I'm New And I'm A Leader

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  

2 Corinthians 5:17

The Bible says that when we are in Christ, or born again, that all things become new. The love of God is so amazing because He totally removes our past and allows us to move forward with a clean slate. He made it so easy because of what Jesus did at Calvary! What we have to remember is this - don't pick up the sin, guilt and pain of the past. Leave it in the past and move on ahead. 

One of the great passages in the Bible dealing with our thoughts, future and the price that has been paid for us is found in Philippians 2:5-13: 

 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation , and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow , of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed , not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Jesus has left us the ultimate example of leadership in these few verses. He was humble, put off who He was for all of mankind, He was obedient, and in return, God gave Him the name above every other name: JESUS. As leaders, we should be humble, givers and obedient people first to God and then to our leadership. The best way to get to the top is through service. Jesus served His way back to Heaven and removed all of our issues in the process. 

Our job as Christians and leaders is to think like Christ, live our life of faith daily and understand that God is working in us. That means we understand that our sin and problems are in the past once we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. It is then easy to see that His will and His pleasures will ultimately come out in our lives when we let Him work in us constantly. 

The life of leader is not sporadic or momentary. Instead, it is life-long. Remember that God would not have called you and put you in the leadership role you have unless you were capable of making things happen. Confess this over yourself to build confidence as a leader: 

1. I am able
2. I am willing
3. I am obedient
4. I serve others
5. I live my beliefs

-------- I AM A LEADER --------

1 Peter 2:9 - He Picked Me!

We are handpicked by God according to 1 Peter 2:9 to do great things for Him. When God chose you, it was for a purpose. There are a lot of ways to show this Godly character as a leader, but here are a few that will be very beneficial for young and old alike.  The first thing is to confess the Word of God over your life daily. A confession is a declaration of your beliefs and the truth about a matter. When we confess the Scriptures over our lives, we are declaring out position in Christ. Our lives are founded on and grounded in the Bible as Christians. So confessing that foundation builds us up, reminds us what God is doing in our lives and squeezes the devil out of every situation. Where the Word of God is declared, it brings life. The devil never brings life with him. He always brings pain and death to the party. When the Word of God is alive in us and declared into the atmosphere, the enemy has no place.  How do you confess the Word? What's an example? Here it is. This practice can be used for all things in the Word you would like speak over yourself in faith. Let's say that you're having trouble sleeping at night. Each night before you go to sleep you can confess the truth of Psalm 4:8 over yourself.  Confess: According to Psalm 4:8 I will sleep peacefully, safely and securely.  The second step is to pray the Bible over your life and your family. Philippians 4:6 says that we should pray prayers of supplication or petition. That means that we not only pray (thank God, honor Him, make requests), but we include scriptures in our requests so that we are continuing to speak faith and life over ourselves. This leadership step and the confession step require something from us - we must memorize scriptures. If we don't know what to pray, how can we pray the Bible way? We should write the Word on our hearts, hide His Word in our hearts and pray the Word (Psalm 119:11).  Finally, leaders smile! The Bible says in Nehemiah 8:10, that "the joy of the Lord is our strength." Joy will put a smile on your face. Here are a couple of steps for leaders to add to your repertoire concerning smiling. I learned these from a GREAT leader - Pastor Hallam.  1. Always smile when you enter a room. It sets people at ease and makes you approachable.  2. Learn to smile, and you'll double your favor. Think about being on an interview. That potential employer will like seeing someone with a pleasant disposition. Smiling brings favor! Remember, that you are handpicked by God. He wants to use your life for amazing things. When you confess His Word, pray His Word and learn to smile, you get built up as a leader and open yourself up for God to use you. Song Choice - "Nothing Is Impossible," by Planetshakers 

I Am a Leader: Speech and Life

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:12 that you are never too young to be a leader. Even teens have the ability to lead in a Godly way and change lives for the glory of God. There are many ways that people can be examples of God's goodness, here are two: life and speech.

Speech

Our words have so much power. They can create life or death (Proverbs 18:21). We must fall in love with words of life and use them ever day in every way. For example, if you know someone who needs to be healed, talk about how Jesus is our healer. By speaking life, you can open the door to be able to pray with someone, and they can receive a miracle! Isn't it amazing that God can use our words as the gateway for someone else to receive from Him?!

• What you say matters
• What you say is what you get
• Watch what you say because it has an impact 

Life

Our lives are walking visual aids of the power of God, or a living example of Him. If we choose to live a life contrary to what the Bible tells us to do, we are choosing to lead for unrighteousness instead of righteousness. It is important to choose life in Christ so our lives are leading toward good things.

• Your life is important, so lead like it is, 1 Peter 2:9
• God has called YOU
• Live a life that is worthy to God, Romans 12:2

Your life is valuable because your life can save others; 

your life can save others because your life reflects Jesus.

Walk the Walk

Leadership can mean a lot of things. Below I've listed 7 things that are part of every leader's life. God will help us to maintain and manage these points in our lives when we keep Him at the center of all we do.

• Leadership = lifestyle
• Leadership = love
• Leadership = giving
• Leadership = time
• Leadership = focus
• Leadership = consistency
• Leadership = Godliness

In 2 Peter 1:3, the Bible says, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." God has called us to glory and virtue. The word "called" literally means to be called by name. As leaders, God is very detailed about our lives. He speaks to us directly about life, godliness, glory and virtue. Look at these definitions and think about how they apply to your life as a leader.

• Life - zoe life or the God kind of life; we are to live as copies of Christ as leaders (Ephesians 5:1)
• Godliness - reverence or respect; we should have a respect toward that is untouchable by people and things; we should also have self-respect and live in a way that shows the world we are confident in who we are (Romans 12:1-2)
• Glory - my opinion or view of God is that He alone is worthy; I live my life in a way that exemplifies my worship of Him in all things (Colossians 3:17)
• Virtue - thoughts, actions and ethics that are pure and modest at all times (1 Peter 1:16) 

When life, godliness, glory and virtue are maintained in your life, it's easy to keep the 7 leadership points working strong. Listen to God's voice as He calls you to greatness and be a leader everywhere you go!

Song Choice: "Jesus At The Center," Israel Houghton

FOS "First 5" and More

First 5
The 5 people who are done for the week with writing are: Reyna, Kyra Williams, Tahlia, Mirisa and Hailey. Great job!

The others who gave it a shot, just make the corrections and you're finished too.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Everyone Else
Galatians 5:22 says the FOS are:

1. Love - the God-kind of love
2. Joy - supernatural happiness from God
3. Peace - supernatural calm feelings on the inside
4. Long-suffering - patience
5. Gentleness - kindness
6. Goodness - not mean to people; a giver
7. Faith - believing in the unseen; our foundation as Believers
8. Meekness - not weakness; assertive, Godly leadership
9. Temperance - self-control

These are all character traits that Christians should have in their lives. Without these qualities, we do not stand out from the world. We are told to "come out from among them and be ye separate"
(2 Corinthians 6:17). To separate yourself means to live in a way that makes your life shine. You look, act, talk differently than the world. Your Life Look (Ephesians 5:1) is different than theirs because it is full of Godly characteristics.

* Think About It *
Is your Life Look different than the world's? Do you stand out for Jesus? What FOS are visible in your Life Look, and which ones do you need to work on a little bit more?

Make a choice to be a person full of the characteristics of God that set you apart for greatness. It's is amazing how God will promote people who get the Word in their heart. That's you!!

Discipleship: Fruit of the Spirit

The first 5 people to respond with chapter, verse and list all of the FOS is off the hook for posting the rest of this week and will get 10 points each toward the Water Balloon War on Friday. Who will it be?!

Discipleship: Be Like Mufasa

I enjoyed all of the groups that ministered today soooooooooooo much! Let me see if I can get the group names right this time:

1. Team He Lives
2. Team Chosen
3. God's Assistants
4. Team Ninja Spider Monkeys 

I think I got it this time!! Anyway, everyone put their heart into their time slots and conveyed strong messages from the Bible. I know it isn't always easy to get up in front of a crowd - especially one full of teens (wink, wink) - but you did it. Every time you do something in faith and something that may be a little uncomfortable, you stretch yourself. Stretching is a good thing. It keeps you growing and reaching for the things God has for your life. You just grew in the Spirit by ministering today! It was that easy.

Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." No matter what comes your way in life, always stay bold for God and pursue the best. If I can refer to the movie The Lion King for a moment, maybe it will help to paint a better picture. We are created to Mufasa's and not Scar's. Both are lions, but only one is strong and a good leader. Be a Mufasa (you can roar right here if you'd like).