Be The Salt And Light Marketplace Prayer Theme

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The primary prayer theme for the annual See You At The Office marketplace prayer campaign is Be The Salt And Light.  As believers unite in prayer each year at the office for any  2 days during the week of July 14th,  we can confidently place our trust in the promise of God found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 stating,

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Therefore, to help facilitate the See You At The Office prayer campaign in the marketplace, leaders can use the five prayer points highlighted below to lead personal and corporate prayer meetings at the office anytime during the day for any 2 days during the week of July 14th.

Since prayer is nothing more than a simple conversation with God about important matters on our hearts, each prayer meeting should merely be a time of simple prayer requests made to God with private meditations upon His Word. Even if there is only one person willing to stand in the gap at the office and pray for the nation and the marketplace, significant impact can result. James 5:16 (NLT) states, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results”; therefore, it’s not about the length of prayer or the quantity of prayers, but rather the earnest prayer of anyone willing to stand in the gap and pray.  With that said, please utilize the following five prayer points to lead a time of earnest prayer at each See You At The Office prayer meeting – personal or corporate.

Prayer Point #1: Pray for God’s people to turn from sin and be the salt and light of the kingdom of God in the marketplace

In Matthew 5:13-16, the Lord tells believers:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

With our Lord’s exhortation in mind, let us pray for the unity of God’s people to turn from sin and faithfully fulfill their spiritual leadership responsibilities to be the salt and light of the kingdom of God in the marketplace.

Prayer Point #2: Pray for believers to be empowered with Holy Spirit boldness in the marketplace

The book of Acts records in 4:29-30 a prayer for boldness of believers in the early church and the Lord’s response as follows:

“’Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

As believers in this 21st century stand together and pray in the marketplace, may the Lord grant us the same kind of boldness to be His kingdom ambassadors in the marketplace.

Prayer Point #3: Pray for our nation and our leaders in authority

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul encourages believers to pray for our nation [all men] and our leaders in authority stating:

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

Let us pray for the Lord’s continued blessing and favor upon our nation and our leaders, making our prayers and supplications known to Him with thanksgiving in our hearts for His grace that is sufficient, His mercy that endures forever, and His faithfulness that reaches to the heavens.

Prayer Point #4: Pray for our companies to have the resources and provision needed to fulfill their purposes in the kingdom of God

In the kingdom of God, the Lord does not only care about our eternal needs as human beings whom He created in His image.  He also cares about our temporal needs on earth until we are united with Him in heaven; therefore, He gives people gifts and talents to be used for the purpose of serving others on earth and helping to meet the temporal needs of His creation.  In 2 Corinthians 9:8 the apostle Paul writes,

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Let us pray that the Lord will provide the sufficiency of all resources necessary to fulfill each of our organization’s mission and purpose in the kingdom of God as we work unto the Lord and not as unto men.

Prayer Point #5: Pray for the leaders and the team members of the organization to be empowered in grace to work with a spirit of excellence, wisdom, commitment, generosity, humility, and faith.

In Titus 3:1-2, the apostle Paul provides great direction for the behavior and conduct of believer’s in the workplace stating:

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”

Let us pray that the Lord will strengthen each member of our team to walk in obedience to His will and His commandments in the workplace, giving honor and respect to one another and the leaders whom God has given authority to lead, resting in the peaceful knowledge that the Lord alone raises up leaders and removes leaders in accordance with His perfect plan for His kingdom on earth.

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day and I will See You At The Office!

Be The Salt And Light Marketplace Prayer Theme Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Be The Salt And Light In The Marketplace, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Great Teams

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6 days, 14 hrs, 55 mins

Quote: “When you affirm big, believe big, and pray big, big things happen!” – Norman Vincent Peale

Did you know that your attitude and the attitudes of the people on your team can make the difference in whether or not you have a bad team or a great team, assuming everyone is technically proficient in their role?  It is true! Attitude is the differentiating factor in talented teams that succeed and talented teams that fail. 

John Maxwell’s formula for team success defined in his book, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, is Abilities + Attitudes = Results.

                   Great Talent    +   Rotten    Attitudes         =       Bad Team

                   Great Talent    +   Bad        Attitudes         =       Average Team

                   Great Talent    +   Average Attitudes          =       Good Team

                   Great Talent    +   Good     Attitudes          =       Great Team

According to Norman Vincent Peale, big things happen when people affirm big, believe big, and pray big; however, it is difficult to do this unless a person or a team has faith enough to first think big.  Thinking big is really thinking in terms of God’s abundance.  Combining faith and a positive attitude, creates an awesome winning combination. 

If you are on a team, your personal talent and expertise are important; however, your positive attitude is even more important because it defines how you will choose to use your talent and expertise.  Will you use your talent and expertise for the greater good or for self-serving purposes?  Only you can answer this question through your faith and choice of personal attitude.   John Maxwell states, “the attitude of the individual determines the attitude of the group.”  Great teams are comprised of people who use their talent and expertise to “make it happen” serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life.  If you want to be part of a great team, it’s up to you to do your part.  One person can make a difference!  With faith and a positive attitude, you can be the spark that ignites greatness in your team!

The Make It Happen People Value: “Make It Happen” People Possess A Positive Attitude!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Great Teams Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Great Teams, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Holy Anger Turned Away

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Scripture

Isaiah 12:1-2 “And in that day you will say: ‘O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid.’”   

Observation

In this passage, Isaiah prophesies of a day when the people of God will sing to the Lord and praise Him for turning away His holy anger and comforting them as God of their salvation.  It is evident from this verse that God, in His holiness, can be angry with me which is a very sobering thought.  However, it is also evident from this verse that God’s holy anger can be turned away from me as He comforts me and I behold Him, trusting Him as God of my salvation.

Application

As a believer, there are times when I can anger the Lord with willful sin; however, in His mercy that endures forever, the Lord can turn His anger away from me through His loving correction. Even though such rebuke is painful for the moment, the Lord’s correction as my loving heavenly Father brings comfort in the end.  In fact, Psalms 30:5 declares, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” King David expresses praise for the Lord’s everlasting mercy through this kind of loving rebuke from our holy heavenly Father when he says in Psalm 118:18, “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.” Therefore, just as God is holy, by the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, I must also be holy in all of my conduct as a redeemed child of the living God. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy that endures forever and Your loving-kindness that leads me to repentance when I have sinned against You! I praise You Lord for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness, who is faithful and just to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I fail You and confess my sin to You! I love You Jesus! Amen!

Holy Anger Turned Away Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Holy Anger Turned Away, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Help Me Spread The Word And Build God’s Kingdom In Business

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In the last 8 years, I have written two books to help business leaders build God’s kingdom in business and I would love your help to use the power of social media to help me spread the word.  

My first book, The Make It Happen Journey, practically encourages and equips business leaders with nine Make It Happen Team Values to create a culture of empowerment that reaches all the people on a team and unleashes their extraordinary God-given potential to make a real difference in life.

My second book, Kings Come Forth, practically engages and empowers business men and women to be effective spiritual leaders in business by fulfilling their God-ordained assignments in the kingdom of God. There are three offices of spiritual leadership in the kingdom of God – Priest, Prophet, and King. Kings Come Forth focuses on the spiritual leadership role and responsibility of Kings which are the marketplace men and women leaders in the modern-day world.

To help me use the power of social media to build the kingdom of God in business, I would love your help to spread the word about The Make It Happen Journey and Kings Come Forth by doing the following three simple things:

  1. Go to the bottom of this page and click on one of the social media share buttons to easily share this Help Me Spread The Word page with your friends, family, and colleagues.
  2. Click on Press Release to read the official Kings Come Forth press release and also share it with your friends, family, and colleagues.
  3. Watch the 30 minute Introduction To Make It Happen Team Values video by Clicking Here when you have the time and want to be encouraged to take The Make It Happen Journey with your team.

Lastly, as a gift of my appreciation for your precious time to help me spread the word and build the kingdom of God in business, please Click Here to receive a FREE Chapter of Kings Come Forth titled The Great Distinction of Kings.

If you have helped me use the power of social media to build the kingdom of God in business by sharing this Spread The Word page with others, please let me know by posting a comment below and I will enter your name for the chance to win a personal signed copy of The Make It Happen Journey for each member of your team (up to 12 members). Many blessings!

The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey

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Dr. Sam Chand, world-renowned leadership guru, teaches that “a toxic culture will eat vision for lunch” meaning that any unhealthy culture in an organization will destroy the vision of an organization before it ever has the chance to be fulfilled. If this is true, and I believe it is, it is crucial for leaders to be able to assess and determine the strength of their organizational team culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life. Teams that consistently make it happen in life for one another and their customers create a strong team culture where vision can flourish.   However, unless leaders have a simple tool to assess their team’s make it happen culture, many leaders can be like the captain of the Titanic – looking at the tip of the iceberg without really knowing what danger lurks under the surface.  The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey is specifically designed to help equip leaders with a simple tool to assess and determine a team’s make it happen culture with each question being derived from the faith-based Make It Happen Team Values highlighted in The Make It Happen Journey written by Gary J. Borgstede, the President and Founder of The Make It Happen Learning Institute.

In his book, Good To Great, Jim Collins found in his research that “All good-to-great companies began the process of finding a path to greatness by confronting the brutal facts of their current reality.” Having the courage to take the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey and honestly answer each question is the first step in confronting the brutal facts of your team culture and beginning the process of growing from good to great without losing hope for a better and brighter future for you and your team.  Unfortunately, without knowing the truthful state of your team’s culture to make it happen for others, it will be difficult to implement intentional strategies for building a make it happen team culture. However, with your leadership, your faith, and the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey tool, you can help make it happen with your team!

To take the survey, please honestly answer the 12 questions below to assess your team’s Make It Happen Factor which will help indicate the faith-based strength of your team’s culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life.  

You can also take the survey electronically by Clicking Here; however, you will need to circle your answers below in order to manually calculate your team’s overall Make It Happen Factor Score per the survey scoring instructions. (Note that individual survey responses will remain confidential) 

Team Culture Survey Questions

1.     The members of my team possess a positive attitude every day.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

2.     The leaders on my team serve the members of my team with the greatest care and concern.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

3.     Each person on my team serves our customers with great enthusiasm at all times.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

4.     Each person on my team is committed to working hard and having fun at work.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

5.     In the last month, the people on my team have abundantly celebrated the accomplishments of other individuals and teams.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

6.     In the last week, each person on my team was able to learn and grow as a professional.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

7.     The leaders and the people on my team are not afraid to take risks in the pursuit of excellence and innovation.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

8.     The leaders and the people on my team create a safe environment of teamwork and mutual respect of differences.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

9.     Each person on my team performs their work with the highest degree of professionalism.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

Individual Faith Survey Questions

10.   I consistently read the Word of God on a daily basis.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

11.   I pray for my leaders and my team members every day.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

12.  I attend a church service and / or a church small group once each week.

  • Strongly Agree
  • Agree
  • Neither Agree or Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Strongly Disagree

Survey Scoring

No.  of Strongly Agree Answers:               ________  X  5  = ________

No.  of Agree Answers:                             ________  X  4  = ________

No.  of Neither Agree or Disagree:           ________  X  3  = ________

No.  of Disagree Answers:                        ________  X  2  = ________

No. of Strongly Disagree Answers:           ________  X  1  = ________

 

                              Add Totals To Get Grand Total:            ________

                              Divide Grand Total by 12 To Get

Your Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Score:  ________

Understanding Your Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Score

Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of One-Minute Manager and High Five Team, teaches that “Values are to be lived; not framed”, but unfortunately, far too many organizations just frame their values and never intentionally create a team culture where team members actually live their values.  The 12 questions of The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey are specifically designed to assess the faith-based strength of a team’s culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence by genuinely serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life. This is done by assessing the strength of agreement within a team regarding specific questions related to faith perspective, servant leadership, and teamwork commitment. Regardless of the actual Make It Happen Factor score, the important thing for leaders to remember is that the score only serves as a barometer of the faith-based strength of a team’s make it happen culture which can always be strengthened when individual team member’s intentionally work together to foster, support, and live Make It Happen Team Values on a daily basis and improve their individual scores for each question.

Because the Word of God says in Mark 9:23 that “All things are possible to him who believes” and in Daniel 11:32 that “The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 1, 7, 10, and 12 are specifically designed to assess the level of faith perspective on a team. The higher the level of faith perspective on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.  Additionally, Questions 10, 11, and 12 are specifically designed to assess each individual’s faith perspective because one person of faith can make a huge difference in helping a team to foster, support, and live the make-it-happen “can do” values of the kingdom of God as can be seen in the lives of many heroes of faith such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther, the apostle Paul, and many others.

Because the Word of God says in Matthew 23:11 that “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 2, 3, 5, and 6 are specifically designed to assess the level of genuine servant leadership on a team.  The greater the level of genuine servant leadership on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.

Because the Word of God states in Ecclesiastes 4:12 that “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” and also states in Leviticus 26:8 that “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight”, The Make It Happen Factor Survey Questions 4, 8, 9, and 11 are specifically designed to assess the level of teamwork commitment on a team. The greater the level of teamwork commitment on a team; the stronger the culture of the team to make it happen with a spirit of wisdom and excellence.

In conclusion, teams that score the highest on The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey in faith perspective, servant leadership, and teamwork commitment will have a stronger team culture to make it happen with wisdom and excellence than other teams because teams comprised of people with faith who genuinely serve others through committed teamwork will consistently make it happen serving others and solving problems that make a real difference in life!

If you have taken the Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey, please let me know by posting a comment below and I will enter your name for the chance to win a personal signed copy of The Make It Happen Journey for each member of your team (up to 12 members). Many blessings!  

The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Factor Team Culture Survey, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results

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Alice In Wonderland

Where you want to get to?

Quote: “Information is the difference between your present and your future!” – Dr. Mike Murdock

So where are you and your team headed this year?  It’s a good question you must answer if you are going to get there.  Consider the following excerpt from Alice in Wonderland:

Would you tell me please which way I ought to walk from here,” said Alice.

Well that depends a great deal on where you want to get to,” said Cheshire Cat.

I don’t much care where,” said Alice.

Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said Cheshire Cat.

As leaders guiding our teams, we must know what we are trying to achieve or accomplish before we ask the question of how to accomplish it.  Once we have answered the question of what, the answer of how can be determined.  Otherwise, the advice of Cheshire Cat rings true; it doesn’t really matter what you do to get where you are going because any direction will get you there.   After you have spent appropriate time strategically planning your goals for each year, you will be well equipped to complete the tactical plans for achieving each goal, fully understanding that the purpose of nuts and bolts planning is simply to produce the results you desire.  Time spent planning today is not time wasted, it is time invested in your future.  To get closer to the future waiting for you, follow the command found in Habakkuk 2:2, “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run who reads it.”  Without the vision written down, it will be extremely difficult for you or your team to see it accomplished. 

Again, I ask the question, what do you want to accomplish this year?  More specifically, what has God put in your heart to accomplish this year?  In prayerful meditation, ask God to reveal His plans for you in each area of life.  Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  With a spirit of commitment and excellence, diligently invest time planning for the future God has in mind for you and boldly pursue the plan believing in Him to deliver the results!

The Make It Happen Professionalism Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Professionals!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Plan For Results, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Good Works

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Scripture

Titus 3: 8 “This is a faithful saying, and these sayings I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”   

Observation

In this passage, Paul is mentoring Titus, a trusted son in the kingdom of God, by directing him to constantly affirm with people who believe in God that they should be careful to maintain good works of faith because such good works are profitable to men. It is clear that Paul has an expectation for Titus to instruct and teach people in the body of Christ, the importance of demonstrating their faith by their good works which produces good fruit in Christ. At the same time, Paul clarifies in the previous verse that believers are saved by grace through faith in the Lord’s loving-kindness and mercy expressed toward us by Him and not by any works of righteousness of our own. With salvation firmly established in our hearts by the washing of regeneration and the perfect renewing work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are to maintain good works that demonstrate our faith in Christ and bless other people.

Application

As a believer saved by grace through faith, I must be careful to maintain good works of faith in Christ that demonstrate my faith and bless other people. In fact, the Bible says in James 2:26 that “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” And even furthermore, the Lord Himself says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Therefore, our good works as believers in the body of Christ really do demonstrate loud and clear to those around us how much we actually do love the Lord, our God, with our whole heart, mind, and soul and our neighbors as ourselves. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the perfect work of salvation that You completed on the Cross for me to be saved by grace through faith. With my salvation secure in You for eternity through my faith in Jesus and Your sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in me, help me to demonstrate my faith each day by my good works in You that bless and benefit others. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Good Works Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Good Works, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Oxygen To The Soul

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Spectrum = gas discharge tubes. The gases: hyd...

Encouragement = O2 to the Soul

Quote: “Encouragement is oxygen to the soul!” – Jessie Duplantis

Did you ever think that encouragement could actually provide a source of oxygen for someone’s soul?  The reality of this spiritual law is extremely powerful in the emotional development and healthy well-being of others.  Just a few simple encouraging words to someone at the right time can change desperation into inspiration that produces life for the moment and hope for the future. 

Good morning Timothy!  I really like the tie you’re wearing today!  By the way, you did an awesome job with your presentation yesterday!  Thank you so much for the diligent, thoughtful effort you put into it.  Your recommendations are going to help us do some great things for our customers!”  It’s only 50 words and 14 seconds of time, but how much do you think those words of encouragement and recognition are worth to Timothy?  It’s difficult to say; however, if you were Timothy, you would probably have a much better day than if you received no greeting at all and your diligent efforts had gone unnoticed. 

Now if encouragement is oxygen to the soul, then it is reasonable to believe that discouragement is carbon monoxide to the soul.  Therefore, as encouraging words build people up and provide a source of hope, the opposite is true of discouraging words – they tear people down and provide a source of hopelessness.  What happens when someone takes in too much carbon monoxide?  In the physical realm, they can become extremely ill.  The same is true in the spiritual realm when people are only recognized in a negative light and discouraging words are spoken as a curse over their lives. 

With a spirit of generosity, become a lighthouse of encouragement to people that showers words of abundant blessing and encouragement upon them.  As we develop a daily habit of encouraging others, we will be pleasantly surprised that it also produces abundant blessing in our lives as the law of sowing and reaping multiplies and returns encouragement back to us.  And at the end of the day, remember, each new day is a gift from God to start afresh in the abundance of His mercy!

The Make It Happen Celebration Value: “Make It Happen” People Celebrate Accomplishments Abundantly!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Oxygen To The Soul Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Oxygen To The Soul, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

No Fear

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Scripture

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Observation

In this passage, Paul is writing to encourage Timothy and build up his faith as he leads the church at Ephesus. He exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in him [the free gift of the Holy Spirit] by the laying on of his hands and emphasizes to him that God does not give us a spirit of fear.  Instead, God gives us His Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind which overcomes any fear from the enemy and empowers us to walk in peace as bold witnesses of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to the world around us.

Application

As a believer, there will be times when the devil will attack us in our minds with the only weapon he has – fear – because he knows that he can rob, steal, and kill everything that God has for us if we live in fear rather than faith.  When this happens, we must recognize that any such spirit of fear is not of God because God gives us His Spirit of power, love, and sound mind which overcomes any spirit of fear cast toward us by the enemy. 1 John 4:4-5 states, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We can overcome fear because the Holy Spirit lives in us and He is greater than any illegal trespass of fear by the enemy.  Plus, the simple truth is that fear has no chance at all with us because the Lord loves each of us perfectly and 1 john 4:18 states that perfect love casts out fear.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect unconditional love for me which casts out all fear. Because You are Jehovah Shalom, the Lord Our Peace, I am thankful to walk in Your peace, peace not as the world can give, but peace that only You can give as my Lord and Savior.  I love You Jesus! Amen!

No Fear Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, No Fear, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Expect The Best

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A "Village Teacher"

Expect The Best

Quote: “The leader who expects his people to perform the best will achieve the greatest results!” – Joe D. Batten

Did you know that a person performs to the level of expectation that you have of them?  Having this knowledge and acting upon it is extremely powerful for the leader who wants to achieve great results with people.  To test the validity of this leadership practice, a group of organizational development researchers conducted a research trial that studied and analyzed the effects of teachers’ expectations on the performance of their students.  The name of the research trial, “The Harvard Test Of Inflected Acquisition” is referenced in Joe Batten’s book, Tough-minded Leadership.  The outcome of the trial is totally amazing! 

Teachers were told that their students were going to be tested for their mental aptitudes and intellectual potential by administering a test designed to identify the top 20% that would bloom intellectually over the course of the school year.  Little did the teachers know that the test was nothing more than an outdated, rarely used IQ test, which wasn’t even going to be graded by the researchers.  Instead, the researchers randomly selected 20% of the students and identified them as students with significant growth potential.  Would you care to guess how those students performed over the year?  Amazingly, those students whom the teachers expected to progress, grow, and improve over the year did in fact do so by as much as 50% in their performance scores.  How powerful is the reality of expectations and its effect on people’s performance? 

This is so important because when leaders expect people to perform their best, they will actually begin to perform their best.  High expectations of people demonstrate that you believe in them and think that they are first rate; however, leaders must be careful to distinguish between high expectations and unrealistic expectations.  Expecting someone to pull a rabbit out of a hat when he or she isn’t a magician is an unrealistic expectation.    Guard against unrealistic expectations by clearly defining expectations that people are capable of reaching and achieving with proper tools, training, and encouragement.  Then, in the spirit of faith, hope, and love, expect people’s best performance and be amazed at what can happen!

The Make It Happen Professionalism Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Professionals!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Expect The Best Copyright 2004, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Expect The Best, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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