Thursday, May 23, 2013

Staying Spiritually Healthy #4


            The last gage I want to encourage you to check is love. The bible has a lot to say about love in fact there are over 680 verses. 1 Peter 4:8 says Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Love will also move you toward action. John 3:6 tells us God loved the world so much that He gave His son. 1Corinthians 16:14 tells us to do everything in love. Love will always lead you in the direction God wants you to go. Love is something that God’s people are known for. You can’t help but stay spiritually health when love runs supreme. Love will make you a better leader a better mom or dad a better boss a better employee. It only takes one overlooked gauge to cause a catastrophe in your life and leadershipIf you are serious about being spiritually healthy you must get in the habit of not just checking these gages but also feeding your spirit.

            Ministry looks a whole lot like work, in fact it is work, yes there’s a spiritual dynamic but just like anything else when you expend something you have to refill it. A smart leader knows that ministry works in the same way as a checkbook works. Mark deposits first then write checks from your overflow. So here are five ways you can keep these gages on full.
1.    Make an appointment each day to build your faith my having time in the word. Set the  time for that appointment the day before, it doesn’t have to be the same time every day you just need to treat it like it’s special because it is. Don’t spend all your time studying the bible to teach you have to feed your spirit daily just like you have to feed your body.

2.    Go to church. I should have to tell this to people in ministry but you need to worship and take in from your pastor.

3.    Start every meeting with God stories. God stories are just reports or testimonies about what God is doing in your ministry. It keeps leaders focused on the main thing being the main thing. If you have no God stories then things are not very healthy.

4.    Use the pre-service prayer time as a time to do a devotion together or to go through a book as a team. Don’t just read leadership books find books that challenge you and those who serve with you.

5.    Make time for prayer. Things happen when you pray. Set aside the time you spend in your car to prayer, put down the cell phone and pray like it matters. Pray together with your family and also those you lead. I’ve found when you hem your life with prayer things are a lot less likely to unravel.

What are your gages telling you about your spiritual health. Once you identify what you need then add feet to your plan to fix it!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Staying Spritually Healthy -Part 3


              The third gage that will help you stay spiritually healthy is faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” Wow I want to please God so I can never let my faith get low. One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That’s really good to know. That is how you increase or build your faith. It comes from hearing God’s word. I have found that one of the best ways for God’s word to get from my head into my heart is by riding the elevator of my mouth. By saying God’s word it builds my faith. Faith moves you toward the things you and what God wants for you. I’ve found that the time to build your faith is before trouble comes. That way when you need faith, it’s there! 1Timothy 6:12 says “Fight the good fight of the faith. If there is a good fight, then there is a bad fight! You are the only one who can make sure you don’t fight the bad fight. To stay spiritually healthy watch out for the enemies of faith like your feelings or emotions. You can never trust your feelings, ever! An effective leader must master their emotions. Another enemy of faith is fear. My favorite definition for fear is faith in reverse. Fear is the devil’s #1 weapon Everyone’s battle with fear is different, no matter what the fear is, deal with it or loose your leadership. “Me” issues also fight faith.

            The forth gage for spiritual health is the excellence gage. Excellence gage how is that spiritual. Everything God does he does with excellence. If you want to do something in a way that will please God do what ever you do with excellence. Don’t settle with aiming at the best, when you can aim at the best there is! God tells us in Philippians. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable --if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --think about such things. When you are pressuring excellence you’ll be spiritually healthy and you’ll also be setting yourself for promotion.


More to come...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Staying Spiritually Healthy Part 2


What gauges should a leader be watching in able to stay spiritually healthy?” I’m glad you asked that...

      The first gage you should be keeping an eye on is your Joy. Some people in Children’s Ministry become bogged down with to do lists, tasks and they forget the secret of your strength, the joy of the Lord. Neh. 8:10 says “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Growing leaders are joyous leaders. We spend joy every day. It seems like life can be full of things aimed at robbing our joy. How quick can you replenish your joy? Pouty leaders are leaders. The silent treatment should never be accepted. You can grow up no matter what your age is. My mom taught me years ago that happiness is a choice. It has nothing to do with your circumstances, it has to do with you thinking as well as your attitude. Don’t let your joy gauge or those who lead with you ever get on “E”
One of the most valuable skills you can ever develop is to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord!

      The second gage to keep in check is your attitude. You can’t control what happens in life but you can control how you respond to life. Your attitude is tied to your thinking that’s why wrong thinking produces a wrong attitude every time! Your attitude will make you or break you. Philippians 2: 5 reminds us our attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus’. Your thankfulness level is also a terrific indicator of your true attitude. I also think
your attitude is a by-product of your self-image. The key is to line up how you view yourself with what God’s Word says about you! When you view yourself according to the word is will guarantee you stay spiritually healthy. A great habit to develop is to line up your attitude with the Word daily.

more to come...

Monday, May 20, 2013

Staying Spiritually Healthy


The key to most of the success in my life is evaluation. Over the years I’ve learned that only the things I evaluate will grow and bear fruit! I spend a lot of time looking at how I spend my time. Each week if you visit me here in Murfreesboro at World Outreach Church you’ll find me most of the time walking around using my M.B.W.A. degree (Management By Walking Around). Each morning I start my day getting on the scales. When I go to the gym I always wear a heart rate monitor, why? It’s simple one of my goals is for my heart to not jump out of my chest.

      All of us rely on gages to make our lives better each day. I don’t understand what all the gages do on an airplane but every time I fly I am thankful the pilot does. When I get in my car I check my gas gage and make sure none of my gages or warning lights are on. I also believe we should monitor certain gages in ministry to keep all of us in leadership spiritually healthy. What’s so important about gauges? Let see what the bible says in Revelation 11:1 “I was given a stick for a measuring rod and told, "Get up and measure God's Temple and Altar and everyone worshiping in it.“ Wow God was saying evaluate or measure my house even my most sacred area as well as everyone who worships there. This is no surprise if you truly believe only the things we evaluate will grow and bear fruit!

         Information is power! Gages let us know what changes, or what action needs to take place before it’s too late, this is also true about spiritual gages. Failure or trouble comes from ignoring your gauges. Leaders who ignore their gages on a regular basis are really not leading they are only a leader in their mind. You may be asking yourself  “What gauges should a leader be watching in able to stay spiritually healthy?” 
I’m glad you asked that question this week we're going to answer it here on the blog!


More to come...