Tag: Faith

Survival

Few ideas are more significant than the need for survival. For some, the need to find a meal for the day is a matter of survival. For some, getting through the day with their life is a matter of survival.

Leadership survival is an area of great need within the church of the twenty-first century.

Leaders must survive challenges to their leadership in matters of faith and practice.

Leaders must survive false accusations to their character by dissenters.

Leaders must develop survival skills against the forces of division.

When it comes to leadership, survival is a priority. Communicate it. Live by it.

Hold the Helm

Consider a statement made by Publilius Syrus, “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” Perhaps we could say, “It is not difficult to have faith when life is going well.”

The challenge to faith (holding the helm) involves trusting that God is in control and engaged in life, that He looks out for your best interest even when life is not going well.

Spiritual leaders will face numerous storms, disbelief in the vision and goals often exists, jealousy that creates doubt in your motives, and gossip, slander, and malice spread discrediting you.

Hold the helm! Remain strong in the faith! Keep your eyes focused on Jesus! Continue to lead!

Leading with Prayer

I recently heard a question asked, “Do we believe in prayer?”

Most people can attest to God answering prayers in powerful ways.

Perhaps the struggle we have deals with the temptation to doubt when various trials arise and challenge our faith in God’s power to answer.

There is no magic formula, special words, proper position, or time of day that makes a difference in prayer.

For Christians, prayer is about the simplicity of a humble heart that trusts God to answer in His time, in His ways, and in our best interest.

We may not always understand, but prayer is foundational to powerful leadership.

Opportunities

Life is filled with opportunities. We may choose to pass or act on an opportunity. The possibility also exists that we will neither pass or act on an opportunity because we fail to see it.

Whether we see an opportunity or fail to see it, what a blessing to know God works in our lives daily. He provides us with opportunities to grow closer to Him, recognize the beauty of His handiwork, develop a stronger faith, help and encourage others, love family and friends, work and earn a living, remember those who changed our lives, and the list is unending.

Opportunities abound if we look.

What If…Part 3

What would life be like if we took out the “if factor”?

Think about the following questions.

Do we limit the power of God by the boundaries we create in our own mind?

Do we believe God has the power to do far beyond all we ask or think according to the power that works within us?

What do we hinder God from doing when we place limitations on Him?

What could God do through you and me as leaders if our faith was greater?

When we believe that God can and will accomplish His purpose, in spite of us, maybe we would stop thinking small and start thinking big!

Spiritual Growth

We want our children to learn how to read and write, understand history, and gain a perspective of math and science. Of course, there are other subjects.

However, do we grasp the urgency of a spiritual education?

We must take a more serious look at the situation and how to better equip God’s people.

We are responsible not just to teach, but to teach others how to learn from God’s word in order that they might teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

If we value what we learned from someone who took the time to teach us, then we must imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).

Godly Counsel

In the Psalms, David expresses the need to wait for the counsel of the Lord, because His counsel will endure forever.

Solomon claims a wise man is one who listens to wise counsel. One of the best Proverbs about counsel is found in Proverbs 27:9 where we read, “A man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.”

When leaders provide godly counsel, several beautiful things occur: 1) God is glorified, 2) His people are built up in the faith, 3) Leadership is strengthened, and 4) The future is secured.

Let leaders learn to pursue and provide godly counsel.

Test of Leadership

Abraham is a great example specifically identified with the testing of his faith. “God tested Abraham” is how the text begins with the command from God to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering.

James speaks to the purpose of testing as a way to produce endurance which ultimately results in completeness.

How should we respond to tests within our leadership?

Prayer is the best place to begin.
Hold fast to the word of God.
Seek the counsel of spiritual and godly leaders.
Remember to trust God is working to prepare us.

A Question

I first saw this question on a church building sign.

The question challenges the depth of our faith and the strength of our vision.

The question requires a deep reflection into our soul to determine where we are and where we want to go.

The question brings a responsibility to act, requiring us to get up and do something.

The question applies to every individual and congregation. It stretches across every generation, culture, and era.

Before you read the question, remember to give serious consideration to the question before answering.

The question is simply this: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”

Example

The only time when Jesus said, “I gave you an example,” is in John 13 where He emphasized the need to be a servant, and the mark of our discipleship comes from the way we treat one another.

Paul encouraged Christians to follow his example (1 Co. 11:1). He told Timothy to be an example of the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity (1 Tim. 4:12). The world needs Christians to be an example in marriage and parenting, in ethical business conduct, and being a good neighbor.

We can provide no greater gift in leading others to Christ than setting a good example.