Why do Leaders in the Church Fall to the Spirits of Lust of the Flesh?

Every time a notable leader in the church, man or woman of God fall to a sex charge and/or crime that is hyped up in the media even more, it raises questions from both non-Christians and Christians alike.

A question I am asked frequently by non- Christians especially is, "How can a leader in the church fall to sin if you are a man or woman of God committed to God's will?  Don't they know better?"  Those are two loaded questions because the answer you give will either help save or lose another soul.  At the same time that answer will either empower a curious Christian or take away their hope the same fate won't hit them one day.

Of course, the first misconception is that if you are a man or woman of God in a leadership position, you are expected to be invulnerable to sin.  The truth is when you commit your life to Christ, leader or not, the devil attacks you even more because now you are in position to motivate and bless others.  That means "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess.5:16-18) must become a part of your life as well as keeping the Word a part of your life daily.

If the devil tempted our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 4), then you can be sure he is going to tempt everyone else he can get to, that includes individuals in leadership positions.    If the devil's job is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), he is not only going to attack the bottom of the ladder ( 1 Peter 5:8), he is going to focus special attention on the top hoping that everything will crumble if the leader falls. 

That's why it important for all Christians to know the Word for yourself and not put all the pressure on your pastor to make you study the word for yourself.  Our leaders can teach us the Word but it is our own studying that allows us to understand the Word so that we can apply it to our lives.

Sexual temptations and sexual perversions have been around since the beginning of time, and many have fallen  and faced the ultimate price of sin which is physical death (The Great Flood - Genesis 6:1-7).  Those who did not face physical death faced spiritual death (separation from God), emotional death (separation from your spouse and/or family)

The New Testament is filled with instructions on how to live our life according to God's will as well as clearly listing what behaviors are sinful and out of God's will. (i.e. - 1 John 2:15-17).  If everyone knows the Word for themselves and doing their best to live by it, then if the leader of a church falls to sin, the members' spiritual center is not shaken.  That church may or may not dissolve, but at least its members would not lose their zeal for the Word and the role it plays in their lives.  And we must forgive (Matt. 18:21-22) those fallen leaders and pray for them that they may put their pride aside and get their priorities straight as well as their walk with God.  That kind of healing can only take place if the fallen leader repents with all sincerity.

Sometimes I think we forget that our leaders are human, so if they fall into sin, many are shocked that something like that could every happen to them.  But we are followers of "Christ" no matter how much we love our pastor.  If you are following the pastor, it is more devastating if that pastor falls because your priorities are out of line.  At the same time, that validates that the  bar must be set high for all of us who are in leadership positions such as pastors, prophets, ministers, Sunday school teachers, deacons, elders, evangelists, mentors, etc. or simply devoted Christians who are examples for showing others how to live a Godly life.  We must commit to doing whatever it takes to be obedient and stay in God's will to the best of our abilities.  

It is when Christians, leaders or not, do not commit to really living by the Word, in every way, 24/7, that you leave a crack for "the old man" (Eph.4:22-23) , temptations, your own desires or for the devil to come in and lead you to sin. (James 1:12-15)  Then the next thing you know, they have fallen.  There is no such things as a sin catching you by surprise, as the scripture points out.  You encounter the potential opportunity to sin, think about it and then either CHOSE to sin or not sin.  

If you are close to the Word, the Holy Spirit will strengthen you and help you choose not to sin.  If you are not close to the Word, then you have nothing to remind you that what you are about to do is out of God's will because you don't even know what God's will is.

In my opinion, it is this same failure to keep the Word at the forefront of their relationships that is why the divorce rate among Christians is almost as high as the divorce rate in the world (50%).  In order for marriage to last, both spouses must be on the same page, (equally yoked - 2nd Cor. 6:14), in their believes so that they can hold on to the Word and its promises through thick or thin.

So we must keep our spiritual radar on 24/7, pray with ceasing, as well as our spirits of discernment to keep us on the alert for things, situations, behaviors, people and/or events that may put us in a compromising positions that can jeopardize our walk with God.  If we stay immersed in His Word, the Holy Spirit will strengthen us, guide us and empower us to always do what's right.  Thank you, Jesus!

May the Lord bless us and keep us!