We are wired to want to do great work. Work looks different for each of us. You could be working for someone or working for yourself, being paid for your work or volunteering, hiring people or looking for a job yourself, serving inside the home or outside of the home. Regardless of what work means for you, the traits to thrive as a worker approved by God are consistent. Jesus is looking for great workers. Where He has us is where we are to strive to do great work. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” Leadership traits learned through the Word of God will help you become a stronger worker for the Lord. Leadership guru Simon Sinek says, “How you do anything is how you do everything” and leadership is key across much of our activities. Nehemiah was placed into a world where critical leadership traits were required to accomplish what seemed to be an insurmountable task. We can learn from his journey from project inception to completion to the days following. #1 - Ground in truth Start every day in the Word of God. The Word will give you nothing but truth. Before even implementing the plan, Nehemiah grounds the workers in truth. He reminds them that, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”, Nehemiah 4:14b. #2 - Seek vision through prayer and fasting Vision is a trait for great workers of the Lord. Crafting vision informed by the Lord can only be achieved by Him being a part of your life. James 4:8a says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” God will bless the vision. We must stay close to His Word, His people, and His mission to see where we are going and leading. (*for more on Nehemiah's vision) #3 - Strive to thrive where God has you You need to do the job you’ve been given to the best of your ability. God has you where you are for a kingdom purpose whatever that work may look like. #4 - Create plans to protect from risk Depending on how in front of the likelihood of a risk coming to life you may be, you could have the luxury of a plan created over a long period of time. However, it may need to be crafted in a moment. Regardless, ask God to provide wisdom in plan making and create the plan. God will provide for every need. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”, Philippians 4:19. (*for more on Nehemiah's focus on risk) #5 - Execute risk plans A plan on paper not practiced or executed is simply words. Nehemiah communicated the plan. He then divided the workers into those building with tools in hand and those protecting with weapons in hand. Because of the great distance they were covering, he also had someone ready to sound the trumpet in case they were attacked. #6 - Keep your senses, body, and mind strong for discernment We are given five main senses. Keep your eyes, ears, nose, skin, and taste at the ready to make sure things are “right”. Maintaining your physical health helps keep these senses in check. #7 - Trust the Holy Spirit always When you get that feeling that something just isn’t right in the middle of your gut, it’s likely the Holy Spirit telling you to do something. #8 - Buy time when making big decisions It is OK to ask for more time to decide, as long as you are prepared for an answer of no when a decision must be made quickly. (*for more on Nehemiah's example of pausing) #9 - Listen intently and pay attention to your surroundings Pay attention to what is going on around you when making a decision. Listen, pause, and then respond. God gave us two ears and one mouth so we will listen twice as much as we speak. #10 - Know yourself well enough for when you need a pause “When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. And when you pause, pray”, Toby Mac. #11 - Say hello and call people by name The best place to start is simply with a name. One of the most common leadership training curricula is through Dale Carnegie. A quote in that training that has stuck with me for years is, “Using a person’s name is crucial, especially when meeting those we don’t see very often. Respect and acceptance stem from simple acts such as remembering a person’s name and using it whenever appropriate.”. The sweetest sound to someone is their name. (*for more on Nehemiah's understanding of people ) #12 - Ask open-ended questions to get to know people Learn about the thoughts, stories, opinions, and experiences of others. Using keywords like "tell me about...", "what do you think about...", "share about a...", "how do you..." can prompt a longer response than a "yes, no, or maybe". #13 - Flow kindness in every encounter Kindness always wins. You can never be too kind to those you are around. Choose kindness. "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.", Proverbs 21:26. #14 - Stay motivated Stay motivated and thrive where God has you. You need to do the job you’ve been given to the best of your ability. God has you where you are for a kingdom purpose whatever that work may look like. #15 - Show patience and grace Just because you know the answer doesn’t mean that you always need to be the one to provide it. Let others have some limelight. "The one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him.", Proverbs 18:17. #16 - Keep a positive attitude Maintain a positive attitude throughout the journey. Your attitude directly connects to how well you do your work. (*for more on great leadership traits) #7 - Recognize opposition for what it is Spiritual warfare is a real thing and Satan will use all forms of attack in opposition. Recognize the attack for what it is. It can show up in your life as conflict, mental strife, or pain. (*for more on leading through opposition) #8 - Refrain from quick responses of defense Don't respond without pausing. God may tell you to do nothing. If you are led to take any action, know he’s standing by your side. Pausing and praying is exactly what Nehemiah did when he heard there were people against the building of the wall. “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.”, Nehemiah 4:9 #9 - Repeat scriptures in heat moments Repeat the scriptures of your heart and use them to cry out to God for help in times of opposition. Psalm 34:17 tells us to cry to the Lord for help; He will hear us; He will deliver us. #10 - Respect God as your helper in the battles God is the ultimate partner in times of adversity and opposition. Respect God as your helper towards the other side of the opposition,. Alone, we can’t fight Satan in our lives. Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” #11 - Recognize the basic wrongs of humanity Stand up for what is right and take care of those in need. Luke 3:11 says, “And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” (*for more on leading in crisis) #12 - Demonstrate great reasonableness and restraint in anger Anger is a natural emotion but keep it at bay. "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.", Proverbs 29:11. Know that others may have a better way to do something. Listen and learn from others. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.", Proverbs 16:25. #13 - Provide history lessons History repeats itself and people don't always remember where they have come from. Nehemiah reminds the leaders that their entire people group had just escaped slavery and now were being enslaved by their own people. Nehemiah 5:8 says, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.” #14 - Leverage facts when pointing out wrongs Next Nehemiah clearly states that “what you are doing isn’t right” (v9). He makes it clear to them that the people are broke, starving, and enslaved and that is wrong. #15 - Praise the Lord when He moves God will get you on the other side of whatever is opposing you. He will tell you to keep going, change something, or stop. Regardless of the outcome, praise Him. Psalm 106:1 says, "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" #16 - Finish the job with excellence When your time on earth is done, be able to say you finished strong. Commit where God has you, do the job He has you doing to the best of your ability, and rely on His power and strength to help you finish the job strong. (*for more on finishing strong) #17 - Celebrate completion with Worship, Food, and Fun The book of Nehemiah could have ended with the wall completing, but no, the Word captures the celebration that followed (Nehemiah 8)! We see get to see the party! Great workers take moments to celebrate and appreciate a job well done. (*for more on celebration) #18 - Maintain the result To be a great worker you must be intentional with how you continue to maintain and develop yourself through care, maintenance, growth, learning, and adapting. As times change, the skills and mindset you have will need to adapt and improve through experiences, education, and exposure. This includes your spirit, body, relationships, possessions, and environment. (*for more on maintenance) #19 - Learn through failure After a record-breaking building project, times of celebration, and clear revival for the people of Jerusalem, in the final chapter of Nehemiah, the story turns for the worse. The moment their eyes ceased focusing on the Lord, Satan clearly took the opportunity to attack. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”, 1 Peter 5:8-9. (*for more on the end of Nehemiah) #20 - Understand the power of the flesh and our fallen world The best of leaders can only influence so far. The best of workers can only change the world only so much. Every human has the gift of freewill. It’s a place Satan loves to derail focus away from God. There is only so much we can control. Sometimes we must let people fail, and the lessons can be difficult. Sin is a vicious cycle. #21 - Let go and let God Thankfully, we have Jesus to cover our sin. We are all sinners: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23. We all need Jesus as our Savior. Nehemiah was a great leader and worker that led a people to success and strived to keep them abiding in the law. He followed his calling and led his community well. #22 - Live by example The fact is, people are watching. Make wise choices in all scenarios. When something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.", Proverbs 20:21. #23 - Show wisdom through humility Humility starts with submission to the Lord. Don’t let pride creep into your heart. There is no task that you are too good for. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.", Proverbs 11:2. #24 - Be content and thankful Be content and thankful for where God has you at the moment. He will meet your needs and you will have enough. "A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.", Proverbs 28:25. #25 - Keep going and growing When it's going well, keep going. When it gets tough, keep going. When it feels slow, keep growing. Excel at what you are doing and invest in where you want to go. #26 - Learn from every experience Learn from through experiences. You will make poor decisions. You will observe others making poor decisions. Always watch and learn because there is no doubt that no situation is new. Someone has gone through it. #27 - Stay grounded in Truth every day This list started with this trait and ended with this trait. There is nothing more important than the Word of God inflowing into your life. Grow your ability through the Word of God as your teaching guide. When you don’t know the answer to a question or action to take, turn to the Word. Jesus is the key to being a great worker. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”, Philippians 4:13. You can do anything and everything through Him. To go deep into these topics, visit Help Wanted – Great Workers of the Lord Series.
If you were blessed by this message be sure to share with others and subscribe so you don't miss a post. Subscribers are the first to receive new content each day.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorCategories
All
|