For Those in Dry Places: Hope for Ministers in the Wilderness
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Sixteen hundred ministers are either terminated or leave the pulpit every month. Alienation and isolation afflict ministers who now sojourn in spiritually dry places. You might be one of the statistics, wondering if you will ever be able to escape the wilderness and be useful to God again.
In For Those in Dry Places, William Phares presents a personal and biblical understanding of how spiritual dry places occur in the lives of ministers and how to avoid them. For those already there, he shares the way to move back into Gods call and experience a second opportunity.
A seasoned pastor and evangelist, Phares explores personal and biblical principles, offering ways to
recognize the road signs warning of approaching wilderness;
avoid becoming the scapegoat for congregational dysfunction;
find hope when experiencing the Silence of God;
hear Gods voice of guidance again;
enjoying the ministry the second time around.
I highly recommend For Those in Dry Places, which comes to us in absolutely supreme timing. Many pastors today are going through dry, tough times and can hardly see light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Phares addresses what to do when you are in this positionhow to deal with your thoughts and what to do, day after day, to get out of your current difficult situation and stay out.
Dr. Mark T. Barclay, Mark Barclay Ministries
William Harrison Phares
William Harrison Phares is an ordained minister and is the founder and international director of Stir the Fire Ministry. He has preached and taught as an evangelist for twelve years in over twenty countries, with a focus on Zambia and Poland. His twenty-eight years of pastoral ministry has equipped him to minister to “hurting” pastors and to bring renewal to thirsty congregations. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary.
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For Those in Dry Places - William Harrison Phares
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Endnotes
Foreword
I highly recommend Dr. William Phares’ newest book, For Those in Dry Places: Hope for Ministers in the Wilderness, which comes to us in absolutely supreme timing. Many people today are going through dry, tough times and can hardly see light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Phares addresses what to do when you are in this position—how to deal with your thoughts and what to do, day after day, to get out of your current difficult situation and stay out. All of us know the Lord is on our side, but we sometimes become discouraged when we don’t see the manifested power of God working on our behalf.
Allow the Lord Jesus Christ to minister strength to your soul through the insight and inspiration you will find on these pages. When you are finished, hand it off to someone you know who is trying to find answers to their own life’s problems. Better yet, purchase several copies to keep on hand to bless others as you minister to them. May the Lord’s light shine upon your path, and may you find your way through the seasons of wilderness in your life.
I have known this author for many years and can vouch for not only his passion to study but his love for people, his pastor’s heart, and his integrity. He and his wife, Laura, have ministered from God’s pulpits for decades in many churches across America.
I call you blessed today!
Mark T. Barclay
Preacher of Righteousness
Acknowledgments
Music has always been dear to me. My family loved to sing, and I sang in choirs throughout my childhood. My wife and I were privileged to be a part of the Living Sound International ministry. We ministered with Don Moen, musical director for the organization. Not only is he a truly anointed song writer and worship leader, but he is also a genuine Christian. Each song Don has written has blessed my life but my favorite is God Will Make a Way.
God makes a way when there seems to be no way! The words of this song are foundational to the theme of this book. I want to thank Don for being an instrument of the Lord.
God Will Make a Way
Words and Music by Don Moen
©1990 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music/ASCAP
c/o Integrity Media, Inc., 1000 Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695
All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured Used by Permission
Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation
Introduction
Is it possible to lead growing churches, be a missionary evangelist, and a faithful minister of the gospel, only to find yourself in a spiritual wilderness? By all outward appearances, I was successful and had a promising future. I thought I had finally arrived. Then almost overnight my life and ministry seemed to be ending.
For five years, I journeyed in a dry land. I am referring to a spiritual experience that is biblically known as a wilderness experience. Few people voluntarily choose to live in the wilderness. It is normally the place people pass through on their way to a destination. Spiritually, the wilderness can become the destination when one does not clearly observe the warning signs along the road. Discouragement, depression, and deception are written on these signs. In my journey as a minister of the gospel I have observed and experienced them. I want to explore the steps that cause a minister to occupy rather than pass through a spiritually dry place in life and ministry.
The first spiritual road sign warning of an approaching dry place is discouragement. No courage describes a person who is not experiencing courage or who has moved away from courage. It