Counterweights.

When a weight becomes too overwhelming because of its bulk or awkwardness oftentimes a counter weight is applied to shift the balance and ease the strain of operation.

Disillusionment; The moment that your expectations or image of a particular dream or desire is shattered by the realization that your high regard for someone or something is false or misled.

When your bubble is popped.

It happens to all of us.

Somewhere along our dreamy path of high expectations, our highly esteemed and revered vocation is disillusioned by the realization that our neighbor, Brother, fellow-servant is not what he should be, or what you thought he was. Maybe he was unethical. Maybe he counseled a saint or disputed a doctrine openly in front of your people. Maybe he spread untrue rumors against you. Took your saints, or turned your friend against you. Maybe he was the cause of your church split. The weight this burden brings to the man of God can sometimes be too heavy to carry.

We need fellowship. We need help to strengthen our hands. We need loyal support. Sometimes the revelation that those we trusted were not trustworthy sends us into a tailspin.

This weight can affect our prayers, our faith, and greatly hinder our ministry. We know this and sometimes substitute busyness, or sacrifice, or distractions that make us forget the feelings while they fester and grow within. Our prayer life grows distant, our worship mechanical, our preaching listless.

So we fire ourselves up with counter weights. We become zealous disciples of philosophies or standards that contradict our opponents. We become ambassadors for renegades who follow the harmonious thoughts and attitudes that embrace our feelings of anger. And before we know it we’re preaching things we really don’t believe. And have a zeal for things we used to shun or avoid. Fire returns to our delivery. Our prayers become as the hypocrite’s. (Thank you Lord I’m not like them.) And our Christ identity becomes our support group’s flag waving.

A balance will keep Christ first and the anointing fresh and pure. The only way to avoid the dangers of counter weights is to pray for them that hate us. Do good to them. Pray earnestly for their souls and success. This will connect us to the lifeline of Christ, and allow us to heal without false weights, and keep our balance. To shift our priorities to any cause other than Christ’s will bring a dearth of the anointing from above.