Five Ways To Fight Discouragement–Part One September 16, 2009

All of us deal with it…but especially church leaders.

Those days when we just can’t seem to hit on all cylinders…when we wonder if what we do is making a difference…when we wished we had a job where we merely stacked rocks all day long and could clock out at 5:00 and go home.

BUT…we don’t…we do what we do because we’re called.  So…when times of discouragement come–how do we deal with them?

I noticed the other day when reading I Samuel 30:1-6 that the Bible says, after an INCREDIBLY discouraging event in his life, that David found strength in the Lord his God…that he encouraged himself…how do we do that?

#1 – STOP Comparing Yourself To Other People/Churches/Ministries.

When we compare we ALWAYS lose because there is ALWAYS someone who does it better, has a larger congregation and/or seems to always have the great ideas.

Too many leaders spend way too much time in a pit of discouragement because they feel as if they are not as good as “so and so!”

God didn’t ask us to be in a state of comparison…because comparison OFTEN leads to compromise because we want what others have…and so we will go against God’s vision for our lives/the church to get what we perceive needs to be gotten!

BUT..as leaders, when we stand before Jesus and are held accountable one day (Hebrews 13:17) we will not answer for what other churches/ministries did and did not do…but rather what we did with the vision and gifting that He blessed us with.

#2 – Surround Yourself With Encouraging People

I personally cannot imagine not working in an environment where there isn’t an abundance of encouragement.

One of the reasons that some church leaders are always discouraged is because they are surrounded by people who make them want to drive their car off of a cliff.  These people would be…

• The person who feels like it is their gifting to point out every problem when an idea is discussed.
• The person who is always having a bad day…and feels like you should know about it.
• The person who feels like it is the leaders job to always pump them up and get them excited.
• The person who supports you publicly but bashes you privately.
• The person who is always taking shots at you and then, when confronted, claims they were only joking.
• The person who always “that” look on their face every time they see you.  (You know, the one that says, “I smell a fart…it’s gross…and I just can’t deal with it!”)
• The person who has the gift of “stare and glare” and often use it on you when you are casting vision for your ministry!

I could go on…(and I am sure you could to)…but the point is probably well taken…discouraging people are a drain!!!

(Please understand…I fully acknowledge that people have bad days.  BUT…when someone has had a bad day every single day for over a week or two…that person ISN’T the person ANYONE wants to be around!)

It is essential for a leader to have an atmosphere of encouragement because it is in this atmosphere that leadership can thrive…not just survive!

My challenge…take a look at the people around you and ask…

• Do they bring me joy or drain the heck out of me?
• Would I hang out with these people if we didn’t work together?

Like I said…I believe I work in one of the most encouraging environments on the planet!!!

It’s not just how hard you work that will make a difference…but WHO you work with is essential as well.

Why I Believe The Churches BEST DAYS Are Ahead Of Us! September 14, 2009

If you are a pastor/church leader…I hope you will give me a couple of minutes of your time…because…I really feel the Lord pressing in on me to SHOUT OUT to every church leader than I have been given the privilege to speak into that…

THE CHURCHES BEST DAYS ARE YET TO COME!

I’ve never seen in my 38 years of life on this big ball of dirt called earth what is happening in the church right now.

And it FIRES ME UP!

• Churches are being planted at a faster rate than ever before…by people who have a fire for Jesus and HIS Kingdom…and not the advance of a denomination!
• Pastors are preaching the GOSPEL…and not a social agenda with a few Bible verses sprinkeled in for good luck.
• People are being called to commit their lives to Christ instead of being told that they are ok as long as they leave a tip in the offering plate.
• People are actually reading their Bible’s and discovering that they can have an active & vibrant relationship with Jesus rather than trying to use some type of human mediator.
• People are understanding that a church is not effective when the pastor ministers to the people…but rather when the body ministers to the body, thus embracing the fact that God has gifted, equipped and empowered them to serve Him by serving others through His church.
• People are becoming less about consumption and more about contribution.
• Leaders are learning from each other–despite minor theological and denominational differences.
• People like Craig Groeschel and the guys at LifeChurch have led the way in demonstrating a culture of generosity among the Big “C” church…and HIS Kingdom is being well served because of that.
• Technology is being leveraged for more than viewing porn!  The church has actually discovered that it is a tool for reaching the world with the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ.

I could go on and on…but the fact is that I believe that God is doing something HUGE right now…

AND YOU ARE A PART OF IT!!!

It doesn’t matter if you had 70 in your church yesterday or 7,000…it was CHURCH…HIS CHURCH…and He loves churches of 50 just as much as churches of 50,000!

If one person received Christ in your church yesterday…the angels rejoiced just as much over that person than they did the church where hundreds did the same thing.

God has a plan for your church…it’s huge…it’s breathtaking…it’s massive…and when it is fully played out the communities in which our churches are planted will be IMPACTED and INFLUENCED in a way the world has never seen.

Your best days are ahead of you…not behind you!

Keep your eyes on JESUS…listen to Him and do what He says…and let’s keep making sure that HELL is LESS POPULATED because our churches refused to allow people to go there!!!