I believe the Lord is highlighting something to His people in this season. I pray you’ll receive it with an open heart. There’s a tender correction in His voice, but also a deep longing that we come into alignment with His heart for the ones who lead and serve among us.
Yes, spiritual abuse is real. Yes, some have caused deep harm within the walls of the Church, and the Lord sees it all. He grieves with the wounded, and His justice will not be mocked. But today, I sense that He is also drawing our attention to the other side of the story —one we don’t often talk about.
There are thousands—yes, thousands-of faithful servants in ministry who are walking in integrity, who carry His heart with humility, who serve without applause. These men and women have laid down their lives to love well, to shepherd carefully, and to remain accountable, not to crowds of fans, but to trusted and mature voices who speak the truth in love. They don’t surround themselves with yes-men.
And yet, they are weary. Some feel crushed by a culture of constant scrutiny. They aren’t just living in fishbowls anymore—they are living in glass courtrooms, where every word is measured, every hesitation dissected, every motivation questioned. And much of the pressure isn’t coming from the world—it’s coming from within the Church.
I hear the Lord asking: How can My leaders lead with transparency if they are afraid of judgment? How can they be vulnerable if those they serve are watching with suspicion?
The Lord is inviting His Church to come into a posture of humility and grace. Galatians 6:2 speaks clearly:
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
If we want safe leaders, we must become safe people. If we long for authenticity from the pulpit, we must stop demanding perfection from the ones who stand behind it.
The Lord is not calling us to idolize our pastors, but neither is He calling us to be their constant accusers. Many of us have placed leaders on pedestals, expecting more from them than we expect from ourselves, and when they show their humanity, we withdraw our support instead of increasing it.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says,
“Honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work.”
This is not just a suggestion. It is a holy invitation to live counter-culturally to what has become a Social Media coliseum.
The Lord says, “I am restoring honour in My house. I am healing what was broken. But healing does not come only by exposing darkness—it also comes by celebrating the light. Call out what is good. Make room for the flawed and the faithful to grow together in grace.”
Would you be open to sharing your heart with someone who picks apart everything you say and do? Probably not. And yet, we often expect that very vulnerability from those who lead, even if we’ve created an atmosphere of mistrust.
As the Lord gently reminds us in Ephesians 4:2,
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
This is the kind of community He desires: one where pastors, leaders, and every believer can be human, held, and healed—not judged, isolated, and torn down.
Look around. There are leaders who have stood with you in the valley. They have prayed over your pain, spoken My love when you could not feel it, and remained present even when they were weary. Honour them. Speak well of them. Celebrate them.
Once again, this isn’t about ignoring abuse or silencing victims—those who willfully and deliberately abuse must be held accountable.
However, if the Church is a place where good fruit is seen, named, and nurtured, and where those who are struggling find a safe space to find healing, less abuse will occur. The unhealed wounded are, more often than not, the ones who, in turn, abuse.
Romans 12:10 says:
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other.”
So today, I invite you to honour those who have loved well. Say thank you. Send a note. Share a story. Let the world know that the Church still holds beauty, that safe and faithful leaders still exist, and that God is not finished with His Bride.
This is an invitation to shift the atmosphere.
To speak life.
To restore honour.
And to remember what Jesus told us in Luke 6:31:
“Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them.”
The Lord is making space for truth and grace to dwell together. Let’s respond to the invitation with open hearts.
Until next time,
@2025 Katherine Walden