Category: Helpful Resources

Servant Leadership

by James C. Hunter

 

– Many don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses — no longer listen to, respect or allow to influence.

– Leadership is not management, it’s influence.

– Management is what you do; leadership is what you are.

– Do you leave things better than you found them? We all leave a mark, so leave a good one.

– Leadership is a skill. You have to move principals from their head to their heart.

– Leadership is not about style and personalities, it is about character.

– 99% of leadership failures are from lack of character

– Listening is an important quality in leadership.

– Power erodes relationships. People do few things because you have power, rather because you have influence over him.

– All of life is relational. Good leaders understand the importance of relationships and how to relate to others.

– At the core of every person is the need to be appreciated.

– Commitment is important for a leader, whether he sees fruit or not.

– Everything the leader does sends a message to others.

– Those who follow the crowd will not have a crowd that follow them.

– Treat those whom you lead like you’d want to be treated – the golden rule.

Sacred Sex

by Tony Evans

 

– Intimacy is much more than physical touch or bodily fluid exchange — if that’s all it was then prostitutes would be the most intimate people on the planet.

– Sex was created to inaugurate a covenant and renew it.

– Sex was not born in Hollywood, it was birthed in heaven; it was God’s idea, not man’s idea.

– Sex is part of your God-given DNA, so when you get saved you do not ask God to take the sex drive away rather to not let it be your master.

– You cannot expect to enjoy sex as God intended it to be if you go outside the rules God placed for sex.

– Sex is like a fire; contained in the fireplace keeps everyone warm, but let the fire free and the whole house will burn down.

– You do not have to be controlled by your passions. God has given an outlet for the sexual passion through marriage.

– Sex is more than just physical, it is also spiritual. You cannot be sexually active and do whatever you want and expect it not to affect you. As a Christian, you do not belong to yourself, you belong to Christ and your body is a temple of the Lord (1 Cor. 6:20).

– You cannot play with temptations and expect not to be hurt; whether you do so physically, visually or emotionally, it will hurt you. Flee from temptations!

– Joseph had the temptation and opportunity to sin, but he did not want to sin against God. The Bible does not say that he considered the offer, counseled what to do or even argued, he just ran. He lost his shirt over the deal, and it cost him dearly to take the stand, but he fled.

– Sexual sin, like all other sins, is primarily against God.

– God places a high price of importance on virginity and sexual purity, but since this is anti-cultural then we must decide that we are going to follow God and not the culture.

– God created sex and he has a right to define it. Any definition of sex that leaves God out is not the right definition.

– In most cases, when people say they have a sexual problem in their marriage, it is really not a sexual problem but an intimacy problem, a problem in their relationship.

Red Sea Rules

by Robert J. Morgan

 

1. Realize that God means for you to be right where you are – Ex 14:1–2; Ps 37:23–24

• Where the Lord takes you, He will sustain you.

• God knows where you are and will not abandon you

• His love never ceases and His care never dims.

• You are where you are by God’s divine appointment and you will be there until God finishes with you in that spot.

• Genesis 45:5; 50:20–21 2. Be more concerned for Gods glory then for your relief – Exodus 14:3-4

• God leads His people to the edge to receive glory out of the situation.

• The next time you’re in a bad situation, ask yourself how God can be glorified through the situation instead of just funny the way out.

• Psalms 115:1

• I Corinthians 10:13

• God doesn’t always deliver us from our problems like we want Him to; He does it His way, but it is always best.

• Psalm 50:15

• Psalm 34:19 3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord – Exodus 14:5-9

 

• The Bible likens the devil to 5 animals:

1. A serpent trying to deceive God’s children – Genesis 13

2. A wolf trying to destroy God’s children – John 10

3. A bird trying to snatch away God’s seed – Matthew 13

4. A lion trying to devour God’s children – 1 Peter 5

5. A dragon what he to destroy God’s Son – Revelation 12

• Do not try to beat the devil just turn him over to God.

• James 4:7–8; Daniel 11:32; Ephesians 6:13

• 2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:26–28; 6:12; it was the devil who attacked Job and that is the devil will attack God’s children today.

• The way to respond is running to Christ.

 

4. Pray – Exodus 14:10

• The Israelites fear brought them to cry and to the Lord. And God allows fear to drive us to our knees.

• In a situation that brings fear, you can either panic or pray.

• When you feel that you can’t move forward, look upward, pray.

• Psalm 107:28–29 • God does not always say yes to our request, but He listens with special interest.

• Job 8:5–6; Mark 5:2-23; Luke 22:44; James 5:17; Colossians 4:22; James 5:16

 

5. Stay calm and confident and give God time to work – Exodus 14:13-14

• God teaches that we are to leave room for His wrath, and what about His other attributes – we need to leave room for God to work.

• You cannot solve every problem or cure every hurt, but you can leave room for God to work.

• Ephesians 3:20.

• The Lord likes to work in the impossible.

• When the Bible says to wait on the Lord, it is all about giving God room and time to work.

• Deuteronomy 31:6; I Samuel 17:47; Romans 8:31, 37

 

6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith – Exodus 14:15

• Many times when we go as far as we can, God will open up other doors for the rest of the way.

• God does not always show the entire way. We may need to take one step to get light for the next step.

• Luke 11:3; Psalm 68:20

• When you do not know what to do, just take the next logical step… it may be there that God shows you.

• We are not to be anxious about tomorrow.

• We are not supposed to worry about what we cannot see in the future but live by what we know right now.

• Matthew 6:34

• If you cannot see what lies in the distance, just do what you can see clearly at hand.

• Day by day, step-by-step live until God shows you the next.

• Trust God to lead you one step at a time.

 

7. Envision Gods enveloping presence – Exodus 14:19-20

• God went before them in a cloud or pillar fire — God’s presence was with them.

• Psalm 139:5–6; 125:2; 5:12; 32:7,10; 33:22

• Learn to envision His presence and realize you do not have to fear.

• Isaiah 41:10; Acts 18:9–10; Hebrews 13:5

• Envision God around you. Isaiah said God was like eagles wings taking him away. David said God was like a rock.

• Access God’s power.

• Reflect God’s presence in your demeanor.

• Think of the benefits you have with God being near.

 

8. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way – Exodus 14:21-22

• Deuteronomy 23:14; Psalm 34:19; Job 5:19; 2 Peter 1:9; Galatians 1:4; Psalm 50:15

• Isaiah 55:8

• God will deliver His children in His way. There are no standard, cookie-cutter ways that God has to work.

• God can still do miracles, but they are how and when He chooses.

• God’s arm is not too short to save and His ear not too dull to hear.

 

9. View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future – Exodus 14:30-31

• Faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.

• Mark 4:29–30

• Matthew 15:28; 8:26; 9:2; Hebrews 11:6

• God glories when His children have enough faith to really believe Him.

• Trust Him. The Lord loves to respond to our faith.

• Faith is finding and depending on God’s promises in a specific situation.

 

10. Don’t forget to praise Him – Exodus 15:1-2

• Wash your face every morning in a bath of praise – Charles Spurgeon

Raising Men Not Boys

by Mark Fabarez

 

– Your children are not given to you to you to make you happy but so that you can prepare them for the future.

– Your goal cannot be to hang on to kids as long as possible rather to prepare them for life.

– Your children will thrive, mature and grow when they know you and your spouse are committed to each other in marriage.

– Nothing is more central to our child’s existence than that of knowing God.

– Boys do the best when sent from a strong home, and that’s a home with a strong marriage.

– Have rules, but make as few rules as possible.

– Make him sweat by playing and running outside, boys need it. Get them moving instead of watching a movie.

– Teach them a good work ethic. You are preparing him for a future job, teach him to work hard and diligent.

– Teach discipline by having to get up, to be outside, quiet time (more for you than them), do chores, and keep a schedule.

– Teach generosity instead of greed. Loving money will only hurt them, learning to give money will help them.

– Respond to the sins of your children, but do not overreact about them.

– Jesus grew in favor with God and man.

 

This would be a good model to teach our children:

1. To grow in favor with God by knowing God in their lives and walking with him.

2. To learn to relate to others — it is our responsibility to teach our children how to socially interact with others. – Teach your son to be humble instead of being arrogant – Luke 18:14.

 

– Teach hygiene and care for their body.

– Teach respect for others and especially those in authority.

– There should be teaching on gratitude.

– Model and teach them how to say sorry as well as forgive others.

– We are growing up in a world of screens that will not just occupy our children’s minds for hours or days, but for years and lifetime. We must teach them to not be consumed by technology or they will be destroyed by it.

– The happiness of your children cannot be your main goal in raising kids — but sadly this is the case with the majority of parents.

– Dad, take pride in your son(s) wanting to become independent as a man, even though mom has a hard time with it. Husbands must lovingly lead their wives into accepting and understanding their son is becoming independent man.

– Even though your son is growing and wants his freedom, dad must still be firm that he treats his mother (your wife) with dignity and respect.

– Critical comments about your son’s appearance, specifically in the teen years, can be very damaging. Help him with clothing, hygiene and body care, but be very careful or your comments can close the doors to influencing and helping.

– Teach your son to say no to alcohol and drugs.

– Every teenage boy needs a curfew. – Letting your son get a job will teach him responsibility as well as how to interact with others.

Purple Cow

by Seth Godin 

 

– All cows look the same after a while, but if you were to see a purple cow, it would definitely stand out.

– A product for everybody is a product for nobody.

– You have to find your niche on the market.

– It has to be much more than just a good product to sell, you have to find a venue that will sell your items. For example, tide would go out of business if Walmart did not sell it.

– Don’t try to cater to the masses, cater to the audience that you choose.

– The purple cow is so rare because people are afraid. Everyone wants to color within the lines, not fail or be criticized… therefore we stay invisible.

– Playing it safe might just be the riskiest thing your company does because it stays invisible.

– The opposite of remarkable is good. We might think the opposite of remarkable is horrible the true opposite is just coasting or being good.

Problems of Christian Leadership

By John Stott

 

1. The Problem of Discouragement

– We must persevere under the pressure

– 2 Cor. 12:7 — we have weaknesses in our flesh. God could take them away but does not have to take them away. His power is mighty in our weakness.

 

2. The Problem of Self-discipline

– We must retain spiritual refreshment

– Some of our spiritual problems could be physical problems… we must to take time off and get the needed rest.

– Learn the discipline of rest

– Learn the discipline of devotions — find a reading plan and go through the Bible as well as time to pray.

 

3. The Problem of Relationships.

– We must learn to treat people with respect.

– Rom 14:7 — No man lives and dies to himself.

– No man is an island.

– Treat people as Christ treats people

– Treat people as unto Christ — Col. 3:17,23

– Listen to others, it shows respect and is productive.

 

4. The Problem of Youth

– Learn to be a leader while young.

– Be an example in your youth — 1 Timothy 4:16

– Many belittle youth, so act responsible and respectful.

– Grow in spiritual maturity.

– Practice what you preach.

– Treat older men as fathers and older women as mothers; younger women as sisters and younger men as brothers.

Praying the Bible

by Donald S. Whitney

 

– Many times we, as Christians, don’t pray enough… we don’t pray enough because we don’t feel like it; we do not feel like it because we really don’t know what to pray.

– We get bored in prayer and run out of things or not sure what to say. The problem is not our lack of spirituality but our method. – When you pray the same thing it becomes a repetition, and Christ did not want us to pray vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7).

– The problem is not praying about the same things but praying the same words.

– If God commands Christians everywhere to pray, then prayer cannot be as difficult as we make it out to be. It is a lot more simple than we make it.

– There’s a simple solution to making prayer easier: pray through a passage of Scripture.

– Robert Murray McShane said to use the Bible as a prayerbook. This is certainly good advice.

– The book of Psalms is a prayer book, meant to be sung back to God. It is a beautiful book to start and sing back or pray back to God.

– Read a Psalm a day and pray it back to God.

– If you pray through different passages, no matter what book, you will never again pray the same old words and things over and over.

– One of the beautiful things about praying the Bible is that you’re not only reading it but now meditating on it.

– When you read the Bible, many times you don’t even remember what you read a couple of hours later, but when you pray the Bible you will likely remember what a verse or portion you read a day later.

– By praying the Bible you will never run out of things to pray about. You’re letting God initiate the conversation.

Prayers for Freedom Over Worries and Anxieties

by Bruce Wilkinson

 

– The Bible teaches us to be anxious for nothing. That is in the present tense, not past tense nor future tense.

– You choose to be anxious, no one or nothing can make you be anxious. Break free of the idea that someone or something makes you anxious.

– Not only is “be anxious for nothing” in the present tense, it is also a command from God, and God does not give us a command that is impossible to follow!

– If we are going to not be anxious, as the Scripture teaches us, we must obey the Scripture. We are first told, “By prayer.” We can pray and take it to God.

– Where there is gratitude, anxiousness is not present.

– God promises peace when we take it to Him. The situation doesn’t change, God taking control is what changes things.

– After God gives us peace, He tells us what to think about it. We can guard ourselves from future anxieties by thinking up on the right things.

– When you choose to think about the positive, God, the negative, all anxieties, leaves.

– If we fix our eyes on money, we will never be satisfied and anxious about something.

– When we don’t guard our heart and emotions, we will be plagued by all kinds of anxious thoughts that will consume us.

– Make it a habit of helping someone else. The simple idea of taking our thoughts off of self and putting them on others to help them will alleviate so much anxiety.

– There’s a lot of uncertainty about the future, but one thing is certain and that God is in control and He holds the future.

– Anxiety in a relationship can ruin a relationship. A relationship requires trust.

– Learn to laugh, it helps with anxiety.

– If you can change or help things then change them, but if you can’t, then turn those things over to God.

– Many think God loves everyone, but we’re not sure that He loves us. Get ahold of the fact that God loves and likes you. You are accepted by Him.

– You have to let God take control by exchanging your thoughts for His thoughts.

– Loneliness has nothing to do with the amount of people around but disconnection from relationships. You must know that God will never leave us alone.  – Matthew 6:25-34 — don’t worry, God can and will take care of you.