“We have been in an intense season of spiritual warfare,” the pastor said grimly. Having listened to him recount the mounting strife and ungodly behavior in his church, he seemed to be making a gross understatement. Many of the church leaders were openly conspiring against him. A staff person was being brazenly insubordinate. Angry outbursts and emotional accusations had become commonplace. It was as if a dark cloud had descended on that congregation and was slowly choking the life out of it. What do you do when Satan has you in his cross hairs?
Make no mistake, Satan hates you and your church and delights in your demise. The apostle Peter sagely warned, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Only a fool would take such an enemy lightly. Likewise, the apostle Paul, no stranger to spiritual conflict, urged Christians to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand, in the evil day . . .” (Eph. 6:11-13).
Clearly, Christians must constantly be on their guard against evil forces that work against the Church and Christians who take their call to serve their Lord seriously.
There is ample evidence of the active presence of evil in the world. Consider those in power who cruelly exploit helpless people, starving, abusing, and killing them in order to accumulate far more wealth than any one person could ever spend. Or think of the foolish ways in which people destroy their marriages, families, careers, and reputations for temporary pleasures. Such behavior is clearly insane. Yet seemingly intelligent, successful people self-destruct every day. What motivates people to harm others, even when there is no inherent value in doing so? What causes people to turn off their brain and commit foolish, self-destructive crimes? What makes people who are suffering terribly refuse to return to their creator for forgiveness and healing? Evil. Evil, energized and organized by Satan himself, is making great gains in the modern age and enslaving millions of people who assume they have never been more liberated.
It is also crucial to acknowledge that Satan hates nothing more venomously than the Church. The Church is to Christ what a bride is to a husband (Eph. 5:23-27). It is Christ’s means of expanding His kingdom. When you serve God in the Church, you have just marched into no man’s land in the great war between darkness and light. Spiritual warfare is never hotter or fiercer than in the contest over the nature and effectiveness of the Church. For that reason, when the pastor told me what he was experiencing in his congregation, I was inclined to agree with him.
But I have noticed a disturbing tendency among many Christian leaders. People are often tempted to blame the results of their weak leadership on spiritual warfare.
Take this pastor, for example. Soon after he arrived at his church, he became aware of several issues that needed to be remedied. Ungodly attitudes and behaviors were deeply imbedded in the church’s culture. He recognized the problem but thought “rocking the boat” so soon after his arrival would be unwise. Then the pastor received an e-mail from a disgruntled church member who was concerned about the way the church was handling a situation. The pastor, however, was notoriously lax in answering e-mails and phone messages. People never knew if or when they would receive a reply. When the agitated congregant heard nothing from the pastor, he complained to anyone who would listen about the unsatisfactory way in which church affairs were conducted. In time, the outspoken critic gained a considerable following and a groundswell of discontent arose of people committed to seeing the pastor removed from office.
It was at that point that the pastor wearily told me of the barrage of angry messages he had received from a wide array of people who were determined to oust him. “Satan is certainly having a field day!” he moaned.
But the fact is, this pastor’s issues did not stem from an all-out attack by Satan and his fiendish hordes. Rather, his problems stemmed from his poor leadership. Certainly, Satan capitalizes on leaders’ mistakes. But Satan is limited. He does not have inexhaustible resources and cannot be everywhere at once. It makes no sense for him to waste his ammunition on a group of Christians who are already shooting at each other!
Too often, leaders blame Satan and his wiles for the results of their ineffective leadership. But there are practices leaders can embrace that will protect them and their organization from many of the maladies traditionally blamed on the devil.
1. Resolutely address problems.
One of the most devastating lies troubled leaders believe is that a problem’s intensity and breadth will naturally diminish over time. That assumption is false. Problems tend to metastasize and intensify, especially when neglected. It is almost always better to deal with problems sooner rather than later. But leaders avoid acting promptly for several reasons. For one, it takes courage to address problems. It is tempting to ignore issues and hope they go away. Sometimes leaders need an infusion of courage! Second, addressing problems requires organization. Some of the most distressed leaders I know are also the most disorganized! Addressing problems needs to be a priority in leaders’ calendars and budgets. Until solving a problem is a priority, it won’t go away. Third, leaders often misdiagnose problems. They focus on symptoms rather than causes. I know of some hardworking, sincere leaders who scurry about chasing after symptoms while the root causes remain unchecked.
You can be sure of this: if leaders relentlessly address problems as soon as they arise, Satan will have much more difficulty gaining a foothold in their organization.
2. Communicate in a timely, effective manner.
I have noticed, especially among pastors, that leaders may be hardworking, visionary, and care a great deal for their people, but they are often terrible at answering their messages! While wise leaders recognize that they cannot allow themselves to be interrupted by every message they receive, effective leaders understand that timely communication is essential to a healthy organization. It is extremely disrespectful not to reply to a legitimate question that someone in your organization sends you. It doesn’t matter if you are “good” at answering e-mails or not. Answering correspondence is not a spiritual gift! It’s a discipline. Leaders who continually disrespect people will eventually pay the price. Leaders who do not foster healthy communication in their organization should not complain when it is characterized by unhealthy, harmful communication.
Some leaders have bold plans for the future and creative ideas for solving organizational problems. The dilemma is that few people know about these plans. Leaders who regularly fail to inform their people will discover that, in the absence of reliable information from the top, the communication vacuum is filled by speculation and gossip from below. Leaders cannot put a complete end to unhealthy communication. But they can fill the airwaves with positive, reliable, timely information that crowds lies and misinformation out of people’s awareness.
3. Keep your finger on the pulse of the organization.
Wise leaders are rarely caught by surprise by problems in their organization, because problems seldom emerge out of the blue. They tend to build up over time. There are often tell-tale signs that a storm is brewing. Unfortunately, some leaders are oblivious to their organization’s condition. Some leaders are naïve. They see what they want to see rather than reality. If leaders want to see unity in the ranks, they will seize on the fact that no one voiced opposition during the recent leadership team meeting. But astute leaders observe a lack of enthusiasm for the proposed direction and ask probing questions to ensure they know how their people really feel about the proposal. Astute leaders are wary when people tell them what they want to hear rather than the truth.
Second, some leaders neglect the grass roots, so they have no way of knowing what they think. Communication typically doesn’t flow easily up the corporate ladder. There are too many impediments and barriers. Leaders must truly want to know what people think in order to find out. Leaders ought to meet with their direct reports regularly. They should be skilled in asking questions, not merely making statements. Leaders ought to be aware of body language. People may not speak out in opposition, but their body language may reveal that they are angry, disagree, or feel intimidated. If leaders fail to pick up on these warning signs, they should not be surprised when a monsoon of discontent eventually unleashes its fury upon them.
4. Refuse to become complacent.
Sometimes leaders let their guard down after they have enjoyed years of success. For example, they may have successfully led the organization to double in size, dramatically increase revenues, or construct a new facility. With that major achievement behind them, some leaders sit back and enjoy the fruit of their labors. Rather than continuing to lead their organization forward, they begin to dwell on their reputation and past success. When these leaders started out, they read voraciously and attended conferences to enhance their skills. But after achieving some success, they no longer feel driven to keep growing and learning. The problem is that a plateaued leader generally leads to a plateaued organization.
In time, this complacency can cause staff and followers to become disgruntled. No one wants to be hitched to an organization that isn’t going anywhere. Without a vision for the future, people lose focus and motivation, which inevitably leads to grumbling, second-guessing, and complaining. When this groundswell of discontent rises to the surface, leaders can feel hurt and betrayed. After all they have done, how could people turn against them like that?
Make no mistake, Satan and his hosts can creep in to even the most successful venture and cause it to capsize. But it is much easier for them to do so when the organization is directionless or standing still. A dynamic organization that is moving forward and achieving new victories is much more difficult to hijack.
Conclusion
I do not intend to minimize the serious nature of spiritual warfare. Every Christian ought to be keenly aware of it. But blaming Satan for our poor leadership is foolhardy. The Evil One will happily take the credit for any ecclesiastical disaster, whether it is deserved or not. For when we blame Satan for our shortcomings, we often resign ourselves to our fate and view ourselves as helpless martyrs. While martyrs are inspiring, they don’t generally lead organizations into the future.
But if you realize that much of the turbulence you are currently facing is not because of outside evil forces beyond your control, but due in fact to leadership mistakes you are making, you can have hope! You might be only a few adjustments away from a much healthier organization. Pray about the challenges you are currently facing. If the root cause is a spiritual attack, God will make that clear, and you can put out a call for prayer warriors to fall to their knees. But God might also reveal that many of your problems are due to your own actions or inaction. In that case, you still ought to pray, but ask God what adjustments to your leadership you need to make so you can overcome your current challenges. And when He has told you what to do, get up from your knees and get to work!
