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…

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.    

Pray for my pet...................Really?

I  received a phone call the other night from a friend of mine asking me to pray for his dog. He told me that she was in an  ICU unit of a large veterinarian clinic.  He went on to tell me how this little  dog had become such a huge part of his family since only he and his wife lived at home. He explain that since all the kids were  grown, he guessed she has just become another one of the  kids.

I joined him in praying for his dog and continued to remember her for several hours into the night. This got me to thinking.  Does God really honor our prayers for animals, and will our pets go to heaven when they die?   So like any good researcher  these days, I posed the question on facebook, “ will our pets go to Heaven” and  “will animals be in Heaven” . As you might imagine I received several comments.  

But before we explore pets in Heaven let’s consider this idea of praying for our pets and livestock. This too is a bit subjective.  God must value animals to a high degree, He made them before man.  God has given  us a command through the Proverbs in 12:10 to be kind to animals, saying a righteous man regards the life of his animal. 

So the question posed was; is it appropriate to pray for sick, hurting, or lost animals.  I’m going to say that it is. God has given man authority over every living thing and has instructed us how and why to pray. I believe that God is in the business of answering our prayers no matter how big or small.  As in all prayers, God may decide to allow life to proceed without His intervention, but without prayer He surely would not  intervene.   As in all things, prayer is the key to all successful outcomes.   

What farmer won’t pray over good crops, we accept that as okay prayer;  so why not a sick dog or a lost cat, or a declining milk cow.  If it is concerning for us, it is concerning to God.  So keep praying for your pets and animals. God will is sovereign and His will is always accomplished, but asking for favor is always allowed. 

Regular Church Attendance

I know,  I know, going to church doesn’t  make you a Christian anymore than going into a garage makes you a car.  But if you have even the slightest desire to have a more rewarding life in Christ you must attend church regularly. Now I’m not saying you have to be there every time the doors are unlocked and stay until the last deacon runs you out, but you do need to attend regularly. At  least a couple times a week if your church offers it, if not find one that does, or attend two churches. What if I told you that you could only eat once a week, I think you’d fight me for it. So what makes you think being fed spiritually only once a week, or twice a month is any better for you?

Church attendance is Biblical and is for the edifying and strengthening of the body, just as food is to the fleshly body. We need to be fed the word of God on a regular diet for our spiritual body.  Church attendance also helps our walk stay on that narrow road by surrounding us with Godly people. 

Think about it this way, we are like those red hot coals in the fire pit. As long as we all stay together, we all stay hot. But take one out and set it aside and it will remain red hot for  a while, but then as time goes on it will fade and start to cool until it goes  luke warm, then cold. But pick that coal up and place it in the group of red hot coals and you will find in no time, its red hot and on fire once again.  That’s the importance of church attendance.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians;  bad company corrupts good character. The Bible also warns us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. So church attendance gets us around the right people, most of the time. Remember however, only sinners go to church, and all are on their  journey to righteousness, so yoke up with those who are well on their way .

I don’t say you should not have any friends outside of the Christian faith. If we separate ourselves completely, then we cannot be the salt and the light for the world. But having the people you spend the most time with be  like minded and of like faith, you will find it much easier to live  a  Godly life. Plus you should have a Christian accountability partner to help you on your journey.

Find a Bible based church if you are not already attending one and become involved. Your life will be richly blessed as you bless others and grow in your faith.

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

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'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