The inspiration for this post stems from a conversation regarding the reality of spiritual warfare in the mind. During a break at a conference I was leading, I explained to a colleague that a preacher can experience mental warfare even while delivering a sermon. That exchange prompted me to reflect on the various distractions and intrusive thoughts that have wandered through my mind during the preaching event over the years.
Today, I am inviting you into my inner monologue to explore these experiences. These are my Monday morning reflections on the specific thoughts that have occupied this preacher’s head throughout my ministry.
- “That person’s sitting in a different seat today.” I knew that because most of the people sat in the same seat every Sunday, so I noticed aberrations to the plan. Right in the middle of preaching, in fact.
- “Man, I wish I had practiced pronouncing that biblical name more often.” It wasn’t that I hadn’t read the text before preaching it. It was instead that I didn’t work hard enough in pronouncing the names in the text.
- “Why in the world did I say it that way?” That’s not the way I had thought about it. That’s not the way I had written it in my notes. It’s just the way it came out—and I’m not sure why.
- “I’m really excited to see him in church today.” I hadn’t expected him to come. After all, he hadn’t been there for a long time. But, today he was there (even though I didn’t see him until about mid-sermon).
- “Given the aroma I smell right now, I suspect our church lunch is going to be really good.” The church kitchen was just a floor beneath the worship center, and I could smell the food cooking. So could everyone else trying to listen to me preach.
- “Where did that thought come from?” I am continually amazed by the spiritual battles that go on in the mind of the preacher, even during the preaching event. The enemy we face is a sly, deceptive, invasive, distracting, roaring lion.
- “That illustration seemed to work well, so I need to take note of that.” Of course, the opposite is true, too. Sometimes the illustration just doesn’t work – and I need to remember that as well. We often review our own sermons even as we preach them.
- “This sermon feels like it’s really long.” And, if it feels that way to me, it probably feels that way to some listeners, too. Even a sermon that is short according to the clock can be long if it’s not well done.
- “That sister (or brother) looks really sad today . . . or distracted . . . or weary . . . or something else I can’t identify.” I admit that we preachers sometimes misread faces because we don’t know all the details, but we do notice expressions. That’s one reason affirming nods of the head and wide-eyed looks of wonder mean so much to us.
- “I still can’t believe I get to do this.” I get to proclaim God’s Word. For whatever reason, God chooses to use me. There’s great joy in this preaching task, even though it’s burdensome and heavy at times.
Understanding these mental battles is crucial for anyone engaged in spiritual leadership. By identifying these common distractions, we can better prepare ourselves to maintain focus and spiritual integrity while sharing the Word.
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This article originally appeared on ChuckLawless.com and is reposted here by permission.