Let me ask you a question. What is the reason that you are doing what you are doing? Or more specifically, what is the end result that you are trying to accomplish?

Most ministers, when asked what their goal and calling is, will say things like, “To save souls,” or “To meet the needs of the people,” or “To teach,” or “To build up the church.” But when you get more specific and ask, “What have you been doing so far today?” the answer might be “Trying to figure out how to pay my bills,” or “Dealing with disgruntled employees,” or “Talking with several people to keep my church from splitting apart.”

I guess what I am saying is this. While our goals are good and we want to save souls and change the world, most ministers are just trying to survive. They are trying to keep one-half of a nostril above water so that they can grasp a little air and not sink on that day. It’s sad when men and women of God who are called to preach, teach, and minister the Word of God to a lost and dying world, spend more time patching together their own lives than they do ministering. This should not be.

Grace can be defined as God’s power that He willingly gives to the believer who will receive it so that he can do the impossible. God’s grace empowers us so that we can do what we normally couldn’t do. But because God graciously gives us His power, strength, and authority to overcome any test, trial, or tribulation that could come against us, we can do it. We preach this and it’s true, but it’s not just true for our congregations. It is true for us, as ministers, also.

As ministers of the gospel we must never allow ourselves to fall into the routine of preparing messages for others and losing the reality of God’s promise for us. There is a difference between preaching deliverance and receiving deliverance yourself.

Several weeks ago I met with a medical doctor who was concerned about his health. For years he’d had trouble breathing and was concerned he might have lung cancer, although he said he had never allowed himself to be examined for it. All the while he was talking with me, I could smell cigarettes on his body. I thought to myself how sad it was that a man who had administered medical healing and given advice to so many people over the years was unwilling to follow his own advice. His medical knowledge and administration of healing to others was not enough to overcome the lack of administering the same healing to his own body.

The Spirit spoke to my heart and said that many ministers are doing the same thing. They proclaim His Word to others, but they fail to receive it and apply it for themselves.

God’s grace is not something that we just preach, but it is something that we must receive and administer in our own lives so that as ministers we will be strong physically, mentally, and financially. That strength is necessary to accomplish the goals and callings that God has given us. A dead doctor doesn’t heal anyone.

So my point is this. As a minister, you must not only prepare to teach and train others, but you must also daily renew your own mind with God’s Word for your own life. How can you expect others to accept the power of God’s grace when they see the one teaching them faltering?

Now don’t take this as condemnation. That’s what the enemy would want. But instead take this as a point of correction. Walk in the things you preach. Preach The Blessing. Preach victory. Preach abundance. Preach health. Preach self-control. Practice what you preach and preach what you practice. Letting your light shine so the Father will be glorified is not just something we preach to the congregation. As ministers, we should be beacons in the community walking in integrity and the wholeness of The Blessing.

Walking in The Blessing will allow you to focus on your calling and accomplish what God has placed before you. Of course, the enemy will try to distract you with the cares of this world. But when you personally receive God’s grace and apply it to your own life, it will be the best sermon you could ever preach. Your congregation and followers will see the light from your victory and your life in The Blessing will be a testimony to the greatness of God’s grace.

Your goals and visions mean nothing if you can’t accomplish them. But you can reach your goals, if you apply God’s power to your own life. You can’t rescue others in a drowning world if you are spending your time plugging the holes in a sinking ship. So take God’s grace, get your ship in shape, and sail on to victory.

Scripture References:

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

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