Many believers sit in church year after year, depending on pastor instead of seeking God for themselves. They remain like babies in the faith. They attend faithfully, they sing, they clap, they even serve, but when it comes to living in victory, they are defeated. Why? Because they have never truly met the Lord for themselves.
I am not talking about the number of years you have been born again. I am not talking about how many conferences you have attended, how many demons you have cast out, or what position you hold in your church. Even Nicodemus was like that. A Pharisee. A man of God by reputation. A custodian of the law. An elder in the synagogue. Yet when he came to Jesus, the Lord had to take him back to the basics of being born again. Jesus was even surprised and asked him: “Are you a teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” (John 3:10, NKJV).
This is the very danger Jesus warned His disciples about when He spoke concerning the Pharisees, the religious leaders who were seen as the sole custodians of God’s Word at that time. He said:
“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.” (Matthew 23:8–12, NKJV).
How many of us truly obey this Word of the Lord? He said we should not accept to be called Rabbi, Teacher, or Master. And He specifically commanded that we should not call anyone Father in our spiritual lives. We only have one Father and He is in heaven. Every other person is a fellow sibling. If they are older in the faith, they are older siblings. If they are popular and heavily anointed, they are still fellow siblings, dear sis.
Sometimes I am amazed when I see men of God deliberately refuse lofty titles and prefer to be called simply “brother.” Bro. Zac Poonen once said he was invited to receive an honorary doctorate but he refused, saying it would be a downgrade from the high privilege of being “brothers with Jesus” (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11). What a perspective!
The Scripture says Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Yet many still live as though we are under the old covenant, waiting for Moses to go up the mountain (Exodus 19:20), relying on Aaron to burn incense (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 16:40), depending on a man to carry their prayers to God. They lean on their pastors’ words more than on God’s Word. Their faith rests on sermons rather than on Christ.
You hear it in their speech: “My pastor said… my pastor taught…” but very little of “The Lord said to me…” They survive on daily devotionals written by others, but have no personal fire burning on their own altar. They are content to eat spiritual leftovers, depending on pastor instead of tasting fresh bread from heaven for themselves (John 6:35).
But here is the truth: when God weighs such a life on His scale, it will be found wanting (Daniel 5:27).
Why Depending on Pastor Keeps Many Christians Spiritually Stunted
We live in a generation of secondhand Christianity. We borrow our convictions. We echo what others say without wrestling with the Scriptures ourselves. And because of this, we remain shallow, weak, and easily deceived.
When Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he did not immediately consult with the other apostles. Instead, he went away into Arabia for three years before returning to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:15–18). He sought Christ directly. He dug into the Word. And when he came out, he was unshakable, because his foundation was not borrowed but personal.
But many believers today see a verse they don’t understand, and instead of pressing in to ask the Spirit for light, they quickly shrug and say, “Well, my pastor said…” That is not maturity. That is dependence. And a dependent Christian cannot stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13).
The Call of the New Covenant: Why Depending on Pastor Must End
The veil has been torn (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:19–22). We are no longer under the shadow of the Old Covenant. We don’t need a high priest on earth to carry us into God’s presence. Jesus Himself is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–16), and we have direct access to the Father. More than that, He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father (Revelation 1:6).
This is why Jeremiah prophesied of the New Covenant, saying: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:34) and in Hebrews, it became fulfilled as we read: “None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Hebrews 8:11 (NKJV)
Did you see that? All. Not just the apostles. Not just the pastors. All. You can know God just as your pastor does. You can receive revelation, insight, and instruction straight from the throne of God. Yes, honour your leaders, but never think God only speaks to them.
We must stop surviving on milk when God is calling us to meat. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12). The church doesn’t need more spoon-fed believers who are depending on pastor. It needs men and women who can crack bones, who can chew the Word, who can wield the sword of the Spirit with accuracy (Ephesians 6:17).
Also Read: LISTS, BUT NO LOVE
Why Depending on Pastor is Dangerous in These Last Days
Look around. Darkness is increasing. Sin is multiplying. Hearts are growing cold (Matthew 24:12). And Jesus warned us this would happen. Yet, at the same time, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20). The Spirit of grace is being poured out more abundantly. Anyone who desires to know God can know Him. But the question is: do we really desire Him?
Many stop at the narrow gate but never walk the narrow way (Matthew 7:13–14). They prefer the old wine of dependence rather than the fresh new wine of intimacy with Christ as Jesus said: “No one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:39, NKJV). And I have found this to be so true. Many prefer the old ways of leaning on others, being satisfied with secondhand knowledge of God, rather than pressing into a direct, living relationship with Christ.
Why? Because pressing deep requires diligence. And many are lazy. They are content with giving their things to God but not giving their lives to Him. They are willing to offer their money, their service, their appearance in church, but not their hearts, not their obedience, not their bodies.
But the Scriptures say: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.” (Hebrews 10:5, NKJV). Did you see that? A body. Not just burnt offerings. Not empty rituals. A body.
This is why Paul pleads with us in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
That is what God is after, dear sis. Our bodies, our obedience, our lives laid down as living sacrifices. Not just our lips, not just our Sunday offerings, not just our outward religion. Real worship is sacrifice. Real worship is obedience. Real worship is dying to self, so that Christ may live through us. Have you really started worshipping God or just worshipping man, denominations and marking attendance?
Many have entered through the narrow gate, but they remain stuck there, never walking the narrow way (Matthew 7:13–14). We shouldn’t be like that.
Also Read: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR: HEAVEN OR JESUS?
How to Know if You’re Idolising a Man of God (And Depending on Pastor Instead of Christ)
Ask yourself these questions honestly to examine your heart:
- If my pastor’s opinion differed from Scripture, whose word would carry more weight in my life?
- Do I study the Bible and seek God personally, or only depend on my pastor’s interpretation?
- Do I pray and hear from God directly, or always wait for someone to “hear God for me”?
- Am I more excited about being with my pastor than being alone with God?
- Do I obey God’s Word even when no leader is watching?
- If my pastor fell into error or sin, would my faith collapse too?
- Do I talk more about what my pastor said than what the Lord has personally taught me?
- Do I measure my growth by my intimacy with Jesus or by my closeness to a man of God or denomination?
- Do I feel more pain when my pastor’s reputation is attacked than when God’s name is dishonoured?
- Am I unwilling to hear other ministers or teachers, believing only my pastor has direct access to God?
- Am I resistant to exposing my heart to God for personal revelation?
- Do I honour my denomination or tradition above the universal body of Christ?
- Do I enjoy spiritual content but find reading the Bible boring?
- Do I believe special anointings and revelations are only for others, not for me?
- Do I depend on “spiritual elites” rather than seeking God’s Spirit for myself?
If most of your honest answers reveal dependence on a pastor rather than on Christ, you likely have an unhealthy idolisation. The Bible warns us: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5). Honour your leaders (Hebrews 13:7), but only worship and rely fully on Jesus.
Rounding Off…
The veil is torn. The invitation is open. The Spirit is willing. God is waiting.
Will you keep living on borrowed revelation, on depending on pastor or will you rise to seek Him for yourself? Will you keep quoting men, or will you become a woman who can say with confidence, “I know who I have believed!”?
The Lord is not hiding. He is near. He is calling you deeper. Don’t waste your life eating crumbs when the King Himself has spread a table before you (Psalm 23:5).
The question is simple, sis: Will you seek Him?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What does it mean to depend too much on your pastor?
It means relying on your pastor’s prayers, teachings, or revelations as your main source of spiritual life instead of building a personal relationship with Jesus.
Q2: Is it wrong to honour pastors and leaders?
No. The Bible commands us to respect and honour our leaders (Hebrews 13:7). But honour must never become worship or idolization.
Q3: Why do many Christians remain spiritually stunted?
Because they live on secondhand revelation: quoting pastors, reading devotionals, and listening to sermons, without seeking God in prayer and Scripture themselves.
Q4: How can I grow spiritually without idolizing a man of God?
By developing personal spiritual disciplines: daily Bible study (Joshua 1:8), fervent consistent prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), dependence on the Holy Spirit (John 5:30) and learning to hear God’s voice for yourself. (John 10:27).
Q5: Can I know God as deeply as my pastor does?
Oh yes! The New Covenant promise is: “They shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” (Jeremiah 31:34).
Also Read: Judge Not: The Verse That Is Slowly Killing the Church
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