Views: 64

I’ve served in ministry for more than half a century, and I’ve walked with the Lord for over 55 years. I’ve lived through seasons of great joy and great struggle. 

I have no doubt that you, too, will experience tough times as you remain faithful in ministry. Unfortunately, you can count on it. 

Ministry isn’t a 50-yard sprint; it is a marathon. It’s like a slow cooked Texas brisket, not a morning breakfast pop-tart. I want you to finish the race God has placed before you.

Your faithfulness matters—to your family, to your church, and to God. 

Paul wrote this reminder in Colossians 2:6: “as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (NASB)

I want to inspire you—no matter what ministry you’re in—to keep on. Anyone can thrive in ministry for six months or even five years. But I’m praying you’ll stay faithful for a lifetime!

Over the years, six habits have helped me to keep going even when life was difficult.

When you’re physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually down, these habits will give you the strength you need to thrive. Others have written about them, but I pulled them from Scripture and my own life and ministry.

1. Keep my life clean and close to Jesus.

I’ve read hundreds of Christian biographies about men and women God has used over the centuries. And I’ve noticed something: Refinement precedes a new assignment. Before God begins to use someone in a new and greater way, God cleans their life.

Paul showed us this when he wrote to Timothy, “if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21 NASB). God isn’t looking for talented people to use for his work; he’s looking for people who desire to live clean lives, free from sin. 

2. Keep my eyes open. 

It’s easy to get tunnel vision and become self-focused when you’re experiencing a tough time. It’s natural in those times to think about your own problems. But Psalm 105:4 (NASB) says, “Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually.”

The most misunderstood word in ministry is vision. I hear people regularly say how important it is to be a visionary. Vision isn’t about seeing the future. The last two years have taught us that no one can predict the future. Vision is seeing God at work in your present situation and staying in step with him.

3. Keep my heart grateful.

Doctors say the healthiest emotion is gratitude. God uses grateful people. God does not use or bless ungrateful people. The Bible encourages us to, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  (1 Peter 3:15,16 NASB)

What I’ve learned is people burn out in ministry because they’ve let grumbling replace gratitude. You’ll find plenty of issues to grumble about in ministry. We live in a broken world. You work with broken people, so you can’t expect everything to always go right.

Ministry is messy. That’s why gratefulness is the key to longevity in ministry.

4. Keep my purpose firm. 

To prepare for difficult days, memorize this verse: “run with endurance the race God has set before us . . . by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2,3 NLT). 

Whenever you’re confused or in doubt about anything in your life, always return to the five purposes found in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission: to know and love God, to belong to his family, to grow in Christ, to serve Christ, and to share Christ. That’s the elemental chart of the Christian life. When you’re in doubt and confused, always return to God’s purposes.

5. Keep my focus on God’s Word.

When times are tough, you can’t depend upon the news or your social media feed. You must hold on to God’s Word no matter what. Why? John 15:7 tells us: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (NASB).

You can depend upon God’s Word in difficult times because it’s always true. You never have to wonder whether you will find safety in the Bible. 

6. Keep my mind on Jesus.

Psychologists talk about two kinds of motivation—internal and external. We are motivated externally when we do something because of the promised reward or the fear of punishment. We are motivated internally when we do something because it makes us feel fulfilled, expresses our gifts, makes people like us, or gives us some other kind of positive feeling. 

But there’s a higher motivation. The impact our ministries are having on eternity is a far stronger motivation than either external or internal.

Jesus could put up with anything because he always kept his eyes on eternity. That’s why he could endure the cross. Keeping your mind on eternity will also help you endure the trials of ministry. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3,4 NKJV).

You may feel like quitting right now. Don’t do it. Tough times never last. Just remember, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV).

Views: 54

At this stage and age in life, I’ve learned I don’t run well on an unstable surface.

Jogging in beach sand, rocky surfaces, or a potholed grass field doesn’t work for me. It destabilizes my footing, and I feel off-balance the whole time. 

It makes me run in a tentative way. 

In this COVID and what many are calling a post-COVID season, the same thing happens in leadership.  

The sustained disruption in so much of the life and ministry of a ministry or local church has many leaders off-balance, and we can end up leading tentatively.

As leaders who live inside the continual process of productive change, we crave a certain degree of stability. That which we know, love, and are accustomed to. 

In many ways, that’s healthy and normal. It’s usually a good thing.

A good example of that is the stability we gain from healthy relationships. 

Leaders need people in their lives that they can count on, connect with, and share life with in a personal and in-person way. These human connections are vital. 

With social distancing, Zoom calls, and working from home, that no longer has the consistent place it once did. 

The lack of ability to gather or fully gather in your building contributes to the destabilizing disruption.

Many leaders say they experience guilt because they think they need to be in their office or at church all day, but no one is there. That disruption is destabilizing. 

4 ways to bring stability and strength during disruption:

1. Understand that stability is not always your ally.

I’ve given an example of a healthy kind of stability, but there is also an unhealthy desire for stability that makes you seek comfort and become resistant to change.

Comfort over personal and organizational growth is a dangerous temptation. The pursuit of comfort is the signal of surrender. 

John Maxwell calls it the “comfort zone,” and we need to run from it. 

Pressing forward, even with all the uncertainties, is essential. Keep growing.

If you find your solace and stability in comfort, you will be tempted to resist change because change is also a disrupter and often a good one. It’s always better to initiate productive change than settle for unproductive comfort.

The test is simple enough. Are you moving forward? 

Your speed of progress is not important, simply, are you forward-thinking and are you moving forward? Setbacks that make you take two steps back are not an issue, that’s life, but are you pressing forward? 

2. Embrace church, ministry, and business planter’s disposition.

I love church, ministry, and business planters. 

They are “whatever it takes” kind of leaders. 

I’m not saying that only church, ministry, and business planters have zeal and drive, not at all, but I’ve never met one in the early stages who is unwilling to pay the price and thrilled to get to do it. 

We are all in a whatever it takes season. 

COVID-19 is a once-in-a-lifetime nightmare, and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see what God wants to do in and through His church. 

We need to be able to let go or embrace whatever is necessary. 

It may be in the end that God didn’t ask us to change our ministry or business as we know it that much. It may look more like innovations and improvements to what we know. Perhaps the change He wants is more inside us. 

Either way, we need to embrace “whatever it takes.’ 

This calls out the servant-spirit in each of us. That’s where leadership starts, a willingness to serve in any way that advances the mission. 

3. When outward stability is gone, find it inside. 

In both ministry, church, and business, there is very little that feels stable, and where it does, it’s not guaranteed.

This is not a “doom and gloom” perspective; in fact, I’m very hopeful. It’s merely an observation of how current culture is operating.

So much has changed and continues to change, and we are not yet sure where it will land. 

In times like these, it’s best to find true stability within yourself. 

The kind of stability that finds its foundation in Christ and is not shaken by what’s going on around you. 

That doesn’t mean it’s easy, it’s still disruptive, but genuine peace can be found if our faith becomes the foundation of our inner stability. 

A great approach to spiritually-based stability and strength is to focus on the evidence of the Holy Spirit within you. 

One by one, cultivate the maturing of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control within you. Yep, the fruit of the Spirit!

In my personal prayer life, I’ve been praying one or two specific “fruit” over each family member and others close to me. It’s powerful to watch what God does!

4. Remember your calling.

A tremendous source of stability and strength in a time of disruption is your specific call to ministry and in ministry to others. Remember it in detail. 

Recall or even write down what God said in as much detail as you can. Remember what you felt. Reflect on why it was clear and compelling enough for you to give your life to it. 

Your divine purpose is an incredibly powerful force within you, and it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of it during prolonged stress, pressure, and disruption. 

Don’t lose sight of the purpose God designed within you. It will sustain you through any difficulty life can throw at you. 

If you are not feeling stressed or wishing your life and leadership had greater stability, this exercise will only fuel you even deeper and allow your effectiveness to be stronger. 

The reason is gratitude. 

When you are sincerely in touch with all God has placed within you and designed for you to do, gratitude is the natural response. And gratitude is a powerful motivator. 

My call to ministry was crystal clear. 

It was not in a moment, it happened over a length of time, and God used very specific people and circumstances to unfold it as I was ready to receive it. 

But it has kept me going for some fifty five years and counting. I’m still as fired up today as back then. 

I pray the same is true for you.

Views: 73

If you want to last in ministry and business, you need to learn how to deal with disappointment.

The very nature of ministry and business makes you highly vulnerable to disappointment.

Every leader must learn how to deal with the tension between the ideal and the real. No matter how effective your ministry or business is, it’s never quite where you want it to be. You will always want it to be better and stronger. 

Moses knew all about disappointments as a leader. No man put up with more complaining or lack of appreciation. Over and over, the Israelites questioned his motives, doubted his decisions, and challenged his leadership. 

A good example of this is found in Exodus 15. After Moses led them through the Red Sea, the Israelites traveled three days through the desert without finding water. “Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter…and the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” (Exodus 15:23, 24 NKJV). 

Moses’ story points to an important lesson: Great successes in ministry or business are often followed by failure. After every mountaintop comes a valley. If you’re experiencing a big success in your ministry or business, you’re often being set up for a Marah.

What’s the Marah in your ministry or business? It is anything distasteful, uncomfortable, or upsetting to you—and it typically comes from one of three sources: 

• Disappointment with things
• Disappointment with circumstances
• Disappointment with people

Why does God lead you to Marahs? Exodus 15:25 says, “There He made a statute…and there He tested them” (NKJV) God allows these moments in your life to test you. He uses disappointing circumstances and people to check your reaction. He wants to know: “Do you really trust me?”

Our character is not tested in the spectacular successes. Our character is tested in the daily irritations. The difference between the Red Sea and the experience at Marah is that God’s character was revealed at the Red Sea, but man’s character was revealed at Marah.

Disappointment says a lot about us. It tells us about what’s inside of us and what our motivations are. Israel responded by complaining, grumbling, and criticizing their leader.

Disappointments always reveal more about us than they do about the circumstance.  

The good news is God won’t leave you alone in your leadership failures and disappointments.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NIV). It’s a verse to hold on to when you feel broken and crushed after experiencing great success.

So, how do you deal with disappointment in your ministry or business? You “heed the voice of the Lord” (Exodus 15:26 NKJV) and use that time to trust in God like never before.

Views: 47

We need more Christian leaders in the world today. Everything—including our ministries, churches, and our communities—rises and falls on leadership. Without a leader, nothing that needs to be done will ever get done. 

Unfortunately, there is a shortage of servant leaders in our world. God has called you to lead. You may not think you have the ideal personality to lead, but God can use any personality. 

You can see this in the life of the greatest leader of the Old Testament, Moses. He once led a million slaves out of bondage. He wrote the first books of the Bible. God used him in incredible ways.

Why did God use Moses? 

He settled four important issues that all effective leaders need to settle.

1. Moses knew who he was.

Leadership doesn’t begin with understanding those you lead. It begins with self-awareness. You need to come to grips with who you are and who you are not. You need to know your background, your strengths, and weaknesses.

Moses had an identity crisis. He had to figure out who he was. He was born as a Hebrew slave but raised as Egyptian royalty. As he got older, he had to decide: Am I a Hebrew slave or Egyptian royalty? That choice would define the rest of his life.

Moses was a man of integrity. He did what was right instead of what was comfortable. It would have been easier to choose the royal life, but instead, he chose to identify with an enslaved people. Hebrews 11:24-25 tells us, “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of the king of Egypt’s daughter. He chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying sin for a short time” (NCV).

Moses didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. Neither should we. Only you can be you. Success is being what God made you to be.

2. Moses took responsibility. 

Leaders accept responsibility for the problems of others. They don’t make excuses about problems they see; they choose to do something about them. 

God has given us an enormous amount of freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility. Moses could have ignored the pain of the enslaved Israelites, but he didn’t. He chose to take on their suffering. Hebrews 11:25 says, “He chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying sin for a short time” (NCV).

Hebrews 11 tells us that when Moses “grew up,” he took on the responsibility of the Israelites. Part of maturity is learning to take on responsibility. It’s choosing to make an impact with your life.

3. Moses decided what matters most. 

Because you don’t have time to do everything, you must settle the question of what matters most. You need to settle your values. 

Job says in Job 34:4, “We should choose to follow what is right. But first of all we must define among ourselves what is good” (TLB). We all need to spend some time defining what’s good. It’s how we clarify our values, which is essential in setting our priorities. 

If you don’t decide what’s important, other people—your family, your congregation, your friends, your community, and so on—will do it for you. Others will be glad to fill up your schedule if you let them. 

Moses is a good example of someone who knew how to set priorities. Hebrews 11:26 says, “[Moses] regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward” (NIV).

Moses evaluated his life, considered the eternal reward, and recognized the greater value in pursuing God’s plan for his life.

4. Moses focused on the Lord and eternity.

Leaders are long-term thinkers. They choose to focus their lives on things that impact eternity. Colossians 3:1-2 describes it this way: “Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth” (CEV).

Many leaders fall into one of two leadership traps. First, they get discouraged because they look at the problems around them and get overwhelmed. Second, they listen to what people are saying about them and get prideful. An eternal focus is the antidote to both traps.

The Bible says about Moses, “It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see” (Hebrews 11:27 NCV). The Pharaoh was the supreme ruler and commander of Egypt. He could command you to do anything. But Moses reported to a higher authority. 

Because Moses focused on God, he kept going, even when it was difficult. Leaders don’t know how to give up. The secret of success is persistence. The secret of persistence is looking ahead. 

God has brought you to the ministry you’re in now so you can lead others. But like Moses, you must stay focused on God. The Bible says, “We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete” (Hebrews 12:2 CEV).

You’re called to run the race of ministry. Don’t listen to the people in the stands—some will cheer, others will jeer. Keep your eyes on the goal and the race God has put you on this planet to run.

Views: 55

Most leaders are interested in productivity. But the Bible doesn’t use the word “productivity.”  Instead, you’ll find it uses the word “fruitfulness.”

God wants us to have fruitful ministries, so I want to give you four conditions that will produce godly fruitfulness in your life. There are at least four conditions essential for a fruitful ministry.

Spring is coming soon.  So, ponder these truths…

First, you must cultivate roots.

God says there’s no fruit without roots. You need roots, particularly when your resources are limited, for when times of drought come along.

Drought, as you know, is a long period without rain. It is stated that many, many places in the US and around the world are in a draught!

A drought in your life is whenever you must do without something you need, perhaps time, energy, money, human resources, or support. There will be times of drought in your ministry; perhaps you’re even in one now.

Second, you must “cancel” the weeds in your life and ministry.

The weeds in your ministry and in your life are any things that hinder or limit your spiritual growth. Weeds are the things that choke your relationship to Christ or that prevent you from further growth.

How much effort does it take to grow weeds? Answer: None at all!

You don’t have to cultivate weeds. In fact, that’s the difference between a weed and a vegetable. Even though you feed, water, and cultivate a vegetable, sometimes it still dies. Pay no attention to a weed, and it grows!

Weeds are a sign of neglect. I’ve found that when I neglect my quiet time, when I neglect my personal physical, soul, and spiritual care like walking and staying physically fit, and when I neglect key relationships in my life, the weeds start to grow and begin choking my productivity.

Third, you must cooperate with God’s pruning in your life.

What is pruning?

Pruning not only involves cutting off dead branches but living ones as well to improve the shape of the plant and stimulate growth. Pruning is essential for increased fruitfulness. It’s not optional. If you’re going to be fruitful in ministry, God will put you through times of pruning.

God prunes you for fruitfulness. In your life it’s not only the dead wood that God cuts off; He also cuts back areas of success, EVEN areas that are bearing wonderful fruit.

When He does this, you might struggle to understand why, but the reason is He is preparing you for even greater ministry.

Fourth, you must carefully wait for the harvest.

Growing fruit takes time. It doesn’t come automatically. You don’t plant a seed in the ground and harvest it the next day.

It’s common sense: seeds must be planted. You’ve got to cover them up with dirt, and then you wait and pray and expect growth.

Just as a seed creates new life out of death, for you to be more effective in your ministry there’s a dying to your old nature, a dying to your own desires and ambitions in the waiting process. Growth takes time, but don’t give up. Stay plugged into Jesus Christ.

Maybe you’ve been dormant in your ministry for some time. My prayer is that you’ll talk to the Master Gardner, Jesus Christ and say, “Lord, I want to work on these four things: cultivating my roots, “canceling” the weeds, cooperating with Your pruning, and carefully waiting for the harvest. Heavenly Father, I trust You with what I’ve planted, and I trust what I have sown will inevitably reap a harvest for You.”

That is the law of the harvest…the things to do to have a fruitful ministry.