Leadership

How to Help Others Remember God’s Word

Leadership
June 16, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 17

Spiritual growth isn’t automatic. Those you lead and serve must be intentional about growing spiritually. People won’t grow spiritually by accident.

It is important to be purposeful in helping Christians grow in their faith. Whether you call it discipleship, spiritual growth, or spiritual maturity, it is one of the primary purposes in our lives. We won’t help people grow unless we are growing in the Lord and unless we specifically focus on it in their lives too. 

To be deliberate about helping Christians grow spiritually, we need tools. One of the most important tools I have used is sermon or lesson outline handouts when I speak. 

Early in my ministry, I read a statistic put out by the U.S. Air Force documenting we forget 90 to 95 percent of what we hear within 72 hours. And that’s a depressing statistic for those who reach, teach, or speak! 

That means despite all those hours devoted to studying Scripture to deliver a life-changing message, those who listen will forget most of it in just a few days. Maybe this could be a big reason Christians aren’t growing in churches today. It isn’t about a lack of devotedness. It’s about a lack of retaining what they hear. 

James 1:25 reminds us that it’s not enough to hear God’s Word: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV). We need to remember it and do what it says.

That’s why I have been so committed through the years to utilizing message handouts. 

Let me share six reasons message outline handouts can effectively encourage spiritual growth.

  1. They increase attention.

    2. You will find people listen better with message outline handouts to fill in the blanks. Dawson Trotman has said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the fingertips.”

    I have received numerous comments from listeners when I speak about how the outline was helpful for them personally and how they can use it to help others.

  2. They increase retention.

    3. It has been proven people often remember more information when they take notes. Perhaps you heard the old saying, “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.”

  3. They increase participation.

    4. Most unbelievers or new believers usually don’t have Bibles. Even if they did, they wouldn’t know how to find the Bible passage quickly. By providing them with message outline handouts, you avoid embarrassing them and invite them to participate.

    With an outline of the message, you can have your listeners circle and underline keywords.

    One suggestion is to have everyone read Scripture aloud together (which is extremely powerful). However, people can’t read the same Scripture aloud unless you print out the desired verse for them. Often people in your meeting will likely have a different translation of the Bible.

  4. They increase information output in less time.

    5. I’ve listened to preachers and speakers who spent nearly five minutes asking listeners to turn to different portions of the Bible. Those five minutes could have been spent in more intentional and powerful ways if the verses were already written out.

  5. They increase the examination of the message for years to come.

    6. Think of all the messages that can’t be reviewec because you wrote nothing down about them. You’ve likely lost many years of sound Bible teaching. By allowing members to take notes on their message outline handout, you help them treasure the message in their hearts long after the meeting is over.

  6. They increase discussion in small groups.

    7. Many churches and study groups use the preacher’s or speaker’s message in their small group ministry to guide their group time. It’s a great way to help people apply what has been taught them from God’s Word to their lives.

    The message outline handout is just one of the tools intentionally used to help people grow spiritually, but it’s clearly been one of the most important.

    Do you provide your listeners with message outline handouts? Why or why not? Share with me your thoughts about this recommendation.

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Reading time: 3 min
Leadership

Five Truths That Identify Your Faith as A Leader

Leadership
June 9, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 171

Without great faith, a leader will not last long or lead well.

Even though leaders will go through periods with questions and doubts, those who are successful will develop a strong faith.

I’m not referring to your salvation by faith alone in Christ, but a faith that trusts the Lord to build His church, ministries, and businesses.

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Leaders filled with faith possess hope for a better future and believe the Lord will help those they lead/serve to realize that vision. Therefore, this hope is based on confidence in the Lord’s promise and the evidence of His will in His Word.

Because faith is subjective, it is difficult to quantity, yet Jesus indicates differing amounts of faith. Jesus talked to His disciples about them having little faith. It suggests that faith can become greater.

Several scripture passages show Jesus’s disappointment and maybe even frustration with the disciples about their little faith. Yet it doesn’t seem Jesus was angry. The source of His emotion was love. He wanted them to appreciate and experience the power and blessing of having great faith.

He also wants this for you and me.

The senior leader or the main communicator are not the only ones who need faith. Every leader, from senior staff to volunteers, is required to have faith in the area they lead.

Five truths that identify your faith as a leader:

  1. Faith can’t be forced.

    2. Faith isn’t microwaveable like popcorn. You can’t “discipline” your way to greater faith. It takes time and intentional practice.

    Growing your faith takes a process of ups and downs, successes and failures, and belief and doubt.

    Faith starts very small, like a tiny mustard seed but grows and matures to something much greater in size.

    During seasons when you experience little faith, lean into the faith of those you trust, the leaders above you, and the body of Christ around you. Yet eventually, faith is personal, and every leader must pursue their personal journey of developing their faith.

  2. Faith can’t be faked.

    3. I’ve known too many leaders who found themselves less than honest about their faith in their church, ministry, or business vision. Whether they stood up and cast vision to the faith family, shared it in a boardroom, or communicated it to their staff, they knew something about it rang hollow. They said all the right words, but they didn’t really believe. At least not entirely.

    Uncertainty is different from a lack of belief. No leader can be “certain” about an outcome or results but must still possess great faith in “all things being possible” with God.

    Leaders don’t get the option to have the perspective of “let’s just wait and see.” Casual attendees, observers, and those who comment on social media can say, “Perhaps this will work, and maybe it won’t.” But healthy leaders have authentic faith and “move” on that faith.

    The purpose of leadership is to lead toward a better future in Christ. From the basic measurement of one transformed life at a time to the church’s or ministry’s more significant impact in the community and worldwide.

  3. Increased faith can come by asking the Lord for it.

    4. Faith-increasement is not developed all by yourself. Yet, it does not relieve us of our part. The Lord can and does increase our faith by you asking and Him answering your request through prayer, the indication of the Holy Spirit’s power, and remembering and reflecting on His abundant faithfulness throughout history.

  4. There is a difference between faith in yourself and faith in the Lord.

    5. Faith in yourself and faith in the Lord is a fine line to deconstruct, but you must know where the line is. Both are significant, but what matters is the order of priority.

    We achieve nothing of eternal value outside the Lord, yet He gave us spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, experiences, energy, wisdom, and opportunities. It is what we do with all that that becomes our choice. Then the Lord adds His favor, power, and blessing, which makes the real difference.

    Scriptures state Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. So, who really produces the fruit? God does, but He expects us to be the instrument of that growth. I have a sign in my office made by a master carver that says, Not I but Christ!

    It’s easy to under-believe in the Lord and over-believe in ourselves, maybe not in our thinking but certainly in our actions.

    Confidence in your leadership as the Lord “grew” you and faith in yourself is vital. Yet the true source of that faith must always be the Lord.

  5. It takes risks to grow faith.

    6. Those leaders who the Lord used to grow churches, ministries, and God-honoring businesses had growing faith too.

    When a leader takes a risk and discovers what God can do, faith will grow larger. Whether you lead a small group, are the senior pastor of a church, or run a business, risk-taking is indispensable to effective leadership and developing your faith.

    You don’t have to take a huge risk to begin stretching your faith, but it must be large enough that you know God is in it and that you can’t pull it off alone.

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Reading time: 4 min
Leadership

The Pros and Cons of Being Self-Critical

Leadership
June 2, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 337

(And How to Strike a Biblical Balance)

It is easy to hear the term “self-critical” and be immediately put off. After all, it’s difficult to be our own critics. However, utilizing self-criticism means taking a more self-aware path to ensure that you aren’t overlooking any possible areas of self-improvement.

Self-criticism affects your self-esteem and can be an effective tool to identify patterns of weakness that you can look to eradicate by adapting your behavior.

Self-Criticism vs. Self-Deprecation

In exploring the idea of self-criticism, one has first to consider what it means for the individual. It’s important to remember that there is a significant difference between self-critical and self-deprecating.

Self-deprecation is the act of putting oneself down, sometimes in an attempt to be humorous but frequently out of a place of doubt and insecurity.

Self-deprecation erodes one’s confidence. It isn’t something to use lightly, as your self-talk will play a part in defining your existence and how you are perceived, and, more importantly, how you perceive yourself.

At the same time, you can’t take yourself so seriously that you cannot make light of your mistakes as you pursue self-improvement. There is, of course, a balance to be struck, and both self-criticism and self-deprecation can be utilized in moderation.

Learning the difference between the two is the key to pursuing a productive life that will allow your successes to compound and your failures to be reduced. While self-deprecation can highlight flaws in your approach to life, self-criticism is more concerned with addressing those flaws and then acting to correct them.

Self-Criticism: A Path to Positive Change

Self-evaluation as a tool can open your eyes to the problematic behaviors that are derailing your goals. By identifying those behaviors, you can identify the steps to become the best version of yourself.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7a)

This idea underlines the importance of not allowing self-criticism to blur into the realm of self-deprecating behavior. That will only work against you as you attempt to analyze your behavior constructively.

Auditing is necessary and reasonable. Look at industries across the board, and you will find that the most successful companies, people, and products have worked hard to refine their final output.

Auditing your life, schedule, clients, contacts, and more will help you to identify the good from the bad.

If you don’t reflect on what you’ve done and allow yourself to be self-critical of the areas that created more problems and fewer results, how will you learn to avoid those missteps in your future endeavors?

Auditing with critical thoughts will allow you to build your own map to success by targeting ineffective behaviors in your pursuit of goals, and it will help you realize the changes that need to take place to correct those inefficiencies.

THE PROS OF BEING SELF-CRITICAL

Self-Criticism Opens Your Eyes to Areas of Improvement

In life, you ought to be your biggest fan and instill confidence in yourself to show the world that you are worthy of the life you’ve achieved.

At the same time, however, you need to be self-aware to understand that you can feel like a million bucks while still having room for improvement. Learn to be self-critical enough to increase your success in pursuing your goals.

We all need to look in the mirror and work to identify the deficiencies in our behavior to find room for improvement. So many people live in a manner that allows no space for self-reflection and thus misses out on key opportunities.

For example, many people complain about not having the money to save for retirement, but instead of working to identify a solution, they assume that it cannot be fixed. Some of those individuals might find that if they challenge themselves and open themselves up to criticism, they may find the source of their problem.

Perhaps they don’t have a proper budget and are spending more money than they bring in weekly. Being self-critical would help them realize this.

I’d argue that it would clear up what is missing from the equation if we all spent more energy evaluating our place in life, how we got there, and where we want to go.

Self-Criticism Allows You to Realize Your Potential

By analyzing your behaviors and identifying areas that need improvement, you will be able to strive to reach your full potential in life and unlock success.

Being self-critical will help you go from where you are now to where you want to be, increasing your self-awareness. There are so many positives to be gained by adopting a self-critical attitude.

THE CONS OF BEING SELF-CRITICAL

Self-Criticism Can Overemphasize Negatives

The problems that could arise if one is overly self-critical are not always apparent, but a few issues can pop up if you start being too hard on yourself.

If you are self-critical too often and don’t allow space in your own audit of yourself for praise, celebration, and reassurance in your victories, then you may be on a path of negative self-talk and perhaps even depression.

If you constantly look for what is wrong with your actions or pursuits while failing to see what you are doing right, you aren’t utilizing self-criticism properly. While the line is thin, there is a difference between appropriate, foundation-building self-criticism and over-zealous, confidence-eroding self-deprecation.

Self-Criticism Can Lead to Negative Distortions of Yourself

One struggle I often see in individuals is with their perception of self. If you have been raised to believe you are a failure, for example, you may not have a healthy expectation of yourself.

By being overly self-critical, you might be distorting your self-image. The key here lies in utilizing the device of self-criticism correctly, which many people often do not do.

If appropriately utilized, self-criticism can be a fantastic tool, but if misused, it can have devastating effects on your self-worth and confidence.

Final Thoughts

When appropriately used, self-criticism can be a tool for success.

We must work hard to ensure that we are, in fact, exercising a constructive analysis of our behavior and not falling into self-deprecation.

Unfortunately, it seems many view the idea of being self-critical negatively. However, it can be an extremely positive and fruitful exercise if pursued with the right mindset.

It is a tremendous help when you have a community of friends and family who also help uplift and encourage you as you pursue your dreams in life.

In evaluating your own situation and attempting to constructively self-criticize, you should also look at the people you surround yourself with to try and better understand if those individuals are helping you in your aspirations or if they are holding you back as you work to better yourself.

If you work to adopt a healthy version of self-criticism and avoid allowing it to delve into self-deprecation or self-doubt, it will serve you well as a tool to support your goals and aspirations.

Adapted from an article by Colton Black

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Reading time: 5 min
Leadership

How to Offer Godly Criticism

Leadership
May 26, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 514

What if you’re the one who delivers the harsh criticism? Does your harsh criticism make others feel better or worse?

Criticism usually happens when one is corrected for doing or saying something wrong.

Critique is healthy; it strengthens souls, but sometimes it can weaken people. It occurs when harsh people abuse their critiquing power.

You can learn how to give godly criticism at work, home, school, and in relationships or when correcting a brother or sister in Christ.  It is usually best offered after you ask permission to speak into their life.  When you do so, they will often give it to you.

Godly ways to give criticism:

  1. Deliver it withlove and patience, not with any abusive words like profanity or name-calling). It never helps to tell the person they are no good or call them “stupid” for their mistakes and shortcomings. Whether good or bad, anything you speak to a person can show in their attitudes and actions. If you critique them with a good, honest, loving approach, you will likely see a more self-confident person. But if you constantly demonstrate no confidence in the other person, they will probably lack confidence in themselves and be slow to improve.

Remember, the Lord has you in their life to help the other person. Before you critique, ask yourself if it comes from a place of compassion, protection, and consideration to see them do well in life.

  1. Express appreciation. Point out the good even while critiquing.It is difficult to do, but not impossible. Pointing out the negative and leaving out the positive can leave the person on the receiving end feeling inadequate. They may think, “Seriously? I’m doing my best, but I’m still coming up short?” Remember to tell the other person how good they’re doing when offering critique. This can help increase their self-esteem.

Remember, when critiquing, look for the positive and address the positive along with the criticism. Tell what they did well but correct them on their wrong. It demonstrates to others that you have confidence in their abilities.

  1. Be truthful but not harsh. And don’t sugarcoat, either.The Lord wants us to lovingly “warn” those who are wrong (1 Thessalonians 5:14). He says to speak the truth in love…lovingly. He wants us to pray for those who are wrong, so their spirit can be restored.

When we warn, we must be honest and tell them they are in danger of His judgment and maybe disapproval from others. We must not be careless, and we must not sugarcoat our warnings. Sugarcoating is just as dangerous as being “reckless,” if not even more dangerous. Sugarcoating can partially prevent others from hearing the truth; they don’t get the full version of what they need to hear.

  1. Make sure the critique isconstructive and not destructive. Your words should be to add value to others and not destroy them. Look at how Jesus addressed those who were astray. Even though it offended them, He pointed out their sin and told them what they needed to do to improve and live better. He was patient, loving, and truthful at all times.
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Reading time: 2 min
Leadership

How to Accept Criticism

Leadership
May 19, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 696

“He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,

But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.” (Proverbs 15:32)

Do you hate to be criticized? How do you feel when someone criticizes you? Do you accept it in a gracious manner? Or do you complain, feel inadequate, want to give up, defend yourself, make excuses, or even go on the attack?

It has been said, There is only one wat to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing, be nothing!

Four Godly Ways to Accept Criticism (Whether Constructive or Unkind)

  1. Accept it joyfully and quietly. Don’t cut off the other person, complain, or give any excuses for yourself. It will make you look prideful (because you may very well be prideful), which is something God does not like. You must realize that you are not perfect, and part of being human is making mistakes and growing from them. No one is “too perfect” or “too good” to be criticized. Even Jesus, a perfect person to walk this planet, was not exempt from criticism; He took the most criticism! So, quietly receive the criticism without arguing and just genuinely say, “Thank you.” This shows great humility and will strengthen you to receive critiques over time.
  2. Be thankful for the criticism because, many times, God speaks through it. Ask yourself, what exactly am I being criticized for? Is it a personality flaw such as laziness or something else? Is this criticism about something in my life that isn’t pleasing to God? View this as a way to make you better.
  3. Ask yourself, is this critique helpful, more harmful, petty, or nitpicky? Is the critique something you really need? Ask the Lord to show you what you need to improve. Does the critique pertain to your character, work performance, or relationships? He will reveal and confirm what you need to improve on.
  4. Apply it! Criticism is there to help us and make us better. As painful as harsh criticism can be it still can be helpful. Even if the pain is for a moment, at the end of it all, you’d rather something be said than not!

If nothing is said, how can something or someone be improved? Take that “negative” and turn it into a positive.

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Reading time: 1 min
Leadership

How to Get Out of a Spiritual Slump

Leadership
May 12, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 818

Spiritual ruts are common to every believer. Having been a pastor for over 45 years, I’ve discovered it’s easy to find ourselves in spiritual slumps—times when we don’t feel close to God, even as pastors. The same holds true for Christian leaders in ministry or business.

David experienced this in his walk with God. He wrote about it in multiple places in the Psalms, including Psalm 71: “O God, do not be far from me” (v. 12 NKJV).

We won’t lose our salvation when we go through these dry spells, but we will lose the enjoyment God wants us to have in our relationship with Him.

How will you know if you are in a spiritual slump?

First, you’re no longer focused on loving others. Your heart grows cold. You share God’s Word with others week after week, yet Jesus isn’t warming your heart. Ministry with others becomes a duty, not a delight. 

Second, you stop taking steps of faith. Your vision shrinks.

Does that sound like you? There’s hope. God provides some vital insights from 2 Kings 6 about what to do when you’ve lost your “cutting edge.”

In this surprising story, Elisha goes with a group of prophets to the Jordan River to get some wood to build a place for them to live. They take with them a borrowed ax head, which they lose. And so, in a sense, they lost their “cutting edge,” just like we sometimes do in our spiritual lives. 

The story teaches us four spiritual truths about what we can do when we’re in a spiritual slump.

  1. Admit you lost it.

You need to face reality. Start by admitting you’re not as close to God as you used to be. In 2 Kings 6:5, the man who lost the ax head admitted what he lost: “As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’” (NIV).

The man had options when he realized he had lost the ax head. He could have given up and let someone else do the work. We’ve all encountered Christians who do that. When they lose their spiritual energy, they step back and let others with more passion do the work.

The man could have left the impression he still had it. Like a Christian who goes through the motions, he could have kept working frantically and feverishly, pretending nothing was wrong. We often choose to do this, too, in ministry and business. 

But that’s not what this man does in 2 Kings 6. He admits he lost the borrowed ax head. 

Admitting your relationship with God has grown distant is difficult. Don’t settle for a ordinary walk with Christ. The most difficult yet essential step is humbly praying, “Lord, I’ve lost the enjoyment. I’ve lost the excitement I once had. I’ve lost my cutting edge, and I need it back.”

  1. Discover where you lost it.

Elisha wanted to know exactly where the man lost the ax head. He asked, “Where did it fall?” (2 Kings 6:6 NKJV).

If we want to reclaim our cutting-edge, we must pinpoint where we lost our close relationship with God. We can lose our spiritual edge for many reasons:

    • Distractions and busyness– Life gets busy, and we forget about God.
    • Disobedience – We’re not doing something God wants us to do, or we are doing something God doesn’t want us to do.
    • Pride – We stop depending on God and try living the Christian life (and do ministry) without His power.
    • Laziness – We stop doing the things that keep us close to God.

We must be honest and specific about losing our spiritual energy. Maybe it’s on the list listed above. Perhaps it’s something different. The good news is that when we confess our sin to God, He is faithful to forgive, cleanse, and restore our relationship with Him.

  1. Count on God to restore your closeness with Him.

What Elisha did when the man told him where he lost the ax head is one of the most fascinating parts of this event. “When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:6 NIV).

Of course, the stick didn’t have any spiritual power. It was just a stick. But Elisha used it as an object lesson of his trust in God. He visibly showed that he believed God would restore what this guy lost. Making an ax head float is impossible, but God specializes in the impossible.

After all this time, you might think God can’t get you out of your slump and give you back your cutting edge. But God is ready to do the impossible in your life. You just need to believe that He will. 

  1. Reach out and receive God’s help.

Look what Elisha said next. “‘Grab it,’ Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it” (2 Kings 6:7 NLT). It would have been easy for God to take the ax head directly out of the water and place it in the man’s hand. But He didn’t do that. He brought it to the top of the water and let him grab it.

It’s up to you to return to God. Just reach out and receive God’s help. 

You choose how close to God you want to be. The distance between you and God isn’t the fault of your congregation, employees, mate, or the culture around you. It’s your choice.

The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8 NKJV).

The God of the Universe loves you and wants you to have a close relationship with him and for Him to have one with you. But getting close to Him is up to you. It’s your choice. You can remain in a spiritual slump (like leaving the ax head floating on top of the water). Or you can draw near to God (like grabbing the ax) and experience His joy of getting back your cutting edge because His Word promises that in His “presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).

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Leadership

Do I Have Idle Abilities Not Being Used?

Leadership
May 5, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 858

“If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”

Luke 12:43 (NLT)

Most leaders have abilities that are idle and not being used. Here are three ways to develop abilities: use them for good and God’s glory.

1. Discern your abilities.

Assess your life, an audit of your abilities. Make a list. In what areas are you good? Know your weaknesses and uniquenesses. Consider the capabilities God has given you.

2. Dedicate your abilities.

Commit them to God for the use He intended. Romans 12:1 says, “…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (NKJV). Pray this prayer, “God, you gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you. I want to use them for the purpose for which you intended.”

3. Develop your abilities.

That means to practice, improve, sharpen, and develop. Any ability that God has given you can be increased with practice. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:10, “If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” (NKJV).

How do you gain skills? Practice. God says a dull ax takes more energy; you need to sharpen your ax. In other words, work smarter, not harder. Honing your abilities—your aptitudes and skills—is a spiritual responsibility.

4. Demonstrate your abilities.

God has invested enormously in you. First, God created you; He then sent His Son Jesus to die for you and divinely designed you with spiritual gifts and personality. God has made a significant investment in your life! And He expects a return on the investment. 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  He will ask you one day, “What did you do with what I gave you? How did you use your abilities to honor me, serve others, make a living, and be an example? How did you use them to help other people?”

In Luke 12:43, Jesus said, “If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.” Luke 12:43 (NLT) That’s the kind of blessing we desire. 

God wants you to use your abilities in the ways He intended. He wants you to experience his blessing.

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Leadership

How Prayer Can Grow Your Faith

Leadership
April 28, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 806

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

God cannot only meet all your needs; He’s also eager to meet them! But it’s easy to stop asking for His help and to start depending on yourself when you forget how committed God is to help you.

Do you only ask God for the “big stuff” and not the “small stuff.” Guess what? Everything is small to God. He has numbered every hair on your head and knows how many fell out when you combed your hair!

You’re not troubling God when you make your requests to Him; He’s the one who set up the prayer system in the first place. That’s why the New Testament tells you more than 20 times to ask for whatever you need in prayer. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Sometimes, you just worry about it instead of asking God for something. Remember, if it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about. Worrying never solves anything, but prayer will.

God grows your faith and trust just like a parent teaches a child to trust. The Bible says,
“If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give . . . to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13 NLT). 

It works like this: First, the child recognizes an unmet need. Second, the child expresses that need. Third, the parent meets that need.

God uses this same cycle to teach you how to trust Him: You have an unmet need. You express that unmet need to God. He meets that need, and you learn to trust Him more. 

How can you grow in trust if you’re not expressing your needs to God? 

When you make your requests to the Lord, He always proves His goodness. However, there are times you’ll have to wait patiently for God’s timing to answer. There are times He is not immediate with His answers because He wants to test your faith.

Go ahead—give it a try. Bring your needs to the Lord in prayer. Then wait and watch for the ways He answers your prayers and meets those needs. This way, you’ll learn to trust that God is reliable and that you can count on Him, no matter what.

Ask, answer, and apply:

  • What lies about myself or God keep me from asking for His help?
  • One of the main ways God tests my trust and faith in Him is through my finances. Why do I think this is so?

What do I need help with today? I will start by expressing gratitude for what God has done for me and then ask for His help.

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Leadership

Making Time to Clean House

Leadership
April 21, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 708

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

If you can’t find the motivation to clean your physical house, then cleaning your spiritual house may seem like an enormous task. But this is where you need to put your focus and best energy—because God wants you to use your life to become more like Him. And to do this sometimes requires you to make difficult choices and changes.

The Bible says it like this: “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV)

To choose what you need to clean in your spiritual house, you must decide what changes need to be made in your life. Ask yourself questions like, what is hindering me from moving forward in my spiritual growth?

If you want a healthy body, you may need to keep more nutritious food in your house or create a meal plan. Or maybe you must commit to exercising regularly, even if you start small with 10-15 minutes daily. 

If you want a healthy mind, you may need to unsubscribe to magazines or block channels. You may need to delete some apps or set healthier screen time boundaries.

If you want a healthy schedule, you must decide what’s most valuable to you.

Then you can remove some less-valuable activities—sometimes even good ones—so that you can focus on ones even more valuable to you.

If you want a clean heart, you need to pray, ask God what you need to confess, and then confess those things. This can be the most challenging step of spiritual cleaning.

Through confession, you’re recognizing and rooting out sins that cause unhealthy habits throughout your spiritual house.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:22, “…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts [desires]” (NKJV).

It’s time to clean house—but it’s not a one-time practice. Just like you must clean your physical home regularly, you must ask hard questions to identify what spiritual rooms need a good cleaning. Then, with God’s blessing, you get to work.

Ask, answer, and apply:

  • Why is it essential to invest time in prayer before I try to clean up any area of my life?
  • What area of my life do I find it most difficult to change?
  • When will I spend some time today talking to God about where I need to do some cleaning in my life? Then I will confess my sin to Him and ask for grace to do the hard but valuable work of change.

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Leadership

Four Truths to Remember This Easter

Leadership
April 14, 2025 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 631

Easter, or better, Resurrection Sunday, is coming.

So much is going on, and it is easy to get distracted from the importance of this celebration. Here are four truths to keep in mind to help reduce the pressure and keep your focus on Christ this Easter:   
1. Remember, it is about the resurrection, not bunnies, decorated eggs, or Peeps. The resurrection was the heart of the Christian witness in the first century (1 Cor. 15:1-4) and still is twenty-one centuries later. This supernatural truth is what God uses to convict, conform, and encourage those who need Christ as their Savior.

2. Remember to rejoice.Easter is a joyful celebration. Hear this encouragement from Jesus on the cusp of His crucifixion: “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22 ESV). We will see Him! That is the joy of Easter and the joy no one can take from the believer. Encourage those God brings into your life with this powerful truth: He is risen—He is risen indeed!

3. Remember revival. Encouraging reports of student revival have been flooding social media these days, which is wonderful. Our hearts resonate with those who ask God, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6). Easter is a great reason to expect a surge of new life from the Lord. When God’s people are faced with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the stage is set! Easter can be our annual reminder that God desires His people to be fully alive in His resurrected Son; it can be our reminder to pray for revival. Once we are revived, we become more passionate about wanting others to come to faith alone in Christ!

Therefore…

4. Remember to reach out to the lost and disenfranchised. People are more willing to talk about Jesus Christ during this time of year than almost any other time of year other than Christmas!

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