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A scarcity mindset plans and budgets asking the question, “What will I do if I run out of money?”
An abundance mindset plans and budgets asking the question, “What will I do when I run into money?”
Craig Groeschel, Winning the War in Your Mind: “OUR LIVES ARE ALWAYS MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are.”
If you want to break the power of a SCARCITY mindset over your lives today, we need to build systematic generosity into your budget. James Clear, Atomic Habits, says, “Our habits are only a string as the systems that support them.” - If we want to build a HABIT of generosity, we have to build a system that supports it….and that system is called a BUDGET!
Q: Do you believe God, when he says that BLESSING is an inevitability?
God is screaming ABUNDANCE at us…are we listening to him?
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Beyond Church Leadership Culture is Rested Leadership
How To Lead From Your Pillow - 10 Essential Steps to Cultivate Rested Leadership:
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Mark 4:35-40 TPT That same day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” Leaving the crowd behind, the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats sailed with them. Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious storm arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was nearly swamped. But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion. So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Be still!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm.
Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?” But they were overwhelmed with fear and awe and said to one another, “Who is this man who has such authority that even the wind and waves obey him?”
This story highlights the importance of leading from a place of rest and emotional health. Jesus, despite the chaos and danger surrounding Him, was able to find inner calmness and peace. His leadership was not driven by fear or anxiety but by a deep sense of trust in God's sovereignty and His own purpose.
Jesus NEVER lead RUSHED - NOTHING was more important than a measured response.
As leaders, we can learn from this example about how to lead from the pillow!
Here are 10 practical ways to cultivate rested leadership:
Prioritise personal retreats for reflection and recharge.
Find moments of solitude to seek God's presence and gain clarity.
Set boundaries to protect your time and energy.
Practice self-care through exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep.
Engage in activities that rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit.
Seek support from a mentor or coach for guidance and accountability.
Delegate tasks and empower others to share the workload.
Trust in God's guidance and surrender control over outcomes.
Embrace a posture of humility and acknowledge your limitations.
Focus on faithful stewardship rather than taking sole responsibility for success or failure.
Remember, leading from a place of rest and emotional health allows you to inspire and guide others with a calm and confident presence. Take care of yourself, trust in God's sovereignty, and embrace the journey of rested leadership.
Beyond Church Leadership Culture Leads From The Inside Out
(Lead your own life first)
Watch HERE: https://youtu.be/TUon304O8vQ
Genesis 41:38-40 (MSG) Then Pharaoh said to his officials, “Isn’t this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God’s spirit in him like this?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.”
Joseph’s leadership journey started in the depth of a well. Instead of the darkness, betrayal, and tragedy breaking Joseph, it catalysed something of God in him that began a personal leadership journey in him that prepared him to lead a nation.
God increased Joseph’s influence in lockstep with Joseph’s willingness to lead himself.
Joseph displays integrity, diligence, trustworthiness, and faithfulness, and he exercises his gifts at every opportunity. Joseph demonstrated resilience, humility, patience, AND SELF DISCIPLINE!
What do we do in the dark where no one sees our decisions, actions, or behaviours?
What can we do practically to lead our own lives well? What will position us for influence and begin to build the qualities in us that are required to LEAD OTHERS with excellence?
Lead Your Time
Time is everyone’s limited resource. (How do you spend you tine in the WELL, in the Palace, in Gaol or ruling the nation?)
Self Sanctuary
Taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally is vital for self-leadership. Prioritising self-care activities such as exercise, adequate rest, healthy eating, and engaging in activities that bring you joy and rejuvenation helps maintain your overall well-being. When we prioritise self-care, we have the energy and mental clarity to lead and serve others effectively.
Do The Work
Committing to lifelong learning and personal development is an essential aspect of self-leadership. Seeking opportunities to expand your knowledge, develop new skills, and grow as an individual. Read books, attend conferences, do a short course, and prioritise mentorship.
Beyond Church Leadership Culture Has a Bias Toward Action
Watch this here: https://youtu.be/pNVPTH0HWD4
Nehemiah 2:1-4 NLT
1 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”
Then I was terrified, 3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”
With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
A bias toward action in leadership is the intentional inclination to take decisive steps and make proactive choices rather than being passive or indecisive. It involves a sense of urgency, a willingness to take risks, and a commitment to move forward in pursuit of goals. This principle encourages leaders to overcome analysis paralysis and embrace a mindset of progress and growth.
Nehemiah’s story is an excellent illustration of bias toward action! In the book of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah, a cupbearer to the king, learned about the desolation of Jerusalem and the broken walls surrounding the city. Instead of being overwhelmed or immobilised by the situation, Nehemiah took an opportunity when it presented itself, took a risk, said a prayer, and took immediate action.
Nehemiah's bias toward action is demonstrated in several ways.
First, he quickly sought God's guidance through prayer, recognising that any progress would require divine intervention and wisdom.
Second, he devised a strategic plan to rebuild the walls and restore the city, demonstrating his proactive thinking and problem-solving skills.
Third, he rallied the people, inspiring them with a shared vision and enlisting their help in the task.
Despite facing opposition and challenges, Nehemiah pressed forward with determination and perseverance. He organised the people into teams, assigned specific tasks, and motivated them to work diligently. Nehemiah's bias toward action not only led to the successful reconstruction of the walls but also revitalised the spiritual and social life of the community.
The Beyond Church Leadership Culture of ‘Bias Toward Action” is about taking bold steps and making timely decisions to bring about positive change and accomplish significant goals.
What A Revival Costs In 2023 - How To Budget For A Revival
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Stan Grant, in an article for the ABC this week, said that the freshly minted federal Budget is a “moral document” - I agree, but I don’t agree that the choices that were made in the writing of that document were what decided its moral virtue, good or bad…it runs so much much deeper than that.
What we know is that a document like the Australian federal budget, or your personal family budget, or your calendar, or the choices you make about the company you keep all flows downstream from vision, which flows downstream from values, which flows downstream from belief…and core beliefs are forged in the fire of a THE HUMAN HEART, not in the head.
So when you look at a personal household budget or a national budget, it reveals what is at the very core of its authors’ belief system (or in their HEART).
Therefore the ONLY way to ensure a document like a federal budget, family budget, or any plan we may have for our lives or for the hopes we might have for whatever it is that we are leading, to reflect the Kingdom of Heaven, is for us to have a heart for Jesus because JESUS is the King of the Heavenly Kingdom.
No other place on Earth deals solely with the condition of the Hunan heart…it is only the Church that cuts through all the noise of systems, processes, procedures, and ideologies and gets to the heart of what matters most…where are you with Jesus?
Because if Jesus isn’t king in your heart, His Kingdom will never be exercised in your world!
Church matters most of all. Nothing matters more.
I want us as leaders to be open to having our hearts affected by the presence of God in this current season of Revival…Why? Because I sense that this revival season will demand something from us as leaders that we haven’t had to give yet… New seasons expose us to new conditions, and we must be willing to change to meet the needs of this new season of God in our world….I want to show you what the Beyond Church Budget might look like if we are to pay the price for this next season:
It will be a YES to:
Uncertainty
Change
Growth
Tension
Brokenness
Selflessness
Sacrifice
Suffering
And it is to say NO to:
Ego
Agendas
Security
Stability
Now, growth in character occurs to the degree that we accept being forgiven as a greater gift than life itself. If the greatest gift is not what I see but how I am seen by the living God, then my gratitude knows no limits. It can grow immeasurably as I suffer through the loss of illusions, the death of dreams, and the shattering of success. Suffering grafts our hearts to grace. - Dan Allender, Walking with a Limp
Suffering grafts our heart to grace…so I don’t say that to scare you, but I say it to prepare you…You get to participate in the greatest work that anyone can do, leading this community of faith…through a season of revival. That will come at great costs…but the cost…can never outweigh the greatest gift of all, forgiveness and grace, and being SEEN by God!
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The Next You
1 Corinthians 11:1 TPT “I want you to pattern your lives after me, just as I pattern mine after Christ.”
How to Grow The Next You
IDENTIFY
we have to have our eyes open to ANYONE who might be a potential leader.....
How do we look at people?…as people to be led or as potential leaders?
How do we look at ourselves? LEADERS who lead people or leaders who lead LEADERS?
INSPIRE
Speak Inspirationally: Prophecy, speak life, speak encouragement, speak destiny and purpose and future, speak hope, speak faith
Live Inspirationally (model inspirationally)
Say yes to opportunities that make you uncomfortable, take a risk, try new things, go to new places. You have to see yourself as a LEADER in your WHOLE life...this is the YES we say when we step into leading in church life…
INVITE
This is actually your big risk, not theirs - Andrew and Bec Story...
Reasons we often don't make the BIG ask:
territorial + insecure (if we are always making a place we will always have a place)
How To Be A Next You (How to be the best follower)
IDENTIFY (A Leader)
Do not wait to be identified by a leader - Identify a leader!
If you have access to great people close by - make it work.
If you aren’t face to face with someone, at least once a month, who is asking you the hard questions…you are STUCK, simple as that.
INSPIRE (Your Leader)
Be honest, be vulnerable, be faithful, be spiritual, be trusting.
Say yes to opportunities that make you uncomfortable, take a risk, try new things, go to new places.
INVITE (Yourself)
Ask for someone to lead you and then YOU OWN the responsibility of that relationship. And KEEP inviting yourself into / lean into it!
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NOTES:
Throughout the biblical narrative, we see that God is always moving … God is active and at work
He moves and moves us and our whole world toward Himself.
We see this movement, this God activity, manifests itself differently across time.
For example in the Old Testament when the nation of Israel camped in the wilderness, a MOVE OF GOD was evidenced by the physical shift of a cloud or a fire….when God moved…the people followed
In the New Testament (pre-Pentecost) God (Jesus) was always on the move and His followers followed.
Post Pentecost the movement of God is manifest by the work of the Spirit…
As followers of Jesus, we actually have a responsibility to be aware of these Holy Spirit movements, revivals, awakenings AND we MUST move with them…
When God is moving, revival is breaking out, a move of God is taking place..our BEST response is to embrace the change AND deploy our systems.
ACTS 6:1-4 MSG During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers—“Hellenists”—toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines. So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, “It wouldn’t be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. Meanwhile, we’ll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God’s Word.”
Number 4:5-6 NLT When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it. Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth. Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place.
Deploy Our Systems:
Return to the heart of it.
Systems serve our culture, culture serves our values - What matters most to us, needs to matter right throughout our journey with God as he moves us, revives us, and shifts us.
Pre-build scalable systems across all areas of church life.
- finance, governance, leadership, discipleship, evangelism
Be faithful in the middle of the move…
- Wait on the tables / fold the fabrics, i.e. Turn up, week in and week out, do the work, make the phone calls, roster the teams, and bring our best in all areas of church life.
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Catch up on Part 1 An Apathetic Christianity - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/beyond-church-raising-leaders/id1470582090?i=1000604233473
Catch up on Part 2 An Apocalyptic Culture - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/beyond-church-raising-leaders/id1470582090?i=1000606393102
If you liked what you heard you can listen HERE: http://beyondchurch.org.au/YouTubeSubscription
You can access the notes to the episode HERE:
If you liked what you heard you can watch this here: https://youtu.be/X2mVoJtebbk
Full show notes are available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h2P8MmcA12OznOqSdBCJkGGqm5iagpjW/view?usp=share_link
The 3 Attributes Of A Pre-Revival Environment
PART 1 - An Apathetic Christianity
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Matthew 24:6-13 NLT
And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Australia is in pre-revival
If you study revival history you will see that there are some common precursors to localised, national and global revivals.
A decline in Christian church attendance and Christian relevance in the culture (evident in the US and in Australia)
Social, political and economic instability and uncertainty (A rise in minority agenda-driven politics, cost of living challenges, internets rate rises, and even this week 2 major US bank closures)
Remnant of faithful, passionate ALL HEARTED Jesus’ followers repenting for their own half-heartedness and repenting on behalf of their nation… regularly in church, in prayer and faithfully adhering to their spiritual disciples (fasting, sacrificing, abstaining, etc…)
Today I have labelled these pre-revival indicators, An Apathetic Christianity - An Apocalyptic Culture - An Advantaged Church
An Apathetic Christianity
We really can not afford to be unconcerned about the decline in church attendance and should not be accepting it as a new, post-pandemic normal for the community of faith.
I can see 3 main drivers for this decline and it is my very strong conclusion that we need to pray that for revival for these drivers to be arrested and reversed.
An Undisciplined Post-Covid Community | 2. An Ego Theology | 3. The Substitution of Church Community
An Undisciplined Post Covid Community
In the early Church, Jesus’ followers met daily and daily the number of new Jesus followers grew.
When we are undisciplined we add activities into our lives that serve our own self-centred needs, comforts and selfish desires. When we do this church falls much further down our list of priorities.
Daily connection with church, slips to just a few times a week, which becomes weekly, then monthly, then annually if at all.
It is important to note that the apathetic Christian is not making a cognitive rejection of church nor would they say they dislike or disagree with the role of Jesus’ church in the world. They have simply succumbed to the evil temptation of small subtle shifts in prioritisation, value, and love for Jesus’ church.
The unavoidable consequence of living an undisciplined Christianity is that one must deal with their incongruence. A Christian can not love Jesus but not love Jesus’ one true love, His church. So this leads to the need to either accept the error of our undisciplined ways and make the very difficult, but necessary changes to realign our lives with the agenda of heaven and the theological imperative of the centrality of the church in our world (and play our part in that) or we have to write a new ecclesiology. This new theology of the church is what I would call; Ego Ecclesiology.
The Ego Theology
It is far too common in our Apathetic Christian culture for seasoned, establish Christians and Christian families to come to a pseudo-theological conclusion that Jesus has suddenly decided that regularly gathering together with other believers and those seeking faith, in a faith-filled, Jesus-worshipping, bible-preaching atmosphere is optional.
Many Christians have forgotten the centrality of Jesus’ bride in the mission of saving our world. The new ego ecclesiology deconstructs the nature, function and even mission of the church. The common tenants of this new belief system are things like:
‘Church is not about the building, Jesus never said we need to buy a building to build a church’
‘I can build my Christian community at home, online and still be at church’
‘The modern church isn’t anything like the church in the book of Acts’
‘The church is just an organisation that needs my money and time’
What we know is this, in the economy of the Kingdom of God, there are no self-managed ministry funds. If we want to see The King’s reward for our ministries, our families, our homes, our finances and in our relationships then we must allow the King, Jesus, to ordain our steps. There is no room for an ego ecclesiology, in the Kingdom. Attending our churches regularly and participating in their mission to reach the world is not optional, it is a fundamental Christina tenant, imperative and order from The King.
The only Christians who have any right to speak up about social injustices, economic inequalities or political persecution, are those who are already participants in God’s one and only rescue plan to deal with the brokenness in our world, His Church!
The Substitution of Church Community
In a pre-revival environment, Christians substitute almost anything for church. They have lost sight of the value, and necessity of allowing King Jesus to rule their lives and to allow His divine hand to place them in His church community.
When we allow God to plant us in a church community we have to do the imperative, essential, and proper work of thriving in an imperfect community. Apathetic Christians have lost the ability to thrive in their families, marriages, businesses and work relationships because they have chosen to exclude themselves from engaging with all the difficult people in their church community and substituted that growth opportunity for the safety security, comfort and predictability of their close friends and family. This decision has crippled their spirituality, halted their growth and development as leaders and robbed their families of the kind of divine favour that only follows faithfulness.
There is no substitution for the gathered body of Jesus Christ. We are called to build His community, not our community, to outwork His mission, not our mission, to build His church not the church of my preferences.
When all the lights go out…you can see the stars…..
The Remnant
For those who are not apathetic toward the mission of the church, for those who are living all-hearted toward a revival of the hearts of Christians toward Jesus’ church; more is asked of you. You are called to remain faithful as a remnant, to seek God for revival through prayer and sacrifice. Your coming challenge will be dealing with self-righteousness and indignation when the apathetic community awakens, and revival breaks out because your faithfulness and sacrifice will go unseen.
If you liked what you heard you can watch here: https://youtu.be/WeZhey4UQ2A
The UN’s theme for IWD this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, and “highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and developmental needs of women and girls.”
I’ve given this year’s IWD my own theme: Proverbs 1:33, “But the one who always listens to me will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace. Free from fear, confident and courageous, that one will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.”
MY STORY: I sought God for a word over my year this year and believe He showed me the word FREE.
How can we be leaders who empower women and girls to live “FREE FROM FEAR, CONFIDENT AND COURAGEOUS”?
1. Lose the Pink Princess
- Language carries culture, so what you say always matters.
2. Consider Your Own Bias
- Leaders are self-reflective. We take the time to consider our own personal prejudices, biases and level of privilege.
3. See What’s Unique, Regardless of Gender
- Leaders see the whole person. Particularly with younger people, who may still be heavily influenced by their own family culture regarding gender, we are the ones who do the work to see beyond what is presented and see the person as God sees them. We see their potential regardless of how they may be presenting themselves to us right now and we speak into THAT.
4. God’s Word Over Everything
- This Proverb reminds us that the key to living “free from fear, confident and courageous” is having the voice of God front and centre in our lives. As leaders who have influence and power to bring leadership development and opportunities to others, we hear from God over and above everything humans say about themselves and each other. If God says to promote or develop or invest into that person, but we can’t see it yet or they can’t see it in themselves, we still remain obedient and make the invitation. It’s not our responsibility to set people free, it’s our responsibility to be obedient to God’s voice in our lives.