Pastors spend decades studying Scripture, shepherding congregations and helping others navigate life’s most difficult moments. Yet even after more than 60 years in ministry, Pastor Chuck Swindoll says the greatest dangers often come from within.
During a recent conversation with Pastor Greg Laurie, the longtime Bible teacher distilled a lifetime of ministry experience into four simple warnings. Each temptation begins with the letter “S,” and Swindoll urged pastors to guard against them with humility, accountability and dependence on the grace of God.
Rather than ending with fear, however, Swindoll pointed listeners to the hope found in Christ, reminding us that no temptation is beyond God’s power to overcome.
Four temptations every pastor must guard against
Swindoll said he has “boiled it down to four major temptations,” adding that they are easy to remember because “they all start with the same letter S.”
1. Sloth
“The first is sloth,” Swindoll said. “You can really get lazy in ministry.”
He warned that spiritual complacency rarely happens overnight. Instead, pastors can slowly devote more energy to hobbies and recreation than to prayer, studying God’s Word and caring for people.
“You get better at your golf game than you are at your preaching,” he said. “You get better at fishing than you are working with people… You can really get slothful.”
His point wasn’t that recreation is wrong, but that ministry leaders must continually guard against drifting from the calling God has given them. Spiritual discipline remains essential no matter how many years someone has served.
2. Silver
The second temptation, Swindoll said, is “silver.”
“Boy, the money can turn your head.”
He described how financial incentives can quietly begin influencing ministry decisions. An invitation may come with an increasingly larger honorarium until a pastor begins thinking more about the paycheck than the opportunity to serve.
To protect his own heart, Swindoll said he stopped accepting money for funerals decades ago.
“I don’t take money to bury people. They’re in grief.”
He also recalled returning a payment after recording a funeral message for a beloved mentor.
“I’ve regularly done that to stay away from the lure of doing it for the money.”
The veteran pastor encouraged ministry leaders to remember that their calling is never for sale, regardless of the amount being offered.
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3. Self
Swindoll’s third warning centered on pride.
“Guard against anything that promotes you.”
He cautioned pastors against building personal platforms, seeking recognition or taking credit for work accomplished by others.
“Give the other person the credit,” he said. “Acknowledge your own staff.”
Swindoll also referenced Martin Luther, who reportedly said he feared “that great Pope Self” more than any external opposition.
The reminder is especially relevant in an age where social media, podcasts and online platforms can tempt ministry leaders to pursue influence instead of faithfulness.
Instead, Swindoll encouraged pastors to celebrate those serving around them, recognizing that ministry has always been a team effort.
4. Sex
Swindoll saved what he considers the greatest danger for last.
“Of the four, that’s the strongest.”
He warned that pornography has devastated countless ministries and often serves as the beginning of much larger moral failures.
“Pornography is eating us up, Greg,” he said.
Rather than assuming anyone is immune, Swindoll urged pastors to establish firm boundaries before temptation ever arrives.
He shared that throughout his ministry he never had dinner alone with another woman, never counseled a woman privately without accountability, and intentionally avoided situations that could create temptation or the appearance of compromise.
“I do not give myself any leeway because I know that is a major weakness… in every man.”
Perhaps his most memorable illustration came from an elderly missionary who was asked when he had finally overcome sexual temptation.
The missionary replied, “It hasn’t happened yet.”
Swindoll said the answer has stayed with him for years.
“We will fight it till we’re dead… I don’t care how old you get… you’re never going to get past sexual temptation.”
Grace is greater than temptation
Although Swindoll’s warnings were direct, they were never without hope.
Speaking about anyone struggling with sexual sin—or any other temptation—he reminded listeners that failure does not have to be the final chapter.
“It’s never too late to start doing what is right,” he said. “Start now.”
That message carried into the final question of Laurie’s interview, when he asked Swindoll what he would preach if he had only one sermon left.
His answer was immediate.
“I believe I would speak on the grace of God.”
Swindoll said he wants to be remembered as “a man of grace,” pointing people to Jesus Christ rather than themselves. He emphasized that salvation is not earned through self-improvement but received through faith in Christ alone.
“You don’t have to clean up anything. You don’t have to correct anything. You don’t have to change anything,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is come to Christ.”
Swindoll’s four warnings are ultimately reminders that every temptation can be resisted through God’s strength. As we remain rooted in Scripture, walk in accountability and rely on His grace each day, the Lord is faithful to protect and sustain those who seek Him.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
