Your standing in a meeting, with several people surrounding you. Your heart stirs with a prophetic word for one of them that you are sharing conversation with.
What do you do? Boldly proclaim the word of the Lord to them or inwardly cringe in fear and keep your lips pursed in case on of the prophetic words pops out? Once again you have become crippled by myths of prophecy.
So what are some of these myths?
- No one really wants prayer much less a prophecy, so we mustn't bother them with one.
Looking into our own hearts it is easy to bust this one wide open. How many times have we ourselves longed with anticipation, hoping for someone to pray for us or share a personal and inspiring word from the Lord. People want to be encouraged and the Lord has equipped you to be his vessel to do just that. You will never know how impacting that word could be in their lives until you tell them what it is, so go ahead, speak out and believe that they want to hear it just as much as you need to give it.
- There will always be someone else more talented or better at bringing a word from the Lord, so it is better to wait for that someone to come along and bring it.
This is one of those lies hidden in a truth myths that always leads us up the wrong path and into a patch of prickly thorn bushes. Yes, there is normally always some one better at something than ourselves, but the truth is, are they going to be there right at the very same time as you, hearing the very same thing and willing even to go ahead and say anything. The likelihood is very small, and unless you step up and step into this opportunity you could be leaving to chance what God has desired to express into a persons life. It is your assurance that you will be able to say something that is effective and powerful, it is the quality of the seed, not the quality of the sower that counts.
- It is only a true prophetic word if it is given in a place and time specifically set aside for prayer and prophecy.
This is a myth that hinders many true words from God that he desires to be spoken into the lives of people and places, over and over again. God is not stuck in a rut, tied to times and places of our choosing. No he is an omnipresent God, everywhere, all the time, doing all sorts of exciting and interesting things and its about time we got onto his track and running his race. It could be in the most unusual places where we may feel the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit, go ahead run with it, you will always be pleasantly surprised at how God reaches down at that precise moment in time and speaks just what is needed to be heard.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
How to Win the Game of Influence.
Having your name in the national news for influencing hundreds of people into acting out their devotion to you is a sure sign of active influence. Some people may not like the idea of what is happening, but they would have to acknowledge that it is being successful.
So how to go about true, healthy influence?
1) Start with who you have got. Many people go and throw their nets out into the big wide wonder trying to fish for people they have never had an opportunity to get to meet much less influence. If you begin with the people who are closest to you, then you will always have the tip of their ear.
2) Be genuine. People can smell a shark a mile away. They are always on the lookout for someone who may want to do them over. So if your heart is in the right place, your motivations inline with integrity and your intentions as sweet as honey, you will win the hearts of those you speak with.
3) Be respectful. Not everyone is going to like, much less agree with what you have to say, not until you have had the chance to win their trust, and trust we all know is founded on respect. Treat people with dignity, with genuine love, giving them the courtesy that they deserve and they will open themselves up to you like a richly ornamented treasure chest.
4) Keep your eye on the ball. Influence can be a slippery slope, when you feel as though you are making ground, then your feet can skate out from underneath you, taking you into deep dark places that could be an utter mess to get out of, so don't sacrifice integrity for success, you will always end up with your face in the mud.
When playing the game, remember that it is a game of rules, break them and you will find yourself in a big world of consequences, but if you follow them, your growing influence can give you a wonderful opportunity to improve life for yourself and for others around you, help you make make a better world to live in, and most of all give meaning and purpose to all those that you touch and to all that you do.
So how to go about true, healthy influence?
1) Start with who you have got. Many people go and throw their nets out into the big wide wonder trying to fish for people they have never had an opportunity to get to meet much less influence. If you begin with the people who are closest to you, then you will always have the tip of their ear.
2) Be genuine. People can smell a shark a mile away. They are always on the lookout for someone who may want to do them over. So if your heart is in the right place, your motivations inline with integrity and your intentions as sweet as honey, you will win the hearts of those you speak with.
3) Be respectful. Not everyone is going to like, much less agree with what you have to say, not until you have had the chance to win their trust, and trust we all know is founded on respect. Treat people with dignity, with genuine love, giving them the courtesy that they deserve and they will open themselves up to you like a richly ornamented treasure chest.
4) Keep your eye on the ball. Influence can be a slippery slope, when you feel as though you are making ground, then your feet can skate out from underneath you, taking you into deep dark places that could be an utter mess to get out of, so don't sacrifice integrity for success, you will always end up with your face in the mud.
When playing the game, remember that it is a game of rules, break them and you will find yourself in a big world of consequences, but if you follow them, your growing influence can give you a wonderful opportunity to improve life for yourself and for others around you, help you make make a better world to live in, and most of all give meaning and purpose to all those that you touch and to all that you do.
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