Stress is just a part of ministry. If you don’t have stress in your ministry, you’re probably not being very effective. You need a certain amount of stress in your life to accomplish anything. Stress is what gives you the energy, the effort, and the ability to actually accomplish what God has called you to do.
Take a violin, for example. You have to put stress on the violin strings to make music. If you add just the right amount of stress, it creates beautiful music. On the other hand, if you tighten it too tight, the strings snap.
Stress can be a problem for our ministry as well. When you get so stressed you feel like you’re ready to pop, that’s bad for your ministry. The Bible gives us four things we need to do when we’re stressed to a breaking point.
Release your frustrations.
Stress creates all kinds of negative emotions—like anxiety, worry, fear, guilt, shame, and depression. And it can create frustration as well. What do we typically do with that frustration? Instead of taking it to God, we push it down deeper inside of us and pretend everything is okay. We’re the pastor. We can’t let anyone see that we’re vulnerable.
But is that really what God wants? Does he want you to be a phony? Of course not.
God wants you to be real. God understands your emotions. He created you and gave you the ability to feel what you do. He desires that you express those emotions.
The Bible says in Psalm 62:8, “Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge” (NLT). He wants us to lay it all out to him. Whatever it is that you’re feeling, just tell him. Don’t repress your feelings of frustration; let them out.
Resist becoming bitter.
Bitterness is often a by-product of finding yourself stressed to the breaking point. You start thinking, “This stress is unfair. It shouldn’t be happening to me.” You can’t prevent hurt from coming into your life.
Although you can’t control your circumstances, you can control your response to them. At some point in your life, you have to decide whether you’re going to be bitter or happy. The sooner you make that choice the better. You can’t be both.
After many years of ministry, I’ve learned something about contentment. There’s no connection between circumstances and happiness. Most people want you to believe that there is. They want you to believe that if you were serving at a bigger church, had more money, or a nicer home, you’d be happy. But it’s a lie.
We all know people who have it all and are unhappy. Obviously, it’s not a matter of circumstances. Happiness is a choice.
Hebrews 12:15 says, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
Bitterness never changes anything, but gratitude does. Gratitude is the antidote to bitterness. Studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion that you can possibly have. When you feel like bitterness is taking over, you need to find something that you can be thankful for. You can’t be grateful and bitter at the same time.
Receive help from others.
It’s tempting to isolate yourself when you’re stressed out. That’s the last thing you should do! When you are at your breaking point, you need people in your life. You need people who will give you support, strength, and perspective.
Pastor, that’s why you need a support system. You may find that kind of support within your church family. You may need to find some other pastors in your community who can support you through stressful times. Regardless, you need a support system.
It is also important that you set up a support system before a crisis hits. If you wait until a crisis hits to try to find people to walk through it with you, it’ll probably be too late. One day you’ll hit the wall. Count on it. In your life and in your ministry, you’ll hit the wall many times. When that happens, you need to have people you can count on already in place.
Refocus on Christ.
When you get stressed, your life gets out of focus. You start looking at your problem and stop looking at Christ. All you can see is your pain. That’s when you need to get your focus off of yourself and on Christ.
That sounds good, but how do you do it? You do these three things:
- Read God’s Word. God’s Word is a great stress reliever. Go through your Bible and underline verses that mean a lot to you. I have a study Bible that I use during my quiet times, but I also have a stress Bible as well. Every time I get stressed, I open up that Bible and read through the verses I have underlined.
- Remember God’s Goodness. Usually when we’re stressed, we’re focused on what’s wrong. And not only do we focus on the bad things in our life, but we exaggerate them. That’s exactly when we need to focus on the goodness of God. God is good. You need to remember that when you’re stressed out.
- Rely on God’s Power. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” If God can raise a dead person, he can raise a dead marriage; he can raise a dead career; he can raise anything. He can turn things around that you think are hopeless. In times of stress, remember you’re in good hands with God.
Pastor, are you at a breaking point today? I don’t know what kind of pain you’re dealing with, but God does. He cares about you, and he cares about your ministry. Hang in there, release your frustration, resist becoming bitter, receive help from others, and refocus on Christ. Your most effective ministry may well be ahead of you.
The music of life is played on the tension of what is and what is becoming. Let the song of Christ flow through your tears.
It’ll be okay. Just breathe.
Thanks pastor Rick.
It’s been 3years since certain people i had in key places in the church sabotaged me, caused members to dessert our church. We want through financial hardship, lost our building. We basically came to “ground zero”.
I have struggled to get back up again all along since then. I have prayed, fasted, forgiven the perpetrators and people who desserted me despite all God has done for them through our ministry.
I am grateful that God has kept my family safe all through this storm. Though the devil has been working hard to scatter us.
Please pray with me.
Pastor Samuel.
God bless you pastor Samuel! I am currently pastoring in Puerto Rico and can definitely relate! I will pray for you and your family! :)
Level ground under the cross my heart goes to Pastor Samuel, I seems your words are not encouraging to read.. At some point being a Pastor we might get wrong, but that does mean that members should capitalize on that and dessert the church and leave the Pastor bleeding. When Pastor Sam said OUR CHURCH, it doesn’t mean he is owning the church, he is just sharing the painful experience he had with some self serving people.. Yeah, we know that God is positioning His people on the battle ground, we can do nothing about that but to pray and trusts Him who called us.. But don’t school us, that the problem when people leaving the Church is on the Pastor, as if we don’t feed, love and serve them.. That is unfair words to say, because you don’t really know the real score, though forgiveness is already given, but sometimes the scars in there. That is we always pour our hearts to God to give us strength to go on.. SPEAK WITH LOVE MY BROTHER.. Chuck Swindoll once said, SO MANY PEOPLE STOP, BECAUSE TOO FEW PEOPLE SAY GO.. To Pastor Sam, my brother, keep serving, never lost hope.. The gates of hades will not prevail against the Church, keep in mind, we as Church is on the attacking side, the devil is on the defensive side, and the Church will always win the battle.. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shine on you, strengthen you, bless the church you are serving even more, and bless your family too.. In due time you will reap the harvest, stay faithful to your calling my brother..
Pastor Roy Martinez
Senior Pastor
Jesus the Sure Foundation, Christian Community Church
Valenzuela City, Philippines
@LevelGround – As someone who’s experienced more than 1 church division or split, as an associate rather than primary target of the unfortunate schisms, I empathize for & pray with Pastor Samuel. He needs support, encouragement, and love, regardless of his specific situation. It would’ve been better had your reply been condensed to a loving question like, “Did God reveal to you any contribution you had to the rift & any growth experiences as a result you can praise Him for?”
Pastor Samuel seemed rather contrite in his post, and I trust God continues to work on, in, and through him as he does each of us who live to serve Him.
In situations I’ve been upfront & close to, I can truly say the splitting dissensions were not orchestrated by God, and ended up hurting many people in a variety of ways. Sheep scattered as the shepherd was stricken, and in every case the end state of the dividers was much lesser than before they divided from the pastor.
While we live in this body, the world, flesh, and devil will combat our every effort as we serve our Lord. Let’s lift up the arms of our fellow servants, knowing that it pleases Christ. Let’s also leave it to the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to people rather than veer too closely to His role, and in the process drive others further away from the healing God intends for His people who’ve been injured in service.
I’m concerned the post above could’ve caused Samuel to feel more condemned rather than encourage him in the direction I trust God has been leading him in.
That type of communication would’ve better mirrored the spirit of what you aimed to suggest he do.
Please consider this for similar future communications.
Paul (guided by the Holy Spirit) in his letters specifically named people who came against him.
God permitted those names to stand for time & eternity to serve as an example of how not to be as a believer. Paul didn’t sin or err – he in righteous indignation & guidance by the Holy Spirit wrote about how he was wronged in his service of Christ & His body the church.
Blessings in Christ
Great stuff Pastor Rick Thanks so much!
Excellent advice.
Thank you