5 Phrases That Will Kill Your Leadership

November 28, 2012


By Scott Couchenour



"I can do it better myself.”

True, to an extent. But you can’t do everything better. And even if you could, where would you find the time? This phrase leads down the path of “I must do it all”. You can’t do it all. You are finite. You are rhythmic. You cannot sustain a fevered pace, going from one task to the next. You will burn out. You must delegate wisely.


“I am judged on results.”

No you’re not. You may be employedto produce results. But you’re not judged by God to produce results. That’s His arena. Your task is to remain obedient and faithful. This requires a stellar and growing, dynamic relationship with Christ, Himself. Many of your colleagues have burned out thinking they were being judged by the results, which were not forthcoming in their assignment.


“If I work hard, God will provide.”

Nope. Hard work isn’t a trigger for God’s provision. At least, hard work ALONE isn’t. This phrase implies that you can go and go and go, at the expense of other areas of your life (like your physical health, your marriage, your parenting) and somehow God will fill in the gaps. Those who live by this phrase believe resting is evil and lazy. Again, not true. Resting is not only a solid practice, it’s ordained.


“I’m called to the ministry.”

No you’re not. If you’re a pastor, you’re called to be a disciple who is cleverly positioned in the pastoral context. If you’re a youth volunteer, you’re called to be a disciple who is cleverly positioned in the youth ministry context. Get the idea? If you believe the “called to ministry” phrase, you run the risk of replacing God with ministry and begin worshipping the ministry itself.
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“I need others.”

True and not true. You need others because you are wired for community. Even if you’re an introvert, you cannot survive in ministry leadership without a few, deep relationships. But don’t fall into the trap of believing you need others. What you need is Christ. Co-dependency on others is unhealthy. If you believe you deeply need others, you will hang on every slice of approval and morsel of disapproval. As a result, you’ll ride a rollercoaster of emotions.

Want to remain strong in your ministry leadership? Then you’ll have to come to grips with these 5 phrases. Don’t be deceived by them. They sound good on the surface. But stick to the truth or one day you’ll hit the wall and be totally surprised.

Five Ways Leaders Must Guard Their Minds

By Rick Warren





Leaders are readers. Leaders are learners. And leaders are definitely thinkers. Your mind is a special gift from God. It’s one of the most important tools in a leader’s arsenal. Your mind can potentially store 100 trillion thoughts, yet the average person only uses 3½ million thoughts a year. We only use about ten percent of our mental (or brain) capacity.

While our minds can be the epicenter of creative and influential leadership, our minds are also battlegrounds that must be guarded. All moral failure begins in the mind. 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled.” Notice that self-control and mental preparation go together. God says that the self-controlled person is the mentally fit person. We can love God with our minds. We’ve often talked about loving God with our hearts but God says we can love Him with our mind. I believe that God wants you to make the most of your mind. As that commercial says, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

We battle an old sinful nature that often clouds our thinking. We live in a world that bombards us with false and counterfeit philosophies. And we have an enemy who is constantly on the prowl seeking to devour us. So how do we guard our minds well? Control what you allow in.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The Bible is very specific in giving us five threats we are to guard our minds against. Share this list with your staff members and the key leaders of your church.

1. We are to guard our minds against false teaching.
Doctrinal errors, being diverted from the gospel, will run our minds. Scripture talks about “the faith once delivered to the saints.” That means it’s been around. The message of the gospel has never changed. I often say at Saddleback, “If it’s new, it’s not true.” So we’re to guard our minds against false teachings and false religions.

How do we do that? By knowing the truth. If you know the truth, you can instantly spot a lie. Treasury agents are trained to detect counterfeit not by handling counterfeit bills. They give them real bills and study them so well that when a counterfeit dollar bill is put in their hands, they immediately know that it’s false.

2. We are to guard our minds against temptation.

The Bible says in Matthew 26:41 that we are to “Watch and pray to avoid temptation.” Psalm 101:3 says “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.” That’s a good verse to put on your television, your computer screen, and even your mobile devices. A. W. Tozer said, “America has lost its ability to blush.” If we’re going to guard our mind we have to guard what we watch and look at online because it causes temptation.

The Bible says very clearly that sin starts with a thought. You sow a thought, you reap an action. You sow an action, you reap a habit. You sow a habit, you reap a character. And it destroys you. The mind is a strategic battlefield and if Satan can get your thought life, he’s going to get you. We are to guard our minds against temptation.

When I start to feel tempted, I often say, “Lord, I mentally put on the helmet of salvation that scripture talks about in Ephesians 6:17.” The battle is in the mind. What does a helmet do? It protects your mind. It’s saying, “Lord, I want You to cover my mind with Your blood. I will be guarding my mind from temptation.” 

3. We are to guard our minds against counterfeit spiritual experiences.

The people who don’t do this end up in cults. Galatians 1:6-8 says even if an angel comes and tells you something different than what the word of God says you’re not to believe him. I believe the Holy Spirit works calmly and deliberately. There are a number of Scriptures you can look up that will help you guard against counterfeit spiritual experiences, and remember that Scripture is objective truth, which is always authoritative over our subjective experiences.

4. We are to guard our minds against pride.

Pride is the sin that God judges quicker than any other single sin and it’s the real root of many other kinds of sin in our lives. Pride is the sin that resulted in Satan being kicked out of heaven. As a leader, this is a temptation because people will tell you things that will puff you up. I say praise and criticism are like bubble gum, You chew on them but you don’t swallow them. The right attitude is to have an attitude of humility.

Philippians tells us to “Have the mind of Christ who, even though being like God, took on Himself the form of a servant.” He humbled Himself. So we’re to guard against a prideful mind.

5. We are to guard against an overworked mind.

This is one of the greatest areas of failure, I believe, for pastors. We strain our minds too much. This can cause failure in your life. The constant study, the constant reading, the constant dealing with people overworks your mind and it lowers your ability to make sound judgments. Jesus told His disciples in Mark 6:31 “Come apart with Me for a while,” or you’re going to come apart. We need to guard our minds from an overworked mind.

Epic failure begins in small ways in the mind. Your influence and your impact as a leader is too important to allow poor mental habits or sinful thinking to ruin your ministry. No matter what, guard your mind.

photo credit: FirstMichael

Why Should You Memorize Scripture?

Sep 18, 2014


by Rick Warren


“Whoever looks intently into the perfect law … and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:25 NIV)

If you’re serious about being spiritually strong and mature, the greatest habit you can develop is memorizing Scripture. In fact, the Bible says in James 1:25 that it’s one of four habits that leads to a blessed life: “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law … and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do” (NIV).

Read your Bible. “Whoever looks intently …”
Review the Bible. “… continues in it …”
Remember the Bible. “… not forgetting what they have heard …”
Respond to the Bible. “ … but doing it …”

You don’t want to be a spiritual baby anymore. It’s time to grow up and live the blessed life you’re meant to live. Hiding God’s Word in your heart is an important way to start.

You may not think you have a good memory, but you remember what’s important to you. You remember the phone numbers and dates that you care about. I’ve heard people say they can’t memorize anything, but they can quote songs from the 1960s and rattle off the statistics of their favorite baseball players.

Memory is a skill you can learn. It’s a muscle you can strengthen. In fact, memorizing Scripture will cause your brain to have a stronger memory in other areas. I guarantee it. Study after study has shown this.

Why is it important to memorize Scripture?
You’ll always have God’s Word with you. When you’re tempted, you don’t have a Bible open or by your side. When you’re witnessing to someone who doesn’t know Jesus, is under stress, needs comfort, or is in a crisis, there’s usually not a Bible around. You need God’s Word in your mind so you can remember it and review it right when you need it.

You can meditate on Scripture wherever you go. You can’t review God’s Word unless you remember it. If you’ve memorized Scripture, you can think about it when you get into bed at night or as you drive to an appointment. You can think about the Bible because you’ve memorized it. That’s called meditation. The only promise of prosperity and success that God gives us in the Bible says that meditating on his Word is the key (Joshua 1:8).

Start memorizing Scripture today. Pick a verse a week. In a year, you’ll have memorized 52 verses. In two years, you’ll have memorized more than 100 verses.

Talk It Over
What changes do you need to make so that you are regularly reading and studying the Bible?
You already know the ways you learn and memorize best. What tools, tactics, or people can help you memorize Scripture?
How do you respond when God brings Scripture to mind in certain situations? How should you respond?

Giving It To God

By Dave Branon


Read: Mark 10:17-22
[He] went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. —Mark 10:22
Bible in a Year:
Proverbs 27-29; 2 Corinthians 10


A hero to a generation of people who grew up after World War II, Corrie ten Boom left a legacy of godliness and wisdom. A victim of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, she survived to tell her story of faith and dependence on God during horrendous suffering.

“I have held many things in my hands,” Corrie once said, “and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.”

Corrie was well acquainted with loss. She lost family, possessions, and years of her life to hateful people. Yet she learned to concentrate on what could be gained spiritually and emotionally by putting everything in the hands of her heavenly Father.

What does that mean to us? What should we place in God’s hands for safekeeping? According to the story of the rich young man in Mark 10, everything. He held abundance in his hands, but when Jesus asked him to give it up, he refused. He kept his possessions and he failed to follow Jesus—and as a result he “went away sorrowful” (v.22).

Like Corrie ten Boom, we can find hope by putting everything in God’s hands and then trusting Him for the outcome.
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live. —Van de Venter
No life is more secure than a life surrendered to God.

Insight

In Mark 10:1-16, Jesus taught about the demands of discipleship, including the necessity for childlike faith. Here in the encounter with a rich young man, Jesus spoke of the need to love God totally—fully and unreservedly. This young leader lacked unrivaled allegiance to God because he loved his earthly possessions more (v.22). In His teaching, Jesus had warned, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). The young man’s actions sadly illustrated this principle. His story is also told in Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 18:18-23. Paul too warned of the subtle lure of material riches in 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

How to Get Better Reception of God’s Word

Sep 17, 2014


by Rick Warren



“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1:19b-21 NIV)

Let’s say you’re a gardener. You’ve learned that you can take the exact same seed and plant it in three different locations and get three different results. In one spot, you’ll get giant tomatoes. In another, you’ll get small tomatoes. And in a third, you’ll get nothing. What’s the difference? It’s not the seed; it’s the soil. The soil must be prepared for the seed.

The same is true when you hear God’s Word. Your heart has to be prepared for the Word. If you get up late, have trouble finding a parking spot, and are irritated as you rush into church, you’re probably not going to hear God’s voice! You’re not in a receptive mood.

That’s why you can take two people to church, set them side-by-side, and one will walk out thinking God really spoke to him and the other won’t get anything out of the service. The heart of one person was prepared; the other’s heart wasn’t.

The Bible says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you”(James 1:19b-21 NIV).

For good reception, this passage teaches that you have to have four attitudes:
You must be quiet. You can’t hear God if you’re talking.
You have to be calm. You can’t rush God. If you’re frantic, you’re not going to hear him. The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” My translation of that is: “Sit down, and shut up.”
You have to be clean. Before you can meet with God, you need to take out your emotional and spiritual garbage. You need to get rid of the stuff that stinks in your life. You get rid of the garbage by confessing your sin to God and agreeing with him that what you did was wrong.
You need to be humble. Be ready to do whatever God tells you from his Word. A prideful attitude won’t work.

Talk It Over
Why do you think silence and active listening are such difficult things to practice? What can you do to minimize your distractions so that you are able to listen well?
What is the emotional and spiritual garbage that is keeping you from hearing God’s voice today?
What new habits can you adopt to help prepare your family to hear from God during church, family or individual devotions, or at any time?

Na Uknak Thleng Hram Seh

Matt. 6:10, John 2:1-10,

Matt 6:10 sungah, Jesuh in “Na uknak thleng hram seh” tiah thlacam uh in ti tikah, ziangtin Pathian ih uknak cu a thleng thei ding? Hriamhrei thawn din theih a si lo. Pathian uknak cu Pathian in zo pawl hmang in a din tile, “Bawipaih duhnak nun kim ter ding lawng a duhtu pawl hnen in a phuang aw a si.”

Pathian uknak timi cu Jesuh in hi leitlun a rat lai ihsin a thok zo ih an ṭamci bang in a tum vingvo leh ding. Nang le kei ih kan tuanvo cu a kim theinak dingah, rak telvetu kan si ding hi Bawipa in in sawmmi a si.

Jesuh hmaisabik mangbangza a tuahnak hi Kana khua ih nupi thitpuai ahhin a si. Himi nupi thitpuai kan zoh tikah, Pathian ih sunlawinak ziang ruangah a lang ih, zo pawl thawng in a lang timi fiangte in kan hmu thei.

1. Jesuh khal an sawm ve (cc. 1-2)

·       1Ni hnih hnuah Galilee peng Kana khua ah nupi ṭhit puai a um. Jesuh ih nu khal cunah a um ih, 2Jesuh le a dungthluntu pawl kha an sawm ve.

·      Saya Luai Hre ih tong, “Jesuh nan sawm lo pi, ziangtin buai lo in nan um ding?” a ti.

·      Midang hmuahhmuah cu kan sawm theu nan, Jesuh na sawm lo ih na tuahmi pohpoh ah thluasuah a um lo. Ningzahnak le mualphonak lawng an si.

·      Ziangtin kan sawm ding?

·      Thufim 3:5-6

·      5Bawipa cu na thinlung zate in rinsan aw. Nangmah ih ruahnak le theihnak kha rinsan aw hlah.

·      6Na tuah mi kipah Pathian cu thei ringring awla, Amah in lamzin dik a lo hmuh ding a si.

·      Tuahmi kipah Pathian cu thei ringring timi cu – Kanmaih duhnak hnak Pathian ih duhnak thupi sawn ah re aw.

·      Pathian kha sawm lo ih na tuahmi an um pang maw? Pathian kha sawm aw.

·      Matt. 6:33 sung khal ah, Jesuh khal in – Pathian ih duhnak kha hawl hmaisa sawn uh. Cule, a dang pawl kha pekbet nan si ding in ti.

·      Pathian ih sunlawinak lang dingah Jesuh a sawmtu kan si a tul.

2. Mary ih lungput (cc. 3-5)

·      Midang ih harsatnak le mualpho ding a duh lotu a si.

o   3An Sabitti a cem tikah a nu in Jesuh hnenah, “Sabitti an nei nawn lo,” tiah a ra sim.

o   Midang ih harsatnak parih zawnruahnak neih hi Jesuh ih a duh bikmi nun daan a si.

§  Samariah mitha pa.

·      Mary in Jesuh kha a duhmi tuah ding in a force lo. A duhmi a sim men.

o   4Cutikah Jesuh in, “Ka nu, i sim duh hlah; ka tikcu a kim hrih lo,” tiah a ti.

·      Mary in Jesuh a ring mei.

o   5A nu cun hnen-um pawl hnenah, “A lo simmi poh tuah uh,” tiah a ti.

o   Matt 11:28 sungah:

§  28“Thilrit a phurmi le zonzaih a tuartu pawl, ka hnenah ra uh, colhdamnak ka lo pe ding.

§  Jesuh hnen ih na ap zo hnu ah thinhar in um duh nawn hlah. Na um ahcun, na thilrit kha na ap theh hnu ah na laksal ih nangmah in na phur sal thawn a bang aw.

§  E.g. Mawtaw par ih bawm phur vek na si ding.

o   Pathian in a thil tuah duh daan le a tuah tum caan hi nangmaih duh daan vek a si lo thei. Asinan, a tha sawnmi a thei sawn. Amaih hnen ah na buainak kha ap mei awla Pathian ih duhmi lawng hril in tuah mei aw.

·      Mary bang in midang zawnruat ih an ningzah le mualpho khamtu ding pawl hmang in Pathian in a sunlawinak a lang ter.  

3. Hnen-um pawl ih lungput: Zumnak cu a thupekmi thlun khi a si (cc. 6-8)

o   6Cutawkah Judah daanih a um vekin an kut kholhnak hrangah tidai ralca beel tumpi beel ruk an ret. Beel khat in galan * kul ihsin sawmthum tiang a dawl thei. 7Jesuh in hnen-um pawl hnenah cun, “Hi beel pawl hi tidai khat tein than uh,” a ti. Liam thluahthlo in an than ih, 8an hnenah cun, “Beel sung tidai cu vun suak uhla puaituahnak a tawlreltu pa hnenah hei pek uh,” tiah a ti. Tidai cu an hei pek.

o   Ralcabel timi cu ziangah an rak hmang? Tidai galan 20-30 tiang tlemmi a si.

o   Rawl an ei hlan ah an kut le ke an kholhnak a si.

a.     Zumnak cu tuahnak in a thlun ringring a tul.

o   Tidai khat tein than uh a ti ih an than. Beel sung tidai cu vun suak uhla puai tuahnak a tawlreltu pahnen ah hei pek uh a ti ih an va pek.

o   Kutke kholhnak tidai rori Jesuh ih fialmi vek in an tuah.

b.     Pathian ih huham cu zo pawlin an hmu ngah? Pathian ih hnatuannak ah a telve tu lawng in an hmu thei.

o   Beel sung tidai hmuahhmuah in cabit ah a cang lo.

o   An hei pekmi lawng sabit ah a cang.

o   9Cuih tidai cu Sabitti ah a cang ih cumi cu a tep. Khuitawkin cuih Sabitti cu a ra ti a thei lo; tidai a suaktu hnen-um pawl cun an thei ko. Curuangah nupi ṭhitu pa cu a ko ih, 10a hnenah cun, “Zozo khal in Sabitti thaw bik kha a hmaisa bikah an pe ṭheu ih mi tampi an khawh deuh hnuah Sabitti menmen kha an pe ṭheu; a sinain nang cun Sabitti thaw bik kha a netnak tiang na pe thei,” tiah a ti.

o   Hmun dang khal ah kan hmu:

o   Mithawng nga rawl a do (John 6)

o   Mitcaw pa (John 9)

o   Lazarus (John 11)

§  Kanneihmi sanghlom te kan hei pek ve ih,

§  Kan mit ih ummi ciarbek kan hei kholh ve ih,

§  Thlan khar lung kan tthawn ve tikah, Pathian in thilti theinak sungah kan tel ve ih kan bawm ve a si.

o   Hnen-um pawl bang in zumnak thawn amah kan rinsan ih a thu kan thlun tikah, Pathian ih sunlawinak a lang suak a si.

Thunetnak:

Pathian ih uknak cu kan nunnak le kan kawhhran le kan khua le ram ih a thlen theinak dingah:

1.     Na nunnak ziangkim na tuah tikah, Jesuh sawm in Jesuh thawn tuah tlaang ringring aw. Jesuh duh lomi le Jesuh tel lo in zianghman tuah hlah.

2.     Mary bang in midang zaangfah zawnruahnak nei in Bawipaih hnen ah thlacam aw. Na thlacam na hlawhtling ding.

3.     Hnen-umpawl bang in Jesuh thupekmi kha tuah aw. Amah rinsan in a fialmi tuah aw. Thlacamnak a thupi zet asinan kan thlacammi kha Pathian ih bomnak ring in kanmah khal in kan tuah a tul.

4.     Arah parah cu:

o   Leenglam lawng a thianhlim ter theimi tidai kha a thawbikmi sabitti ah a can ter.  

o   Tidai vek men, na nunnak zianghman si lomi te khal Jesuh in thil maksak ah a thleng thei.

o   Bawipaih duhnak hi leitlun ah kimter dingih a teltu pawl cu Pathian in an nunnak, tidai vek men a simi kha, sabit thaw bik vek in, nun thawbik neitu an an nunnak a thleng sak a si. 

_____________________

San No Thuan

Sept 13, 2014

Grand Rapid