iWork4Him PowerThought

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? I thought so. Step one of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is the most powerful step you can take at work to transform your workplace and your heart. Prayer - Start praying for those you work alongside every day. Pray for your co-workers, bosses, and employees by name. You can even pray for their spouses and kids. After you have done this for a few months, have a conversation like this "Hey, I have been praying for you, is there anything I can pray about specifically?" 1 Timothy 2:1 says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them". Start Praying today and watch the transformation begin.

There is a revolution at hand. It's the faith and work revolution. The Lord is moving powerfully through the marketplace to bring people to Him. Are you a part of it? .... How about your pastor? Your church? How can you bring your pastor into the faith and work movement? .... Ask them to come and pray with you in your work, in your workplace, vs. at church or in a restaurant. Invite them into YOUR daily ministry. Review your work week with them and ask for prayer and blessings on it. You'll open up a whole new world to them by introducing THEM to your daily workplace ministry. What day next week will YOU invite YOUR PASTOR into YOUR WORKPLACE?

One of the best questions I've heard in a long time that's making me really stop and think about my personal and professional leadership is: Am I a leader worth following? .... That type of introspective question is foundational to the health of not only a leader, but a Christian, and then doubly as "a Christian leader". That question forces us to look objectively at WHO we are being as we lead. It is often said the WHO is more important than the HOW. That's leadership Jesus-style. WHO Jesus is, is our leadership model, not a "HOW TO" book. .... If you lead a team in your workplace, we challenge you to share this question with your team and management, and have them answer it.

We all have a calling, have you heard this before? Some of us get called to the pulpit and some to the foreign mission field but most of us get called to our cubicles, construction sites, care facilities or whatever your job site may be. Your Workplace, It's your mission field and in that mission field, you and me, we may be the only Jesus our co-workers, employees and bosses may ever meet. That Job that you hold and the work that you do, and the people that you work with, none of that is by chance. The people that you work with need to meet Jesus and you may be their only chance. So, as you contemplate the value of your work today, realize this…You don't need to quit your job in order to go into fulltime ministry. You are already in fulltime ministry, right there where you work.

The power of two or more. Isn't it amazing how working alone to change something, like culture, seems daunting, and then we partner with another person, and soon the work is moving forward? James Davidson Hunter said in his book To Change The World," Whether it be for good or bad, cultures change when small groups of leaders work together for common causes to influence the culture from the top down." Where around you does culture need changing? Are YOU willing to be involved in a group of leaders focused on changing culture, in your work, in your profession, in your community? If not, WHY NOT? .... We encourage you to get involved in a small group to change culture. It's our responsibility, it's biblical and it's the Kingdom work we are all called to do.

What's keeping you from living completely in the spirit at work today? It all starts in the heart. Here are two roadblocks that keep our heart from being set in the spirit. One, our pride, which puts our priorities ahead of God. Versus what is required of us: humbleness. Submitting our will to Christ. The second roadblock is Fear. FEAR has been described as False Evidence Appearing Real. Scripture tells us there is only ONE person to fear and that is God. Deuteronomy 13:4

Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. Won't you commit to work from living completely in the spirit today, and to cast aside all fear and pride?

In the workplace, we often think that the leaders are the ones that have a management title. But is that really true? I have worked with and for many people with a title, who were not leaders. Leaders are people that positively influence and impact the people around them. And a Christian Leader is one who exhorts, empowers and impacts other's lives, as a Christ follower should, to glorify God. If you impact people around you, YOU are a leader. What will you do today, to own the title "leader" and lead in a way that glorifies your father in Heaven? Psalm 78:72 encourages us He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

It's lonely at the top. That's the old adage. But does it have to be? God built us to be in community. That doesn't stop when we're put in a position of authority (meaning we have the power to influence the thoughts, opinions, and behaviors of others). The world says when we are in "authority" we have "arrived" to a place where we have no need of additional voices, learning or growth. If anything, that position makes it even MORE important that the leader is in community with people who can hold them accountable, speak into their lives, and to encourage and edify them. And listening and receiving feedback is a part of being in community. John Maxwell once said that every day, he goes up to a team member and asks them "How can I be a better leader for you today?" .... Who will YOU ask that question of in your workplace today?

Heard a great quote about leadership recently: That the first step in being a good leader is being a good follower. I don't know about you, but being a follower is NOT one of my top strengths. That sounds like, in order to be a good leader, we must be willing to be led. That in order to be a good leader, we must be willing, and actually have people speaking into our lives and leadership. Not what most of us think about when we think about our own leadership and how to develop it. Do YOU have someone in your life, that you allow to speak into it? Are YOU willing to be a Proverbs 9:9 person? Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Won't you pray today, that you would be willing, to have another person speak into your life and leadership?

It used to be that absenteeism was a problem in the workplace. Today it's the opposite: It's called "Presentee-ism". Employees are showing up, but not mentally present and focused on their work. Their worries about children, aging parents, marriage, or finances, are limiting their ability to concentrate. Per a Forbes 2018 study, it's costing U.S. companies $150 billion a year. A company's leadership can't spend all day ministering to their employees, nor can HR. So what's the answer? One answer is to look at adding a chaplaincy to your workplace. Their only job is to confidentially listen, support and walk alongside the staff. Galatians 6:2 encourages us to Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Won't you pass this idea along to your management today?