Depending on God

Lately, I have been experiencing the full weight of being a pastor and a leader in the city. I love these things... being a pastor and a leader. However, I find myself too often taking things upon myself or depending upon my own strength to get things done. This seems to be because there are so many signs of hope and signs of need constantly going on all around me. In the city, problems and break throughs are magnified. I love that there is always action going on around me, and yet it requires a great deal of self control and dependance upon the Lord to determine when and where to lend my influence. When I depend on myself to determine my actions, I wear myself thin with pouring into others. When I depend on the Lord's discretion, I am able to be a true participant in the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in people's lives. I cannot possibly meet every need, or counsel every person, or plan every detail of every worship service, or speak at every event, or meet every person where they are at. But God... He can do all things. So, I am determined to depend on the Lord's strength in all matters. I need to hear from God, and often, in order to be an effective pastor. My prayer today is that I would be able to discern God's purposes on a consistent basis, and to put all of the weight that comes with leadership on God's mighty shoulders.