I received an email from an Internet friend via my other ministry site (www.mustardseedministry.com) asking me how I determine if what I am doing is within the plans God has for me.  Here’s my quick reply to him for knowing you are within God’s plans for your life: 

1.     Does what you are doing (or planning to do) conflict with Scripture?

God’s will never will.

2.     Does what you are doing conflict with the counsel of others?  

God uses others to confirm His will.  (Don’t be confused though, because sometimes God calls us to go against the grain of life and walk by faith when everyone is saying we are crazy.  See Noah about that one.)

3.     Does what you are doing conflict with the spirit within you?  

God has sent His Holy Spirit as a helper.  He will guide us with an inner peace or a holy unrest.  

4.     Does what you are doing conflict with your life experience?  

God uses our experiences in life to teach us and mold us to His will.  Again, don’t be confused, because He usually stretches us out of our comfort zone also. 

5.     Does what you are doing conflict with your passion for life?  

God tends to work with the things that fuel our fire.  He loves when we are energized for the tasks He calls us to. 

Try those 5 together and see how they line up with your plans.  

All of us make mistakes.  How do we respond as a leader when we make one?  I know tons of leaders, pastors included, who like to pretend the mistake never happened or if they are forced to acknowledge it, they tend to blame someone else for the error.

My son is proving to be an incredible leader.  I recently observed him in one of these situations.  Thankfully he handled it with class.

Please understand, in speaking of mistakes here I am not referring to moral failures.  Those would need to be covered in another post.  I’m writing about those mistakes that are made unintentionally or as an error of judgment.  These are the things we do such as saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or fail to make a hospital or funeral home visit we should have made.  The mistake could be criticizing people unjustly or failing to recognize someone for their accomplishments.  In business this may be making an error judgment call that proves to be costly to the company.  Nothing in your heart intended to make the error, but you did.  How should a leader respond in those situations?

Here are my suggestions for handling a mistake:

Accept responsibility. Don’t pass blame to others if the fault is yours. Be willing to confess your errors.  You aren’t perfect so don’t pretend that you are.

Don’t make excuses for your failure. If there are legitimate issues that need to be explained or lessons to be learned that’s one thing, but don’t try to excuse your mistake away.

Apologize quickly, humbly, and completely. Don’t say, “I’m sorry”, but then try to wrap the other person into your story.  Simply apologize.  You made a mistake.

Move forward. Regardless of whether forgiveness is given or not, once you have sincerely asked for forgiveness, move forward with the vision.  Get back to leading.

Try to learn from your mistakes. The best lessons in my life have come from some of the mistakes I have made.

What suggestions do you have?

There is a Biblical model for identifying potential leaders.  It is found in Exodus 18:21. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, had advised Moses to recruit some leaders. Then he told him what type of people to look for. 

“But select capable men form all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousand…” (Exodus 18:21)

So we are to look for men (and women) who are:

1.     Capable.

2.     Following God.

3.     Trustworthy. 

4.     Honest.

Do you think if you found people who met each of those characteristics you could use them to build a team of effective leaders?

What other qualities would you look for in a leader?  

Yesterday I posted “10 Ideas in Developing a Leader Recruitment Strategy”.  One of those was to “identify potential leaders”.  It is important to look for the qualities in people that are conducive to good leadership.  Here’s are 11 traits I consider valuable traits. 

1.     Concern/Love for others.

2.     Not a complainer.

3.     Teachable and open to suggestions.

4.     Demonstrates a propensity to lead through an excellence in following. (This is a biggie.)

5.     Reliability.

6.     Interest (In the organization, the system, etc.)

7.     Good character.

8.     Potential.  (God always saw potential in others they themselves couldn’t always see.)

9.     Positive attitude.

10. Confidence.

11. People skills.

Do you have other traits you look for in recruiting leaders?

Tomorrow I will share another strategy for identifying potential leaders. This one is straight from the Bible. (Probably one to consider….dont’ you think? )  

Finding new leaders is critical to the successful growth of any organization.  The fact is that Kingdom growth is greatly impacted by the numbers of leaders we recruit.  Here are 10 steps to help you think through the concept of multiplying your leadership base.

1. Catch the vision of multiplication.

It’s hard to sell something you don’t believe in.

2. Be intentional.

You must make a conscious decision to replace yourself.  Multiplication must be a part of your strategy and there must be a system of leadership recruitment.

3.   Start early.

Replace leaders before you need them.

4.   Invest in your own personal growth.

You can’t take people where you haven’t been or aren’t going.

5.  Humble yourself.

Leaders must not be afraid that new leaders could lead better than them.  Allow people to shine under your leadership and it will only advance your ability to lead.  The good news is that today’s generation likes honesty.  They will follow you more if there is a direct benefit to them in doing so and if they trust your integrity.

6.  Share responsibilities early.

The easiest way to learn something is to do it and the more ownership you give to people the more they will be motivated to participate.

7.  Identify potential.

Look for the good in people.  What do they have that attracts people to them?

8.   Create an environment conducive to produce leaders.

Leaders don’t develop well under a dictatorship.  If people are afraid to have an answer under your leadership for fear of being wrong, they are less likely to try to have an answer.

9.   Recruit.

Don’t do the sign up method.  The best quality people are recruited.

Jesus found people with a personal ask.  Your best recruitment will be likewise.

10. Lead for life change.

Some people will experience their greatest life change only when they are leading others or have some sort of responsibility for leadership.  Nurture potential leaders knowing that part of their spiritual maturity will be that step of leadership.

What would you add to my list?

I haven’t seen this movie.  I realize the rating is R, so don’t blame me if you go see it and it has scenes in it that you would rather not see.  You have access to the same information I have.  I’m sharing the clip, because I have seen it many times now and each time I do I’m reminded that life is hard sometimes.  Even the mundane, normal, everyday existence is hard sometimes. Too many marriages find themselves in a seemingly endless rut and they feel trapped. When they don’t know what else to do they take the “easy” way out and call it quits.  (If only they knew that’s usually not the easy way!) 

If you sense you are getting bored in your marriage; if you feel like you are trapped in an endless cycle, please, get help before it’s too late.  Save your marriage while you can.   Also, please remember, the only answer for all your struggles is a personal relationship with the Living God through His Son Jesus Christ.

(Again, I in no way am recommending this movie.  I don’t know if it ends well for this couple or not.  If you want a movie to help your marriage, watch Fireproof.  I can strongly recommend that movie!)  

I completed my first marathon in 2009. What some don’t know is that I was a previous anti-runner. I ran years ago, but in recent years I had even made the statement, “I hate running. I’m a good walker.” I wrote my reflections of the day in the post “10 Things I Learned From My First Marathon”. Since that post, I continue to get asked how I prepared to run 26.2 miles. I continue to encounter people like me who never really got into the habit of running, but who are inspired to run a longer race. So, I decided to offer some serious suggestions. Some of these I did and some I wish I had, but hopefully they will help you prepare for your longer race.

1. Training makes all the difference.

I did finish my marathon, but I wasn’t adequately prepared. I won’t do another one until I’m sure my schedule will allow me to complete all of it.

2. Follow a training schedule that matches your schedule.

The Internet is full of online schedules. I found Hal Higdon’s and it fit well (until the end) with my weekly schedule.

3. If you have to skip training one day, don’t skip the long runs.

They are vital to stretching you for the big day.

4. You are likely to gain weight while training.

You will have an appetite like never before. If you aren’t careful, you will justify eating much more because you are running so much. If your goal is to lose weight, you’ll need to have a plan for what you eat too. (The good news is you will get to eat more!)

5. Keep running.

In the beginning, before you are truly committed, run even if you don’t feel like it; even if you don’t run as far as the schedule calls for that day. You must push through the desire to quit. The joy of running will come. (This is one of those “you just have to experience it to believe it” things.)

6. Remember it’s a “marathon not a sprint”.

Don’t frustrate at where you are today. Keep pushing forward and you’ll increase over time. Celebrate each step of progress.

7. Shoes matter.

I’m tight with money, but I have discovered that having the right shoes and replacing them often is a key to lessen injuries.

8. Learn to stretch.

This is one I haven’t mastered, but I know the pain of not learning how.

9. The rest periods in your schedule are important.

Once you start to enjoy running, you will be tempted to run on off days. Don’t! Your body needs the rest to prepare for the longer runs.

10. If you are training for a full marathon, try to do a half-marathon first.

It will help if you’ve experienced the adrenaline of a longer race. If you are training for a half, then run at least one shorter race sometime in your training program.

11. Don’t let your head play tricks with you.

Running for long periods of time is as much a mental exercise as a physical one.

12. Once you cross the finish line, no one can take that feeling away from you!

You, too, can run a long run! I’m encouraging you to go for it!

The world and all its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17 NIV

Some of my best growth times with the Lord have been during teaching times with my children. I remember when my son asked an important question, “Daddy, what is the ‘will of God’?”

Now, he wasn’t asking, “What does God want me to do?” It was more general than that. He simply wanted to know what the phrase “will of God” meant. He had heard others say the term many times, but he never understood it. My hope is that you and I can also grow through this experience.

I explained it to him, as I understand it, that God’s will can actually be described in several ways. First there is God’s individual will. That is for the individual decisions you and I make each day. You know that God cares intimately for you, even down to the number of hairs on your head. God does allow, however, for you to make some decisions for yourself in life. You may choose what to eat for breakfast or you may choose a red car instead of a blue. It isn’t that God doesn’t care which you get, but He most likely will allow you to make that decision.

Second, there is God’s moral will. God’s desire for you is that you develop your character into the image of Christ. He will present you with every opportunity for you to do just that, but you will play a part in how far you grow spiritually. You may choose to love your neighbor as yourself or you may choose to be a very selfish person. God, however, is very concerned about your character, and for His moral will for your life. In fact, God cares more that His moral will for your life be done than His individual will, because God is in the character-changing business.

Third, there is God’s sovereign will. God has a will that is set in stone! It won’t change. It can’t change. It always stays the same! For example, God cannot help but love you because that is His sovereign will. God cannot break His promises, because that is His sovereign will. Some things God has set into motion, and they will never be different.

I don’t know what God’s individual will is for your life. (I hope for you it is Wheaties and a shiny red convertible.) But I can tell you this. His moral will is that you be like His Son Jesus. That begins with your sincere faith in Jesus as your Savior! And better yet, His sovereign will says that once you do, He will reserve you a place in Heaven!

One thing I’m absolutely sure of…you can’t be in a better place than within the “will of God”!

If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp. Judges 7:10-11 NIV

God looked into Gideon’s heart and saw that he needed some encouragement for the task ahead. Gideon had already agreed to obey God. He had kept the three hundred men God had ordained for battle and sent the rest of the men home. Still, God must have seen fear in his heart, so God allowed Gideon to hear something, which gave him encouragement.

I deal with a lot of people on the brink of greatness for God. They are often pastors and church planters, missionaries, ministers or believers who know God is calling them to something, but one thing stands in the way…FEAR.  If uncertainty is causing you to fear your next move or to act upon what you believe God is calling you to do, learn a lesson from Gideon’s story. 

Understand that God knows your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows where you need encouragement most. God ultimately wants you to trust Him completely, without having to depend on anything or anyone else, but He also knows you are still a work in progress.

Keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal is the complete control of your heart. Therefore, God often sends people your way to encourage you in your walk. He wants you to fully and completely trusts in Him, so He will kindly allow you at times to see the good you are doing in ministry. God wants your complete obedience, so He occasionally allows you the privilege of seeing the direction He is taking you.

Many times, however, you and I are left to walk with God simply by faith.   

I hope God sends you the encouragement you need today to allow you to move forward in obedience to Him, but if He allows you to wrestle with your own doubts today, may I be a voice of encouragement to tell you God is trustworthy?  Step big into the awesomeness found in a life that is fully obedient to God’s will! 

I wonder if Gideon could have read his story in reverse if he would have lived it all over again. Somehow I suspect He would!   

Here are a couple of verses I have read many times, but today they made more sense than ever before.  At least how I’m interpreting them.    

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.  (Psalm 62:11-12)

I think what the Psalmist is saying is that God had shared His love with Him.  God had literally said, “I love you.”  He has to us also. Throughout the Bible we can see God telling His people and the world of His great love.  One famous verse, of course, tells us that “God so loved the world…. that He sent His son…”  (You probably know that verse!)  The Psalmist had heard others talk about God’s great love too!  It’s hard not to talk about such Amazing Grace! 

At the same time, the Psalmist had heard about God’s strength, yet God had never said to him, “I am strong!”.  God never bragged about His power.  I suppose He never had to.  When you can part the sea, raise the dead and put stars in the sky, you don’t have to convince people you have muscles. 

It also seems that Jesus lived His life that way as well. He was always telling of His love, but He never seemed to brag about His strength, but news of His love and strength spread quickly throughout the world at the time. 

I wonder if there is a lesson there for us as well, as leaders and as the church.  As we strive to be like Jesus, maybe we don’t need to brag about or even share with others how big, how powerful and wonderful we are.  Perhaps we just need to tell others how much we love them. News of that, and our majestic acts, will spread quickly without our help. 

Just a thought.  

(I realize the concept of a phrase or word being repeated in the Bible gives it double emphasis.  I love how a passage, though it has only one meaning, may have numerous applications.)