Page 24 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

24 Beginning Ministerial Internship: Student Manual

prophet and cared for him, just as He understands His modern servants during
their times of hurt. He will help us when we are ready.
14 What are the steps of When a minister recognizes the signs of resentment, it is time for him or her
extending forgiveness? to return to the path of forgiveness. First, the minister needs to reflect on God’s
forgiveness. One cannot truly justify withholding forgiveness from others once it
has been so gloriously experienced personally.
Second, ministers must identify the scope of their feelings by considering
every aspect of how the circumstance has affected their lives. Then, the minister
must give God the troubling emotions and allow Him to heal the residual hurts.
Third is the point of separating the offender from the offense and finding ways
to renew the person(s) in love. Then, finally, the minister must proclaim freedom
for the offender and the offended. If necessary, inform the offender of your past
resentment and assure him or her of your choice to forgive. It is the resentful
heart that needs to be free, so proclaim your own freedom and allow God’s
healing to finish its work.

Summary

The heart dictates a life’s direction. The heart shapes perception and leads to
decision-making. Many ministers have found themselves stunted by the fruits of
a wrong heart condition, and God’s gifts have been compromised or abandoned.
To have the right heart, a minister must choose to turn from the self-centered
state of a wrong heart. The Bible admonishes us to avoid certain things if we are
to guard our hearts from unholiness and fruitlessness. Among these are doubt,
pride, and resentment. Each of these characteristics conflicts with the essence
of the Gospel and the purposes of God in this world. The doubting heart turns
us from trust. The proud heart teaches us self-focus, and the resentful heart
undermines the forgiveness that can set us free.

God’s Tests for Leaders

LESSON “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious
1.3 thoughts” (Psalm 139:23).

In his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren proclaims that life is a test
(2002, 42). He goes on to explain how God is at work in the circumstances of our
1.3.1 lives, using them to develop us more in the principles of His nature and kingdom.
OBJECTIVE For the minister, there should be no doubt that these tests will come. After all, as
Explain characteristics stewards of God’s kingdom, ministers should set the pace among God’s people.
of the tests of trust,
obedience, dependence, Tests are the tools God uses to shape our character and give us understanding
love, time, and solitude. of His heart. Tests are not a sign that something is broken or that we have failed
in some capacity. Instead, they are the strategy of a loving God to develop us. Do
not aim to avoid the tests—aim to pass them.