Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Overcome Your Weaknesses

Every human being has one or more weaknesses. The idea that ministers are perfect, divine, and without weakness is absurd.

Knowing that, it is essential to protect yourself. Don't open the door for the enemy. Guard yourself against the tricks of the devil, and those who are used by him.

Here are some suggestions to consider:

- No minister of the Gospel should be alone with a female that is not his wife. I’m not sure any Christian man should, really. Sexual temptation is a primary weakness for men. So make provision for it. Hide yourself in the cleft of the rock. Accountability software for internet use-like Covenant Eyes -is another excellent example of the provision principle in action.

- Weekends are high stress for most clergy families. Make provision for this. Don’t make difficult decisions or engage in discussions that invite conflict between Saturday and Monday afternoon. It’s a weak spot, so minimize the liability, spare yourself needless collateral damage to your marriage.

- Teach your staff about how to pass on different types of information, and they can communicating within these parameters. Certain modes of interaction trigger wrong responses, leading to bad decisions. Make provision for this weakness by getting info you need at the right time, in the right format.

- Take some time this week to identify some weak places in your life. Then get together with the people you call partners, and make provision.Hide yourself in the rock.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for recommending Covenant Eyes. We hope pastors and clergy can really benefit from being accountable to others around them. This not only helps them, but enables them to be an example to the rest of the church.

If you are interested in getting some free brochures about Covenant Eyes software to give to others in your circle of influence, please let me know!

Luke Gilkerson
luke.gilkerson@covenanteyes.com
Covenant Eyes

Anonymous said...

Hello again,

Covenant Eyes just finished this new video on porn temptation and how to break free with accountability. You might really like it. If you do, please splash it up in a blog post some time. We're trying to spread this message all over the Internet right now. Thanks!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8453b946b88adca7fac7

Luke Gilkerson
CovenantEyes.com