Leaders Who Don’t Quit
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Dr. Frank Damazio
Intro:
There are times as a leader that mild discouragement can turn into a prolonged
discouragement that can be dangerous to the leader’s spirit. The prolonged discouragement may be completed with critics, people who resist your leadership, you feel you are over your head with complex things, and more things happen.
Then you may experience Joshua 7:10 (NIV) The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?” It was a combination of events with the people that ended up bad. The pressure put him on his face and God needed to speak, “get up” and stand on your feet. Leaders don’t quit!
Nehemiah had all the pressures to quit, to come down from his wall and his mission. God put in his heart a right perspective. Let us look at Nehemiah 6:3.He didn’t quit and you can’t quit!
3 so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”
“I’m doing a great work, I can’t come down.”
“I’m doing a great work! Why should I stop?”
“I’m doing an important work and can’t go down there.”
“I am doing, engaged in a great work and I can’t come down.”
“My work is too important to stop now and go down there... I can’t afford to
slow down the work.”
Stay: The attitude that keeps you on the wall and other distractions off of the wall.
Point 1
TAY REQUIRES AN ACCURATE MINISTRY PERSPECTIVE
A. The Insignificance Problem
Insignificance is feeling unnoticeable, not drawing any attention, feeling that work is a meaningless endeavor, you are of little importance or influence or power; minor status.
When leaders are convinced they are insignificant and doing an insignificant work, they hit a discouragement wall, emotional drain, feel they don’t matter, freeze in this state. Drive and energy leaves.
B. Your perspective on your ministry can take you off the wall or keep you on the wall.
I am doing an adequate work
I am doing an average work
I am doing an important work
I am doing a great, significant, meaningful work!
C. Insignificant Ministry
If we feel insignificant in our ministry, sense of workless effort, there is no win, nothing seems to be moving the right direction to make this a great work, then we will suffer deep discouragement.
“Never underestimate the importance of the things that seemingly are insignificant to the big deal. Circumstances have a way of bringing the importance of all things to light.
Point 2
STAY GRASPS THE INWARD WORK OF GOD
A. Your grasp of the work of god in you and through you will keep you on the wall,
The work of God is something being done in you. It’s a work that is dynamic movement inside the leader. The work is first in you before it is through you.
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Weymouth: For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.
God is working in you deeply, with grace, with influence, with power
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
B. Believing the work in you will go through you.
The labor of God in and through me must be a fresh labor
The energy of God in and through me must be updated and ready for today
The activity of God in and through me must be grace-driven and grace- filled
The divine operation of God in and through me must be of supernatural origin
The effective power of God in and through me
The creative power of God in and through me
Point 3
STAY DISCERNS THE MIDDLE GROUND
Neh. 6:3, (VOICE): I am in the middle of a great work and cannot be interrupted....
Understanding the “inthemiddle” ministry experience.
Pivotal time: the middle.
If we feel like what we are doing, building, giving our life to is a failure, we suffer a deep motivation killer, no wins
Never quit something with great long-term potential just because you can’t deal with the stress of the moment
If we feel like quitting, realize that everyone has that feeling at times
Point 4
STAY PRACTICES STRATEGIC QUITTING
Your ability to practice strategic quitting will keep you on the wall
A. StrategicQuitting
Quit “being mediocre”
Quit “changing lines!”
Quit “waiting around”
Quit “unfruitful methods”
Quit “the good”and go after the great
Quit “micro managing people”
Quit “surrounding yourself” with people just like you.
Quit using cruise control.
Quit stopping too soon. Remember why you started and then push forward.
B. Strategic Quitting Is Strategic “No”
Point 5
STAY FOCUSES BEYOND KILLER DISTRACTIONS
Neh. 6:2 ...invitation to the plains of “Ono”
A. Ono Is Distractions, Come Down and Compromise, Deviate From Work
B. Distractions Recognized
Taking our eyes off of what really matters
1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.
Church was strong
Disciples multiplying
Need was real
Primary tasks challenged
Momentum was at risk
Clarity was found
C. Traction Decisions or Distraction Decisions
“Opportunity creep” – all positive opportunities leaders face and are tempted to say yes too much
Jim Collins: “Like an artist who pursues both enduring excellence and shocking creativity, great companies foster a productive tension between continuity and change. On the one hand, they adhere to the principles that produced success in the first place, yet on the other hand, they continually evolve, modifying their approach with creative improvements and intelligent adaptation.”
Point 6
STAY REFUSES TO DEFEND PROVEN MOTIVES
5 The fifth time—same messenger, same message—Sanballat sent an unsealed letter
6 with this message: “The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it’s true—that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That’s why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king
7 and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, ‘There’s a king in Judah!’ The king is going to be told all this—don’t you think we should sit down and have a talk?”
8 I sent him back this: “There’s nothing to what you’re saying. You’ve made it all up.”
2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
NET: All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the LORD evaluates the motives.
A. Your Motives Matter
Motives – that which is at the root of all actions, impelling action
Motives will be questioned by far away and close friends, workers and people.
Questions to ask:
God can hit home runs with broken bats and bad motives, but He chooses to correct the motives and not keep hitting home runs with broken bats.
B. No Need To Defend A Pure Motive - Defenseless
Defensive attitude and behavior is detrimental to your leadership and will cost you in the long run.
Defensivenessiswhenyoufeelyouhavetorationalize,explain,defendand make excuses about an action or yourself; explaining why you have to do things the way you do.
Defensiveness is treating questions like attacks on you, responding with unnecessary remarks. This is getting one foot off the wall.
Defensiveness is seen when we withdraw, deny, avoid conflict at all costs by simply avoiding everyone and anyone. If you think they question your heart you just avoid them.
Defensivenessisnotneededanddoesnothelpyoustayonthewall.Keep your motive pure, believe in your sincerity, let the critics fall to the ground.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
Point 7
STAY FIRMLY GRASPS THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
A. WhenYouLoseFocus
Stuck in reaction mode
Feeling busy but unproductive
Task lists always rolling over and over
Activities-oriented instead of results-oriented
Can’tmakeaconnectionbetweenyourministryactivitiesandyourvision- purpose
B. ThingsThatMatterMost
Your heart right with God filled with God
Your relationships kept pure, healthy and growing
Your ministry dedicated to serving the purpose of God
Your commitment to preaching the gospel clearly today
Your life focus edon discipling those who need it
Your dream kept alive through prayer and faith
Your commitment to give 100 percent to ministry and the church where you are