Spiritual leadership comes with many blessings, but it also has its fair share of curses. Just like with secular power, spiritual power can corrupt and I believe that this corruption is far more dangerous and damaging.
All you have to do is Google “Christian Pastors” to find a slew of news stories about men and women who have fallen victim to the perils of Christian Leadership. They become more enamored with the elevation of the position, than the Reason they got involved in the first place. They forget that they are serving Christ’s end and instead flip the switch and act as if Christ is serving theirs.
We have all seen great Christian men and women fall far from grace because they allowed themselves to fall victim to pride, egotism, jealousy, popularity, and the inability to see their own mistakes and failures. I can honestly say that it’s truly disheartening to the Christian community as a whole to see this happen. It hurts the faithful inside the church and it damages how people, outside the faith, view Christianity.
So why, when you fill your cup to the brim with Christ, do you find yourself steeped in temptation? I believe it is because Satan is never more vigilant than when you’re closer to God. Satan knows which weaknesses are especially attractive to spiritual leaders and he specifically exploits these.
I’m only going to cover the most attractive sin to a leader because I believe that it’s the “gateway” sin. Pride leads to all other sins and is especially attractive to leaders.
Why is it so prevalent? Because it’s only normal to take pride in a job well done and to relish in your own accomplishments and successes. These emotions, in themselves, are not bad things. However, pride is a very slippery slope. When you forget the real source behind your success, you start a perilous downhill journey. The kind of pride the Bible condemns is a pride that puts ourselves first, and leaves God out of the equation. We take credit for everything we accomplish, and we live only to please ourselves. This is why pride is at the root of almost every other sin. Egotism starts with pride; jealousy and pride are bosom buddies; and pride and popularity go hand in hand. That’s why it’s no surprise to see many televangelists overwhelmed with these leadership challenges. They have allowed pride to overrun their ministries instead of God and they forget that their spiritual gifts and position is from God, and God alone.
That is why it is my prayer that God keeps me humble. I pray each and every day that the decisions I make and the hopes and dreams I have for my ministry, as well as my businesses, are in direct alignment with God. I know how close I am, on a daily basis, to the precipice of pride. I know how easy it is to give in to the dangerous, albeit enjoyable, nature of pride. I also know what happens when you do. I’ve already been there. So I pray that God will help me be more like Paul in my ministry and steer clear of these personal failures.
