Page 21 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

The Heart of Ministry 21

For leaders, doubt takes on a greater dimension because others are following
their example. It is difficult to follow people when the path they cut is unclear or
their direction continually shifts. Such leaders are usually driven more by their
emotions than by the knowledge they have of God.
Fear is a common evidence of doubt. When a leader allows circumstances
to become larger than God, fear will overwhelm him or her. That fear may not
reveal itself in panic, but it will be evident in the shifting flow of doubt.
Self-reliance provides yet another evidence of doubt. When we are reluctant to
trust God to fulfill His promises, we tend to seek to fill the gaps of our faith with
activity. A leader who depends on God one minute but takes matters into his or her
own hands the next does not have inner peace and loses the ability to lead effectively.
James says that the result of doubt is clear—one is tossed back and forth with
no apparent control over one’s direction. Waves rise and fall, and the boats they
toss are navigated with great difficulty. But those who turn away from doubt live
with peace and a sense of direction that makes life clear for followers.

Pursuing Change
The steps of conquering a doubting heart are few but powerful. First, we must
know what God has said and put confidence in it. The promises God has given
to His children are discovered through the study of His word. While we cannot
categorically claim every promise God made to an individual in the Scriptures,
each of us is admonished to believe and stand in the hope of numerous others.
Once we are armed with the promises of God, we must choose to act on
them. We must believe, depending upon God’s promises of presence, provision,
and power. His methods of response will vary according to His own sovereign
purposes, but His faithfulness to fulfill His Word should be unquestioned.

10 Which is your most Finally, we must deal with the causes of our doubt. Satan will surely seek
common reason for doubt: to question the validity of God’s promises, and we will never fully avoid his
self-reliance, emotionalism, whispers, but we can conquer our self-reliance and the manner in which we
or influence of others?
What steps can you take to allow non-believers to influence our thinking. We can learn to live in expectation
overcome this tendency? rather than anxiety because God will be faithful. Remember, without faith it is
impossible to please Him.
A Proud Heart

The Heart Defined
In the previous lesson, we saw how a prideful heart is the enemy of a heart
that honors God. Since it is the central product of our sinful nature, a proud heart
shows itself in many ways. Self-reliance is the first snapshot of the proud heart.
Over time, self-reliant people come to depend so deeply on their own wisdom
that there develops a dullness to the direction of God for the local church.
No longer do these people see lasting changes in the lives of those who are
influenced by that ministry.

11 How is hypocrisy related The proud heart will ultimately lose its self-awareness and melt into
to pride? hypocrisy. For the proud, the failures of others are clearer than one’s own
weaknesses. In fact, the proud can even magnify the sins of others while ignoring
the presence of the same sin in their own lives. A person who easily sees others’
faults gives evidence of his or her own proud heart.
Self-focus is an even deeper picture of the proud heart. Here pride demonstrates
itself as envy, greed, and ultimately rebellion—demanding its own way. The
minister who labors for the affirmation of others, even to the point of silent pleasure