| |
| |
| |
|
August 9, 2022
|
Greetings from your friends at Pastoral Care
Inc.
|
|
| |
| |
|
a message for pastors who are discouraged
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Let Go and Let God
Have His Wonderful Way
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
Pastor, how are things going for you and your church? Church leader, how is your ministry going right now?
I know, from many
years of experience counseling pastors and leaders, that at any given time many pastors are feeling discouraged. And if I could say, some pastors are even being defeated by the discouragement and
disappointment they feel.
In difficult times,
ministry can be an especially hard calling. When things do not seem to be going well, it is tempting to dwell on the negatives and to experience doubt and
discouragement.
If you focus on
people, circumstances, and immediate results, then discouragement is guaranteed. People let us down; sometimes they even turn against us. Circumstances often disappoint. Immediate results usually
fall short of our expectations.
Pastor, when you are going through a tough time, whether in your personal life or in your ministry, please turn it over to God. Your calling is to serve Him, no matter what other
people do or say, no matter what circumstances come our way, no matter what the results may be.
|
 |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
God is the one you serve. God will never
let you down or turn against you. God will never disappoint you. God will always measure up to and surpass your expectations.
Dwelling on the Negatives
Sadly, people tend to cling to their hurts, their disappointments, and their failures. To keep reliving
them in their thoughts and emotions. To stay focused on the negative and refuse to let it go.
This is a spiritual battle! And as a pastor you know that the only way to win a spiritual battle is to
rely on God’s power to deliver us. We must believe by faith that God takes us through good times and bad times for a reason.
“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
“All things” include the many “negative” things that life brings our way. By faith we must believe that
even the “negatives” become “positives’ in God’s sovereign hands.
God never promised that your calling would be an easy one. The Bible is full of stories of men and women
of God who were placed in difficult situations. Then God used that time of trial to accomplish something great. God has a purpose for your ministry, too; God even has a purpose for the hard times you
are going through right now. Do you have the faith to believe that?
It is often hard to see what God is doing; it is impossible when we insist on keeping our focus on the
difficult people and circumstances that confront us. God wants to deliver us, to release us from oppressive thoughts and feelings. God wants to reopen our eyes and restore our
ministry.
Let It Go!
Over the years I have had hundreds of opportunities to minister to people who were going through rough
times. Sometimes I will ask people I am counseling to take a Kleenex and wad it up in their fist. I tell them to squeeze that Kleenex as tightly as they can. I tell them that that clenched Kleenex
represents the problems they are facing, the difficult situations that are causing them frustration, their many hurts and unmet expectations.
Then I tell them to take that Kleenex which they are holding so tightly and let it go. I tell them to
release it to the Lord and put their trust in Him to restore their peace, their joy, their life, their ministry. I tell them to walk away, follow your calling, and never look
back.
When a minister can truly let go, he or she will receive a great blessing and a renewed spirit. They
will be set free! In every situation, those who let go received a blessing and were set free!
Unfortunately, there have been many times, as I am talking to a pastor who is hurting and discouraged,
that he/she absolutely refuses to let go of the problem. Because they refuse to let go, they leave unchanged. So sad. They have allowed their problem to become more important to them than their
calling.
Pastor, are you clinging to hurts, hardships, disappointments. Is God whispering to you to let go? I
remember an old revival song:
“Let go and let God have His wonderful way.
Your burdens will vanish,
your night turn to day.
Let go and let God have His way.”
There is such great freedom and wonderful spiritual revival that comes from letting
go.
Good Things
Ahead
God has so many good things in store for you, your family, and your ministry. What God has planned for
you is too good to keep stubbornly holding on to all the bad stuff. Satan wants us to hang on to our negative thoughts and feelings, continuing to be ineffective and defeated, rather than to walk in
victory. Don’t let him have his way!
Pastor, you have a marvelous calling on your life. You can bring life into this world. You can bring
hope into this world. Yes, you are the light of this world! You have a great opportunity to make a difference in your church, your community, and your nation! Your calling is never measured by the
negatives, but by the blessed hope that God has given us.
Pastoral Care Inc. is here for you. If you need encouragement, a place to get away for a much-needed
rest, or just need someone to talk to, our doors are always open. We our only a phone call or email away: 918-758-4147, jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org.
God bless you in all you do for the Kingdom of God. Remember: Let go of all the negatives and turn them
over to God!
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Want the Pastoral Care Mobile App? Here's
How!
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Want the Pastoral Care Inc. mobile app? Get the latest Pastoral Care news and announcements, videos, upcoming events, donate to
our ministry, or contact us. Here's how:
1. The Pastoral Care mobile app is provided by "Church by Ministry One." Scan the QR code above or click on this link: Pastoral Care Mobile App .
2. When the "Church at Ministry One" page opens, click on "Open Website." (If you see ads for other sites, just ignore them).
3. Click on the
Apple App Store button or Google Play button. Install the app and open it up.
4. An icon will be
placed on your device: a purple button with a white cross in the middle with the word "Church" below. When you click on that icon, it will take you directly to the Pastoral Care Mobile
App.
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
Pastoral Care Inc.
supporting and strengthening pastors
|
| Executive Director |
| Jim Fuller |
| jfuller@pastoralcareinc.org |
| |
| Communications Director |
| Terry Hull |
| terry.hull@pastoralcareinc.com |
Our mission: Pastoral Care
Inc. supports and strengthens Christian ministers nationwide from all denominations through counseling, immediate caregiving assistance and education, as well as researching the underlying
stressors associated with ministry.
Call us. Email us. Pastor, if you need someone to talk to, Pastoral Care Inc. is always just
a phone call or email away. That’s why we are here!
Pastor, you are
very important in the Kingdom of God -- and you are important to us!
|
| |
| |
| |
 |
|
The PCI App
Get it for your Android smartphone or
iPhone
|
|
* Full list of Pastoral Care services for pastors and churches
* Request form for pastors to seek immediate help
* More info about Pastoral Care Inc.
* Videos for pastors, churches and denominations
For more info on how to get the Pastoral Care mobile app, see the detailed instructions above.
|
| |
| |
| |
 |
|
Help Us Help
Pastors
|
|
Every month Pastoral Care provides encouragement, assistance, vacation get-a-ways, and many other forms of help to pastors across the country. It is our continuing prayer to
expand our outreach to pastors and their families.
The need is so great! Will you become our partner in encouraging pastors? Will you send a financial gift to make our present and future ministry to ministers
possible?
Please say “Yes” by responding in one of these ways:
* Use our Online Donation
Form.
* Send your gift to: Pastoral Care Inc., 13455 Celia Berryhill Road, Okmulgee, OK74447.
Thank you for partnering with us in
ministering to our nation’s pastors, their families and the congregations they serve!
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Print 