As I write this blog I'm sitting in the cafe at Christ for the Nations Bible School in Dallas, TX. observing students who have just left the morning chapel service and who are now lining up (a long line) for a morning cup of "joe" before going to their first class.
As I'm writing I can sense the energy and passion in the room that is flowing out of these young men and women who are on fire for Jesus Christ and excited about being equipped and empowered for their upcoming journey in the ministry.
Some will be pastors, pastors wives, missionaries, evangelist, associate pastors, worship leaders, children's pastors and youth pastors. Some will start businesses and fulfill their ministry in the marketplace as they represent the Kingdom of God in business. Some will simply work for a company and serve God through serving their employer.
But what really breaks my heart and stirs my heart to action is that "some" of these young students will lose this passion, energy and fire at some place in life when they face difficulty, discouragement, distraction or devastation. Statistics tell us that approximately 80% of Bible School Students will leave the ministry within five years of entering vocational ministry. Honestly, that just blows my mind!
When I think about those who once had a passion to serve God and others and have now walked away from ministry and in some cases their relationship with God I can't help but think about the following verse Jesus shared with His disciples.
"Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." (Matthew 9:37)
This verse seems clear to me! If my heart is for the harvest I must also have a heart for the workers! This is one reason my wife and I are so passionate about encouraging people all over the world! We need more workers in the harvest field not workers leaving the harvest field!
If you're reading this blog and you're one of the statistics I mentioned above I want you to know it's not over and your best days are before you! Your heart may be broken but our Heavenly Father loves you and wants to heal your heart and restore your life and ministry! Never forget, if you will allow God He will turn things around and work all things (even the bad) out for His glory and your good! It doesn't mean all the pain will immediately go away but it does mean that God will bring purpose to your pain and with time His purpose will become far greater than your pain!
But the greatest thing of all is you'll experience God's presence in a powerful way and peace will flood your heart! You'll hear the voice of God once again saying, "You're My Son or You're my Daughter! I've never left you or forsaken you. I've been with you through it all and I still have a great plan for your life!"
Never forget what I'm about to write! The restoring power of God is far greater than the destroying power of Satan! Which power are you going to allow to work in your life?
Maybe you're reading this and you're on the verge of quitting. Let me "scream" at you, PLEASE DON'T QUIT! Don't jump off the quitting cliff because the landing can be painful! It may seem like a relief when you jump of the quitting cliff and you're soaring in the air but when you hit the rocks on the bottom it can hurt. Yes God can restore and He will if you quit. But the pain you experience after quitting can sometimes be far greater than the pain you're experiencing before you quit.
Before I close out this blog let me give you a couple of simple steps that will be a huge help to you during the painful moments of life and ministry. These steps don't seem really "deep" but I believe they're crucial to longevity in your walk with God and what He's called you to do.
1. Stay close to God! Don't allow your difficulty to drive you away from God. The Bible tells us that if we stay close to God He will stay close to us. In other words, you're as close to God as you want to be.
2. Stay close to friends! I have some close genuine friends that have been a huge help to me and my family during our painful moments. What do I mean by genuine friends? I'm not their friend for what I can do for them and they're not my friend for what they can do for me. Some might disagree but that's the wrong motivation to be friends. We're friends because there is a divine flow between us and God has obviously joined our hearts together! I love these kind of relationships!
Your relationship with God and your relationship with close friends. Don't neglect either of these and you'll walk through your painful season and come out on the other side a stronger, wiser and more humbled person.
I love it! Hey it's time to DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
As I'm writing I can sense the energy and passion in the room that is flowing out of these young men and women who are on fire for Jesus Christ and excited about being equipped and empowered for their upcoming journey in the ministry.
Some will be pastors, pastors wives, missionaries, evangelist, associate pastors, worship leaders, children's pastors and youth pastors. Some will start businesses and fulfill their ministry in the marketplace as they represent the Kingdom of God in business. Some will simply work for a company and serve God through serving their employer.
But what really breaks my heart and stirs my heart to action is that "some" of these young students will lose this passion, energy and fire at some place in life when they face difficulty, discouragement, distraction or devastation. Statistics tell us that approximately 80% of Bible School Students will leave the ministry within five years of entering vocational ministry. Honestly, that just blows my mind!
When I think about those who once had a passion to serve God and others and have now walked away from ministry and in some cases their relationship with God I can't help but think about the following verse Jesus shared with His disciples.
"Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." (Matthew 9:37)
This verse seems clear to me! If my heart is for the harvest I must also have a heart for the workers! This is one reason my wife and I are so passionate about encouraging people all over the world! We need more workers in the harvest field not workers leaving the harvest field!
If you're reading this blog and you're one of the statistics I mentioned above I want you to know it's not over and your best days are before you! Your heart may be broken but our Heavenly Father loves you and wants to heal your heart and restore your life and ministry! Never forget, if you will allow God He will turn things around and work all things (even the bad) out for His glory and your good! It doesn't mean all the pain will immediately go away but it does mean that God will bring purpose to your pain and with time His purpose will become far greater than your pain!
But the greatest thing of all is you'll experience God's presence in a powerful way and peace will flood your heart! You'll hear the voice of God once again saying, "You're My Son or You're my Daughter! I've never left you or forsaken you. I've been with you through it all and I still have a great plan for your life!"
Never forget what I'm about to write! The restoring power of God is far greater than the destroying power of Satan! Which power are you going to allow to work in your life?
Maybe you're reading this and you're on the verge of quitting. Let me "scream" at you, PLEASE DON'T QUIT! Don't jump off the quitting cliff because the landing can be painful! It may seem like a relief when you jump of the quitting cliff and you're soaring in the air but when you hit the rocks on the bottom it can hurt. Yes God can restore and He will if you quit. But the pain you experience after quitting can sometimes be far greater than the pain you're experiencing before you quit.
Before I close out this blog let me give you a couple of simple steps that will be a huge help to you during the painful moments of life and ministry. These steps don't seem really "deep" but I believe they're crucial to longevity in your walk with God and what He's called you to do.
1. Stay close to God! Don't allow your difficulty to drive you away from God. The Bible tells us that if we stay close to God He will stay close to us. In other words, you're as close to God as you want to be.
2. Stay close to friends! I have some close genuine friends that have been a huge help to me and my family during our painful moments. What do I mean by genuine friends? I'm not their friend for what I can do for them and they're not my friend for what they can do for me. Some might disagree but that's the wrong motivation to be friends. We're friends because there is a divine flow between us and God has obviously joined our hearts together! I love these kind of relationships!
Your relationship with God and your relationship with close friends. Don't neglect either of these and you'll walk through your painful season and come out on the other side a stronger, wiser and more humbled person.
I love it! Hey it's time to DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
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