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In This Strength That Is Yours

December 5, 2011 in Leadership, Life, Ministry, Passion, Productivity, Self Leadership, Vision with 0 Comments

A great difference between seeing a vision or idea realized is often action. You can spend a long drafting plans and perfecting them and never realize your goals. Perfect plans are not a guarantee for success. Nothing will bring you closer to your goals that a plan and action to back them up. Plans and inaction = stagnation. How many dreams are you carrying? How long have you been carrying them? Do you have any tangible action backing your plans?

Lack of resources is often an excuse for inaction. I sometimes catch myself dreaming about what I will do when or if I got a particular resource. Are you obsessed with the resources you hope to have at the expense of action with what you have? What you have now is the means to get what you want to achieve the ‘bigger’ things you see. The (little) you have right now is really the great resource you’re looking for. See the value of what’s in your hand and leverage it!

But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?” – Judges 6:14 (MSG)

This was part of a conversation between Gideon & God. Prior to this statement Gideon had (indirectly) communicated a desire to Israel delivered from her oppressors. Despite his desire he expressed why he couldn’t save Israel. This sounds like most of us! We want to do great things but how willing are we to pay the price? What dreams has God given you? We lose more in our ‘self made safety’ of inaction than in risk chasing God’s call on us!

Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan’s the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.” God said to him, “I’ll be with you. Believe me, you’ll defeat Midian as one man – Judges 6:15 – 16

Gideon then launched a fight to stay in the comfort of his discomfort. What does your fight for staying in the comfort of your discomfort look like? You see, Gideon and his people did not have it easy. They were constantly being harassed by the Midianites and Amelikites. By not rising up to the challenge there can be no change. You can never change what you’re not willing to confront. Gideon was also overlooking this fact: Whatever God calls you to; it is ultimately going to be greater than where you are right now! Not moving to where God is calling you to is denying God the opportunity to act through you! Stop stopping God! Allow Him to make his purposes to be fulfilled through you…

With all this being said, God echoes to you His charge to Gideon:

But God faced him directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?” – Judges 6:14 (MSG)

Obsessing over what you don’t have will blind you of want you do have! God will bless the work of your hands. When your hands are not at work there is no blessing to empower you for success. You may be praying and waiting for God to start doing something, but He’s actually waiting for you to do something. God moves in our moving. As feeble as we are, we hold the key to seeing God’s strength at work. We must go in the strength we have! All excuses must end right now. God is not going to ask you about what you did with what you did not have, but what you did with what you had. It is time to act with what we have!

We are never going to change the world with excuses of why we cannot do something. We will only change the world when focus on why we cannot afford to do something. Your inaction not only affects you but the people God has called you to. Your community or church’s action or lack of it, is the difference between God being manifest to them in a tangible way or not. You have something and can use it for a great impact. Don’t undermine what you have by getting hung up by what you don’t have. Go in this strength that you have!

illustration by ralphbijker, flickr, (cc)

What have been some of your excuses?

A Catalyst For Learning & Equipping To Remember

November 28, 2011 in Leadership, Life, Ministry, Self Leadership with 0 Comments

Something common to most successful people I’ve encountered is that they are willing to share their success. In fact, some successful people actually look for people to coach. And, some with the desire to succeed seek out the successful to learn from them. Having mentors could save you a lot of trouble and give you an ‘unfair advantage’. Having a mentor means you get to build into your future on the foundation of the failures and wisdom of others. Don’t waste your time and energy making mistakes someone else has already made. Don’t waste another’s success and failures. Glean from them.

A mistake some young leaders make is seeking to be “self-made”. I’ve said it before and will say it again: no one is a “self made success”. If you are going to succeed as a (young) leader you must be willing to learn. Successful people are learning people. Learning means putting on humility. It takes humility to learn from someone. It takes humility and courage to ask someone to mentor you. One of the few things that stand in the way of success is simply failure to ask for help and guidance. Your eyes are too riddled with blind spots and you need eyes that see and have seen more and better than yours.

A reason you and your team are stuck: You only know as much as each other! Get a mentor for a different, empowering and challenging perspective

Consider mentors as catalysts for learning and equipping. Without them you will wallow in some phases of your progress you need not to. You will fall into pits you don’t need to. A mentor can be the one that helps you get unstuck. A good mentor will constantly challenge you out of complacency. He will remind you that you haven’t arrived and ‘aren’t all that’. He will tell you what your friends are too scared to say. A great mentor will tell you what you need to hear without fear of losing relationship with you. We look up to our mentors, but a great mentor will challenge you to not make them your ceiling…

illustration by "i'll never grow up", flickr, (cc)

What do you look for in a mentor? Any additional thoughts?

The Danger Of Your Eyes Only

November 28, 2011 in Chrstianity, Ideas, Leadership, Life, Teamwork, Vision with 2 Comments

Perspectives are not “one size fits all deal”. The lens with which we see determine our actions. In making decisions about the lives and gifting God has given us we must be careful we’re not doing what seems God in our eyes.

Then he went on down and spoke to the woman. In Samson’s eyes, she was the one - Judges 14:7 (MSG)

In Samson’s eyes Delilah was the one… In his eyes his source of demise was for him. He obviously didn’t see her as that. What better example of how flawed our own ‘eyes’ are! The danger of seeing things through our eyes and acting on it cannot be overemphasized. Samson disregarded his father’s “eyes” and worst of all God’s eyes! Our eyes own eyes will be more riddled with blind spots and we compensate by seeking counsel from godly men and in seeking God in prayer.

Acting out of what we see with our eyes will lead us to destruction. Seeking God’s wisdom and direction and the counsel of the wise around us is the best safe guard for our lives and destiny. Our judgement alone is not sufficient to lead us into God’s purposes for us as individuals and ultimately for those around us! It is easy to go with what we see especially when it is what we want regardless! Are your desires wholly given to God? If not your eyes will lead you in a path that takes you further from your destiny and not closer.

Before you act, especially on significant things ensure that you’re not just acting on what seems right in your own eyes. Have you sought counsel from the wise? This doesn’t mean you must take and act on the counsel of many but that you at least consider that many perspectives they many bring. More importantly: have you sought God’s eyes and do you see through His eyes on your perspective and action? You can ignore everyone’s eyes but never make the mistake of ignoring God’s perspective? God’s vision is the only perfect one!

What experiences have you used your own eyes and landed you an undesired path?

In Samson’s Eyes

November 27, 2011 in Chrstianity, Life, Ministry, Vision with 0 Comments

Then he went on down and spoke to the woman. In Samson’s eyes, she was the one - Judges 14:7 (MSG)

In Samson’s eyes Delilah was the one… In his eyes his source of demise was for him. He obviously didn’t see her as that. What better example of how flawed our own ‘eyes’ are! The danger of seeing things through our eyes and acting on it cannot be overemphasized. Samson disregarded his father’s “eyes” and worst of all God’s eyes! Our eyes own eyes are riddled with blind spots and we can compensate by seeking counsel from godly men and in seeking God in prayer.

Acting out of what we see with our eyes will lead us to destruction. Seeking God’s wisdom and direction and the counsel of the wise around us is the best safe guard for our lives and destiny. Our judgement alone is not sufficient to lead us into God’s purposes for us as individuals and for those around us! It is easy to go with what we see, especially when it is what we want regardless! Are your desires wholly given to God? If not your eyes will lead you in a path that takes you further from your destiny and not closer.

Before you act, especially on significant things ensure that you’re not just acting on what seems right in your own eyes. Have you sought counsel from the wise? This doesn’t mean you must take and act on the counsel of many but that you at least consider the diverse perspectives they many bring. More importantly: have you sought God’s eyes and do you see through His eyes on your perspective and action? You can ignore everyone’s eyes but never make the mistake of ignoring God’s perspective? God’s vision is the only perfect one!

What experiences have you used your own eyes and landed you an undesired path?

The Longer You Take…

November 10, 2011 in Leadership, Life, Productivity, Teamwork, time management, Vision with 0 Comments

It is generally accepted wisdom not to rush into anything. It is also important take time to understand the options and implications before committing to any course of action. I actually encourage people not to rush into anything because it seems a great idea at first glance. Then there are the instances where the longer you take to act, the more you lose or the worse things get.

act now

 illustration - kkalyan, flickr (cc)

Once you’ve established that there is a niche, or great opportunity, the longer you can the more it gets out of reach. Innovation and ideas have a life span. The longer you take to ‘attack’ an available share of the market, the harder it will be to fight competition later. If you’ve assessed and realized the opportunity, act now!

In relationships, it is the longer you take to apologize and own up for your part in a stalemate, the harder it will get. In fact, this perpetuates more conflict and complications. Things tend to escalate and you knock heads. You deal with things but fail to get to the bottom of them all because you took too long to address the initial seed. The longer you take, to address issues the unhealthier the relationship will be. The longer you take, the more vulnerable your relationship will be and the more toxic the smallest of issues can be. Act now.

The longer you take to address the slack employee or teammate, the longer the vision suffers. The more the people you ought to be serving suffer. Leaving the slackers to be may be the sure guarantee of the death of your purpose. Leader, there will be a time you will have to guard your vision from your team. When the team threatens the vision by being slack or otherwise do not wait any longer.

The longer the leader takes to address his own slackness and complacency, the longer the organization or team will faces its demise. The longer you maintain the status quo the higher the chances are you will be irrelevant very soon. Constant innovation and challenging yourself as an individual and team is a must if you are to stay relevant. Maintaining where you are is not progress and may be the start of your demise.

The longer it takes you to start on the new project while you’re still motivated, the harder it will be for you to build momentum later…

There are instances it is prudent to tread carefully. Then there are instances you have to act swiftly. Consider some of the things highlighted… Don’t live in ‘I will do’ but ‘I am doing!’

I’d love you hear your thoughts!