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Danny Mequet (Dmequet@churchoftheking.com)

When I was growing up I heard a preacher say, “Don’t ever say you don’t want God to send you to be a missionary to Africa because that’s exactly where He’ll send you!” When I heard this my initial thought was, “Is God mad at me? Does He really want to send me somewhere I don’t want to go?” As I look back at what this preacher said, I understand that he was simply trying to make a point (although he didn’t do a very good job). He was trying to emphasize that God really wants us to be willing to follow Him and do whatever He asks us to do. This principle is clearly seen in Genesis 22:16-17

“I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”

God makes this statement after Abraham was only seconds from sacrificing his only son, Isaac, on an altar. God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac, but God did intend to test Abraham’s heart. Was Abraham truly surrendered to God, or was he still holding on to certain things in his life? It was only once Abraham proved that he was truly surrendered to God that he received God’s promise of greatness.

As leaders we must be willing to surrender everything in order to receive the greatness God has in store for us.

3 Steps to living a surrendered life:

1) Hear the voice of God

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:2

We must take the time and give the effort to develop a relationship with God, which allows us to clearly hear God’s voice.

2) Trust the voice of God

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Genesis 22:9

We must trust that what God says is what we are supposed to do. Abraham did not understand why God would call him to sacrifice his son, but he trusted that God would provide through the circumstances. Abraham trusted God more than he trusted in his own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

3) Obey the voice of God

“Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Genesis 22:9-10

As leaders, we must not only hear and trust God’s voice, but we must obey God. It was not Abraham’s willingness to obey God 99% of the way that showed his surrendered heart to God. It was his willingness to obey 100% that proved his heart was surrendered to God.

Abraham teaches us a great lesson in how we should hold on to the relationships that God has entrusted us to steward. If we hold on to them then God will not be able to trust us with increasing our influence. However, just like Abraham, if we willingly surrender the relationships in our lives then He will be able to trust us with greatness.

Points to ponder…

• What relationships am I unwilling to totally surrender to God? Why?
• Do I hear God’s voice, trust his voice and obey his voice? Of these three areas, which one do I need to grow in the most?
• Why will God increase my influence if I live a totally surrendered life?

Prayer point…

Ask God to help you live a totally surrendered life in order for you to become great in building His Kingdom.

Just about anyone would agree that growing is a good thing, but relatively few people actually dedicate themselves to the process. Why? Because growth requires change, and change is hard for most people. But the truth is that without change, growth is impossible.

Most people fight against change, especially when it affects them personally. As novelist Leo Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The ironic thing is that change is inevitable. Everybody has to deal with it in their lives. On the other hand, growth is optional. You can choose to grow or fight it. But know this: people unwilling to grow will never reach their potential. (Your Road Map for Success by John Maxwell)

The role of a leader is to inspire and challenge those he or she is leading to grow. In order to first inspire those we are leading, we must first grow. In Matthew 4:19, we see three areas in which we must grow before we can Promote Growth in the lives of those we are leading.

And he [Jesus] said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

Three Areas Leaders Must Grow:

1) Relationship with Christ

“Follow me…” – Before we can lead others we must first be willing to follow Jesus.

2) Passion for people

“I will make you fishers of men” – As leaders, our number one desire must be for the good and growth of others (Matthew 22:36-39).

3) Influence

A passion for people without the ability to lead them into a growing relationship with Jesus leaves you short of Jesus’ purpose of “making disciples.”

Think about it…

• How are you Promoting Growth in your own life?
• Who do you need in your life to help Promote Growth for you? What are you doing to pursue that relationship?
• How will your growth translate into growth for those you are leading?

We’ve all heard the old saying, “No pain, no gain.” This famous phrase illustrates the importance of taking action when looking to grow. We can look at the life of Jesus to see that it takes action in order to grow.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (ESV)

The four verbs (rising, departed, went, prayed) emphasize the fact that Jesus had to take action in order to grow in his relationship with his father.

Whether it is professionally, spiritually, physically, or any other areas in life, we must take action if we want to grow. As leaders, it is also important that we lead others into growth by helping them take action.

Here are three questions we can ask that will help us Promote Growth in the lives of those we are leading:

1) What areas do they need to grow?
2) What can I do to help them grow?
3) What do they need to do to grow?

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14

In this portion of scripture we find the Israelites surrounded by enemy soldiers, and they were frightened. Nehemiah was able to bring encouragement to those he was leading. He knew what the outcome would be because, as a leader, he was able to see ahead.

The following story illustrates the power of a leader bringing encouragement:

A group of Boy Scouts struggled up a steep mountain trail on a hot and humid day. Many of the boy scouts had sore fee

t, some had empty canteens, and one or two were ready to sit down and cry…they were all miserable.

As my kids get older, they become more and more interested in going camping so I’ve begun to invest in camping gear. At this point, that is limited to a tent, cooking utensils, a small grill and a couple of flashlights. However, after a recent camping trip, I’ve come to realize the importance of buying a lantern. While flashlights are great, they do not provide nearly enough light for us to be able to see around the campsite. It becomes a challenge to walk around without stepping on some old food, tripping over the tent or walking into a tree.

In the same way, I’ve come to realize that trying to live without God’s Word as a central part of my life will lead to a lot of stumbling and falling, which will result in pain! As leaders our role is to help lead others into a growing relationship with Christ by getting them to read the Bible as a way to hear from God. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 In order to help people grow in their relationship with Christ as a result of reading their Bible you need to do the following:

1) Help them get a plan Help people find a Bible reading plan that fits their needs and goals. You can go to www.youversion.com (or get the App for your phone) to search many different Bible reading plans.

2) Ask them the right questions Help people grow in their ability to hear God by asking them the right questions.

• What is God saying to you when you read your Bible?

• How are you changing/growing as a result of what you’ve read?

*For more details on asking questions that lead to growth click here.

3) Get them the right tools

• A Bible they can read
• A journal to write down what God is saying to them
• Study tools (Concordance, Study Bible, Bible dictionary, Biblegateway.com, etc.)
• An accountability partner(s)

Think about it…

• How has your relationship with God grown as you’ve developed a regular time of reading the Bible?
• What can you do to help those you are leading grow closer to God?