When Protecting Yourself Becomes a Problem Scripture (ESV) “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” — Hebrews 3:15 Sometimes people become difficult to reach because they’ve learned that being vulnerable can be painful. Maybe someone they trusted let them down, or they’ve experienced enough disappointment that keeping people at a distance…
Frustration Can Make a Bad Situation Worse Scripture (ESV) “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” — Ephesians 4:26 Anyone who’s spent time leading people knows how frustrating it can be when something that should’ve been handled keeps becoming a problem. You may have already addressed…
Burnout Changes How You See Your Work Scripture (ESV) “And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’” — 1 Kings 19:5 I’ve seen people who genuinely loved their work reach a point where they could barely stand doing it anymore….
Pressure Shows You What’s Already There Scripture (ESV) “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed…” — 2 Corinthians 4:8 Pressure gets blamed for a lot of things. Sometimes rightly. But pressure often reveals more than it creates. You can look steady when nothing important is being threatened. Then the deadline moves, the money…
Condemnation Leaves You Nowhere to Go Scripture (ESV) “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” — Romans 8:33 Conviction and condemnation are not the same thing. Conviction tells you the truth and calls you back. Condemnation tells you the truth is already settled against you and there is no…
Approval Can Quietly Run the Decision Scripture (ESV) “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” — Galatians 1:10 Most people want to be liked. I do too. There’s nothing wrong with caring about relationships or how your decisions affect people. The problem is when approval starts deciding what you’re willing…
There’s a Part of Us That Doesn’t Want to Change Scripture (ESV)“You stiff-necked people… you always resist the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 7:51 We’ve spent a lot of time talking about formation as something we want. But if we’re going to be honest, there are parts of us that don’t want it at all. We…
Unbelief Can Sound Very Christian Scripture (ESV)“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” — Hebrews 3:12 Unbelief is easy to picture as someone rejecting God outright. Hebrews makes the issue more uncomfortable because the warning is aimed at people…
Restlessness Makes You Move Before You Need To Scripture (ESV)“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” — Lamentations 3:26 I don’t like waiting when I think something should be moving. Most leaders don’t. When things slow down, we start wondering what needs fixed, who needs called, or what…
What Happens When You Might Lose It? “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” — 1 John 5:21 Idolatry sounds like something from another world until something important gets threatened. That’s when you start finding out what has been carrying more weight than you realized. Success can do that. So can reputation, money, a relationship, or…
