Why church leaders shouldn’t be surprised when spiritual battles come their way.

Have you ever wondered why ministry can be so difficult?

I mean, think about it. We are serving the Lord, teaching His Word, sharing the gospel, discipling believers, and trying to lead people closer to Christ. You would think that doing God’s work would make things a little easier.

But anyone who has been in ministry for very long knows that isn’t always the case.

In his book Lead, Paul David Tripp shares a principle that every pastor, minister, Sunday School teacher, and church leader needs to understand:

“It is essential to understand that leadership in any gospel ministry is spiritual warfare.”

That statement really caught my attention.

Tripp goes on to say, “Life between the ‘Already’ and the ‘Not Yet’ is war.”

Think about that for a moment. We live between what Christ has already accomplished through His death and resurrection and what He has not yet brought to completion when He returns. The victory has been secured, but the battle is still going on.

And if we are going to serve the Lord faithfully, we had better understand that we are stepping onto a battlefield.

Why Are We So Surprised?

One of the things I appreciate about Tripp’s discussion is his statement:

“I want to emphasize that the Bible normalizes rather than dramatizes spiritual warfare.”

I love that!

Sometimes we act surprised when difficulties come our way in ministry. We are shocked when people disappoint us, when conflict arises, when discouragement sets in, or when our best efforts seem to produce very little fruit.

But why should we be surprised?

The Bible never promises that serving Christ will be easy. In fact, it tells us just the opposite.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil.

We need to remember that the people we minister to are not our enemies. Neither are the people we serve alongside.

Our enemy would love nothing more than to divide a church, discourage a pastor, exhaust a Sunday School teacher, or convince a ministry leader that their efforts are making no difference.

And sometimes, if we are not careful, we help him accomplish that by turning on one another.

Tripp makes another powerful statement:

“No leadership community should do its work with a comfortable peacetime mentality.”

In other words, we need to be prepared.

Preparing for the Battle

I think one of the greatest mistakes we can make in ministry is waiting until the battle begins before we start preparing for it.

We need to be people of prayer before the crisis comes. We need to be grounded in God’s Word before the discouragement arrives. We need to build strong relationships with other believers before we find ourselves struggling.

David understood something about facing battles.

In Psalm 27:1, he writes:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

David goes on to describe enemies coming against him and even an army surrounding him. Yet he declares that his heart will not fear.

Notice something important. David’s confidence wasn’t in his ability to fight. His confidence was in the Lord.

That’s a lesson every ministry leader needs to learn.

We don’t have to be strong enough to handle every battle. We simply need to trust the One who is.

Don’t Leave Someone to Fight Alone

There is another side to this principle that I believe is just as important.

Not only do we need to prepare for our own spiritual battles, but we need to be ready to help others through theirs.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that some of the people who appear the strongest in ministry may be fighting battles we know nothing about.

That pastor who faithfully preaches every Sunday may be struggling with discouragement.

That Sunday School teacher who always seems to have a smile may be dealing with something difficult at home.

That ministry leader who is always there for everyone else may desperately need someone to be there for them.

And sometimes the greatest ministry we can offer is simply showing up.

A phone call. A word of encouragement. A prayer together. A listening ear. Someone who says, “You’re not fighting this battle alone.”

I think about Moses in Exodus 17. As Israel fought the Amalekites, Moses stood on the hill with his hands raised. But eventually, he grew tired. Aaron and Hur came alongside him and held up his hands.

What a beautiful picture of what ministry leadership ought to look like!

There will be days when we need someone to hold up our hands. And there will be days when God calls us to hold up someone else’s.

We were never meant to fight these battles alone.

The Victory Has Already Been Won

One of my favorite songs of encouragement is You’ve Already Won by Shane & Shane.

What a powerful reminder that although we still face battles in this life, the ultimate victory belongs to Jesus Christ!

We don’t fight for victory. We fight from the victory Christ has already secured.

That doesn’t mean every ministry problem will disappear. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience disappointment, conflict, exhaustion, or even heartbreak.

But it does mean that none of those things has the final word.

Jesus does.

So, to my fellow pastors, ministers, Sunday School teachers, and church leaders, let me encourage you today.

Don’t be surprised when the battle comes. Prepare for it. Stay in God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and hold you accountable.

And perhaps most importantly, look around and see who might need you to stand beside them in their battle.

Someone in your ministry may be growing weary. Someone may be ready to give up. Someone may simply need to be reminded that God is still faithful.

Be that person who comes alongside them.

We are in a spiritual battle, but we are not fighting alone, and we already know who wins!

Let me leave you with a question:

Who is holding up your hands when ministry gets difficult, and whose hands are you helping hold up?

— Bro. Frank

Inspired by Principle 6 of Paul David Tripp’s book, Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church.