⁴⁶And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. -Luke 2:46

I’m recognizing that a key to growth and success is the environment you are in. The environment you were raised in,  the environment you work in, and the environments you choose to put yourself in.

The environments you position yourself in will be a determining factor on whether or not you succeed in life.

I’ve been so blessed to be in the leadership environment at Victory Family Church for the past few years. Here are some things I’ve noticed about leadership environments that work:

1.) They make you better than you really are -this can be a downfall. If we’re not careful we’ll think we’re amazing, when really, we’re just in an amazing environment where leadership is valued. We must be humble and learn as much as we can about why the environment works, so we can apply it when we enter a non-leadership environment.

2.)They Empower You to Lead – They don’t have micro-managers, they have leaders that empower you to make decisions, hear from God, develop your team, and leverage your creativity.

3.) They Don’t Let You Settle - There is accountability for results. They demand the best out of you, give you honest feedback consistently, and coach you when you need coached.

4.) They allow you to Grow - Personal growth is highly valued. Growth opportunities are available for you.

5.) They Allow you to Fail – If you’re in the right environment, you’ll feel safe failing. Just remember to learn from your failure and not to repeat it!

5.) They Teach you to Create Leadership Environments – It’d be easy to leave a leadership environment  think it will be just as easy to lead wherever we go. It won’t. We must learn how to create a leadership environment that works and the only way I know of to to do that is by seeing on modeled and being a part of it.

I know that one day, I’ll have to create a leadership environment on my own, and I’ll have to rely on what I learned while I was in one.

So, my question for you is:

Are you in a leadership environment? If you’re not, I’d consider finding one to be a part of. Find mentors who are currently in one, join a local leadership network, or visit organizations where there is a leadership environment.

I’ve been in leadership environments and I’ve been to places without them, there is no comparison. You’ll never be all that you can be unless you’re in an environment that will make you all you can be.

Thoughts?

⁹ You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. ~Haggai 1:9

Does it ever seem like you’re doing everything you should be doing, and seeing no results? You’re sowing, you’re serving, you’re sacrificing, and still . . . you reap nothing. You say to God, “God in Matthew 6:33 it says if I seek your Kingdom first, you’ll add all these things to me. I’m doing that and getting no results!”

If you’re in that position, I would reevaluate whether or not you’re REALLY putting His Kingdom first.

God’s been pressing me with a question that I want to challenge you with: “Are you focused on building your kingdom or God’s?

If we’re not reaping like we should, getting our needs met, and walking in God’s best, I’m willing to bet that we’re not focused on building the right Kingdom, odds are, we’re trying to build our own, and all of our efforts are and will be in vain.

Let’s all make a commitment that everyday we’ll have one focus: Building God’s Kingdom. If we do, I promise, that God will follow through on His promise of having “all these things will be added to you.”

God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:10,11

When people have asked me what God’s been doing in my life recently, the only thing I can tell them is I feel like every morning God is setting me on a golf tee and sending me sailing!

It seems everyday I’m finding areas where God is saying, “Step it up here, don’t do that, do this.” He’s putting people in my life that are telling me things I don’t want to hear, but need to hear. And if I’d be completely honest, it’s tough. It feels like everyday all I’m seeing is how much I have to work on, how far I have to go, etc. and at times it’s completely overwhelming. Anyone else ever feel like this?

“You can tell your on the path to success, it’s uphill all the way”

I believe this is a result of me asking God to develop me as quickly and as solidly as possible. Keith Moore prayed that, and went through a season of intense development, and when he got overwhelmed, he cried out to God, “God this is too much!” God spoke to his heart, “You asked for it!”. That’s exactly how I feel right now!

I heard Keith Moore say once “If you want God’s direction, you need to be open to His correction.”

I’m in a position where I can either look at all the areas I need to develop in, get overwhelmed, and quit . . . or I can stand up and be a man, do whatever it takes, swim upstream, go against the grain, and allow the grace of God to help me navigate through the changes I need to make.

I’m choosing to swim upstream. It won’t be easy. It will be uphill all the way. But I’m up for the challenge. I want God’s best in my life and I’ll do whatever He leads me to do to get there. And I know, that though it may be painful in the moment, when I get through to the other side, I’ll be so grateful that God loved me enough to correct me.

Will you join me?