The New Year is a time when people tend to look ahead, make goals, start fresh and consider trying new things. We want to lose weight, go to the gym, eat healthier or read more. Sometimes these New Year’s resolutions lead to the change we hope for, yet often our intentions are good, but our follow-through is not.
Maybe you also have goals in support raising you hope to reach this year: “This year I will add 5 people each month to my newsletter list. I will add three people to our financial support team this quarter, or I commit to personally meeting with each one of my givers before December.”
If we want to protect our Ministry Partner Development goals from suffering the same fate as our New Year’s resolutions, we need to dive deeply into a process leading to real change.
Let’s consider this cycle:
Sometimes when we enter into this process, we skip steps on accident. We go straight from reflection to action steps without considering the deeper issues we may need to change. I think sometimes the difference between change and action can be confusing. Change is the internal movement which allows for a shift in outward action.
Where would you like to see different actions take place in your own Ministry Partner Development?
Hypothetically, let’s say you’ve not added anyone to your team in a couple of months. You reflect on it, and want to take the action necessary to add more people. A lot of times when things are revealed to us through our reflection, we desire to immediately go into action and do something to change the negative things we see. When we do this, the usual result is more of a “New Year’s resolution” type change.
When we jump from reflection straight to action, without taking the time to really go deep and think about the change that needs to occur in our lives, our actions can be superficial and lack longevity. It is hard to go deep and actually think about change.
However, diving deep without asking God what He wants to change in the depths of your heart will result in actions being short-lived. It’s real change in our lives, a real desire to be different, renewed beliefs about who we are, who God is, and who others are, that are going to result in lasting action in our lives. That’s what we want.
The following is an example of how this could play out. Remember, there is no limit to how the enemy wants to lie to us. If the lie you believe is “every phone call you make is a relationship breaker,” you may fear you’re putting someone in a tough position of having to give money, just because you are friends. This fear could result in procrastination of even making the phone call, or a lack of follow through in asking for an increase when their name keeps coming to mind.
Take a moment and think through: “What is the lie I am believing?”
When we get really honest with ourselves about the lies we believe, we can start to realize we have forgotten God is the Provider, and He calls people to give. If we can go to God and realign our thoughts with His, we realize He provides. He is who people are giving to, not us. A lie is replaced by truth. Now new action steps are based on a rooted change and not just an “I’m going to try harder.”
Let us not become people who just make “New Year’s Resolutions” and try to produce fruit or action in our own strength. It will run out. Always.
Rather, take the time to dive deeper this New Year by listening to Support Raising Solutions Podcast, episode 14 on doing a Heart Check, or rereading Chapter two in The God Ask to help you fight the enemy. Allow the Lord to reveal lies that need to be replaced with truth. Let’s allow Him to change our beliefs from the core so we can bear fruit. Then, our action is less about what we do, and more about who we are in Him; it comes naturally. Jesus does His healing work. We can begin our Ministry Partner Development in 2019 with new action that will lead us all to deeper faith as we become spiritually healthy, vision-driven, and fully funded.
