Saturday, April 24, 2010

Ten Kinds of People I Cannot Help by Joseph Mattera

To download this article click here.


As a pastor for more than 26 years, I have a desire to help everyone. But, I have learned the hard way that I cannot help every person who attends our church or who comes to me for input.
The following are ten kinds of people I have identified that are so entrenched in certain habit patterns that I cannot help them advance to the next level unless they make the necessary shift in their attitude or behavior. 


I. Those who do not take responsibility for themselves
The first step towards self-improvement is to remove all excuses for mediocrity or failure. Those that continually blame other people for their failures will never go to the next level. Leaders can complain about their spouses, the income level of their congregations, the lack of staff, etc. but I have learned that within every challenge is the seed of opportunity for success which requires the creativity of problem solving. 


II. Those that do not have a heart to seek God
The Bible teaches us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Those who do not respect God enough to seek Him and study His word so they can make wise decisions in life are violating Scripture (Joshua 1:8-9) and cannot be helped either by myself or any other leader or minister. Those who do not obey what God requires for success have decided to try to be successful in life without God’s blessings! 


III. Those that create distance so they are not accountable
There are certain people I have met in our church who only let others get so close before cutting off the relationship. Many go from one church to the next because they fear becoming too close to a leader who will hold them accountable. Often some will attempt to attend a megachurch where they will be able to hear the word of God in the context of a large crowd so that no one will really know who they are. Whether it is fear or rebellion, those who live like this have put a low ceiling on their lives and will not grow past the infant stage concerning their potential in life. 


IV. Those who insist on having a negative outlook on life
There are some people who refuse to exercise faith in God or think positively as the Word of God commands us in Philippians 4:8. This is because some have a propensity to expect the worst in life so they are never disappointed by anyone or anything! This is a weird way some folks attempt to shield their emotions from the pain of disappointment; it is a very common practice with many people.  Jesus often told people that they would receive according to how they believed (for example Matthew 8:13). Proverbs 23:7 teaches that as a person thinks in their heart so they will be. I cannot empower a person who refuses to think God’s thoughts about themselves and about life. 


V. Those that refuse to have a vision for their future
There are many very talented and anointed people I have been in relationship with who live their lives without any strategic plan or vision for their future. They are just living from day-to-day to prepare for their retirement. Those who are successful have a compelling vision that drives them daily and which feeds their souls even more than the desire to make money! Inside of every believer is a God-given kingdom vision for their future. If a person refuses to tap into that as their guiding light--and value that vision as their barometer for success--then my continual pep talks will not do the trick either! 


VI. Those who live in self-deception
There are many people who are living lives of denial regarding their relationships with God and their families and all things regarding their inner and outer lives. The sad thing is that denial is the first step to outright deception in which a person concocts an alternate, false reality that continually feeds their mind and emotions the things they want to hear about themselves and their key relationships. This insulates them from the word of the Lord from others and the Holy Spirit. When you confront people like this they become upset and blame you for not understanding them or for wrongfully accusing them of something. These are the people I cannot help unless God steps in and delivers them from satanic deception (read 2 Timothy 2:23-25). 


VII. Those who do not want to pay the price for success
There are many in the church that want the perks of success but don’t want to pay the price for success. 


When I was a teenager I had a goal of becoming a master guitar player. For seven years I practiced the guitar for 3-8 hours per day as well as playing in numerous bands. While my friends were outside playing ball or wasting time doing drugs I would shut myself up in my house and study jazz, rock, blues, classical, etc. and spend hours doing scales on my guitar (which I often did even while watching television). Because of this sacrifice I gained mastery over my instrument in various kinds of music and was in high demand as a musician. 


Whatever we do in life, we are called to sacrifice our time, invest our talents, and be committed to a long, grueling process with many setbacks until we reach our peak performance. This kind of sacrifice is needed in every area we desire success in including our marriages, relationships with our children, leading a company or a church, etc. 


Consequently, I have found that I am not able to empower a person to the fullness of their destiny if they don’t want to work hard at self-improvement. 


VIII. Those whose primary agenda is individualistic and not kingdom-oriented
There are some people whose only agenda in life is to advance their own agenda. They don’t want to work with a team or flow in the context of a local church. They want me to pour my life into them but they are rarely ever willing to pour back into the church and serve in the Kingdom of God. I have learned that those who only want to use the church or God to advance their own agendas (even if it is ministry related) have greatly limited their own lives. Thus, I back away from these people until they change. This is because we are all called to seek first God’s kingdom in which we need to die to our individualistic sense of destiny and sacrifice and invest our time for the good of the Body of Christ. This in turn will do more to release our greatest destiny--even more than if we only concentrate on our own agendas! 


IX. Those who refuse to keep covenant
I have been with very talented individuals with great calling on their lives that I had to back away from because they did not know how to remain faithful to their obligations or because they broke confidence by continually talking behind other people’s backs. God says that a person who doesn’t keep their word (whatever the cost) and who slanders their neighbor cannot dwell in His tents (Psalm 15:3-4) so who am I to think that this kind of person can dwell in my inner circle for personal development! 


X. Those who lack transparency, humility, and integrity
The Bible teaches us to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). It also teaches us to confess our faults to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed (James 5:16). Those that do not admit their faults and confess their sins cannot have the kind of relationship with a mentor suitable for personal growth. It is important for me to have a transparent relationship with those I am mentoring since a person who conceals their sins from me is not giving me a chance to fully speak into their life and help them in their areas of weakness. Those who want to progress in their spiritual formation have to learn to practice the spiritual discipline of confession of sin (Proverbs 28:13).

17 comments:

  1. Awesome stuff!!! The sword that cuts both going in and going out.... :-) Awesome stuff indeed!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Brother Jospeh. How did you get to where you are? Were you not perhaps also rebellious towards someone in your way up to the lofty throne? Some pioneering visions draw many "mentors" but few who persevere in the Heb 10:24 road, especially when the expected shares in pre-conceived shared spoils, glory and rewards tarry. Thank you for your insights.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I work with mentally ill people.These ten points will help me to better able to do the job, that has been given me to do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great article, conviction upon me I say...Thank you friend. I needed these very words to think upon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is wonderful stuff worth meditating upon. For sure certain people need to be left alone till they make a choice to progress. Thanks my brother for excellent insights.

    ReplyDelete
  6. thank you for bringing such clarity! This is the confirmation I needed for a present situation! God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  7. A great article indeed.
    I will use both for myself to ensure am not a culprit and for others to ensure am not a victim.

    Tim

    ReplyDelete
  8. God helps them that helps themselves, right? Oh, it's gotta be in the bible, right by 'cleanliness is next to godliness,' and "O thank Heaven for &-11."

    Think you can raise someone from the dead by screaming at them? Dead men usually don't make good choices...

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is a great article that can guide me in sieve and identify those that I should help as a pastor.
    Lizzie

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wish i had this article years ago. It would have helped me in sooo many ways and saved my time and energy. I have loved a lot of people, helped a lot of people, and seen little results because my intentions were great but my investments were in the wrong people. Thanks!
    Bert in Brussels

    ReplyDelete
  11. lol...what does it mean to have someone you deal with on an intimate and personal basis every day and they walk in 9 out of 10 of these...time to amp up the prayer...

    ReplyDelete
  12. These things are so true .You cannot help a person who does not care about their own future .People who don't listen but only choose to hear what they want to .Those who refuse to examine their own life to look for ways to improve their situation .God does not miss nothing in our life but unfortunately people have a hard time to repent for their actions .Jimmy

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is real food for thought - thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. In other words the author of this article only helps the people who don't need help.

    Try helping someone who is too emotionally damaged to even get through the church door, who doesn't want help, who has an emotional age of less than 5, and has no money either.

    Jesus wants you to help those who cannot help themselves, whatever it takes. http://www.safeprayer.com

    Keith (anti-suicide intervention vigilante)

    ReplyDelete
  15. 4:50 PM - Thursday - May 6th, 2010

    Pastor, you are so on target. The Lord has been dealing with me about some of the people in my Church of whom I have been trying for years to move from square one.

    I finally became so discouraged that I went to the Lord and He made it very clear that the problem was not mine; but the persons.

    Therefore, I was to allow them to make up their minds as to who they wanted to serve. In the mean time I was to go on and fulfill my Ministry in the lives of those who were willing.

    I mailed your article to all of my members.

    Dr. E. J. Pettus - Pastor

    ReplyDelete

Please click Follow above to follow blog

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.