Dear God, please give me a vision (or thank you for the vision you have given me) for what you want to accomplish through me. I pray that you will open my eyes, give me wisdom and guidance, and prevent me from putting the "cart before the horse." Help me to wait when I should wait and to act when I should act. Thank you for finding me worthy, through the blood and righteousness of Christ, to be a child of yours and to be a participant in your plans for today. I praise you God. In Jesus' name, amen.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).
The CEO was excited that he'd found the right man to be general manager of his growing enterprise. He had all the training, the right skill set, and great people skills. The CEO gave him all authority to fulfill his role. However, after six months the CEO had to fire him. It seems the general manager refused to use the empowerment given him to accomplish his tasks.
Great leaders, mentors, and managers must empower others to fulfill the mission of any organization. Jesus invested time and energy developing leaders. Only at the point at which they could properly manage the resource did Jesus empower them. The teacher who offers empowerment too early sets up followers for failure. On the other hand, the leader who fails to empower capable people creates frustration.
Part two of good empowerment is engaging your follower to use his/her authority entrusted to them to fulfill their mission.
Jesus imparted to his followers a balance of both of these concepts. Peter was not ready for leadership before the crucifixion. He failed to use the empowerment given to him by Jesus. It required a failure in Peter's life before he matured in his leadership. However, once Peter began to appropriate from Jesus what He had imparted to him he became a powerful and effective leader. Jesus told his disciples they would be able to not only do what He had done, but they would do even greater things than He did.
This is a key attribute of a leader who wants to empower others to advance their mission.
Staying the Course
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
09-23-2008
God, Your Word tells us to love our enemies, to pray for those who spite or persecute us. That's quite a "tall order" for a human, but through the enabling of your Holy Spirit, I can do it. Please remind me to pray instead of complain, to pray instead of get angry, to pray instead of feel sorry for myself. I pray for all the people I have relationships with in my family, neighborhood, workplace, church, school...wherever I live, work, and play, that you would help them to focus on you. If they do not know you, draw them to you. If they do know you, remind them to think "What would Jesus do?" before they act. Remind me too. Thank you for your love and patience with us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. "Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD" (1 Chron 21:18-19).
In 1857, an American businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier was sent out by his local church to begin a noon-day prayer meeting on Fulton Street, right around the corner from Wall Street in New York City. A simple prayer, a willing heart, and an act of obedience resulted in city transformation throughout the United States.
However, at that very first meeting, no one showed up in the first 35 minutes. But Jeremiah waited. Gradually, six people wandered into the room at 35 minutes past the hour. Six months later, 10,000 people were meeting for prayer throughout New York City. This led to one of the greatest spiritual renewals in the United State's history.
What would have happened if Lanphier had decided to abandon the idea after 30 minutes?
In a small, darkened room, in the back of one of New York City's lesser churches, a man prayed alone. His request of God was simple, but earth-shattering: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" He was a man approaching midlife, without a wife or family, but he had financial means. He had made a decision to reject the "success syndrome" that drove the city's businessmen and bankers. God used this businessman to turn New York City's commercial empire on its head. He began a businessmen's prayer meeting on September 23, 1857.
The meetings began slowly, but within a few months 20 noonday meetings were convening daily throughout the city. Thousands met to pray because one man stepped out. This was an extraordinary move of God through one man.*
It only takes one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to be used by God to impact a workplace, city, or even an entire nation. Simple obedience can lead to things you cannot imagine. Are you willing to be used by God?
*John Woodbridge,., More than Conquerors: Portraits of Believers from All Walks of Life (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1992), p. 337.
Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this email in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions. Prime Time with God. Church Growth Institute, PO Box 7, Elkton, MD 21922-0007 USA
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
First 
