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Article – Killer Confidence

Researcher/ Writer: Keith Badgett

Subject: Crash Course in Killer Confidence – Allow Your Greatness to Shine!

  1. Describe the correct way this is done:

Every leader is given a 360-degree realm of influence.  We are called to speak truth and life, and direction into each degree of space.  The way we feel and display our self conveys a message to others in either a positive or a negative way.   Let’s discuss four directional leadership strategies to increase your confidence and empower you to serve with more passion, focus, and drive.

  • Inside – Have your identity in Christ and only He can give eternal assurance.
  • Upward – Have certainty towards those who lead or manage you.
  • Downward – Have faith in the volunteers you lead.
  • Sideways – Giving and receiving encouragement from those around you.

 

  1. Inside Confidence – We must always begin with our relationship with Christ. From Him, all the wellspring of life comes. Continuous time in the Word (15 minutes or more outside of lesson prep) and fervent prayer will keep a leader fresh, assured, and ready for the day.
  2. Upward Confidence – Display certainty towards those who manage you. It is important that your boss or manager develop a trust in you. Dress, speak, and act in a way that will carry out your ministry.  Always fulfill your word.  Quickly admit fault and aim to correct the situation.  Later on, a healthy relationship in this area can develop many good fruits.
  3. Downward Confidence – Primarily a church workforce is volunteer. The pay is lousy. The hours can be hard.  How can you keep volunteers motivated to work when they can literally quit when they want to?  Be a leader worth following.  Empower workers to own and run with ministry.  Layout the vision of your ministry with enough detail where your leadership stays on track.  Equip the saints to fulfill their ministry.
  4. Sideways Confidence – Do your relationships and friendships give life to you or take life from you? Sideways leadership is often times the most unmaintained area of leadership. Ministers give a lot of themselves to others and that can be draining.  Positive relationships where we are mutually giving and receiving encouragement enriches our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This directly effects other ministry areas.  Do not fall into the temptation of isolation.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that a cord of three strands is stronger than a strand on its own.

 

2. Illustrate or outline the wrong way this is done:

Here’s a list of confidence killers that are sure to smother ministry and drain you as a leader:

  1. Pride – Proverbs 11:2, James 4:6
  2. Excuses – Exodus 4:10 – 14
  3. Insecurity – Song of Solomon 4:7, John 10:10
  4. Organization – Acts 4:32 – 35
  5. Over micromanaging – Ephesians 4:11 – 12
  6. Unresolved conflict – Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 4:26
  7. Avoidance – Proverbs 15:1, Matthew 18:15 – 17
  8. Lying – James 5:12, Proverbs 19:9

 

3. How to correct this:

How does a leader know when their assuredness is out of sync? Here are some questions that will help assess each of the four areas of confidence:

1. Inside Confidence

  • When was the last time I spent 15+ minutes dwelling in God’s Word?
  • Do I have a healthy prayer life?
  • Is there any sin in my life that I need to confess?
  • Is God telling me to do something or not to do something and I’m disobeying?
  1. Upward Confidence
  • Am I convinced the leadership above me has my best interest at heart?
  • When was the last time I prayed for those in leadership around me?
  • Do I seek the approval of man more than the approval of God?
  • Is there anything unresolved between you and those who lead you? If so, what should you do about it?
  1. Downward Confidence
  • Am I insecure in front of those I lead? Why or why not?
  • Does the organization of my ministry reflect my absolute best?
  • What areas am I micromanaging? What are some ways I can empower others in order to hand off God’s ministry, not my ministry?
  • How have I served my volunteers lately?
  1. Sideways Confidence
  • Do the relationships that surround me give life or take life from me?
  • What is the current status of my family? (i.e. parents, marriage, children, grandchildren, etc.)
  • Who would be considered my best friend? If it is difficult to come up with an answer for this question, have I been praying God will send me a support system?
  • How have I been a good friend to others recently?

 

 4. How to keep this correct:

How can a confident leader maintain healthy relational equity all around them? 

For those who are married, make sure your relationship with your spouse becomes priority number one.  Often times, spouses can become a sounding board for sermons, ministry thoughts, or ideas and can help refine them before the actual presentation!

For those not married, creating long lasting and valuable friendships to keep you accountable is the key.  You don’t want to surround yourself with an “echo chamber” that repeats back your own ideas and preferences.  We all need someone who can gently push back in order to better us as ministers.

Lastly, of all the aspects of confidence mentioned, the most important is a continued identity founded in Jesus.  From this all else springs forth.  Want confidence in staff meetings, public speaking, or managing a team?  Ask God to position your heart closer to Him.  He loves to give generously!

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