Several weeks ago I was thinking about how little we talk about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christ-followers. I began to consider how I live out my life, and, I was convicted…which, by the way, is one indication that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. I thought it might be good to consider the conversation here especially as it relates to leaders in the Church. Based on that, here are…

10 Signs that We Don’t Believe in the Power of the Holy Spirit

1. We are experiencing anxiety and bitterness in our lives rather than joy and kindness. (Galatians 5:22-23)
2. We can’t remember the last time we prayed for the people we lead. (Romans 8:26)
3. The churches we lead aren’t growing and reaching more people. (Acts 9:31)
4. The churches we lead aren’t outreach focused. (Acts 1:8)
5. We think it’s our responsibility to convict people of sin. (John 16:8)
6. We are stuck in sinful patterns rather than pursuing the things of God. (Galations 5:16:17)
7. We think we have the power to change people. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
8. We are more concerned about the rules than we are our freedom in Christ. (Galations 3:2-3)
9. We think we can explain the mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
10. We are creating division and aren’t promoting unity within the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

It might be good to begin the week and this next season of ministry by studying and praying through this list. My prayer is that your life and your ministry would continue to experience its fullest potential in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fuse is where we invite the family to join us for dinner and then and programming.  The EPIC students will break out into their regular programming while the parents have a special time of training with Pastor Terry and Steve.  Their topic will be, The Power of Family Traditions.

Don’t miss this evening!!!

Thoughts from Principle #1–The Power of Self-Mastery:

• The fact is, all leadership begins with self-mastery.  You can’t lead others until you can first lead yourself.
• To truly lead, and make a difference in the world, you must always start with yourself.
• Leaders don’t interact with the world around them because they have to.  They do so because they want to.
• . . . those who lead effectively tend to view such circumstances as opportunities.
• The challenge for anyone is to make a life while making a living.
• Thinking helps separate the mundane things in your life from the significant.

My favorite section under this principle is under the subtitle, Motivation.  Mark Sanborn lists 8 ways to keep ourselves motivated:

1. Make time to reflect.
2. Remember to dream.
3. Mirror those who are successful around you.
4. Retreat to advance.–take time for retreats to review your life and objectives.
5. Mentor someone else.
6. Enjoy the journey.–take a moment to be grateful for what you have.
7. Live like a victor, not a victim.–we can learn from difficult situations or languish in them.  The decision is ours.
8. Search for the pony.–look for the pony responsible for all the manure.

This continues to stretch me in many areas of my life.  I highly recommend a copy of your own!!!