15 Bible Examples Of Why Pastors Can Still Be Courageous

Do you ever feel like everyone is against you as a pastor? Do you feel like man with the world on his shoulders? Have you ever thought about quitting because you have no more courage left inside you? Don’t fret, we have all been there and experienced that. There is hope! Consider what God says in Psalm 31:24 “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”

The truth is very plain pastor. You CAN make it and you CAN triumph! Look to God for strength! Consider the following Bible examples for encouragement this day…

Consider the following 15 Bible Examples:

#1 – After delivering Lot from the wicked kings and giving tithes to Melchizedek, Abraham had an experience that invigorated him!

(Genesis 15:1) “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”  (KJV)

#2 – The law of warfare is described in Deuteronomy!

(Deuteronomy 20:1) “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”  (KJV)

#3 – Moses gave a charge to the priests, Levites and to Joshua!

(Deuteronomy 31:6) “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”  (KJV)

#4 – Joshua is given a Divine charge! (Consider: Joshua 1:6 & 9 As Well!)

(Joshua 1:7) “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”  (KJV)

#5 – Joshua is encouraged before the battle of Jericho!

(Joshua 5:14) “And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?”  (KJV)

#6 – Caleb, the aged warrior, showed his valor in wanting to fight the battle in his old age!

(Joshua 14:12) “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.”  (KJV)

#7 – Jonathon exhibited his courage before his fellow soldier!

(1 Samuel 14:6) “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”  (KJV)

#8 – David showed his faith to Saul before he went out before Goliath!

(1 Samuel 17:32) “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”  (KJV)

#9 – Elisha’s servant was discouraged, but was encouraged when God’s man prayed for him!

(2 Kings 6:15-17) “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”  (KJV)

10 – Nehemiah stood firm in the midst of a conspiracy!

(Nehemiah 6:11) “And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”  (KJV)

#11 – We see that Solomon made it plain that fear brings a snare to man!

(Proverbs 29:25) “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”  (KJV)

#12 – Isaiah encourages Israel by stated a great truth from God!

(Isaiah 41:10) “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”  (KJV)

#13 – Daniel displayed some great courage in the midst of a hostile political climate!

(Daniel 6:10) “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”  (KJV)

#14 – Peter & John encouraged the church after a skirmish with the law, and the church prayed for boldness!

(Acts 4:31) “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”  (KJV)

#15 – Paul was encouraged when he was going through difficult time on the prison ship!

(Acts 27:23-24) “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”  (KJV)

Conclusion

Pastors can endure hardness and win the victory! Sustenance must be sought from God Himself and not from  themselves. Courage is, for all practical purposes, simply taking God at His Word and exercising faith in that same Word! No matter the battle… pastor you can make it!

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Tips For Pastors When Seeking Advice

It has been said that all we need to grow as believers is our Bibles and the Holy Spirit. I agree with that statement, but we have also been given pastors and teachers, by God, to help instruct us along life’s pathway. Just as the members of your congregation need help and advice from time to time, so do God’s men. The million dollar question is, “To whom do pastors go to when they need help?” The answer, of course, is God and other pastor friends. Specifically though… what kind of pastor friends should folks go to when needing advice?


Sometimes it is just as helpful to know who NOT to frequent for advice as it is to know who to go to. This post seeks to address this issue in a candid fashion. Though it may appear that I am a bit harsh, I am endeavoring to be “to the point” in my thoughts.

(Proverbs 11:14) “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”  (KJV)

Listed below are some important tips for pastors who are looking for advice from other men in the ministry!

#1 – Beware Of The Insulated!

One of the detriments of taking advice from some people is it’s lack of relevance. Some preachers are well established in a routine of ministry, and depending upon the size, scope, and style of one’s ministry, the advice given may not be very helpful. Sometimes these varying factors inhibit men of God from giving sound, relevant advice to other preacher friends.

For example, if a preacher is in a very populated urban ministry, then he is not a very practical source of help to a “country” preacher. This does not mean that no ideas can be exchanged. Quite the contrary! It just means that some points of advice will be totally irrelevant.

Another great example of this is when some preachers try to tell another preacher how to carry out their ministry. Some pastors think they know just exactly how a missionary ought to raise his support or how they should carry out their ministry on the field. Many of these same advice giving pastors have never had to raise one dime of monetary support to carry out ministry, nor have many of them participated in ministries overseas or in an area opposite their culture. While it is true that certain principles are immutable, it is commonplace to see God use a variety of methods to carry out these timeless precepts.

#2 – Beware Of The Agreeable!

Not only should one steer clear of insulated pastor friends, at times, one should also avoid agreeable ones as well. “YES” men should not be asked about certain issues because they will not be an objective source of instruction. Some advice, which is needed in ministry, should be direct and to the point. If you seek a close friend who is of an agreeable personality, then you are very likely to get an easy going answer. Fearing to hurt your feelings, the TRUTH will not be shared the way it could otherwise. Your friend may think a lot of you, but he may fail a bit in his advice.

#3 – Beware Of The Egotistical!

Some people don’t give good advice because their ego overshadows the admonishment. Not only is it hard to take advice from people with gigantic egos, it is usually accompanied with baggage that is not worth dealing with. What’s worse, you conclude your conversation feeling as though you were talked down to and possibly interrogated. It is just not worth the effort! Though some pastors are greatly used of the Lord, they have faults like anyone else. It is wise to be careful from whom we take advice, but this is especially true concerning those with huge egos.

#4 – Beware Of The Novice!

For some strange, yet all too common, reason younger pastors think they know absolutely everything about everything and if you don’t think so, then ASK one of them. “We all admire their zeal and we all have to start someplace” may be the disclaimer for dealing with this, but it does not serve one ounce of good when you need objective Biblical advice on certain issues. The older a pastor gets, the more he learns from his mistakes. One of the most common regrets, expressed from older pastors, is some of the advice they gave as a young preacher. It is awesome that we have a God that can straighten out poor advice!

Conclusion

As we conclude this post you might think I am being hard on preachers. I admit that without reservation. The truth is that I do so because I have made the exact same mistakes as presented. Maybe you can see yourself making these or variations of these in your ministry? If so, then change!

The point of this post has been to challenge each one of us to be extremely careful from whom we take advice. It can also be seen how we should NOTgive advice. Our actions have eternal consequences and it should behoove us to remember that when acting upon someone else’s instructions/advice.

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Pastor, Decisions You Make Have Eternal Consequences

I know for a fact that when we, as men of God, make most decisions, we do not think in the terms of “Eternal Consequences”. Regardless of our state of mind when making decisions, they do have ramifications that reach far into the future. Let us consider a few things in this post that will help us think about how we make decisions.

#1 – Self-Centered…

(Psalms 119:133) “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”  (KJV)

When making a decision from a self-centered, self-promoting or self-preserving motivation, then rest assured that it can come back to bite you. By definition, a decision from these areas are built upon a sinful foundation. Good decisions can help you, increase your reputation and keep you alive, but these benefits should not be the motivating factor. Sound Biblical precepts should be the inner framework of any decision we make as preachers, especially ministry decisions!

#2 – Appeasement…

(Galatians 2:11-14) “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?”  (KJV)

As a spiritual leader, there are times when we are tempted to make a decision to appease a person or persons. Good decision making must remain objective and not ensnared by fear or familiarity. As a snowball gets bigger the farther it rolls down a hill, so do appeasements in ministry. There is no end as to how large a mess we can make. As hard as it is to fight this temptation, God’s men must persevere! Don’t appease men, but seek to please Christ!

#3 – Short Sighted…

(Luke 14:28-32) “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.”  (KJV)

Often, we make decisions in haste and in the heat of the moment. Many times we do not consider the minister who will fill our shoes down the road. Throughout the years, many churches have been hindered by great and notable men of God who made short sighted decisions. May we do our best to consider those who travel in our footsteps when we make our decisions.

#4 – Impractical…

(James 1:5)  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”  (KJV)

(James 1:13) “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”  (KJV)

(James 1:17) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”  (KJV)

Spiritual maturity tends to minimize impracticality in decision making, but not always. We must remain practical, but not too practical. Vision is great, but it must be balanced. Many a preacher has limited himself because of decision after decision being made from a “pie in the sky” mentality! Yes, we need vision, faith and spiritual drive, but when leading, we must consider those who follow us! It suffices to say that we must exercise godly wisdom.


#5 – Indecisive…

(2 Timothy 1:7) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  (KJV)

Timidity can be a huge liability in leadership and especially when making decisions. If the pastor will not make a decision, then someone will! It is not uncommon to see a spiritual leader sticking his finger to the wind to see which way he should go, when he is too timid. It is one thing to be cautious, but it is an entirely different thing to be indecisive. Be courageous and walk with God!

Conclusion

The bottom line in decision making is to be sure that we do what God wants us to do! If this is our motivation, then we will be balanced. Even though we will not get it right 100% of the time, we can get it right most of the time. The most important thing to remember is what we decide to do has far reaching ramifications that stretch into eternity!

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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