heart of living with a fear of man is the sin of pride. When pride creeps into our lives, we become more concerned with our reputation than with God's reputation and our position in Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are given a new life. We are adopted as His children. He lives in us by the Holy Spirit. If our concern is our reputation, we elevate ourselves to a higher place which leads to selfishness. God calls us to be humble. James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." When our lives are marked with humility, we become more concerned with God's place in our lives, which translates to a proper understanding of our place.
Defeating the fear of man requires courage. It is not easy to get past the negativity of people, or even to lose friends by standing up for our convictions. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." The Holy Spirit will give us the strength to deal with the negativity and rejection that may come as a result of taking our stand.
When properly dealt with, it is freeing to overcome the fear of man. It frees you to become who God intended you to be: A worshiper and servant of Christ. It leads you to become less self-reliant and more God-reliant. It empowers you to have a healthy fear of God.
Below are the verses God used to help me overcome my fear of man and develop a healthy fear of God.
Psalm 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 15:1-4 “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, ... who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord.”
Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.”
Psalm 22:23 “You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”
Psalm 25:12-14 “Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
Psalm 31:19 “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”
Psalm 33:8-9 “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
Psalm 33:18-19 “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”
Psalm 34:7-9 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.”
Psalm 103:11 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;”
Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”
Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 14:26-27 “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”
Proverbs 15:16 “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.”
Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
Proverbs 16:6 “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.”
Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Proverbs 22:4 “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.”
Proverbs 23:17-18 “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."
Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
From the Heart of Hartley
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
50 Shades of Gross
Let's face it friends, the moral fabric of our society has been quickly unraveling. What was sacred years ago is now common. When I was in grade school, if I had the urge to see pornography, I would need to find my way to the magazine section of a bookstore or sneak into an rated R movie. Unfortunately, today, filthy images are easily accessible through any device that provides the internet.
God is clear on sexual immorality throughout Scripture. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." If we want to experience God's manifest presence in our life, we have got to fight for purity. Ephesians 5:3 says, "There should not be a hint of sexual immorality among you." That is pretty clear. God gave us these guardrails, not to make life difficult or impossible, but to keep us on His path of righteous living. Any failure in this area will potentially leave scars that last a lifetime, starting with our relationship with God.
There has been a lot of conversation about this movie, 50 Shades of Grey. I have not seen the movie, read the book or watched the previews. However, I have read enough to know what it's about. The media is going to the wall to promote it. It is hard to avoid. God has created sex to be holy and enjoyed in the context of marriage. This movie presents a message that is far from God's design. It promotes violent sex that might as well be classified as abuse. The vulgarity presented in this movie is downright disgusting.
Our culture is saturated with messages of promiscuity and perversion. This is a great opportunity for the church to be what we are called to be, an extension of Jesus to our community. We are not here to bring condemnation, but to simply warn people of the truth and simply point people to Jesus.
May God give us the courage to win the battle of purity.
If any of you are struggling in this area, God will meet you there, with His grace, and bring healing and victory.
Let's take a stand for Jesus and encourage our friends to not see this movie.
May we be those who, as the Psalmist said, "Ascend the hill of the Lord," because we have clean hands and a pure heart.
God is clear on sexual immorality throughout Scripture. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." If we want to experience God's manifest presence in our life, we have got to fight for purity. Ephesians 5:3 says, "There should not be a hint of sexual immorality among you." That is pretty clear. God gave us these guardrails, not to make life difficult or impossible, but to keep us on His path of righteous living. Any failure in this area will potentially leave scars that last a lifetime, starting with our relationship with God.
There has been a lot of conversation about this movie, 50 Shades of Grey. I have not seen the movie, read the book or watched the previews. However, I have read enough to know what it's about. The media is going to the wall to promote it. It is hard to avoid. God has created sex to be holy and enjoyed in the context of marriage. This movie presents a message that is far from God's design. It promotes violent sex that might as well be classified as abuse. The vulgarity presented in this movie is downright disgusting.
Our culture is saturated with messages of promiscuity and perversion. This is a great opportunity for the church to be what we are called to be, an extension of Jesus to our community. We are not here to bring condemnation, but to simply warn people of the truth and simply point people to Jesus.
May God give us the courage to win the battle of purity.
If any of you are struggling in this area, God will meet you there, with His grace, and bring healing and victory.
Let's take a stand for Jesus and encourage our friends to not see this movie.
May we be those who, as the Psalmist said, "Ascend the hill of the Lord," because we have clean hands and a pure heart.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Too Old For Youth Ministry
It has been a while since I have posted to my blog because I have been stewing over this idea for the last two months. I'm 38 years old and not getting any younger. I have been involved in youth ministry for 18 years and full time as a youth pastor for 11 years.
God called me into youth ministry back in the Fall of 1995. I was a freshman at college and decided to change my major because I realized that I was not living the call I had received as a young boy. I went to college to study business because I had taken a career type test in high school that determined I should go into business. It was during my first semester at college that I heard a message, in chapel, about Jonah's disobedience. God used that message to convict me that I was doing the wrong thing. The speaker even said in that message that if God has called you into ministry and you try to do anything else, you will not have the blessing of God in whatever you do. Wow. That hit me. I knew I had to change my major and pursue the call God had placed upon my life.
I began to pray about what specific ministry God was calling me into. I had an amazing experience in the youth group that I was a part of during middle and high school. My youth pastor, Erik Williams, spent a lot of time with me and showed me how to live for Jesus. God put it in my heart to be that same influence in the lives of teens in the next generation. Then God led me to a passage of Scripture to further confirm what He was doing in my heart, 1 Thessalonians 2:8 it says, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well because you have become so dear to us." God used this verse to impress upon me exactly what He was calling me to do: Build relationships with teens and share with them the life changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since God called me into youth ministry, I have served in three churches as the full-time youth pastor over a span of eleven years. While studying in seminary, I served a year and a half as a part time youth pastor. Then, I have served in two different churches as a youth coach for over five years. So, I have been involved as a youth leader for eighteen years. Wow, God has been so good to me!
When God called me to youth ministry, I had no idea how long I would last. I had friends who used youth ministry as a way to "climb the ladder" in order to become the lead pastor. I had friends who told me stories of getting burnt out. Youth ministry can be the most demanding of all the pastoral ministries within the church. I had a youth ministry professor in college who said that in order to fully prepare yourself to be a youth pastor, one would need to get a degree in theology, biblical studies, business administration, teaching, public relations, communication, psychology, and anthropology, just to name a few. When I heard that, I thought to myself, I know I'm not qualified, and that everyone who serves as a youth leader would need to rely heavily on the anointing of Jesus to fulfill their calling. That is exactly what has sustained me in these years as a youth leader.
When I started out as a youth pastor I told myself: If I ever get too old and stop connecting with youth, I need to get out before I do more harm then good. As I mentioned, I have been wondering the last two months if I am getting to that place. The youth ministry that I lead has seen a decline in attendance in recent months. Obviously numbers aren't the most important thing in ministry, but it is a vital sign that needs to be looked at periodically and taken seriously. In light of this, I have spent considerable time praying and asking the Lord for direction. So, over Christmas, I began praying and asking God this question: Is it time for me to move on? Am I getting too old for youth ministry or am I losing touch with youth? In response, I heard the Lord tell me pretty clear, No, it is not time to move on.
I asked the Lord: At what point is a person not qualified to be a youth pastor? I didn't get the answer I was expecting (when you're too old). The answers I received were: When you fall into immortality or when your call changes. What I was reminded of is the fact that God qualifies the called. Jesus didn't call the qualified when He chose fishermen, tradesmen and a tax collector to follow Him. He took men who were willing and then trained and empowered them. Then these men would eventually be used, by God, to launch the church. The same Holy Spirit who empowered the disciples, and gave them the energy and anointing they needed to reach people for Christ, is the same one who fills and empowers me to lead our youth ministry.
In conclusion, through prayer, I realized that my calling and assignment hasn't changed. God continues to burden my heart for the youth of our town. It pains me to see students making bad decisions when I know Who has the ability to change a person's life. While I continue to have a burden and love for teens, I'm staying in youth ministry. As long as God has a youth ministry calling upon my life and I have a passion for it, I'm going to continue fighting the old bald guy reality and embrace the fact that with Jesus the best is always yet to come.
By the way, while spending time in prayer, the Lord gave me two fresh downloads for new ministries to develop within our youth ministry. The future is bright for the Anchor, because Jesus is the Light of the World.
God called me into youth ministry back in the Fall of 1995. I was a freshman at college and decided to change my major because I realized that I was not living the call I had received as a young boy. I went to college to study business because I had taken a career type test in high school that determined I should go into business. It was during my first semester at college that I heard a message, in chapel, about Jonah's disobedience. God used that message to convict me that I was doing the wrong thing. The speaker even said in that message that if God has called you into ministry and you try to do anything else, you will not have the blessing of God in whatever you do. Wow. That hit me. I knew I had to change my major and pursue the call God had placed upon my life.
I began to pray about what specific ministry God was calling me into. I had an amazing experience in the youth group that I was a part of during middle and high school. My youth pastor, Erik Williams, spent a lot of time with me and showed me how to live for Jesus. God put it in my heart to be that same influence in the lives of teens in the next generation. Then God led me to a passage of Scripture to further confirm what He was doing in my heart, 1 Thessalonians 2:8 it says, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well because you have become so dear to us." God used this verse to impress upon me exactly what He was calling me to do: Build relationships with teens and share with them the life changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since God called me into youth ministry, I have served in three churches as the full-time youth pastor over a span of eleven years. While studying in seminary, I served a year and a half as a part time youth pastor. Then, I have served in two different churches as a youth coach for over five years. So, I have been involved as a youth leader for eighteen years. Wow, God has been so good to me!
When God called me to youth ministry, I had no idea how long I would last. I had friends who used youth ministry as a way to "climb the ladder" in order to become the lead pastor. I had friends who told me stories of getting burnt out. Youth ministry can be the most demanding of all the pastoral ministries within the church. I had a youth ministry professor in college who said that in order to fully prepare yourself to be a youth pastor, one would need to get a degree in theology, biblical studies, business administration, teaching, public relations, communication, psychology, and anthropology, just to name a few. When I heard that, I thought to myself, I know I'm not qualified, and that everyone who serves as a youth leader would need to rely heavily on the anointing of Jesus to fulfill their calling. That is exactly what has sustained me in these years as a youth leader.
When I started out as a youth pastor I told myself: If I ever get too old and stop connecting with youth, I need to get out before I do more harm then good. As I mentioned, I have been wondering the last two months if I am getting to that place. The youth ministry that I lead has seen a decline in attendance in recent months. Obviously numbers aren't the most important thing in ministry, but it is a vital sign that needs to be looked at periodically and taken seriously. In light of this, I have spent considerable time praying and asking the Lord for direction. So, over Christmas, I began praying and asking God this question: Is it time for me to move on? Am I getting too old for youth ministry or am I losing touch with youth? In response, I heard the Lord tell me pretty clear, No, it is not time to move on.
I asked the Lord: At what point is a person not qualified to be a youth pastor? I didn't get the answer I was expecting (when you're too old). The answers I received were: When you fall into immortality or when your call changes. What I was reminded of is the fact that God qualifies the called. Jesus didn't call the qualified when He chose fishermen, tradesmen and a tax collector to follow Him. He took men who were willing and then trained and empowered them. Then these men would eventually be used, by God, to launch the church. The same Holy Spirit who empowered the disciples, and gave them the energy and anointing they needed to reach people for Christ, is the same one who fills and empowers me to lead our youth ministry.
In conclusion, through prayer, I realized that my calling and assignment hasn't changed. God continues to burden my heart for the youth of our town. It pains me to see students making bad decisions when I know Who has the ability to change a person's life. While I continue to have a burden and love for teens, I'm staying in youth ministry. As long as God has a youth ministry calling upon my life and I have a passion for it, I'm going to continue fighting the old bald guy reality and embrace the fact that with Jesus the best is always yet to come.
By the way, while spending time in prayer, the Lord gave me two fresh downloads for new ministries to develop within our youth ministry. The future is bright for the Anchor, because Jesus is the Light of the World.
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