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Overcoming Pastoral Discouragement

Rick Warren outlines 4 principles for overcoming discouragement as a pastor: 1. Rest your body physically and mentally by getting adequate sleep and relaxation. 2. Reorganize your work by assessing your approach and making specific assignments to combat fatigue. 3. Remember God's word to shift your thinking from discouraging to hopeful thoughts. 4. Resist the devil who tries to neutralize pastors with discouragement and don't give in without fighting back spiritually.

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Mark L. Smith
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61 views1 page

Overcoming Pastoral Discouragement

Rick Warren outlines 4 principles for overcoming discouragement as a pastor: 1. Rest your body physically and mentally by getting adequate sleep and relaxation. 2. Reorganize your work by assessing your approach and making specific assignments to combat fatigue. 3. Remember God's word to shift your thinking from discouraging to hopeful thoughts. 4. Resist the devil who tries to neutralize pastors with discouragement and don't give in without fighting back spiritually.

Uploaded by

Mark L. Smith
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

How I Get Up When I'm Feeling Down

by Rick Warren I couldn't count the times I've wanted to resign in the past 21 years at Saddleback church. It has not been easy. Can you imagine setting up and taking down an enormous church every week for 16 years !hat's what we did until we finally built our own building " years ago. It was #uite tiring $ emotionally and physically. %owadays& discouragement usually hits me on 'ondays. (ven though we have a building now& preaching " weekend services still drains the life out of me. )ut I know I'm not alone. In speaking to the Southern )aptist Convention& *immy +raper once commented& ,-e are a denomination of discouraged leaders., I think that's true of all denominations. .fter listening to the feedback of the 1/2&000 pastors who've attended a 1urpose +riven Church seminar& I've concluded that most pastors struggle with chronic discouragement. )ut there is an antidote2 I discovered it in the fourth chapter of %ehemiah years ago. It has been a lifesaver for me to remember 3 simple principles. FIRST, I REST MY BODY: !he fact is $ you're a human and human beings need to do human things$ like rest and play and rela4 and have hobbies. 1salm 12/52 says& ,It's vain for you to sit up late and rise up early., Sometimes the most spiritual thing I can do is to 6ust go to sleep2 SECO D, I REORG! I"E MY WOR#: %ehemiah did this when they were rebuilding the wall. -hen his people got discouraged half way through the pro6ect& he reorgani7ed them by families& making specific assignments along the wall. !his is an important truth to remember. Sometimes& when you're discouraged& it's not that you're doing the wrong thing8 but rather that you're doing it in the wrong way. 9ou don't need to #uit the ministry. 9ou 6ust need to reorgani7e how you are going about it and learn some new skills. !ry a fresh approach. .ttack it from a different angle. :earn. ;row. <eorgani7e2 THIRD, I REMEMBER THE $ORD% +iscouragement is an attitude and attitudes are always a choice. I get discouraged when I choose to think discouraging thoughts. )ut no one is forcing those thoughts on me. I can choose to focus on something else& =like ;od> if I want to. FOURTH, I RESIST THE DE&I$: !he great pastor <.;. :ee once said& ,If you don't get up in the morning and meet the devil& you're 6ust headed the wrong way., -e are in a spiritual battle& and the devil doesn't want the kingdom of ;od to advance. .s a pastor& you're on the front line& so you're going to get hit. !he devil will attack you with every kind of thing he can think of to discourage you. ?e is the accuser of the brethren and he would love to neutrali7e you with discouragement. *ames 35/ says& ,<esist the devil2, +on't give in without a fight2.

You can't control the cantankerous or carnal people in your church. But you can chose how you respond to them. And you can choose whether you're going to let it discourage you or not. There's an old phrase: "Tough times ne er last! but tough people do." "t's true. #o don't gi e up$ %od is not &inished with you$ Rest your body. Reorgani'e your work. Remember the (ord. And resist the )e il. %od bless$

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