Hey Guys…earlier this morning I was working on my devotions and was meditating on a few scriptures and wanted to pass along to you a thought about working with others and handling others in tough situations. I think sometimes if we’re not careful in handling tough situations we can press our agenda’s for the sake of getting a win under our belt but along the way leave a blood trail of hurting people who need to see the love and compassion of Jesus in their sin, pain, or even rebellion. Here are some thoughts to consider…about spiritual discipline.

– The true leader is concerned primarily with the welfare of others, not with their own comfort or prestige. They show sympathy for the problems of others, but their sympathy fortifies and stimulates; it does not soften and make weak.

– A spiritual leader will always direct the confidence of others to the Lord. They see in each emergency a new opportunity for helpfulness.

– Spiritual discipline is a responsibility of the leader, a duty often unwelcome. But every Christian society requires godly and loving discipline to maintain divine standards in doctrine, morals, and conduct.

– The spirit of meekness will achieve far more than the spirit of criticism. When approaching a disciplinary situation, work on remembering these 5 guidelines that may help keep motives pure and God’s presence tangible.
1. Conduct a thorough and impartial inquiry.
2. Consider the overall benefit to the work and to the individual.
3. Do it all in the spirit of love and in the most considerate manner.
4. Always keep the spiritual restoration of the offender in view.
5. And by all means and always…PRAY IT THROUGH!!

– Reference: Galatians 6:1, 2 Thessalonians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 2:8

Have a good and Godly day!!!

Hey Guys…I was doing my devotions this morning and thought I would share with you a few things I felt in my heart. The bible says, “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” (Luke 12:39)

What are the times when you and I are most vulnerable to being caught off guard by the enemy of our souls?

One of those times is just after you’ve had a great victory. Consider Jesus when He was baptized and was about to begin His public ministry. He was taken away into the desert to be tempted by satan.

Leisure time is another place in which satan seeks to take us off our normal routine of personal quiet times. In the normal routine of life, our senses are tuned to the need to draw upon God’s Spirit to see us through the activities of each day. However, when we get away from our routine and go on vacation, we can often drop these routines. We wrongfully think that we do not need to spend time with the Lord during leisure times. This is a terrible mistake. The vacation becomes a test of character. During vacations we turn freely to what we love most. It reveals to us what is at the core of our existence.

It’s like what our school teachers face every year…here’s what a teacher shared, “The greatest difficulty we encounter is the summer vacation. Just when we have brought a student to a certain discipline and place in their study habits, we lose him. When he comes back we have to begin all over again.” I thought how true that is in our spiritual lives. It only takes a small crack in the door of our heart to lose our spiritual focus.

Be on guard when times of retreat are made available to you. Use these times for spiritual refreshment, not just physical refreshment, and you will keep the thief from entering your house.

Blessings…have a great day.

I was praying earlier this morning and doing my devotions and was reading from several passages of scripture.  I would encourage you to read them…Prov.25:19-28, Matt.5:44, Romans 12:9-21.

My thoughts, meditations, and prayers were toward these verses and so I wanted to share them with you as well.  As believers these scriptures provide for us a powerful insight on not only leadership but personal development in our journey with the Lord.  Many leaders commit the error of separating leadership from relationships.  This happens when a person steps into a position of leadership and assumes that everyone will follow his or her ideas because of their position.  Some leaders wrongly believe that their knowledge alone qualifies them to lead others.  People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  We cannot separate leadership from relationships.  Leaders help themselves by developing good relational skills.

One of the reasons why a church can be so POWERFUL is because there is nothing more powerful than an army of volunteers.  People commit to giving their life to something (CAUSE) without being made or paid to be there.  When leaders can lead volunteers watch out because something is about to be invaded and territories are about to be conquered!

Paul instructs us how to lead through relationships in Romans 12:9-21:

1. Avoid hypocrisy…always be sincere and genuine (v.9)
2. Stay loyal to those around you…treat others like family (v.10)
3. Give preference to others…honor the desires of others above your own (v.10)
4. Be hospitable…look for ways to meet the needs of others (v.13)
5. Return evil for good…respond (act) don’t react, when others hurt you (v.14)
6. Identify with others…treat others needs or victories as your own (v.15)
7. Keep an open mind toward others…work and seek to connect with those you speak with (v.16)
8. Treat everyone with respect…even those who may work against you (v.17)
9. Do everything possible to keep peace…choose wisely which hills to die on (v.18)
10. Remove revenge from your life…let God be the one to judge others; you love them (v.19-21)

Practice these 10 things in your everyday walk…and it becomes contagious for others as well!!  Have a great day.

British Field Marshal, Bernard Montgomery once said, “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.”  We are living in an hour that’s demanding…confident leaders to arise.  In this hour of demand leaders need to remember that we teach what we know but we reproduce who we are!  When a leader’s identity and actions are consistent, the results they get are consistent, but when they are inconsistent then so are the results.  It’s the leaders that set the tone and the pace for the people around them; therefore they need to be what they want to see.  That’s why I believe our influence has less to do with our position or title than it does with the life we live.  Proverbs 17:2 says, “even a wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame” Why?  Because of their credibility.  We gain credibility when our life matches our talk.  Influencing others is a matter of disposition, not position.  Leadership is a choice we make, not a place we sit.  And Leadership doesn’t happen in a day…but daily.

 Here a few questions I believe every leader should ask themselves.

1. Consistency: Are you the same person no matter who’s with you?
2. Choices: Do you make decisions based on how they benefit you or others?
3. Credit: Are you quick to recognize others for their efforts when you succeed?
4. Character: Do you work harder at your image or your integrity?
5. Credibility: Have you recognized that credibility is a victory, not a gift.

          I am convinced that it when it comes to “modeling desired behavior” you must become what you want to see.  We all know that it’s possible to lead without character…history has proven that but character is what makes you a leader worth following. (2 Thess. 3:6-9, 1 Tim.4:12, Titus 2:7)  Integrity is not necessary if your aspirations as a leader ends with simply persuading people to follow you but if at the end of the day your intent is for those who follow to respect you then integrity is a must!  Accomplishments as a leader will make your name known but your character will determine what people associate with your name.  It’s been said and revealed that gifts and determination may dictate potential but it is our character that will determine our legacy.

             Just because people have chosen to follow you is not necessarily an indicator that you deserved to be followed.  There is a significant difference between having a following and being worth following.  There are many gifted, talented, charismatic, and visionary people who have a following but that doesn’t mean their worth following.  What separates those who are worthy and the worthless are their values.  If leaders don’t develop their character track to sustain them eventually their natural talent will outstrip and outpace their character.  If we’re going to be leaders worth following we must be intentional about developing our inner man.  Invest in the health of your soul.  To ignore the health of your soul is equivalent of planning to fail.  It’s the inner man than determines our legacy.