Kingfisher leadership news December 2017

Kingfisher Leadership

1st December 2017

Kingfisher Leadership news At the end of this year, take a moment to pause and reflect.

What has the Lord achieved in and through your life and ministry this year?

Selah!

Leaders tend to be ‘forward-focussed’, with their sights set on the challenges, opportunities and dangers that lie ahead.However, there is a lot of Here are a few of my highlights insight and wisdom to be - what does your gained by leaders learning to ‘highlight list’ look like? reflect. As the Psalmist says, "Let all that I am praise the • 76 people dedicated and LORD; may I never forget the baptised in the SELAH: good things he does for Philippines me." (Psalms 103:2 NLT).

MAY I NEVER There is great power in • 18 pastors ordained in FORGET the pausing, and in the Bible the Malawi and Mozambique word used for pause - selah power of the • The Dumagat Education is used 74 times, which just pause Project launched in the underlines how important it is.

Philippines For leaders, pausing to reflect is crucially important.

• The Fellowship of the King churches in Spain It is in reflecting on and welcomed into the International remembering the unfailing love of the Lord that we Family find the courage to step forward and move into the • Over 30 people graduated from our discipleship training program in the Philippines • ‘The God of Promise’ published in June, now being read around the world • Bibles and mosquito nets being distributed in Mozambique, saving lives, both physically and spiritually.

new things that God is calling us to. How can we use selah effectively to build our confidence and courage as leaders? Here are three challenges that help us to pause, which result in growth in the area of leadership: Reflect: what has God challenged and changed in your life?

We talk a lot at Kingfisher about life change, and it is relatively easy to see that life change...in other people. The hard thing is to identify it in ourselves.

1

Kingfisher Leadership

The reason for that is that we can still see so much that hasn't changed, so we feel like nothing has changed. We feel like we're getting nowhere. But that's just not true, because we're on a journey with change happening all the time. Generally, at least in my experience, the change comes in the wake of the challenge, and the challenge is generally in the area of giving something up; an attitude, a habit, a crutch that I've been leaning on, an assumption that has become a limitation. Change comes as I choose to respond to the challenge to lay that down, give it up. We are on a journey of shedding what holds us back.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." (Hebrews 12:1 NLT) Reflect: How has God rescued you in the darkest moments?

We can learn a great deal and grow a great deal by reflecting on those times. Those times when we felt we were drowning, that hope was extinguished, that there just seemed no way forward, no way back and staying where we were wasn't an option either. That place of no hope. Remember it?

But God rescued you. You know He did because you're still here. Still living; still breathing. You got through that darkest of times. Not on your own and not by your own determination. God was there. He stepped in and somehow gave you the courage and the encouragement to keep going, one step at a time. "Lord, give me today my daily bread". I just need your power for today.

And because I have chosen to take the stand 'May I never forget', I recall that He has rescued me in the past and that He will do it again.

Saturday, October 10th 2015 10am - 4pm

1st December 2017

"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.

Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." (1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG) Reflect: what are you trusting Him for right now?

You may not have had your breakthrough yet, but that does not mean that the breakthrough isn't coming. It may have been going on for so long that you are more than tempted to give up and stop believing, but this isn't God's ability in question here, or his interest in blessing you with a breakthrough; it is his very character.

Because He has said, He will. That's what the psalmist was hanging onto even when things were desperately difficult: "I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations." Selah. (Psalms 89:3-4 NASB) What are YOU trusting him for right now? Pause and reflect on this. Beyond the doubt and the pain of waiting lies the issue of God's character.

Not His ability. Not His interest. Not even His feelings about you. His character. He is a God who keeps His word. He is a God who is well able to say 'no' and say it loud and clear, and so if He hasn't said a loud and clear 'no', there is every reason to believe that the 'yes' is on its way. In fact, whenever your circumstances say 'no' or the outcome before your eyes says 'no', you are one step closer to God's 'yes'. How do you keep yourself positive until the 'yes' comes? Selah...you pause and reflect. Not on the circumstances and not on the thing you are so desperately hoping for or needing, but on the character of God. Reflect - remind yourself of His character Remember - all that He has done in the past Restate - your trust in Him. He is the Lord and He does not change!

2

Come to receive a fresh touch from