Bring Out The Best In Those Around You

Did you know you can set people up for success? It’s true! People will rise and fall according to the level of expectation you set before them. 

People will often become exactly what you expect them to become, and they will typically behave how they are expected to behave. If you communicate to the people you work with, or with your family, that you expect them to be lazy, uncreative, and negative - that's probably how they will respond to you. On the other hand, if you treat people like winners they will act like winners and will eventually become winners. Their life will be impacted one way or the other. This is called "The Pygmalion Effect."

The best salesmen EXPECT customers to buy their product. The best executives EXPECT employees to have creative ideas. The best speakers EXPECT audiences to be interested. The best leaders EXPECT people to want to follow. The best teachers EXPECT students to learn. The best pastors EXPECT their congregation to grow spiritually.

Want to bring out the best in those around you? It’s pretty simple. Treat them the way they could be! Don't just "tell it like it is." Tell it like it could be.

Jesus once said, "According to your faith it will be done to you." What are you expecting this week...from yourself... from others...from God? EXPECT THE BEST!

Your Friend,

Koby

Embracing Change

Have you ever noticed how often we resist change? Why is it so hard to make adjustments, try new things, or even continue to learn? Why do we find it so difficult to adapt to our ever-changing environment? If we are told we need to change, then the implication is that they we’re doing something wrong. This can hurt our pride. If we keep doing the same thing expecting different results, our lives will never improve. If we overlook chasing the one common denominator…OURSELVES…then we are putting a lid on our potential.

Not All Change Is Bad

When we workout, if we do the exact same exercises over and over our muscles adapt and stop growing. In order to stimulate new growth, we have to try new exercises and/or different weights in order to stretch our muscles in a new way. Changing how we do things doesn’t mean we’ve been doing it wrong, it just might mean that in order to see different results we need to do different things. Change is necessary in order to move forward and grow.

You Have A God Idea Inside You

Have you ever had a million dollar idea? Something that lights a fire in you? A thought that gives you direction? I call that a “God Idea,” and I believe everybody has at least one for their life. In order to live out this idea, we need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit and if you are a believer in Christ the Holy Spirit lives inside you. He knows all things. We need to acknowledge Him in order to benefit from what He has to tell us. We need to know where to go, when to go, and who to go with. We also need to know WHERE NOT to go, WHEN NOT to go and WHO NOT to go with. The Holy Spirit is the one to lead us for HE KNOWS ALL THINGS. If you are ready to listen, he is ready to guide you through this time of change.

God Is Paving The Way For Promotion!

Advancement or progression usually requires constant adaptions, improved methods, and being open to new ideas. God is willing to help you and your future by dealing with any problems that might pop up. He is setting the course for you, and His people, to accomplish the MISSION assigned to every believer. Decide: I HAVE A GOD IDEA FOR MY LIFE! WE HAVE A GOD IDEA FOR OUR CHURCH! Now, make the necessary changes and move into the amazing future God has in store.

Pray with me:

“Lord, your Spirit is upon me and I thank you for anointing me. You have given me the knowledge, ideas, and power to do my very specific calling.  Guide and direct my steps, actions, and decisions as I move forward to accomplish the mission you have on my life.”

Dream BIG!

Make the Most of your Time

If you want to have an effective life, you’ve got to learn how to manage your time.  Ecclesiastes 8:6 says, “there is a time and a way for everything”

Many people go through life frustrated by time. Their calendars are full of activity, but they seem to be running out of time before they run out of week. The problem with your time is not the clock. The problem is not even time itself. The real issue rather is how you are using your time. Getting mad at the clock is like getting mad at your scale after you weigh in. It’s not the scale’s fault that you don’t like the number it gave. Like the scale, time is simply a measurement. So we must learn how to manage it better.

People often struggle with the questions: “How do I balance all that I've got going on at work with all that I’ve got going on at home and still find time to get involved at church?” Unfortunately, many people cut church out of their lives before they ever consider getting ahold of their time.

We all have the same amount of time – 168 hours a week. The only question is, “How am I investing it? Each moment is a moment we can never get back again. That’s why it’s critical we don’t waste time. We want to learn to invest it wisely so that we won’t be like the guy in Isaiah 49:4 who said, “my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose..” For some people, this is becoming their life verse!

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)

Ephesians 5:15-17 offers three steps to understanding how to manage your time better:

1. Analyze Your Lifestyle

Verse 15: “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.”

Pay close attention to your schedule. Carefully evaluate it. Seriously consider how you live. Be on the lookout for time robbers. Don’t be in the dark. Don’t say, “I wonder where all my time went!” That’s unwise. People say, “I’d like to be involved in this particular ministry, but I just don’t have the time.” You have the same amount of time as everybody else. It’s just how you use it. So analyze your lifestyle.

In order to save time, you must first know how you lose it. Look for the leaks and figure out where it’s going. We need to look at our lives and realize that sometimes what we think is right is a big waste of time. If we look seriously at a lot of the things that we think are really good, we'll see they're just not worth much. Aristotle said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Sit down and make a time log: “How did I spend last week?” Or, over the next 7 days, keep a record of how you spend your hours. Look at them one at a time. Where does your time go? Just by keeping a record, you’ll use your time better. Whatever you record, you’ll manage better.

2. Maximize the Moment

Verse 16: “Make the most of every opportunity”

The Bible says we’re to take advantage of today by capitalizing on opportunities. Be alert to the possibilities each day brings. The best time to manage your time is right now – not tomorrow, not next week, not next year… NOW!!!

Vince Lombardi once said that many football games are often won in 10 or 12 crucial decisions. These choices make or break the game. When you utilize the present, you’ve analyzed it and you take advantage of the opportunities as they come up. You capitalize on those advantages.

How do you make the most of the present? Two things:

- Do it now. That’s the best time advice I can give you. Three little words: Do it now! Don’t procrastinate. If you had a bank account and I were to tell you that every morning someone was going to put in $86,400 into that bank account - you could spend it any way you wanted to, but at the end of that day, whatever money you had not spent in that account, you lost - do you think you’d try to spend it? Or do you think you’d let it go to waste? But guess what? You have 86,400 seconds every day! You’ve got to draw them out. You’ve got to take advantage of them. Utilize the present by doing it now. Sometimes I get stuff in the mail that says, “For a limited time only.” We should write that over a lot of possibilities in life, because they are for a limited time only.

- Eliminate time wasters. 1 Corinthians 10:23, “I may do anything, but everything is not useful or constructive.” Paul says, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.” He’s saying that many things in life are not necessarily wrong. They’re just not necessary. You’ve got to eliminate the time wasters.

Time wasters tend to be unique to all of us. It's amazing how creative we get when we have a job to do that we don't want to do. We creatively put off things we really need to do by quickly getting a bunch of other stuff done.

3. Prioritize What’s Important

Verse 17: “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

When you talk about time management, you’ve got to do what God wants you to do. That’s the secret. Doing God’s will. I call it living out your “God idea.” You have just enough time to do God’s idea. If you settle on doing the “good idea” you’ll miss out on your God idea.

If you do not have enough time right now, it means one of several reasons:

 1) You’re doing something God never intended for you to do.

 2) You’re not doing what God intended you to do.

 3) You’re doing the right thing in the wrong way.

You have a responsibility to live out God’s purposes in your life. So, live life on purpose. You DO have enough time if you use it appropriately. If you don’t have enough time to do everything you “need” to do, it probably means your wasting time in activity that doesn’t line up with your God idea, or you’re doing things God didn’t expect you to do at all.

Make the Most of Your Life

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.” Colossians 4:5 (NLT)
 
It’s important that we maximize the time we have been given. There’s a common expression that states “time is money.” Colossians 4:5 implores us to make the most of every opportunity and to be wise in the way we act toward those who are outside of the faith.  Although this can be extremely challenging as we go through the hustle and bustle of life, it is critical we make the most of our time so we can make the most of our lives. 
 
Here are 3 objectives we should implement daily if we want to make the most of our lives.
 
1. The Word of God needs to be fully executed in our lives. It’s been said that we need to daily apply the Bible to our lives. This is helpful, but I believe it’s better to apply our lives to the Bible. The difference is this: We should always start and end with Scripture. I don’t pick and choose the Bible verses I like, rather I make the personal adjustments in my life to line up with the Word of God in its entirety. We cannot effectively communicate biblical truth unless that truth operates in our own lives.
 
2.  There needs to be tangible progress in how we steward our time, talent, and treasure. How well do you steward your time, talent and treasure? Are you investing into the Kingdom of God? It is criticalwe become Kingdom investors. We must be interested in not only enjoying life now, but we must be interested also in having our lives to echo into eternity in a way that pleases our Creator.
 
3. Be high-impact players in helping to fulfill the Great Commission. We can do this by exchanging perishable values for eternal values. By focusing on “Thy will be done” instead of “my will be done.” This objective will help guide us as we navigate through this world.
 
Strive each day to progress in accomplishing these objectives They will help lead into a life of fulfillment here, and to a life that will truly echo into eternity.
 
Dream BIG!!!

Get Up When Your Feeling Down

Ministry is tiring both emotionally and physically. In fact, most pastors struggle with chronic discouragement. Personally, discouragement usually hits me on Mondays. But I know I'm not alone. It’s not just pastors who experience times when their feeling down in life.

I like to talk to a lot of people, and one thing we most of us have in common is we feel spread too thin. We are emotionally spent and physically exhausted by the time the weekend hits. Then we have to make up for all the chores, tasks and family responsibilities that have either been put off or can only be accomplished on the weekends. If you constantly live that “go-go-go” lifestyle without any break you’ll eventually wear out physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We charge into the new work week already on empty. It’s no coincidence that most heart attacks happen Monday morning within 3 hours of waking up! (of course I believe there is a major additional contributing factor to this, but that is for another article…)

I’m glad to say there is an antidote! It is found in the fourth chapter of Nehemiah, and it can be a lifesaver. It consists of 4 simple principles: 

1. Rest Your Body
The fact is, you're “human being,” not a “human doing.” Human beings need to do human things like rest and play and relax and have hobbies. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to just go to sleep! “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” Psalm 127:2 (NLT)

2. Reorganize Your Work:
Nehemiah did this when they were rebuilding the wall. When his people got discouraged half way through the project, he reorganized them by families and gave them new specific assignments. This is an important truth to remember. Sometimes, when you're discouraged, it's not that you're doing the wrong thing; but rather that you're doing it in the wrong way. Just reorganize how you are going about it, and learn some new skills. Try a fresh approach. Attack it from a different angle. Learn. Grow. Reorganize!

3. Remember The LORD!
Discouragement is an attitude, and attitudes are always a choice. I get discouraged when I choose to think discouraging thoughts. But no one is forcing those thoughts on me. I can choose to focus on whatever I want to. Instead of focusing on the problem, focus on the answer…GOD!!!

4. Resist The Devil:
It’s been said, "If you don't get up in the morning and meet the devil, you're headed the wrong way." We are in a spiritual battle, and the devil doesn't want the kingdom of God to advance. If you’re trying to carry out the Great Commission, you’re on the front line, so you're going to get hit. The devil will attack you with every kind of thing he can think of to discourage you. He is the accuser of the brethren, and he would love to derail you with discouragement. James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil!" Don't give in!

You can't control the cantankerous or carnal people in your life. You can’t always control the chaos. But you can chose how you respond to them. You can choose whether you're going to let it discourage you or not. There's an old phrase: "Tough times never last, but tough people do." It's true. So don't give up! God is not finished with you!

Rest your body.

Reorganize your work.

Remember the Lord.

And resist the Devil. 

INVEST IN YOUR LIFE

    “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
    “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
    “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
    “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
    “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
    “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
    “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)

If you were at the end of your life, and I asked you, “Was your life worthwhile?” How would you answer that? Based on the path you are currently on, how would you know if you made your life count in eternity? Would God look at you and say “Well done,” or would He say, “Well, what have you done?” Sure, we don’t earn heaven through works, but we are held accountable for living a life “worthy of the call.” What you do with Jesus determines where you spend eternity, but what you do with regard to what you were assigned to do determines how you spend eternity. 

Most people want to live a good life, but many people die still holding on to unfulfilled dreams. Somehow they became a “human doing” rather than a “human being.” Make your life count. Live a life worthy of the call God has placed on you. 

There are three things you can do with life:

1. I can waste my life. 
Live for today. Do my own thing. If it feels good, do it. This person acts first and thinks later.  

2. I can spend my life. 
I can spend it on a career, a family, making a name for myself. This person has a “what’s in it for me” mentality.  

3. I can invest my life.
The best use of my life is to invest it in something that outlasts it. This person will leave a lasting legacy. 

The people who waste their lives, are foolish. The people who spend their lives are average. For example, they get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed, retire and die. But the people who invest their lives are leaders. Leaders leave a mark, a lasting impact on life, and when they reach their last breathe they have little regrets. Who will you choose to be?

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1 (NLT)

Intentional Living

We need to be intentional about our lives. In order to do that we must set goals that will take us step by step to the outcome we desire. It’s pretty simple. Set the goals as step by step objectives that take us down the path toward success. So, why it is that we have such a hard time setting goals? Many people offer excuses for not intentionally setting goals. If the business owner didn’t have goals then, his or her employees wouldn’t have jobs. We all need goals. First we need to identify our goals and second we need to commit to them and allow ourselves no way out. We have to cut off all possibilities that would allow us to quit. There can be no fallback plan; no “plan B.” We cannot allow fear of failure to stop us. The Bible says over 300 times, “fear NOT!” God is our role model, and even HE has goals. So as you lay out your goals today, consider the following thoughts…

Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan

1. Set your goals and kick fear to the curb.

2. Be specific and write them down.

3. Review your goals daily.

4. GOAL = Go All In.

5. Be determined to pursue your goals even when all hell breaks loose.

6. Don’t give up.

7. Change how you think, and you change the way you live.

8. Do a monthly evaluation to determine if you are moving towards or away from your goals. Adjust as needed.

9. Don’t beat yourself up. Stop looking at what you are NOT, and start focusing on where you’re going.

10. Celebrate EVERY small victory!

Let’s Set Some Goals

Let’s pull out the goals that God has placed in our heart and have been avoiding because of fear of failure. Let’s be bold. Kick fear to the curb and live 2016 with DETERMINATION!

Press On!

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

No Fear!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

How Do You Develop Self-Control?

High achievers usually have one obvious thing in common: personal discipline. I’ve found that most successful people aren’t too different from everybody else. They are just are willing to do things that many won’t do in order to achieve their dreams.

As a pastor who has also worked in the “secular world,” I've had the opportunity to know, counsel, and sometimes be mentored by many successful leaders. I've observed that successful people demonstrate self-discipline in six key ways:

1. Successful people master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! "A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls." Proverbs 25:28

2. Successful people watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. "Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything." Proverbs 13:3

3.Successful people restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool? "Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs." Proverbs 19:11

4. Successful people stick to their schedule. If you don't determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! "So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." Ephesians 5:15-16

5. Successful people manage their money. We have to learn to act our wage. Successful people learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! "The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get." Proverbs 21:20

6. Successful people maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. "Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—“1 Thessalonians 4:4
 
Let me ask you a question: Where do you need to develop self-control?

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower to develop self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. It takes the Holy Spirit working in you to bring about change. Think about this promise "God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

The more I accept God's control over my life, the more self-control He gives me!
 
Dream BIG!
 

Make it Happen

My family and I recently sat down together to work out some goals for the remainder of the year. I’m a firm believer that if you don’t do something with life, then life will do something with you! It doesn’t really matter how young or old you are. Goals help focus our lives. What’s even more important is when God’s goals become our goals. True success comes when we accomplish the goals God has set before us. We need to line up our goals with the goals God has for us. I call this process finding and fulfilling our “God ideas.” Good ideas are good, but God ideas are what we are after. If we’re not careful, we can let the “good” rob of from the “God.”

Here’s a few helpful steps to use for not only setting goals…but seeing them accomplished!

1. Write the Goal. This may seem pretty obvious, but most people never take the time to do this. It should be both specific and measurable. If your goal isn’t specific and measurable, you will have no way of knowing whether it’s been accomplished or not. Also, put a realistic time period on it to ensure you keep working to bring it to completion in a timely manner.

2. Understand the Purpose. Why do you want to accomplish this goal? What are your motives? Is this goal a “dream” or a “scheme?” When you understand the “why?” you can make the proper adjustments along the way to ensure success. This will also help make sure your goals line up with God’s plan for you. 

3. Pray Hard: Goal setting should always start and finish with prayer. That also means to DREAM BIG! Prayer is a form of dreaming and dreaming is a form of prayer when you keep your focus on His Kingdom. When we pray hard and dream big, God will put us on the path to become what He created for us to become. Never settle for a “good idea” when you can have a “God idea.”

4. Thoughtful Planning: Most of us overestimate what we can accomplish in one year, and underestimate what can be accomplished in 10 years! If you’ve already been specific in goal setting, then be specific about how you are going to reach that goal. What skills will you need? Materials? Connections? Resources…?

5. Innovative Thinking: You can’t get different results by doing the same things. You were made in the image of a creative and imaginative God, therefore creativity and imagination are a part of your DNA. Don’t just “think outside the box,” ignore there IS a box!

5. Enthusiasm: Be passionate about accomplishing your goals. Remember, God is giving you these goals (if you have established these goals through prayer) for a specific reason. We should be relentless about fulfilling them. Excitement, anticipation, and energy should be pumping through our veins to see these God-given goals accomplished.

6. Work Hard: We need to pray like it depends on God, but we should also work like it depends on us. Don’t quit when life gets difficult or your plan seems derailed. Keep moving forward and don’t give up. God is for you!

7. Picture the Goal Accomplished: Get rid of every thought of failure. Rebuke it in Jesus name! Imagine yourself accomplishing the goal. Keep that visual in your mind. Talk as if you are well on your way, and then talk as though it’s already a done deal. Begin thanking God for giving you the strength and resources to accomplish the goal. This helps change your thinking from “How is it possible?” to “I can do all things through Christ!” 

When you accomplish your goal, celebrate it. Celebrate it with the same enthusiasm and intensity that you used when you prayed and worked for it. Setting goals is the way you turn your imaginations into memories. God given goals and ideas keep you on the path to becoming all God created you to be.