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Make Prayer Part of Your Daily Routine

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Make Prayer Part of Your Daily Routine



Is prayer “missing in action” in your personal routine, family or church? I’m ashamed to admit that prayer falls to the bottom of my agenda far too often. Priorities and the tyranny of the urgent are the culprit, but there’s more to it than making easy excuses.

I’m compelled to ask myself whether or not I really believe in prayer. Do I faithfully expect that God will take my work and multiply it in the prayers I offer? Or do I have lowered expectations for the work God wants to do in and through me?

Spiritual issues and problems require supernatural solutions, and that’s where regular prayer becomes important. Prayer leads me to evaluate my priorities, decisions, motives and attitudes. It impacts my heart and mind, making me a more effective leader and servant.

Bill Hybels describes this “supernatural walk with a living, dynamic, communicating God” this way:

Authentic Christians are persons who stand apart from others, even other Christians, as though listening to a different drummer. Their character seems deeper, their ideas fresher, their spirit softer, their courage greater, their leadership stronger, their concerns wider, their compassion more genuine and their convictions more concrete.

I want that kind of power and conviction in my life, family and church. Perhaps you do too. If so, ask yourself some key questions about prayer:

  1. Where does prayer rate in your daily schedule?
  2. Does your family pray together regularly?
  3. Is prayer valued in your church or organization?
  4. How can you develop more effective prayer habits?

On that last point, let me offer a prayer model from Dr. Greg Frizzell, Prayer and Spiritual Awakening Specialist with the Oklahoma Baptist Convention. Based on The Lord’s Prayer, our most important biblical model, Dr. Frizzell’s PRISM acrostic is a powerful way to pray every day:

P = Praise
R = Repentance
I = Intercession (about spiritual things and for spiritual protection and deliverance)
S = Supplication (petition)
M = Meditation on the Word (listening for lessons in Scripture)

So what’s the Big Idea?

Make prayer part of your daily routine for greater effectiveness in every area of your life. Expand that principle to your family and church to appropriate divine power for living the everyday mission of God. Most of all, believe in the power of prayer.

Resources


Sources

Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down to Be with God (10th Anniversary Edition, Revised and Expanded), 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 125.

Greg Frizzell, PRISM Prayer Model, January 19, 2015.

Servants Make the Best Leaders

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Servants Make the Best Leaders



Can a person lead effectively without the attitudes of humility and service? I don’t think so. Jesus said it: “Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

Noted author Oswald Sanders reminds us that the word “leader” is used in the Bible just 6 times.  The word “servant” is used more frequently, and that’s a revolutionary leadership idea.

Servant leadership doesn’t appeal to everyone. Jesus knew that it wouldn’t. And yet that’s what he calls a godly leader to be. According to Sanders, the attitudes and inner motives of a true servant are:

  • Dependence – Emptied of self and dependent on God
  • Approval – Reciprocal delight between God and his servant
  • Modesty – Neither strident nor flamboyant
  • Empathy – Sympathetic and understanding
  • Optimism – Hopeful
  • Anointing – Spirit-filled

Here’s what the Bible says about leadership:

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. – Mark 10:42-44 (NIV)

Those words are a reminder to rethink marketplace ideas about leadership. I’m a “doer” with a tendency to eschew the divine, spiritual parts of leadership in favor of wisdom from the experts, so I need a regular reminder to evaluate my heart.

Don’t get me wrong, practical help and wisdom are important. I’ve learned volumes about teamwork, management and leadership from countless seminars, conferences, podcasts, blogs and books. But most of it rarely addresses the heart motivation at the core of effective leadership.

What’s your expectation: To serve first or lead first? It’s a question every aspiring leader has to ask. The “lead first” attitude is about a desire for power and status. The “serve first” attitude is about something else entirely.

My servant leadership takeaways are simple.  I will:

  1. Demonstrate “serve first” leadership at every opportunity.
  2. Serve my leader with humility.
  3. Encourage a “serve first” attitude in the people I lead.
  4. Seek a “serve first” attitude in potential hires.

So what’s the Big Idea?

The best leadership flows from the attitudes and inner motives of a true servant—dependence (on God), approval (from God), modesty, empathy, optimism and anointing. Servants make the best leaders.

Resources


Source

J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence for Every Believer, rev. and exp. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007), 21-26.

Clarify God-Sized Vision and Focus

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Clarify God-Sized Vision and Focus



Driving in blinding rain or fog is a nerve-wracking experience. When you can’t see the road ahead with clarity, anxiety sets in and the simplest journey becomes an excruciating chore. When it gets really bad, there’s really only one thing to do. Pull over and wait for the storm to pass. When the weather clears you can get back on the road confident that good weather and good vision will help you safely reach your destination.

Your church has a clear command from Christ to go and preach the gospel, winning the lost in the name of Jesus and then teaching and discipling them in His ways. That’s your mission—a clear command from your Master and Commander. But how does the church accomplish that Great Commission?

We know Christ’s command carries with it non-negotiables like evangelism, discipleship, ministry, missions and worship. But while the agenda is set clearly from the start, you have some decisions to make about what you’ll do (and what you won’t do) to make it happen. That’s the kind of clarity you want and need in the blinding rain.

An intentional process to capture God-sized vision and focus includes:

  • The Holy Spirit & Prayer – Prayer leads the church to appropriate divine power and understand God’s will. Read more
  • Vision (Global Objective) – Start with vision clarification and define what you stand for and where God is leading you to go. Read more
    What’s your vision of the future?
    Where are you going?
    Why do you exist?
  • Values (Defining Objectives) – Detail what the church will do (and what it won’t do) to achieve its vision. Read more
    What specific objectives clarify and support your vision?

So what’s the Big Idea?

Clarify God-sized vision and values through an emphasis on prayer and the Holy Spirit.

Resources

3 Ways to Multiply Your Message

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3 Ways to Multiply Your Message



Successful communication happens when your message is transmitted to a listener, reader and viewer with the meaning you intended. When a listener “gets” your message, you earn the opportunity to say more about yourself, your product or your organization.

A successful message depends on:

  • The Right MESSAGE
  • The Right CHANNEL
  • The Right AUDIENCE

Evaluate your public, professional and private communication. How do you stack up in those three areas?

To go deeper about message, channel and audience, read on:

1. Send the Right MESSAGE.

  • Is your message clear, concise and creative?
    • Clear – Cover the basics (typically the who, what, when and where details) and don’t leave out important details.
    • Concise – Say it as simply and with as few words as possible.
    • Creative – Make it memorable and out of the ordinary.
  • Is your message purposeful and persuasive?
    • Purposeful – Know why the message matters.
    • Persuasive – Motivate, inspire and emote with your message.

2. Use the Right CHANNEL.

  • What channel is best suited for your message and audience?
  • Should your message be sent over multiple channels?
    • Digital – Website, blog, podcast, e-mail, text, digital ad placement, SEO and more
    • Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat and more
    • Print – Direct mail, brochure, card, letter, print display ad, etc.
    • Broadcast – Radio and TV
    • Personal – Anything that can be used to share the message from one person to another.
  • Will you use free or paid channels, or a combination of both?
    • Free – No-cost social media, web or print channels
    • Paid – Google, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook ads, sponsored Twitter and social media ads, display ads, banner ads, text ads and more

3. Choose the Right AUDIENCE.

  • Who are you trying to reach with your message?  What’s your target?
    Is your audience an internal or external core constituency?
    • Internal Core Constituencies – Employees, leaders, volunteers, contributors and more
    • External Core Constituencies – Current customers, potential customers, consumers, prospects and more
  • What demographic and psychographic characteristics describe your audience?
    • Demographics – Who your audience is and what they do
    • Psychographics – What your audience thinks and how they act

So what’s the Big Idea?

Send the right message over the right channel to the right audience.

Resources

Ask the Right Questions

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Ask the Right Questions



Asking the right questions is important. Whether the arena is personal or professional, we have to be willing to go from the surface to deeper levels of thought, insight and analysis.

I can’t say I’ve always done that consistently, but I’m resolving to spend more time thinking and less time doing in 2015. To get the ball rolling, I’ve compiled my short list of daily questions.

My list includes questions to ask about myself, my calling, my relationships (with God and others) and my organization. And the final question is a commitment to…ask more questions.

What about you? Do you have some questions worth asking?

Here’s my daily Q&A:

  • Are you giving God your best offering today?
  • Are you doing your best today?
  • Are you giving today with no expectation of any ROI?
  • Are making it fun, real and true?
    • Are you making it fun for others? (the PEOPLE question)
    • Are you being real and authentic? (the AUTHENTICITY question)
    • Are you staying true to your personal calling and to your organization’s vision and values? (the ALIGNMENT question)
  • What 3 additional questions need to be asked today?
    • Why? (the PURPOSE question)
    • How? (the STRATEGY question)
    • Who? What? When? Where? (LOGISTICS questions)

So what’s the Big Idea?

Ask thoughtful questions each day to gain fresh insight about a whole range of personal, professional and organizational concerns. Answer your daily Q&A with honesty and commit to make key adjustments along the way.

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