Theme #4: The Need For Integrity and Character

How often do we hear of a minister of the gospel who fall? Too many is often what I hear. I know this, with Secularism on the rise and many other threats as well, we need to get real and get ready. Ministers need to stop have affairs with other individuals, temptations, and distractions. The times are here and now. I believe the reason that most of the ministers fall is because they never actually dealt with certain roots. It kept getting swept under the rug day after day, year after year. It's time to face your roots. People often say forget the past. I say that is a dangerous thing to say if you really analyze it. Forgetting past has good intentions but end in bad results. I say learn from them, don't relive it, and don't let determine your future. Furthermore, sometimes in order to live and have a future you have to do some digging. It's a personal emotional back to the future so to speak. Its changing the path and way of life through thoughts and feelings. Personally I have experience almost a dozen of these kind of encounters with God and the work is far from over. But 9 meetings ago, I think I might have either destroyed my life with words and actions or be close to doing so. People in ministry often don't realize that they're a walking time bomb. Eventually something is going to hit the fan. We have to go deep in the Lord and we have to be honest and real with him as well. We can keep going and have anointed ministries and do incredible things, but that does mean anything. I have seen anointed ministers do great healings or usher in a sweet presence of the Lord in worship, but in the end there is someone on the side. It has to end. History can no longer repeat itself. We have to be a people that can be trusted. We have to be a person of the people. We cannot think about ourselves. We know this, but we don't do it! It has to change and fast. My question to you is this, if you are called to specific assignment, are you dealing with your roots? Taking the longer process or are you cutting corners and taking the short process for the false sense of "success"?