God Doesn’t Need You in Ministry From The Road to Grace Devotional
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21–23
In its many forms, sexual sin is idol worship. It is bowing down to a false god of pleasure, self, women, bodies, pictures or perversion, saying “fill me with life; you’re my god. I worship you.”
The words in Matthew 7:21–23 contain some of the most frightening in Scripture; that of a man or woman who is totally deceived. These persons thought they were saved because of their good works, but, as Jesus says, “I never knew you.” They never made Jesus the Lord of their life by submitting to Him in obedience and humility.
Imagine if the man’s response in Matthew 7 read something like this: “Yes Lord, I bowed to the false goddess of lust, but I also preached Your word. Some good came out of it, right? People were ministered to and encouraged. Doesn’t that count?” What might Jesus’ response to such a person be? We can never speak for God, but after examining all of Scripture we do know this: the Lord jealously wants to be the sole object of our highest affection; good works, whether done in His name or not, will never justify the sin of idol worship.
If you’re in ministry and in bondage to sexual sin, be careful that you don’t allow the rush from man’s appreciation of your good works usurp your relationship with the Lord. If God is calling you to lay ministry down so He can “get to know you” (and work in your life to set you free from sexual sin), then obey immediately. God doesn’t need you in ministry to accomplish His purposes. The Lord clearly set His priorities for us when He said we are to seek His kingdom and His righteousness, first (Matthew 6:33). “Doing for God” is nowhere to be found here; the Lord wants you; He desires obedience to His word far above any Cain–like offerings of the flesh—especially those tainted with sexual sin.
“But, I make my living through the ministry. How shall I provide for my family?” you may ask. God has promised to provide all of our needs. We know from His word that faith and obedience please Him far more than a pastor who preaches the word on Sunday and masturbates to porn on Monday.
If you’re unsure of the direction you should take, spend extended time seeking God’s will through time in His word, prayer, and the wise counsel from others, especially your wife. This may be one of the most critical decisions of your life; one where you harden your heart and go down a path to destruction, or, where God works marvelously in your heart to bring about incredible life change.
For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness ; the upright will behold His face.
Psalms 11:7
Excerpt from The Road to Grace Devotional
©2012 by Mike Genung. All Rights Reserved. This excerpt may be copied and forwarded only if this permission paragraph is retained intact and a link to this website is included.