– Pastor Bimbo Animashaun
An insecure minister will often become toxic, critical and jealously competitive. Insecurity in ministry is a “disease” that has corrosive effects on the life and ministry of a minister.
This negative tendency has shut down and brought to an abrupt end precious ministerial relationships that would have contributed significantly to the growth of the Body of Christ and the expansion of the cause of Christ.
It has led to rancour, rift, schism, fragmentation and dissension. It has fanned the embers of divisions in the Body of Christ over the years.
Surely it’s a MINUS and not a PLUS to God’s eternal plan for the Church.
As a minister, developing a robust self-image in the light of the finished works of Christ and God’s specific plan for your life is a strategic way to deal a decisive blow on this negative tendency called insecurity.
INSECURITY and INFERIORITY COMPLEX look similar but there’s A VERY THIN LINE between the two, although they’re joined together in their mission of undermining the productivity of the man of God.
While the former talks about lack of confidence in yourself and you not being comfortable with other people’s exploits, the latter has to do with looking down on yourself in relation to other people.
Today, many ministers display an acute level of insecurity, and it is a show of myopic understanding of the Grace of God at work in them.
You can’t really go far in ministry with a sense of insecurity. It will cost you many precious relationships, destiny connections and covenant linkages.
Many times this insecurity is traceable to a hidden pride in a minister.
So he thinks, “What are other people doing that I cannot do? What’s the big deal in what So-and-so is doing? Does he think that he’s the only one that manifests that dimension of Grace?” plus MANY OTHER UNTHINKABLE THOUGHTS.
Now that’s an insecure minister. He doesn’t feel comfortable with the progress of other people.
He feels thoroughly emasculated when someone manifests a dimension of the anointing that is not readily manifested in his own ministry.
But friend, that’s PRIDE IN THE CLOTHING OF IGNORANCE!!!
Truth is that no matter how we labour in ministry, it is God Who determines our callings, our patterns, our instructions and our measures while WE DETERMINE HOW FAR WE GO with them.
Till Jesus comes, you will always see people that manifest a dimension of Grace that is not presently manifested in your ministry.
No matter how Worded you are, you will still see people that are “more Worded” than you.
No matter the speed with which you quote Scriptures, you will still see people that will triple that speed.
No matter the flows of the Spirit that you demonstrate in your ministry, you will still see people that demonstrate such on a higher level.
No matter the crowd that you gather, you will still see people that will gather more crowd. And it goes on and on like that.
You had better don’t kill yourself dear friend; YOU CAN’T BE GREATER THAN WHAT THE GRACE OF GOD HAS MADE YOU.
I’m not saying that you should not go for the high stakes. No No No! That’s not the point here friend. Go for “big things” in ministry!
Believe God for “big things” in ministry, but never forget that all of that must be situated in the context of what God has called you to do.
So, I’m not saying that you should be satisfied with a level. I hope my point is clear Sir or Ma?
There are things that only God determines in ministry and there are MANY MANY OTHER THINGS that will require your cooperation to enjoy. So let’s be discerning and be divested of insecurity.
The bitter truth is that there will be children who will be “greater” than their fathers (that’s the joy of every genuine father anyway) and Church history is a credible witness to this!
There will be friends who will do “greater” stuffs than other friends.
And there are people who got born again at the time you celebrated 20 years in ministry who will later do extremely great things for the Kingdom, some of which may not be part of the specifications of your own calling.
It will be a wanton show of insecurity to turn around later and begin to dig up their past when Grace is lifting them with the aim of reducing the honour and public affection that people have for them.
That is childish, insensitive, callous, and “devilish”. Those who engage in such act of indiscretion do not end up to become “fathers in ministry”.
Untill you begin to celebrate other people’s measures and exploits, knowing that there’s nothing we have that we have not received – 1 Cor.4:7, you’re not secure yet.
I have seen stuffs in ministry by God’s Grace, with my little eighteen years of ministry – ranging from fathers to children, children to fathers, mentors to protegees, protegees to mentors, friends to friends, believers to believers, etc. (I will not like to go into some details because they’re not edifying).
In this end-time, the Spirit of God is emphasizing THE APOSTOLIC PRINCIPLE – and that boils down to THE BIGGER PICTURE OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, irrespective of who God is using for what.
Peter was “FAR FAR ABOVE” Paul in ministry. He was his “senior”.
As at the time Peter was already casting out devils, Paul was still “romancing with devils” – he was not born again – he was a tool in the hand of the devil to wreck havoc on the Church.
So, THEY WEREN’T “MATES” AT ALL!!! But then, Grace lifted Paul. He got born again, filled with the Holy Ghost and got called into ministry.
God used him so mightily that Peter alluded to the Grace of God upon his life.
2 PETER 3:15-16
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
What a secure minister Peter was!!! Peter didn’t get into the depths of Christo-centric revelation and New Creation Realities that Paul was privileged of God to access, yet HE CELEBRATED HIM – that’s a man who got born again years after Peter had started out in ministry.
On the other hand, Paul did not allow “the thing” to get into his head not to recognize his “seniors” in ministry.
As a matter of fact, he specifically referred to Peter as one who was BEFORE HIM and as ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE CHURCH.
GALATIANS 1:17
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them WHICH WERE APOSTLES BEFORE ME; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
GALATIANS 2:8-9
For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
And when James, Cephas, and John, WHO SEEMED TO BE PILLARS, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
To further reinforce the fact that Paul had a sense of security and humility in ministry, he submitted his revelation to the likes of Peter for scrutiny. He didn’t say he was more Worded than them.
GALATIANS 2:2
And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately TO THEM WHICH WERE OF REPUTATION, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. note
What a secure minister Paul was! That’s why he lasted in ministry. It’s important to be driven by THE BIGGER PICTURE, and not A MYOPIC PICTURE in this end-time.
I operate by a principle in ministry, and that’s “ANYONE CAN BLESS ME, SO FAR THEY’RE USED OF THE LORD”. You see friend, that does not in any way reduce me.
Nobody knows it all. Nobody can do all the work. No one single person can build the Body of Christ alone.
God has given Grace to other people according to the measure of the gift of Christ to contribute their own quota to the growth of the Body of Christ.
Let’s receive and celebrate them no matter the dimension of ministerial relationship we have with them – vertical level or horizontal level.
What matters the most is THE KINGDOM. Let’s not allow insecurity in our camp, for the cost is unimaginable.
Let’s stay secure in our calling and in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then shall the Kingdom of our God advance gracefully.
Blessings!!!
Source: Bimbo Animashaun Teaching Ministries |Published with permission.
Aphorism CITY 