#1 - Ask God to absolutely set you on fire…to ignite you with passion that consumes you so that you are not merely working in a job but fulfilling His vision for your life. People who work a job make a living…but people who are fulfilling their passion/calling make a difference! (See Jeremiah 20:9)
#2 - Make the decision that you are going to lead out of CONVICTION of the Holy Spirit rather than the CONVENIENCE of doing what is easy rather than what is right.
#3 - Beg God to allow you to see people the way He sees people. I think one of the fundamental problems in the body of Christ is that our eyes no longer see as His eyes see! However, if we take off our “church colored glasses” and begin to see the world the way HE sees it…it changes EVERYTHING! (See II Corinthians 5:16)
#4 - Make the decision that you don’t have to have all of the answers before you obey the voice of the Lord. I once heard Francis Chan say, “When I read the Bible it makes perfect sense not to know what is going to happen next!” THAT might be one of the most freeing statements I’ve ever heard! Hebrews 11:1 and Hebrews 11:6 have been HUGE for me personally in this regard. YOUR church can do EXACTLY what God has told you to do…GO FOR IT!
#5 - Understand that everyone is NOT going to understand you…and that you can’t make it your goal to make sure that everyone understands and approves. (See Galatians 1:10 and Proverbs 29:25)
#6 - Quit running to the online audience that will never darken the doors of your church to seek their approval. Enough said!
#7 - PRAY BOLD PRAYERS for your church! The early church prayed for boldness…we pray for safety. The early church prayed for people to come to Christ…we pray for sister so & so’s hangnail! The early church prayed for the church to expand and the Gospel to advance…we pray that we can keep our churches small and safe. Let’s BEG God for things to happen in our churches that are UNEXPLAINABLE and UNDENIABLE so that HE can receive ALL the glory!
#8 - STOP trying to be everyone else and be who God called you to be…your church should be a result of responding to the REVELATION of God and not the IMITATION of others!