Are You Leading Yourself Spiritually?

Start a “Huddle” this month & receive FREE swag!

“Huddles” are like small groups for small group point people & are found all over the world! The purpose of Huddles is to connect small group point people together a few times a year to build relationships, find encouragement & to share ideas & resources relating to small group ministry! Upon registering your Huddle online, we will mail you some official SGN swag & one of our leaders will follow up with you to provide you with all the support you need!

A quick guide to leading yourself better spiritually.

As of this coming August, I will have been in full-time ministry for ten years. In many ways, I feel like I am just starting my journey and figuring out which direction to march. That being said, I also feel as if this time has been filled with many wins and learning opportunities for growth. One of my greatest obstacles has been learning how to best lead myself and to do so with greater spiritual intensity. This past January I was involved in a spiritual retreat with Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida and it helped reshape the months that followed. Here are three quick takeaways that could challenge you to better lead yourself spiritually.

Remember the Sabbath

In my time of ministry, it has been easy to lose “off-days” or excuse away family time for work for God’s kingdom. Clearly, God states the importance of taking time to refresh and to do so intentionally. Over the last six months, I believe I have observed a Sabbath each week and I know it has strengthened my relationship with God, my family, and increased my leadership capacity. Jesus took breaks and time to reflect and so should I.

For the soul to be well, it needs to be with God.

John Ortberg, Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You

Shhhh… He’s Speaking

I recently followed through a book/ devotion guide that asked for several minutes of silence to begin and end the devotion. This was new, awkward, and somewhat difficult to embrace at the beginning stages, but I quickly learned the true value of purposefully sitting in silence. I found my mind and spirit far more open to scripture, prayer, and receptive to anything the Lord was impressing upon my life. As a result, our church staff is preparing to start the same devotional as we spiritually prepare for the coming season.

Simply put, God often speaks the loudest when we are the quietest.

Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

Consistently and Honestly Self-Assess

The first step in the path to better self-leadership is to consistently take moments of self-assessment. At the beginning of each month, I will take a morning to evaluate the previous weeks and determine what is working and what is not. This practice will shine a light on how my walk with the Lord is truly going and help better navigate where improvements can be made. I would challenge any believer to do the same, especially a one that is actively leading others into new realms of Christian growth.

Spiritual leadership emerges from our willingness to stay involved with our own soul – that place where God’s Spirit is at work stirring up our deepest questions and longings to draw us deeper into a relationship with him.

Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

No matter the length of your service or capacity in which you serve, growing in your walk with the Lord should always be the top priority. Take this blog as a challenge to find your own areas of growth. Maybe your takeaway is that you are doing great or maybe you need to find a new approach to hearing God’s direction for your life. No matter your personal situation, know that believers around the world are praying with you and for you and God’s kingdom is better because of your service to Him.

Author

  • John Tyler Black

    JT is the Small Groups Pastor at Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, GA. He enjoys connecting families with others and the local church. When he is away from the desk, he enjoys being with his family and all things basketball.

Have a question or an insight? Leave it below!

Upcoming Events

Feb

Feb 20-22: The LOBBY Gathering SoCal
Learn More

Related

Follow Us

Sign up for our Newsletter

Daniel Thomas

Connections Director

423-534-9321

daniel@smallgroupnetwork.com

Daniel serves as Executive Pastor at Community Church of Mountain City, TN.  Daniel and his family are on a mission to establish roots within their community, fight for peace and serve well.  He serves as our Connections Director in laying the groundwork for Circles. He loves great coffee and traveling with his wife Tia and two children, Deklan and Aden

ACCELERATE! Hawaii

Pricing: 

Individual Registration – $209.00

Team of 2 Registration (price per person) – $199.00

Team of 3 or more Registration (price per person) – $189.00

*Registration ends on Nov 8th, 2021. Walk-in registrations are not available.