This morning I spoke to about 250 leaders at the Harvest Cry. The leadership sessions lasted from about 10am until Noon. My topic for the morning was: FIVE KEYS TO SELF-LEADERSHIP.
I started the session with a prophetic message that God gave me last night in the middle of the night. At about 1:30am I was awakened with a powerful sense of God's presence. The dream I was in, as I awoke, was of me speaking to the leaders and sharing with them about the principle of Proverbs 24:10. Great way to wake up! Here is the verse I was sharing in my dream.
If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength.
This verse almost sounds like a put down from God. If you read it at face value it looks as if God is saying, 'you are so weak...even a little trouble slows you down and makes you fall.'
But in reality the verse is saying, 'whatever trouble makes you falter becomes for you the limit of your strength and progress.' The word 'small' means to walk in a very tight and narrow place. So trouble can become something that slows you down. It becomes like a tight place that stops or slows your progress.
Understanding the issues that have held you back in the past, helps you see what you need to do to overcome. As you conquer the issues that limit you now, you will rise to new levels in your walk with God.
Troubles, trials, temptations don't have to be limiting factors in your life. You can overcome them. You don't have to limited by the things that held you back in the past. Rise above them. Learn how to defeat the limiting factors. And as you do, the stuff that held you back in the past won't be able to stop you in the future.
Many of the leaders responded to this prophetic message and we prayed over them that God will use this next season in their life to lift them to new levels of overcoming life.
HERE ARE MY FIVE KEYS TO SELF-LEADERSHIP:
- Leaders must learn to REFRESH THEMSELVES IN THE LORD! Psalm 84:6-7 says that those who are strong in God learn how to dig springs in the valleys of weeping and dryness (Baca). Leaders must discipline themselvers to dig down into God's Word on their own and dig down into God's presence in prayer. Leaders don't wait to be fed. They feed themselves.
- Leaders must learn to ENCOURAGE THEMSELVES IN THE LORD. 1 Samuel 30:6 tells us the David strengthened himself in the Lord. When everyone else turned against him and there was no one to give him and encouraging word, David spoke to himself. Leaders must learn how to speak life into their own soul.
- Leaders must learn to MANAGE THEMSELVES WELL. Ecclesiastes 10:10 tells to sharpen the ax to make work easier and more effective. In this section I passed out my 7 FACTORS OF TIME MANAGEMENT that I gave to my staff this past year. Download seven_key_factors_in_selfleadership.pdf
- Leaders must learn to ENVISION THEMSELVES in the face of difficult circumstances. Ezekiel 37 records the steps God had the prophet take. Ezekiel had to operate on the vision of God and not on the natural view of his circumstances. He was in the valley of dry bones. But he did not let his circumstances dictate his mood of his faith. He had to hear, see, and speak God's promise over his impossible circumstances.
- Leaders must learn to REJOICE IN THE LORD! Nehemiah 8:10 says that joy of the Lord is our strength. If we manage and maintain our joy it will become for us like a fortress (like a walled city). Joyful people are less vulnerable to temptation, discouragement, and failure. Joyful people are contagious people. We can choose joy.
Tomorrow, Melodie and I will teach another two sessions on Making Relationships Work. Thanks for your prayers. God is speaking to me even in my sleep. That shows that your prayers are working.
