Over the last few years, I’ve noticed something troubling in the Church. We seem angry.

Not burdened.

Not brokenhearted.

Not moved with compassion.

Angry.

Scroll through social media for five minutes and you’ll see it. Turn on cable news and you’ll see it. Sit through a family gathering during election season and you’ll definitely see it. Everybody is fighting. Christians are fighting culture. Culture is fighting Christians. Families are fighting families. Friends are fighting friends. Everybody seems to be carrying a sword, and very few people seem to be carrying a towel.

How can a Christian leader reach men who are far from God?

I’ve been asked that many times, maybe because reaching such men has become a part of my mission. In fact two or three times each month I gather with guys in a neutral location just to hang out together. But my purpose is deeper than fellowship.

Of course it always starts there: loud laughter, rude kidding, good-natured insults. Soon it transitions to life and talk about work and wives and kids.

After awhile I pose two questions for each guy to answer. I’ve been asking these questions in meetings like this for seven years, and I continue to see the remarkable results they bring. The questions:

I’ve never been a big guy. And when I was a boy, my father, who’s always been short and scrappy himself, told me how to survive.

“Fighting’s not fair,” he advised. “Don’t go seeking a fight, but if you’re challenged by someone bigger than you, do whatever you must to win.” He told about a time when a bully confronted him after school. Dad grabbed a metal trash can, whomped the kid with it, and then ran home.

He wouldn’t have left unhurt that day if he hadn’t realized some uncomplicated truths that parallel the way Christians should think about their spiritual adversary, the devil. When it comes to Satan, it’s not a fair fight, and we need to be ready.

If nothing else will distract a leader, discouragement will.

And if nothing else will discourage a leader, comparing himself with others will.

Envy is the great disabler. And sometimes it disables me. Here I am, constantly going for God while the stress and the pressure of ministry seems never to go away. When I dwell on this, I’m in a turmoil that feels like it just won’t end.

Here’s a fact every leader must face: leadership is a fight. Yes, the leader will enjoy positive experiences and wonderful people, but meanwhile he will be forced to tackle one battle after another. Here are six fights you must face when you step into the ring of leadership.