Why I Keep Saying Yes to God

There are moments when I quietly ask God a question I don't often say out loud.

"Lord... did I really hear You?"

Ministry has a way of exposing your heart. From the outside, people sometimes imagine that being a pastor is about standing on a stage, being heard, or having influence. But the reality is often much different.

If I'm being honest, I've never felt more unnoticed than I have at times since becoming a pastor.

It hasn't made life easier.

It certainly hasn't made us wealthy. In many ways, following God's call has cost our family financially, emotionally, and personally. There have been sacrifices that no one sees.

There have been nights spent writing after everyone else has gone to bed, mornings preparing messages while wondering if anyone will hear them, and moments of questioning whether anything I'm doing is making a difference.

I've preached sermons that seemed to disappear into silence.

I've uploaded videos wondering if they would simply become another post lost in an endless scroll.

I've written books asking God if anyone would ever pick them up.

There have even been days when I wondered if I was helping people... or simply bothering them.

Yet every time those thoughts come, God gently reminds me why He called me in the first place.

It wasn't about me.

A Call I Didn't Choose

If I were choosing a career based on comfort or recognition, I honestly don't think I would have chosen ministry.

When God called Moses, Moses immediately told God he wasn't the right person. He said, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent... but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue"

(Exodus 4:10, NKJV).

Jeremiah responded to God's call by saying, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6, NKJV).

Even Gideon questioned whether God had the right person (Judges 6:15).

One thing I've learned from Scripture is that God rarely calls the person who believes they are already enough. He delights in using ordinary people so His strength becomes visible through their weakness.

I've often related to those men. There have been countless times I've felt inadequate, questioned myself, or wondered whether I truly heard God correctly.

But our confidence has never been meant to rest in ourselves.

It rests in the One who called us.

Ministry Isn't About Importance

Jesus completely redefined what leadership looks like.

The world says leaders climb higher.

Jesus knelt down and washed feet.

The world says greatness is measured by influence.

Jesus said, "Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:26, NKJV).

That verse has challenged me more than almost any other.

Being a pastor isn't about having authority over people.

It's about serving them.

Sometimes serving means celebrating with people during their greatest joys.

Sometimes it means sitting beside them during unimaginable grief.

Sometimes it means speaking truth that may not be popular because eternity matters more than temporary comfort.

Real shepherds don't simply tell sheep where to go.

They walk with them.

Why I Keep Writing

People occasionally ask why I spend so much time writing books, researching biblical archaeology, recording videos, and preparing sermons.

The answer is actually very simple.

Because I care.

I care about people who are questioning whether God is real.

I care about those who have been hurt by churches and wonder if Jesus is still worth following.

I care about believers who feel distant from God but don't know how to draw close again.

James writes,

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8, NKJV)

If one sermon helps someone take one step closer to Christ...

If one video encourages someone not to give up...

If one article causes someone to open their Bible again...

Then every late night, every sacrifice, and every difficult season has been worth it.

Freedom, Not Control

One misunderstanding about pastors is that they simply want to tell people how to live.

Nothing could be further from my heart.

Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him.

He invited.

He taught.

He warned.

He loved.

Then He allowed people to choose.

That is still God's way today.

My desire has never been to control anyone.

It's to point people toward the One who sets people free.

Jesus said,

"If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36, NKJV)

Freedom isn't found in following a pastor.

Freedom is found in following Christ.

If my words ever point people toward me instead of Him, then I've missed the purpose of ministry entirely.

What Keeps Me Going

There are still days when discouragement whispers.

There are still moments when I question whether anything I'm doing matters.

Then I remember something Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV)

That verse reminds me that faithfulness is never wasted.

God doesn't ask us to measure success by applause.

He asks us to measure it by obedience.

Noah preached for decades before seeing rain.

Jeremiah faithfully delivered God's message even when people rejected it.

Paul endured imprisonment, beatings, and hardship because he knew Christ was worth every sacrifice.

The Kingdom has always been built by people who decided obedience mattered more than recognition.

A Calling for Every Believer

Maybe you're not called to pastor a church.

But if you belong to Christ, you are called to serve someone.

You may never stand behind a pulpit.

Your ministry may be raising children who love Jesus.

It may be encouraging a struggling friend.

It may be quietly praying for someone every day.

It may be sharing the Gospel with a coworker.

Every act of obedience matters in God's Kingdom.

The question isn't whether your calling is visible.

The question is whether you're willing to say yes.

My Prayer

So why do I keep preaching?

Why do I keep writing?

Why do I keep making videos?

Because Jesus changed my life.

Because someone once refused to give up on me.

Because eternity is real.

Because people matter.

And because everything I've lost while following Christ is insignificant compared to everything I've found in Him.

If anything I create encourages one more person to seek Jesus, trust His Word, and walk a little closer with Him, then every sacrifice has been worth it.

My prayer is not that people remember my name.

My prayer is that they leave remembering His.

Pastor Scott