10 Critical Points of Productive Leadership

www.darrendake.com

One important aspect of finding happiness is to be productive. However, it is not just happiness that is desired; but to be fruitful, to matter, to make a difference, and to find meaning in productivity. Leaders are productive people, by their very nature a good leader is  and must be productive. Productivity always comes first, but remember, productivity is part of the journey as well as the final destination.

  

1. Productive people accept the pressures of chronic discontent.

Productive people are willing to be somewhat chronically dissatisfied. In a productive ministry, business, or charity,  one continually feels the pressure of not   doing enough or   getting  it exactly right.  In life,  it is much easier to lower ones standards and to settle for lower levels of productivity. But in a situation where someone is happy with the way things are, nothing is likely to change. For leaders to be visionaries they must be discontent with where they are in order to desire going somewhere else. Discontentment  is based on a comparison of what an individual’s life is at any point in time as it relates to the vision that God has given him.

2. Productive people have specific visions and goals.

Many people have visions and goals, but productive people have very specific and defined visions broke down into specific steps, behaviors, and goals  so that their work accomplishes their vision.

Vision generates productivity when two things happen.

·        First;  When they are made specific

·        Second; When they are connected to action 

3. Productive people fast before feasting

Here is a concept that is lost on the world.  Delayed gratification is a lost art these days. The idea of work first and celebrate or reward second, does not happen very often. But productive people know how to  have delayed gratification. This is a Biblical principal, it simply means that one has to work hard and be productive for now, and maybe do some things he really does not want to do, to see the bigger reward later.

·      There is no achievement in the ministry or business that occurs without pain. This means hard work, sacrifice, deprivation – things one would like to avoid.

4. Productive people tell themselves good news

They understand the Biblical   value of a positive thought life

“Whatever things are true, whatever things a noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report…..think on these things..   Philippians 4:8

Proverbs says;   As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Now I’m not saying you should lie to yourself; if you fail at something, get bad news, or something just didn’t work out,  recognize it for what it was and move on. But don’t dwell on the bad, move past it quickly…

5. Productive people hold themselves accountable.

Productive leaders take responsibility for results and outcomes. They understand that what they do makes a difference. Non-Productive leaders  seem to see everything as being in God’s hands and suggest that, if it’s God’s will it will turn out right, if it’s not God’s will then it won’t. They leave it all to God. That is just another way of avoiding accountability and responsibility for their part of the equation.

God is Sovereign, but He expects you to do your part as He has given you the authority. Productive people hold themselves responsible for everything leading to the moment when God takes over and , by His Holy Spirit, achieves the results. 

6. Productive people ignore unfair criticism

This is HUGE. To be a productive leader, do not wear your feelings on your sleeve. You are going to get darts shot at you when you’re on top because you make an easy target, expect criticism and ignore it.  When you pursue the vision that God has given you, you will most likely rub some people the wrong way.

Remember, there is a strong principal both in Scripture and psychology that productive people frequently cut against the grain of less productive people. Their dreams are beyond the dreams of normal people, their self confidence will be mis-understood, and their discontent will be unsettling. So they draw criticism.

 7. Productive people keep a tight focus..

Productive leaders are not easily distracted from the basic core of their work. The ability of a man or woman to get a single minded, godly purpose generates tremendous power. Highly effective leaders understand that they cannot do everything, so they focus on the basic theme or core of God’s work in their lives, and delegate the rest. Highly effective people are many times described as obsessive.

8. Productive people find and join a conspiracy of mutual support

I like to call this Master Mind Groups.

·        Find like minded people that you admire and look up to

·        People you want to learn from

·        Start a group that meets regularly to discuss topics 

Develop a mastermind group of about 5 people other than yourself. The first one may be hard to find, but keep trying. Find positive upbeat people that will keep you and everyone else uplifted. The last thing you want is someone that  dumps a load of trash on you all the time.

Leaders and ministers need to find and be around people who will believe in them and team with them in a mutual conspiracy for good works.

Know This:  If you want to know where you will be five years from now, look at the people you hang around with the most. The influence of their lives will bring you up or down.

9. Productive people don’t sweat the small stuff

This is another way of saying, keep the big stuff in mind.  It does not mean ignore the details, it means to keep clearly in mind what it is your working toward. Productive people are able to keep the big picture in mind of what they are doing for God, while at the same time not be carried off by the grand design and lose focus. It’s like the saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees.   Get a handle on the small things, delegate them, or forget them. But manage them correctly and keep on track toward the main goal.

10. Productive People take time to recharge the battery, get some rest, and enjoy the trip

God does not want the leader’s life to be all drudgery, all obsessive focus, all work. God engineered man to need rest, to relax, and to have recreation. No job on the “to do list” is so important that God wants you to neglect your family. You must find balance in your life.   Good time management skills and sitting priorities are vital.  Yes the mission is important, but  not at the cost of your health or the health of your family unit.

QUESTION:  What experience have you had with productivity issues and how have you overcome them ?  Leave us a comment so that others can be involved..

Copy Right 2012 Darren Dake and Darren Dake Ministries 

Leave Familiar and Lead to Greatness

www.darrendake.com

Are you tired of the familiar ? Are you convinced that you were created for more, or at least sure hope you were ?  In this great book written by Bruce Wilkinson, Dream Giver, takes us on a journey through parable of a little man named Ordinary as he leaves his old boring life and sets out on an adventure to find what he was created for.

 Buy it Here

Dream Giver is a book that relates to all of us looking for more. How many times in your life have you thought, there must be more than this to my life ?  You have big dreams and goals, or should I say, you had big dreams and goals. Somewhere along the way you were domesticated, broken, and all your fire and ambition left you. That’s not where God wants you. He created you and all of us for greatness.

Take a day and just reflect on your life and recall those great ambitions  you once had. It’s not too late to find that fire again.  All it takes is a decision by you to fight for it.

Pick up a copy of this great little book and rekindle that spark.  I have not in any way been asked to endorse this book, nor am I financially tied to its sale in any way. I have simply read the book and have added it to my library and you should too.

Stop living in your land of familiar and set out on your adventure  with the Dream Giver to find your big dream. It’s never too late to start again..




Question:

Have you read this book ? If so please give your review so that we can share in your insight.

Children addicted to porn; Yes even your child......

www.darrendake.com

So let’s talk for a few minutes about childhood pornography addiction. What it is, how it can start and what the damage can be ?  Most of those questions seem obvious I guess, but they really aren’t. They can be as varied and the children themselves.  I heard an interview the other day, I do not remember with who, but he was stating that  one in four girls are sexually violated in some way as a child, but surprising to me, 1 in 9 boys are. This can include everything from just being watched in the shower to an all out physical abuse. But anywhere in between can have an effect on the mental development of that child.

12 year old porn addict:

So where does the porn addiction come in. I’m speaking from experience here. Porn addiction in children is caused when the child is introduced to some form of sexual experience or arousal before they are mature enough to mentally process it. When this occurs the mind will naturally gravitate toward  sexual thoughts. I was introduced, by accident at first, when I was twelve by an older boy that I caught in the act of self stimulation. (I cover this in my book  Unrighteous available on amazon.)  Not really knowing what I was seeing, I was still naturally aroused, that’s how God made us. But the downfall was I did not feel that I had an open enough relationship with my parents to ask them about it, so I wondered. I found porn one day along the road by our house and addiction was immediate.

Cause and  affect:

God made us as sexual beings, but for a purpose and for our spouse. However, our  body parts still work regardless of who or what is trying to start the engine if you will.  I have read case studies and have worked with some investigations where children as young as  six years old were addicted to porn and sexually active to some degree. The cause? Abuse of course. Someone started the engine before the car was fully  build and it took off from there.

So what is the outcome of early  childhood porn addiction. As you can imagine the list includes:

Ø  Early loss of virginity

Ø  Adolescent and teen pregnancy

Ø  Sexual diseases

Ø  Low self image and embarrassment  

Ø  Relationship issues as adults

Ø  Commitment issues

Ø  Sexual fear and insecurity  with a spouse

And the lists goes on and on.  The issue is not getting any better, in fact, it’s getting worse. Our society is more tolerant of sexual activity today than ever before and children have greater access to pornographic material today via internet through computer and smart phones. Without parental involvement and open lines of communication, children will continue to drown in guilt and lust as they damage a healthy sexual experience later in life.

The Question to you:

So I leave you with this question: What experience have you had with childhood pornography addiction. ?  Please leave a comment and let us know…

Christians Have Lost Their Voice !

www.darrendake.com

We as Christians are losing our voice. Why is that? It’s because we are not using it. 76% of Americans claim to be Christian, plus this nation was founded on Christian beliefs. But we are not standing up and taking charge of our Country.

 I’m not wanting a church government, but I’m wanting what every American wants, the freedom to worship as I please. I think we are still guaranteed that right.. But when judges are removed from the bench and marriage counselors are sued simply because they refuse to condone same sex couples, we are losing our voice.When the Ten Commandments are removed from a courthouse in Alabama, even over the protest of many to satisfy the few, we are losing our voice.When our schools refuse to teach anything about God or Jesus, but will gladly teach same sex unions, Muslim beliefs , abortion, and evolution, we are losing our voice.

When we allow the government to spend tax dollars on abortion, supply money to groups and projects that directly undermine Christian values, we have lost our voice. In fact our current President, voted in by a majority I might add, did not want to display the nativity scene in the white house as it has been for decades.  His reason, he didn’t want to offend anyone,  and this man leads our Country, leading to what is my concern.

When we don’t remove ungodly politicians from office we are losing our voice. I have heard Christians tell me that they do not vote. I cover that in detail in my posting Should Christians Vote. When we do not stand up for God and godly values then we have lost our voice.

The Bible tells us that if we deny him among men, He will deny us..

Ever heard the term, the squeaky wheel gets the oil , well every minority group in America is squeaking louder than us.

I’m not preaching a Christian radical message, I’m simply pointing out that our country, which was founded on sound doctrine, has lost its voice. If Christians would once again stand up for Biblical principals this Country would be far better off than it is now.

No Christian is a perfect being, and God gave each of us free will to live as we choose. But when that right interferes with any group, other than Christians, there is trouble. But let a Christian be removed from office, fired, sued or humiliated, There’s joy in the streets..

My summary is this. Stand up for God and Christian beliefs. Don’t set out to harm anyone. Love everyone and show Godly love in all situation. But do not compromise Christian values to please the wheel.

Fatherless Homes: Reasons and Impact.

So  where have all the daddies gone?   I have been working on some research for an article that I am writing about the loss of father’s in the home and what impact it has on the family.  I’m amazed by what I’ve found.  A large portion  of  children are fatherless in America today; two main reasons exists for this trend. First, the working American father is gone all the time to work and/or play, although he may technically been considered in the home, he is not engaged in his children’s lives.  This could be worse on the family than him actually not being in the home at all in some cases.

The second issue is the actual single mother home. This is an ever increasing trend among all races. However, African-American families experience this at a much higher rate than all other races combined.  Many experts agree that this is a factor in gang expansion. Young boys are looking for acceptance and validation from other men, or at least older boys.  

According to an article published by  The Root.com  11-09-2010.  72% of African-American children are born to unwed mothers.  They site many reasons for this, but the impact is the same.  Children of fatherless homes are much more at risk for  suicide, run away,  behavior disorders, and high school dropout, just to list a few.

But why is this occurring?  The number one reason is that the “family unit” is not looked on as important anymore.  We , as a society, have allowed the degradation of the family to get to a point where it’s seen as a negative rather than a positive. It’s looked upon as “old fashion” or to “evangelical” for today’s world. The increase in casual sex, gay marriage, and similar symptoms are adding to the problem.

I read a book  a couple years ago titled, “what if America were a Christian nation again”.  I have to agree.  Whether you are a Christian by faith or not, you must agree that the principles of family, love, mandates against sexual immorality,   service to a higher authority, as well the basic context of the ten commandments,  all make for a good society.  

The cure for the fatherless home is simply stated but not always simply implemented.   It is obvious that if America would put their values back into the Bible, as this nation was founded on, the problem would nearly disappear. But as l long as we continue to live against the Biblical foundations set forth for us to follow, the problem will only get worse.    

New Year; Resolve not Resolutions

As our New Year has gotten under way I wanted to speak for just a moment on the old practice of New Year Resolutions.  You know the ones, we are going to lose 20 pounds, spend more time with family, pay off that credit card once and for all.  But in most cases we have all but forgotten our plans by March.

It’s an industry fact that gyms and sports clubs make a large percentage of their membership income in the first two months of the year and then by summer are not spending any  extra money on staff because the majority of the new members have never shown back up.

I suggest that rather than making resolutions, that we make resolve.  Make a commitment.  In the book of Philippians, Paul tells us that he is pushing toward the goals ahead.  That is what I mean. Push toward your goals. The best way to accomplish this is to set your plans in God’s will and for His glory.

Let me give you an example. If you want to lose that next 20 pounds, make a commitment to God to lose the weight for a God honoring purpose and for His glory through testimony.   Paying off your credit card will make you a better steward of your money so that you will have more for missions and work in the local church.

You see, making a resolve to do something is setting your mind on that idea with purpose and stubborn to the cause. Further, making the commitment to God is binding and is a strong motivator.  I don’t want to purposely lie to God, do you?

Finally find an accountability partner. Someone you trust   that you will agree can hold you to your goal. It is always better to put someone over you in reaching for your goals. 

Finally,  pray. In everything you do, pray. If you will pray and let God lead your path you will accomplish great things. Remember that in all you do, do it for the glory and honor of the Lord. Anything else is just selfish ambition

Living a full filling Christian Life

Living a Full Filling Christian Life

A plan for success

Have you ever wondered why others in your church seem to be happier and have a closer relationship with God. Do you ever wonder why you just can’t seem to reach God or think that he is not paying any attention to you.  I think that we all have been at that point some time in our Christian walk, well I’m going to share with you the formula to get the most out of life and the most out of God.

Everything I tell you is from experience and not just repeating what I’ve heard or re-spouting a sermon from somewhere, I have lived the mistakes that have proven to me what God wants for our lives.

What does God want for our lives ?

First and foremost God wants us to except the salvation of Jesus Christ. God does not desire that anyone should die and go to Hell. If He had wanted that He would not have created a plan of salvation for us..

God wants each of us to be happy and have joy in our lives. He expects that we prosper in everything we do.  He also desires that we be worshippers and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ.

How do we achieve a victorious and full filling  Christian life  ?

I’m going to give you the formula for success in living a full filled life in Christ. It is a proven fact that if you follow this formula you will indeed succeed.   A warning though, going into this formula half heartedly will not be successful, in fact you may very well fail altogether by altering or leaving out any part of the formula. However, by following this success plan you will have a very full filled life in Christ and be a joy filled Christian….

The Plan

Step One:

Control the Battle for your mind:

Satan uses three weapons for the control of your mind, if you can recognize and control these three areas then you  are ahead of Satan. The weapons he uses are thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  Satan uses any of these three tools to control your actions.  Understand and recognize this strategy and you can regain the control of your mind. Not understanding and recognizing what Satan is doing will lead to sin and failure. Not understanding this is why good Christians fail…

Prepare the ground for the battle and victory.

You must prepare the ground for the seed to be planted and a harvest to come. The ground that must be prepared is in your heart..   Hosea 10:12 says   Sow yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the lord till he comes and rain  righteousness upon you (KJV)

God will provide the seed, God will provide the water through the Holy Spirit. You must prepare your heart, God will not do that for you. He will not trespass upon you.

We are going the explore a few ways to prepare your heart.

Submit your Life to God

I don’t mean just a little bit here, I mean all and totally. Submission to God means a total life transformation. You can’t serve two masters and you can’t serve two God’s. Meaning the world and God. An old Indian saying talks about the fact that man has two dogs living within him, and are fighting  to the death. The winner is the one you feed the most. 

Feed your Godly spiritual life and you will be successful, neglect it and it will die.

Study the Word of God.

I can not express  how important this area is. We have to read and study God’s word to understand what we believe and what God wants for our lives.  It astounds me sometimes when I consider that the Bible is a divine collection of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of 1500 years. It has the same thread message of salvation from cover to cover and all attempts to destroy it has failed, all attempts to prove it wrong has proved it right; and we can’t spend 30 minutes a day to read it…

Find a good daily Bible or a daily devotional. Read the Bible with a purpose. Before you start reading find a time and place that will be quite and you most likely will not be disturbed for at least 30 minutes. Then set aside this time every day to read and study your Bible.

Start with prayer and ask that God will open your mind and heart to receive the Word that you are about to read. Pray that  the Word will be planted in your heart and will speak to you. Then read the portion for the day and then spend a few minutes meditating on God’s word and asking how that word applies to your life.  End in prayer. Thank God for His word and ask for spiritual guidance throughout your day…

Tithing

Tithing is a subject that always brings up deep emotions and some preachers want to stay away from the subject. But let me tell you this truth. If you’re looking for a successful and fulfilled life in Christ you must be tithing.

How can you be filled with real joy and have a great relationship with God when you are stealing from him. Yes, I said stealing. The Bible is very clear, you are to give the first 10% of your increase back to God. It is all His to begin with, He sees that you get some but you are only allowed to keep 90%.

Tithing must also be done from a willing heart. Simply adding it to the list of bills to pay for the month and paying tithes out of pure obligation is not what God intended.  I believe that you will receive some blessing for being  obedient. But the greatest blessing’s come when you tithe your 10% and more because you want to and find real joy in doing so and giving back to God, that’s when real blessing’s will be poured out upon you…

Remember, I said that you cannot skip any step in the formula for success. Doing so will cause you to fail.

Become involved in Church and Church Activities

After submitting totally to God,  studying and reading your Bible, and paying your tithes you still must be involved in a Church and Church activities. Being involved in your local Church is imperative in your Christian walk.

I Corinthians 15:33 says; Do not be mislead: “Bad company corrupts good character” NIV

Now this of course doesn’t mean that you have to seclude yourself from all non-Christian people. You should be a witness to the unsaved and un-churched.  However, as stated in Romans 12:2 ; Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind…NIV

So the sum of it is this. Yes you will be involved with non Christian people in your life but you  should be involved in church and church activities as much or more than you are other  activities.

Being involved in Christian work keeps your mind focused on doing God’s work and will help you battle the control for your mind that I talked about earlier.

Another area of being involved in church is being in church. Do you attend church regular or sometimes. Do you go more than just on Sunday morning, do you attend Sunday School or just service?  If church is second or third on your list of things to do on Sunday then you are already losing your victory.

Church attendance is crucial in developing your Christian life.  People ask me, is going to church really that important, I can serve God without going to church?  My answer is; can you? I don’t think that you can. Now this of course does not apply to those people that cannot physically be in church due to health or logistics. I’m referring to the people that choose not to attend church.  What’s the difference ? Well, mainly it is the desire of your heart.  If you chose to put God second on your list you will not live a very success life.  How important is church, well take this example. A large set of red hot coals in your BBQ grill stay hot a very long time. Now take one coal out and lay it outside the grill. It will stay hot for  a while, but very soon it will start to cool and the heat will die out. But take that coal and place it back in with the others and it will heat back up very quickly.  Being in church keeps you on fire and keeps you in a state of worship.

A closing thought on church attendance. God does not want to be served and worshipped at your convenience. You have a choice, submit to serving God or not, there is no such thing as treading water when it comes to serving God. Treading water will lead to sinking..

In Closing

Although I went through each of these areas quickly I think that you can see the formula for success here. It is now your responsibility to follow this formula and develop it further in your own life. My prayer and hope for you is that God puts a conviction in your life to desire serving Him to your fullest. It is then that you will truly find what living a victorious Christian life is all about.

Doing my Best to Serve

Darren Dake

Anger "who it really hurts"

Recopied from an article written by Tammy Dake

“ When you remain angry and bitter at someone, you give them power and control over your life. They will continue on with their lives, while you obsess over what was done to you, how to get revenge on that person, and how to keep it from happening again. When you let go of that anger, their hold over you is released and you are free from them. Holding onto anger does not hurt the person you are angered at, but it hurts you. You’ll lose control over your own actions and good judgment.

Is it easy to rid yourself of anger and bitterness? No. It takes time and much meditation, but eventually, just as the sun will rise each day, the anger will be washed away. Shield yourself and learn to recognize future things that anger you and be quick to deflect the anger so that it cannot penetrate your heart again. Only then can you have complete control over yourself.”

That was very well said. If you are harboring anger toward someone make the conscious choice to release that anger. Jesus spoke many times on anger and forgiveness, in fact he spoke those very words on the cross. The Bible is clear that as humans we may at times become angry, it is a human emotion that is God given. The choice, “free will”, that we then have is whether we are going to have righteous anger or worldly. Then whether or not we are going to release that anger and move on.

Jesus taught us to forgive when we are wronged. That is more for our healing than for the other person. But, keep in mind that you are not required to continue being hurt by that person. Forgive them, let them know that you forgive them, and then move on. Don’t keep putting yourself in a position to be hurt by that person.

Matthew 6:14-15 says this. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespassing, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

During this Holiday season we will all be getting together with family, some of which we would just as soon not be around. Family has a way of hurting each other and then we just keep it going. I encourage you that if you have a family member that you need to forgive, do it this Holiday. If not for them, then for you, release the anger and start healing.

Spiritual Drifting

I heard this sermon preached a couple weeks ago by our Senior Pastor and it was so striking I wanted to summarize it and bring it to you. He spoke on Spiritual drifting. Hebrews 2:1-3 warns against neglecting your salvation. It does not say rejecting it, but neglecting it. So many times we are all in danger of neglecting our salvation and we start to drift away from God.

Neglect will cause us to drift away unintentionally, unknowingly, and unexpectedly. Very few people purposely reject and turn away from God, but many many people just drift away slowing without really knowing it. Drifting is easy because it requires no effort, people are looking for an effortless religion. You can go to church every Sunday and still be drifting away from God.

Remember that drifting never takes you forward only backward. And it will always lead to a waterfall disaster in your life. That could be a loss of a job, a marriage, ministry, or family. In many of these cases sin can be traced back to the root cause. Everyone, including ministers have to guard against drifting. Life becomes one day after another and soon you find yourself, if your even looking, a long way from where you started.

Some signs of drifting are these. A lack of interest of Bible and Prayer, when you would rather spend time around non Christian people, when you can hear the truth and the word and it not affect you, when you begin to see your sin as no big deal and when we forget that ending well is as important and how we began.

We must be properly anchored so as not to drift when life’s storms come along. Otherwise when the storm is over we find ourselves way off course. If we don’t re-evaluate our course we just continue along off course all the while not realizing how far away from God we have gotten. Our anchor is the Bible and Prayer. Neglecting these will most assuredly float you off course.

Take the time to do a little self inventory. Are you drifting, are you where you should be in God? Matthew 7 speaks of the narrow road and narrow gate. Don’t try to walk the wide road and think that you can just jump over to the narrow gate at the end. Your life must be a Christian walk not a worldly walk claiming a Christian salvation in word only.

We all find ourselves drifting. God’s grace will pick us up and put us back on the right road if we simply recognize that we are off course and readjust our path.

Leaning on God

Some of my readers are aware that my wife has been in and out of the hospital over the last couple weeks. This of course has delayed my postings a bit and I do apologize for that. I would also like to thank each of you for the prayers that have been offered and continue to ask that you hold Tammy up in prayer, as we know that her healing will take place through God. Whether He chooses to do a miracle in her life, or use the gifts of medical science which He has provided us. I should also tell you that this past year has made both of our faith stronger and we are trusting in the Lord. We may not like the situation that we are in but we are trusting.

As a husband it is hard to watch the person that you love so deeply go through the pain and problems that she is going through, and as a man, not being able to “fix” it as I have always tried to do, is also very difficult. I feel helpless and have no options but to lean upon the Lord for strength and encouragement. Yes, it does become difficult at times and in those times I ask that God renew my strength and give me the resources to be encouraged.

Prayer and studying the Bible is a great source of strength in times like this as well as encouragement of friends and readers like you. Be sure to encourage others as you see them in need, you too may need that encouragement some day.

Understand that God is grieved by our pain and suffering as well. At times He chooses not to fix a problem the way we think it should be fixed, but keep in mind that that is not up to us to decide, we may not understand the whole reason behind what is going on.

Also know that God does not cause suffering in this world. Sickness, child death, horrible accidents are not designed by God. Life happens. I believe that the world is on auto pilot so to speak and we are given free will to make choices in our lives that will results in consequences. Sin and corruption dominates this world and Christians, although should not consider themselves of this world are still very much part of this world and we will suffer right along with everyone else.

Old Testament times showed us very long life spans and dieses and sickness were few. But as sin and corruption continued in this world life spans shortened and dieses grew. Medical science can only do so much. Remember that Satan is currently allowed to roam the earth looking to whom he can devourer.

So know that God is still very much in control, but we are not immune to trials and suffering. Just lean on the Lord and He will give you strength to go through the valley that you are walking. Knowing that God will never leave you nor forsake you is a great encouragement for times such as these.

My post today was going to be on being a Consistent Christian but it seems that I was lead in another direction. I will post that discussion at another time..

God Bless

Who are you ? Image and Idenity

The following is a reprint of a sermon reduced to summary by our youth Pastor, Dave Wild. The message was so relevant to our everyday lives that I asked him to share it with us..

Who are you? This is a question that only you and God can answer. Our image is our identity; this is how others see us. In too many cases people don’t know who they are, or more importantly who God would like us to be. The only way to know who God wants us to be is to ask him! Who better to ask than the one who knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb, (Jeremiah 1:5). If we go through life not asking, not knowing, then we will miss out on who we were designed to be, you will never develop into the one that God wants you to be…

If we don’t inquire of God about His plans for us, then we allow ourselves to be molded and shaped by others. This is very common in our society today, it’s called identity theft. This happens when we allow Satan to convince us to be someone we are not.

This is a common struggle even in the church today. We often make choices and decisions based on what we see, and because of this we try to justify what we do based on what we see someone else do. The bottom line is that we’ll all be held accountable for what we do, and I don’t think God will let us off the hook with the “ because I saw brother or sister so and so do it” excuse. “ They have been in church their whole life so it must be ok for me to do what they do”. This is another misconception.

We are all individuals, each one of us are uniquely different. Paul calls us peculiar and special. We, each individual, need to learn to ask God what is right for ourselves. Our choices and decisions are what shape and mold our image. Our image is not only what others see ,but also refers to our qualities like intellect and personality.

Genesis 1:26 says that we are all made in His image. This means that if we are a child of God then we should bear some resemblance to him. Just as most children have a likeness to their parents. It should be no different with our relationship with God.

I want to encourage you to inquire of God who He wants you to be and let Him be the one who molds you and shapes you ! Don’t let identity theft rob you of your future..

Showing Christian Love

I sat in Sunday School this morning and was amazed at the lesson. The teacher, Joyce Corbett, taught on Christian love as written about in Romans 12. I was in awe at the simplicity of the lesson and how profound the message. It opened my eyes again to the need for Christians to Love each other.

Not just in word but in action. I first discovered this kind of Love last year when I was going through a pretty hard time in my life and I reached out to a friend from Church. At that time that’s all he was, a friend from Church. I knew little about this man’s background, only what he had shared. But his younger life resembled mine in a lot of ways, and although this man is younger than me, and has not claimed to be a Christian as long as me, God put him in place to be my confidant and friend when I needed him the most.

He has proven to be a trusted friend and a Godly man. I will, without hesitation, say that this man, in many ways, saved my life. He has no idea, until know, just how much he did for me during that time. His strength, Godly wisdom, and Christian love was everything God needed to direct me in the direction I needed to go. I could talk with him about what was wrong and the struggles that I was going through and he never judged and he never told. To this day he has never wavered as my friend, no matter how much I unloaded on him. He has remained a trusted friend.

It’s this kind of Christian love that we all need in our lives. Everyone of us need to be that person for someone and to have that person in our lives. Us men are the worst at having a “meaningful” relationship with another man. We too often see it as weak and not the “manly” thing to do, but that’s exactly what God wants us to do. Us men have the same struggles and the same problems, you are not unique. Having a Godly friend that can share in that struggle and will hold you accountable is one of the biggest blessings you will ever have.

God uses people in our lives to answer our prayers. We just too often shut out the answer and the blessing that God has for us because we are too scared to open our true feelings to someone else.. From the other side I challenge every reader to be that friend to someone. Show Christian ( Christ Like) love to everyone around you. Be known as the person that can be trusted and can listen without judgment. You just might be a bigger blessing to someone than you could ever imagine.

Who's Watching You ?

James 1:22 tells us, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourself, do what it says. So who sees your behavior as a Christian? First, God. Who else ? Other Christians. Christians encourage one another not only by words, but by our actions. We as Christians want to see how others in Christ will react to similar situations, and so your actions become either a help or a hindrance. Our children are watching. Children know better than anyone whether your living your Christian walk. They can spot hypocritical parents within seconds…


An unbelieving world is watching too. The “world” does not care about our theology or denominations. Unbelievers want to see what faith in action really looks like, not what we say and what they have heard hundreds of times. What does it look like ? Who are you outside the church doors? If you claim Christianity, what example are you giving ?

I have heard many times from non Christians, that Christians are hypocrites and act like they are better than everyone else. They say many are so “Holy” they look down their noses at those they see as “less holy” .

Remember that the definition of a Christian is to be Christ like. The Bible tells us in Mark 10:45, that Jesus came into this world to serve, not to be served. So humble yourselves and remember that you are a living witness of Jesus Christ. The world is watching and you are the example.. Do you let Christian values guide your daily life in business, family, and everyday lifestyle ?

My challenge to you, as to myself, is to love everyone. You can hate the sin but love the person. Also remember that as a Christian you are the example. How would you feel if you knew that someone that was looking for a life changing answer was seeking Jesus and you looked down on them and brushed them off, or they watched as you was less than honest in a business deal or purchase, and because of your actions they turned away from Jesus. You will have to explain that to God someday. Let’s hope we have a good enough answer…

A godly life is not lived passively

Living a godly life is not lived passively. It is not a random and wandering life. Those who wait for God’s Word to change them will only be successful when they actively feed and meditate on it. Those who expect sermons they hear and the words they read to make them godly will be forever frustrated unless they are diligent in applying the truth to their lives.

Just sitting in a pew week after week will not do anything radical in a believer’s heart or life. Wisdom and knowledge can not be gained through absorption. It must be consumed and mediated upon. It must become the focal point of our thinking…

Those who hear the word and understand it, and even agree with it, but do not apply it to their lives are gaining no benefit. It isn’t real faith in Jesus Christ.. Hearing, understanding, and agreeing without application is a self-deceptive dynamic. It appears to be faith, but it has no effect in the life of the one who hears. Something more is needed, action for example. God and God’s Word must be treasured more than any other affection of our heart.

Where does your true affection lie? Are you like the passage in James 1:22-25. Do you hear the Word and go away not remembering what you’ve heard. It’s like looking at yourself in the mirror and then looking away forgetting what you look like.

God’s Words should be consumed every day and should be meditated upon all day.. Do you know how to worry about something? It’s on your mind all the time. You turn it over in your head every way you can, thinking of how every outcome will effect you and the situation. If you can worry, you can meditate on God’s word. Read a passage every morning. Then remember that passage throughout the day and learn how it can be applied to your life. Look for ways to remember what you’ve read and ask God to show you how it applies. It amazes me sometimes how something that I have read a dozen times may not mean anything that day , but the one time a read it again it applies then.

I challenge you to apply God’s Word to your life. Become a doer of the Word not just a hearer. Let God’s Word change your life and as written in Romans 12.. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..

Are you Ready ?

Part Two: Chruch Attendance

In part two of my series, Self Made Spirituality, I’m going to explore the sometimes controversial topic of regular church attendance. Believe me, I’ve heard all the reasons why a Christian doesn’t need to attend church regularly, I’ve even used many of these same reasons in the past. We are going look at some of these excuses and see what the Bible has to say about the topic.

I place this as part of the, Self Made Spirituality series because it is another example of how people today are making up the rules as they go along, where Christian values and Biblical principles are concerned. The Bible has strong things to say about church and church attendance. We can either choose to ignore what it says, or be obedient to it. If we make up reasons that justify our actions, thus seeming to bring us out of conviction, then we are guilty of self made spirituality.

The best place to start any discussion like this one is to see what God has said about it, through Biblical principles and examples. God has always provided a place to meet with him. The Old Testament gave us the Tabernacle in the wilderness, then the Temple and today the New Testament Church.

Hebrew 10:24-26 tells us not to forsake the coming together as believers to exhort one another.

The church and regular church attendance is important in a Christian’s life. First and foremost it is an expression of our Love for God. It amazes me how a person can say they Love God and have a relationship with Him and yet don’t attend church regularly where they can have corporate worship and strengthening. This is simply an act of obedience to God..

Second, church builds our spiritual strength. Hearing regular preaching and teaching from a Bible teaching church builds our faith and our walk with Christ. Every Christian knows what it’s like to face spiritual conflicts in their faith, this is why it is so important to be fed spiritually on a regularly basis.

Church attendance provides fellowship with other Christians. This is important because you cannot love God if you do not love fellow Christians. Plus, God gives us a promise that where two or three gather in His name there He will be also. This invites the Holy Spirit into our worship and provides for things to take place in believer’s hearts that may not have been afforded otherwise.

Don’t be fooled by the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that Satan puts into your mind. You cannot have a good relationship with Christ if you refuse to learn, worship, and gather with other Christians. Being out of church opens your mind to Satan’s wiggling in.

Now, for those people that cannot attend church regularly due to health or logistical reasons, God knows your heart. But for those who chose not to attend church regularly so as to attend self gratifying activities, God knows your heart too, you’re putting things and activities ( the Bible calls these gods and idles) before God.

God does not say that you must be in church every time the doors are unlocked, or out of an obligation to family or the Pastor. He does however, required faithful and regular church attendance from an obedient heart.

The absence of an obedient heart is a failure in your Christian walk. I know, I’ve lived that life. Yes you can love God, yes you can have a prayer life, yes you can believe, and not attend church regularly. However, the question is, can you for very long? And at what cost to your faith and Christian walk? A good example I heard one time said this, Church attendance with other Christians is like a pile of red hot coals, remove one and set it to the side and it’s still red hot. However, after a while it starts to cool and then goes cold. But place it back into the pile and its red hot again in no time..

If you’re not attending Church regularly, take inventory of your life. Line your life up with Christian beliefs and values. You might be surprised at what other areas are not in line with the Bible. Luke warm is a bad place to be when standing before God and someday we will all stand before God…

My prayer is that God will strengthen each of us so that we will have a better understanding of His love and desire for our lives while here on earth….

Live a Full Filled Christian Life

Living a Full Filling Christian Life
A plan for success

Have you ever wondered why others in your church seem to be happier and have a closer relationship with God. Do you ever wonder why you just can’t seem to reach God or think that he is not paying any attention to you. I think that we all have been at that point some time in our Christian walk, well I’m going to share with you the formula to get the most out of life and the most out of God.

Everything I tell you is from experience and not just repeating what I’ve heard or re-spouting a sermon from somewhere, I have lived the mistakes that have proven to me what God wants for our lives.

What does God want for our lives ?

First and foremost God wants us to except the salvation of Jesus Christ. God does not desire that anyone should die and go to Hell. If He had wanted that He would not have created a plan of salvation for us..

God wants each of us to be happy and have joy in our lives. He expects that we prosper in everything we do. He also desires that we be worshippers and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ.

How do we achieve a victorious and full filling Christian life ?

I’m going to give you the formula for success in living a full filled life in Christ. It is a proven fact that if you follow this formula you will indeed succeed. A warning though, going into this formula half heartedly will not be successful, in fact you may very well fail altogether by altering or leaving out any part of the formula. However, by following this success plan you will have a very full filled life in Christ and be a joy filled Christian….

The Plan

Step One:

Control the Battle for your mind:

Satan uses three weapons for the control of your mind, if you can recognize and control these three areas then you are ahead of Satan. The weapons he uses are thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. Satan uses any of these three tools to control your actions. Understand and recognize this strategy and you can regain the control of your mind. Not understanding and recognizing what Satan is doing will lead to sin and failure. Not understanding this is why good Christians fail…

Prepare the ground for the battle and victory.

You must prepare the ground for the seed to be planted and a harvest to come. The ground that must be prepared is in your heart.. Hosea 10:12 says Sow yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the lord till he comes and rain righteousness upon you (KJV)
God will provide the seed, God will provide the water through the Holy Spirit. You must prepare your heart, God will not do that for you. He will not trespass upon you.
We are going the explore a few ways to prepare your heart.

Submit your Life to God

I don’t mean just a little bit here, I mean all and totally. Submission to God means a total life transformation. You can’t serve two masters and you can’t serve two God’s. Meaning the world and God. An old Indian saying talks about the fact that man has two dogs living within him, and are fighting to the death. The winner is the one you feed the most.
Feed your Godly spiritual life and you will be successful, neglect it and it will die.

Study the Word of God.

I can not express how important this area is. We have to read and study God’s word to understand what we believe and what God wants for our lives. It astounds me sometimes when I consider that the Bible is a divine collection of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of 1500 years. It has the same thread message of salvation from cover to cover and all attempts to destroy it has failed, all attempts to prove it wrong has proved it right; and we can’t spend 30 minutes a day to read it…

Find a good daily Bible or a daily devotional. Read the Bible with a purpose. Before you start reading find a time and place that will be quite and you most likely will not be disturbed for at least 30 minutes. Then set aside this time every day to read and study your Bible.
Start with prayer and ask that God will open your mind and heart to receive the Word that you are about to read. Pray that the Word will be planted in your heart and will speak to you. Then read the portion for the day and then spend a few minutes meditating on God’s word and asking how that word applies to your life. End in prayer. Thank God for His word and ask for spiritual guidance throughout your day…

Tithing

Tithing is a subject that always brings up deep emotions and some preachers want to stay away from the subject. But let me tell you this truth. If you’re looking for a successful and fulfilled life in Christ you must be tithing.

How can you be filled with real joy and have a great relationship with God when you are stealing from him. Yes, I said stealing. The Bible is very clear, you are to give the first 10% of your increase back to God. It is all His to begin with, He sees that you get some but you are only allowed to keep 90%.

Tithing must also be done from a willing heart. Simply adding it to the list of bills to pay for the month and paying tithes out of pure obligation is not what God intended. I believe that you will receive some blessing for being obedient. But the greatest blessing’s come when you tithe your 10% and more because you want to and find real joy in doing so and giving back to God, that’s when real blessing’s will be poured out upon you…
Remember, I said that you cannot skip any step in the formula for success. Doing so will cause you to fail.

Become involved in Church and Church Activities

After submitting totally to God, studying and reading your Bible, and paying your tithes you still must be involved in a Church and Church activities. Being involved in your local Church is imperative in your Christian walk.

I Corinthians 15:33 says; Do not be mislead: “Bad company corrupts good character” NIV
Now this of course doesn’t mean that you have to seclude yourself from all non-Christian people. You should be a witness to the unsaved and un-churched. However, as stated in Romans 12:2 ; Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind…NIV

So the sum of it is this. Yes you will be involved with non Christian people in your life but you should be involved in church and church activities as much or more than you are other activities.

Being involved in Christian work keeps your mind focused on doing God’s work and will help you battle the control for your mind that I talked about earlier.
Another area of being involved in church is being in church. Do you attend church regular or sometimes. Do you go more than just on Sunday morning, do you attend Sunday School or just service? If church is second or third on your list of things to do on Sunday then you are already losing your victory.

Church attendance is crucial in developing your Christian life. People ask me, is going to church really that important, I can serve God without going to church? My answer is; can you? I don’t think that you can. Now this of course does not apply to those people that cannot physically be in church due to health or logistics. I’m referring to the people that choose not to attend church. What’s the difference ? Well, mainly it is the desire of your heart. If you chose to put God second on your list you will not live a very success life. How important is church, well take this example. A large set of red hot coals in your BBQ grill stay hot a very long time. Now take one coal out and lay it outside the grill. It will stay hot for a while, but very soon it will start to cool and the heat will die out. But take that coal and place it back in with the others and it will heat back up very quickly. Being in church keeps you on fire and keeps you in a state of worship.
A closing thought on church attendance. God does not want to be served and worshipped at your convenience. You have a choice, submit to serving God or not, there is no such thing as treading water when it comes to serving God. Treading water will lead to sinking..

In Closing

Although I went through each of these areas quickly I think that you can see the formula for success here. It is now your responsibility to follow this formula and develop it further in your own life. My prayer and hope for you is that God puts a conviction in your life to desire serving Him to your fullest. It is then that you will truly find what living a victorious Christian life is all about.

Doing my Best to Serve

Darren Dake