🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ Prerequisite to Pastoral Care: “Self-Examination Is Your Armor for Your Ministry”

Scripture: Acts 20:28 ESV

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Devotion

Have you ever heard the saying,

“A good follower makes a great leader”?

Or maybe you’ve heard it more simply:

“A good leader is a good follower.”

There is a lot of truth in that.

Being able to follow shows that you can receive instructions.

It shows humility.

It shows that you can be corrected.

It shows that you understand accountability.

And believe it or not, all of those things will improve the way you lead.

Whewww! 😮‍💨

Think about it.

A manager who has never learned how to receive correction may become defensive whenever an employee points out a legitimate problem.

A parent who refuses to admit when they are wrong may demand accountability from their children while never modeling it themselves.

A ministry leader who doesn’t know how to follow may eventually become someone who believes nobody can tell them anything.

And here’s another one…

A leader can have unresolved anger, pride, insecurity, jealousy, marital problems, financial stress, or other trouble happening outside of church, and if they aren’t examining themselves, those problems can begin showing up in how they lead the congregation.

Now they’re easily offended.

They’re talking harshly to people.

They’re making emotional decisions.

They’re preaching at people instead of feeding them.

They’re taking personal frustrations out on the flock.

And because they are always examining everybody else…

they don’t recognize what’s happening in themselves.

Whewwww!

It is quite questionable when a person can identify flaws in everybody else but never see anything that needs correction in themselves.

👀

Everybody else needs prayer.

Everybody else needs deliverance.

Everybody else needs correction.

Everybody else needs to humble themselves.

But somehow…

you never do?

My, my, my!

Let’s look at today’s text.

Paul is speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus and preparing them for the responsibility of caring for God’s people.

Listen carefully to the order of his instructions:

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock…”

WHEWWWW! 😮‍💨

It’s a LOT in that verse.

What was the first thing Paul told these leaders to pay attention to?

YOURSELVES!

Before the flock…

YOU.

Before examining the congregation…

Examine yourself.

Before correcting everybody else’s attitude…

Check yours.

Before preaching about everybody else’s prayer life…

How is yours?

Before telling everybody else they need to study…

Are you studying?

Before teaching people about forgiveness…

Who are you still holding something against?

Before demanding that everybody else be accountable…

Who are YOU accountable to?

Whewwww!!

This is why self-examination becomes armor for your ministry.

Because if I regularly examine myself before God, I am more likely to recognize something in me before the enemy gets an opportunity to use it against the people God entrusted to me.

Pride unchecked can damage ministry.

Anger unchecked can damage ministry.

Lust unchecked can damage ministry.

Greed unchecked can damage ministry.

Insecurity unchecked can damage ministry.

An unhealthy need for praise and validation can damage ministry.

Unforgiveness unchecked can damage ministry.

What you refuse to confront privately can eventually affect what God entrusted you to handle publicly.

Whewwww! That’s heavy.

Then Paul says,

“…and to all the flock…”

So self-examination does not mean we become so focused on ourselves that we neglect God’s people.

No.

After you check yourself…

care for the flock.

Know your people.

Pray for them.

Listen to them.

Teach them.

Correct them in love.

Encourage them.

Check on them.

Offer assistance when it is within your capacity to help.

Know when somebody who is normally faithful suddenly disappears.

Know when somebody sitting in front of you every week is hurting.

Know when someone needs encouragement instead of another rebuke.

And most importantly…

Be an example.

Pastoral care is more than preaching a good sermon on Sunday.

People need shepherding.

And if you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, He will give you wisdom concerning the people He has entrusted to you.

Sometimes He will tell you to speak.

Sometimes He will tell you to listen.

Sometimes He will tell you to correct.

Sometimes He will tell you to show mercy.

Sometimes He will put somebody heavily on your heart and tell you,

“Call them.”

Obey Him.

Because you may not know what is happening…

but the Holy Spirit does.

Now here comes what I believe is the heaviest part of this verse:

“…in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers…”

My God.

Read that again.

The Holy Spirit made you an overseer.

This isn’t merely a position somebody voted you into.

This isn’t just a title somebody put in front of your name.

This isn’t something to make you feel important.

This is an assignment.

God has entrusted PEOPLE to your care.

Real people.

People with families.

People with wounds.

People with questions.

People battling temptation.

People learning Scripture.

People trying to grow.

People who may be watching your example while they’re learning what following Jesus looks like.

And God says,

“Care for them.”

Whewwww! 🙌🏽

What an honor.

And what a responsibility.

People are following you, and God has entrusted you with helping feed them the nutrients of His Word.

That should humble every pastor, minister, teacher, overseer, and spiritual leader.

Because these are not your people.

This is God’s flock.

Matter of fact, look at how the verse ends:

“…the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

JESUSSSSS!

That raises the responsibility to an entirely different level.

These are people Jesus died for.

So we cannot mishandle them because we’re having a bad day.

We cannot manipulate them to build our own name.

We cannot use ministry to feed our ego.

We cannot neglect them while enjoying the title of leading them.

And we definitely cannot become so focused on examining everybody in the congregation that we stop allowing the Holy Spirit to examine us.

Before pastoral care comes personal care of your own soul.

Not perfection.

Examination.

Humility.

Accountability.

Correction.

Repentance.

Growth.

A willingness to let God continuously work on the person doing the leading.

Because one of the greatest protections you can have over your ministry is the humility to regularly pray:

“Lord, before I lead them… examine me.”

Whewwwww! 🙌🏽

Reflect & Respond

Whether you’re a pastor, minister, ministry leader, parent, mentor, teacher, or anyone entrusted with influencing others, ask yourself:

When was the last time I sincerely allowed God to examine ME?

Am I correcting things in others that I am excusing in myself?

Is something happening privately that is beginning to affect how I treat people publicly?

Can I still receive correction?

Am I accountable?

Am I caring for the people God has entrusted to me…

Or am I simply enjoying the position?

Today, don’t begin by examining your flock.

Begin with yourself.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for every person You have entrusted to my care and every opportunity You have given me to influence someone toward You. I recognize that this is an honor and a serious responsibility.

Lord, before I examine anybody else, examine me.

Search my heart. Reveal pride, anger, insecurity, unforgiveness, selfish ambition, hidden sin, unhealthy motives, or anything else that could interfere with the way I serve Your people.

Keep me humble enough to receive correction.

Keep me accountable.

Keep me teachable.

Never allow my title, position, knowledge, gifts, or accomplishments to make me believe that I no longer need to grow.

Holy Spirit, lead me as I lead others. Give me wisdom to know when to speak, when to listen, when to correct, when to encourage, and when someone simply needs compassion and care.

Help me remember that the people I serve belong to You.

Let me never mishandle what Jesus considered valuable enough to purchase with His own blood.

Protect my heart.

Protect my character.

Protect my ministry.

And let continual self-examination become armor that keeps me sincere, humble, growing, and useful in Your hands.

Before I lead others, Lord, keep leading me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙