Article Library

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By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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His Plan Is Relentlessly Unfolding

“He either makes it happen or permits it to happen. But He’s behind it. He okays it. The plan and the projects, these are God’s, not ours. It’s all in His hands. He is fulfilling His will in His time and in His way. In all this mess and misery, He is at work. His plan is relentlessly unfolding. He doesn’t stop to explain to you. To you it’s a storm!”

The Crucible

“During the almost 60 years, that have followed that time, I have come to know something of the crushing, though not nearly as much as many of my brothers and sisters. But I know of no one greatly used of God who has not also been wounded, hurt, bruised, broken, lacerated, crushed. That’s an essential part of His plan. I call it the crucible that God puts us through. And you who have not yet entered into ministry can only imagine. And you may even wonder if that’s going to happen in your life. And I will tell you, it will. Though I cannot tell you how or when. It will. He will break you. He will shape you into the image of His Son, whatever that may take. And the crushing will often be very, very difficult to bear.”

The One Who Sees and Knows

“Since we don’t see, and since we can’t know, then there’s only one place to look and that’s up. And there’s only one place to turn to. And that’s to the One who sees and knows. And may I add that His ways are not our ways, neither are our thoughts, His thoughts. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are better than our ways. In light of that, we look to Him with some sense of confidence.”

Don’t Let Success Go to Your Head

“I hope you will not know early success in your ministry. Rather, I hope you will encounter difficulties that will drive you to your knees. That will teach you the value of vulnerability and it will enable you to keep success from ever going to your head. Early success can make people awfully proud. I hope you are beginning to show a few gray hairs before you begin to taste any measure of success in ministry. I hope it comes later on.”

The Impact of Forty Years in the Wilderness       “There’s a great passage in Deuteronomy 8:2: ‘You shall remember all the way the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness [get this], to humble you, to test you, to show what was in your heart, whether you would keep his word or not.’ Forty years to humble you, to put you through the tests, to reveal to you what’s in your heart. God knows what’s in your heart, you need to see it. And then you will turn to Him and you’ll give Him praise for walls that crumble down by just walking around them. You’ll give Him praise for being able to conquer the strong enemy, the Canaanites, as you move into homes you didn’t build and eat from trees you didn’t plant and drink from cisterns you didn’t dig. And blessings will come, and you’ll go, ‘Lord God, you get all the glory for this. Thank You for the years when You broke me down and cut me down to size. Thank You.’”

Additional Resources

First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.

Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.

Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your finger tips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.

Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.

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