It’s tough. I know. I am one. I’m a church leader, and while we sometimes have a tendency to whine about the downsides of the job, let’s face it… it’s pretty stinkin’ awesome! The perks are pretty cool. We get to love on people and preach the gospel, and people often pay us to do so.

But it’s not all fun and games. There are tough days and really tough nights (especially Sunday nights). When it gets most discouraging is when we begin to believe the lies of the enemy. If you’ve been in church leadership long, you’ve heard them whispered in your ear…

• Everybody is talking about you.
• Nobody cares about the lost, or about you, or about the church.
• The church will never grow or get over its apathy.

Most of the lies deal in extreme absolutes: everybody, nobody, and never. These aren’t true, of course, but after a rough Sunday when you’ve fielded some criticism or hard questions about why attendance is down, everything gets exaggerated.

The only way to combat lies is with the truth. So here are three BIG, BOLD truths to remember on tough days…

1. If you know Jesus, God defines you as His Child, no matter how others might try to define you.

While I can preach and cast vision with confidence, at the end of some days I just want to collapse like a kid into the arms of a heavenly Father. He’s there for that.

2. God doesn’t UN-call people.

We can lose our ministries, for a time, when we forfeit our leadership trust equity through immoral decisions. But there is repentance, redemption, and restoration. And nowhere in the Bible is any talk of God UN-choosing His chosen.

3. It’s all on God.

When you face problems in your church, you’re really facing problems in HIS church. When people don’t like the truth, it’s HIS truth. When you feel betrayed by others, they are HIS responsibility.

Photo by h.koppdelaney.

This is a guest post from Brandon Cox who serves as Pastor and Church Planter at Grace Hills Church in northwest Arkansas. He also serves as Editor and Community Facilitator for Pastors.com. Catch him on Twitter: @brandonacox.