"Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it." (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJ)

Vision is empowering to the leader who has it. The leader with vision believes not only that what he envisions can be done, but that it must be done.

First, the leader must be willing to stretch and grow himself to the size of the vision. Through faith in God and His Word, we get the right vision or dream. For it to become a reality it takes hard work, sacrifice and the right partners.

If a vision is from God it is bigger than you. And if it’s bigger than you, you are going to need God and people. Why would God ever give you a vision that doesn’t need Him?

Second, the leader must seek and find winners and potential winners to add to the team.

"Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch." (Acts 11:25-26)

• Winners are less sensitive to disapproval and rejection—they brush it off.
• Winners think bottom line.
• Winners focus on the task at hand.
• Winners are not superstitious—they say, “That’s life.”
• Winners refuse to equate failure with self-worth.
• Winners don’t restrict thinking to established, rigid patterns.
• Winners see the big picture.
• Winners welcome challenge with optimism.
• Winners don’t waste time in unproductive thought.

Once the winners are added to the team, they join others as the major influencers in the organization. Winning teams always play to win. They may lose occasionally but they always win in the end. They have learned how to turn a single victory into a series of victories. There is a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose.

God told Moses: “Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15).

2012 is our time to go forward; it’s a season of advancement for the church. General George S Patton’s motto was: We always advance; we never dig in.

Lastly, it is very important for the leader to mentor these winners. They should be exposed to great books (past and present), great places, great events and great people. They should find great ideas in you, the leader. They should be given opportunities that will cause them to stretch and grow, and even fail once in a while. Sometimes we can learn more from a failure than we can from a win.

Effective Mentors Must Be:

• Successful in their area of expertise.
• Secure in who they are.
• Generous and able to see potential in others (Proverbs 20:5; 11:24-25).
• Willing to take a risk on people (Eg. Barnabas took a risk on Paul when no one else would—Acts 9:26-27).

Emerging Leaders and Long Term Winners Must:

• Have a passion for personal growth and maturity.
• Be willing to work hard and sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
• Step out in faith taking the necessary opportunities and risks.
• Be faithful with that which is another man’s (Luke 16:12).

"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).

Reproduction is the principle of life. A Church or organization with only one leader soon disappears.

We are Victory Family—Home of Champions
It’s My Time to be a Winner on a Winning Team
2012 is Our Time to Win Big!

Victory is a multi-generational, multicultural, multinational, multifaceted, worldwide apostolic movement!

Dr. George Hill
President/Founder
VCI International

Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars. (Proverbs 9:1 NKJ)

A Church with one leader will soon disappear

You must be a pillar before you can hew out another pillar. It takes one to know one and it takes one to grow one. Wise master builders put teams together that make churches grow.

Team ministry works for everyone

• It works for the senior pastor. The work load is shared, freeing them up from the stress of leading a congregation by themselves.
• It works for team members by giving them more opportunities for growth and expression within their unique areas of calling. This enables new servant leaders to be developed, further strengthening and growing the church.
• It works for the congregation by more fully meeting their needs and at the same time equipping them for ministry and inspiring them to join in the work.

Team ministry provides a clear biblical pattern for church leadership that will encourage congregational growth without overwhelming the pastoral staff.

Benefits of Developing a Team Ministry

1. Facilitates total ministry: No one man has it all.

2. Brings variety to ministry: Different gifts help cover all the necessary areas of ministry: music, media, children, youth, administration, finances, helps, etc. Every person has their own unique passion—linking our passions together helps us to meet a greater diversity of needs.

3. Greater productivity: “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). This is the principle of synergy; we can accomplish so much more together.

4. Reiteration of truth: Truth is established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Another voice saying the same thing in a different way reinforces and clarifies truth.

5. Encourages new ideas: Most of the best ideas come from a team environment. It’s called creative collaboration! Creative people encourage and provoke others to think outside the box (see Proverbs 27:17).

6. Checks and balances: This brings accountability which protects against abuse of power, dishonesty and slothfulness (see 1 Peter 5:2-3).

7. Assures smooth transitions: Don’t do ministry alone, have an apprentice and train them how to do your job. This way if something happens to you there will be someone who can take off were you left off. It also prepares workers for new church plants.

8. Keeps you from majoring in mediocrity: You become mediocre by doing a little bit of everything, and not doing anything very well. Teamwork helps you to focus on what you are really good at.

9. Facilitates growth: Unlimited growth potential is determined by the quality of leaders you draw around you.

10. Preserves ministers from burn-out: By sharing the work load and the burden we maintain good spiritual, mental and physical health. We don't want to wear out, drop out or fizzle out. At the end of our life we want to be able to say like the apostle Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Let’s stay filled up, fired up, standing in our place, doing our part on the team.

Yours for the establishing of great ministry teams that will plant and grow great churches.

Dr George Hill
President and founder of Victory Churches International

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJ)

Strategy: “The science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.”

Warfare comes from the Greek word stratos from which we derive the word strategy. This informs us that warfare does not occur accidentally, but it is strategically planned. Just like any army plans its line of attack before the battle begins, the devil also plans a line of attack. He decides which methods he will use, and he has a well thought out plan to try to destroy us. But the word stratos doesn’t mean just the devil’s strategies. It means God’s strategies as well, and if we will listen to the Holy Spirit, He will give us a strategy that is superior to any schemes the devil can come up with. God’s strategies are far superior to the devil’s or man. However, in order to properly develop a plan of advance, we must also know how our enemy operates, so we are prepared when confronted.

Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.    (2 Corinthians 2:11)

The devil has four main strategies:
1. To wear you out so he can wipe you out.
2. To get you to reach for too much too soon.
3. To isolate you so he can devastate you.
4. To attack you at your weakest point.
So you’ve got to know what your weakness is, and protect it.

A good strategy is composed of five things:

1. Objectives: The basic purpose of the organization.
Victory Churches have three basic purposes that control what we do in the local church: Evangelism, Discipleship and Mobilization and three basic purposes that control what we do regionally, nationally and internationally: Leadership Development, Church Expansion and World Missions.

2. Goals: The specific ways in which the purposes of the organization will be measured and accomplished. Goals should be written frequently, they can change. Objectives remain the same, and they help to clarify our goals. We must set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Goals that are: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; and Timely.  

3. Priorities: The factors that determine when and why things are done.
One simple way of establishing priorities among all the goals you want to accomplish is by putting a value system on the goals:
a. Most important.
b. Somewhat important.
c. Not important at all.
Some priorities should be fixed in given time slots each week. That which is scheduled in is more likely to happen.

4. Planning: The process used to achieve the goals (Includes personnel, resources, obstacles, research and evaluation).

5. Guidelines: The moral and ethical framework in which the organization will seek to accomplish its goals. Guidelines keep us on track and faithful to our original commitments.

Two of Victory Churches basic guidelines:

a. Nothing shall be done which violates a principle of God’s Word.
b. All ministry and activities should be evaluated in the light of our objectives. This is a reminder to all of us to stick to the objectives, which in turn prevents us from wasting our most precious resources (time, money, energy and personnel) on things that are ultimately outside of our mandate.

With a strategy, we know why we are doing what we are doing. We stay focused and interested in what we are doing. We know what to do and how to accomplish it. With a strategy, we will not easily give up in a crisis.
God's strategies are far superior to the devil’s or man’s, so let’s stay tuned in to the voice of the Holy Spirit and receive:  

God's Winning Strategies for Breakthrough, Revival and Kingdom Expansion!
 
Yours for all of the above!
 
Dr George Hill
President and Founder
Victory Churches International

We are citizens of heaven and representatives of the Kingdom of God on the earth. 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2

What the world today will know about the kingdom of God is what they see demonstrated in our lives. The God you know is the God you show! That’s a big responsibility. But if we accurately represent Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit people will want what we have.

We have been given the word of reconciliation and also the ministry of reconciliation. If you have been reconciled to Christ, then you have the responsibility to become a disciple of Christ and reconcile others to Him—making them disciples of Christ (see Matthew 28:19-20).

What obstacle will an ambassador face?

In the past, foreign ambassadors had 2 or 3 year terms, because if they were to stay too long in a foreign country they would begin to be sympathetic to the nation’s culture and no longer represent their own country properly.

One underground cop demonstrated this compromise when he said, I was a cop disguised as a drug addict, but now I’m a drug addict disguised as a cop. As human beings we can fall into that same trap; but we have hope and help:

                                 …God working with them (Mark 16:16-20).

We should be co-laborers with God, not the enemy. If we are not careful we will get sucked into the world around us. But if we cooperate with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, then we have increasing power to minister life and reconciliation to the world around us.

What does an ambassador do?

• Represents the King and His Kingdom well. He is to be a reflection of him—if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the king.
• Knows the mind of the king—knows what he likes and what he dislikes.
• Stays in constant communication with the King.
• Keeps his heart set on the kings interests alone.
• He has the authority and trust of the king to speak on his behalf.
• He is ready for recall at a moment’s notice—I could be called home today.

What kind of ambassador are you?

Ambassadors in God’s kingdom must:

1. Think like a king.
2. Pray like a priest.

“And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10; 1:6).

1. Work with the heart of a servant.

[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men. …He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name (Philippians 2:7-9).

No one can make you a servant; they can make you a slave, but not a servant. We cannot make ourselves kings and priests; but when we make ourselves servants God raises us up and anoints us as kings and priests. Anointed kings think higher thoughts and anointed priests pray higher prayers that get real answers. And servants that are anointed to think like kings and pray like priest will bring a spiritual revival to our churches and another great awakening to the nations.

When God's people are truly revived and renewed spiritually, it results in a new vision for a lost and hurting world and a new commitment to reach out to those who do not know Christ. Evangelism is the fruit of revival.

Billy Graham said, “Evangelism is like one beggar telling another beggar where the bread is.“

Today is the day of salvation and the Lord is not willing that any perish.

As Christians we are all called to be Ambassadors for Christ and every local church is called to be a local expression of Christ to the community. Let’s do our best to make it hard for people to go to hell were we live.

Yours for the next Great Spiritual Awakening and end time harvest of souls!

Dr George Hill
President and founder of VCI

Great Visions require Great Partners with a Great Attitude. There is an attitude that surrounds a critical spirit and it’s easily transferred. After Israel’s leaders spied out the promised land, ten people influenced 3 million not to believe, and God left the whole group to wander around for 40 years.

Get around people of faith; what rubs off is faith, and it’s transferable. The early church were always either going into a crisis or coming out of a crisis, but in every crisis the Holy Spirit gave a solution that brought advancement. They had a God is Greater than...Attitude.

Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.     (1 John 4:4) 

Seven Manifestations of a God is Greater than Attitude from the Early Church.

1.      There is no wound deep enough to kill us or stop us.

Paul was stoned; it didn’t kill or stop him. Paul didn’t get bitter…he got better (Acts 14:19-20). 

2.      There is no difference great enough to divide us.

There were doctrinal problems (Acts 15:30-31). They were willing to work them out through being open honest and teachable. They all wanted the mind of Christ not their own way!

3.      There is no prison strong enough to contain us.

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for doing God’s will (Acts 16:25-26). They didn’t start criticizing God, or blaming one another or complaining or asking why did this happen to us? No-they began to sing praises to God, the prisoners heard them and God sent an earthquake into their cell that brought the birthing of the first church in Europe.

4.      There is no road long enough to weary us.

They traveled to many places—Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and the Regions of Galatia—on foot, donkeys, camels and boats (Acts 18).

5.      There is no devil big enough to scare us away.

There are lots of adversaries here…I think I will stay awhile (see Acts 19:28; 1 Corinthians 16:8-9).

6.      There is no red tape sticky enough to bind us.

There were all kinds of governmental problems, jail, court cases and litigation (see Acts 21-26).

7.      There is no shipwreck serious enough to sink us.

Paul was shipwrecked, but all 276 people on the ship were saved (Acts 27:25, 37, 44).

Every one lost hope but Paul, Why? He was a Victory Man—he had faith in a good God and in His Word. These are Victory Attitudes that come from having a Victory Spirit—one that believes the best, looks for the good and is willing to take a risk on people.

These are seven declarations of a Victory Spirit, they could be called our Victory Creed!

Yours for the attitude that gives leaders Victory,

Dr George Hill
President and Founder, VCI

Acknowledgement:
This is an adaptation of a message shared by Brad Dewar about 15 years ago—I have never forgotten it! –Thanks Brad.

If you are a Christian you are called to be pioneer breakthrough person and your church is called to be a pioneer breakthrough church. We are not designed to be contained within the four walls of a building; if the devil can contain us he can control us. In Acts 2 the disciples were all with one accord in one place and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. As a result, the upper room couldn’t contain them, Jerusalem couldn’t contain them, Judea or Samaria couldn’t contain them and they took the gospel to all the known world.

Characteristics of Pioneer, Breakthrough Pastors, People, Churches or Businesses

1. Pioneers dream of a better life—based on the Word of God (Hebrews 11:10, 16). The dreams I like come from deep imaginative thinking based on the Word of God and prayer. Dreams that will resolve problems, help humanity and expand God’s kingdom. Big breakthroughs and accomplishments begin with a big dream. Dream, live the dream and in living the dream, we dream again!

2. Pioneers are willing to go where they have never been before and do what they have never done before in order to obey God: “Abraham obeyed…and he went out not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Today’s breakthroughs are the result of yesterday’s obedience and tomorrows breakthroughs are the result of today’s obedience (Hebrews 10:36).

3. Pioneers are willing to put up with what is less than ideal, because of what they see happening in the future (Hebrews 11:9). They are willing to live in tents; setting up and tearing down. They are not afraid of hard work and sacrifice because they know sacrifice is always rewarded (Mark 10:29-30).

4. Pioneers always want to go further (Hebrews 11:13). In 1947 Chuck Jaeger was the first man to break the sound barrier at 769 miles per hour. The pilot and the plane went from the Comfort zone to the Crisis zone into the Blessing zone! Many quit just too soon (Galatians 6:9).

5. Pioneers are a tough breed of people—they don’t quit. They would rather die than go back to their old dull boring way of life (Hebrews 11:15, 33-34).

6. Pioneers are builders—they start with nothing and make it into something. They will cultivate the wild land, turn the desert into an oasis and bring order out of disorder (Hebrews 11:7).

7. Pioneers are willing to fight for what they believe (Hebrews 11:33). Pioneers don’t just roll over and play dead when opposition comes their way. They see obstacles and opposition as a challenge that must be conquered.

8. Pioneers break the way open; they blaze a trail for others to follow (Hebrews 11:20-22). We don’t have to reinvent the wheel; we can take off where other pioneers left off. Roger Banister broke the 4 minute mile barrier in 1953, and in the following 12 months over 300 other runners did the same (Micah 2:13).

Your future is worth fighting for and your future is not just about you!

Yours for the emerging of an army of pioneer, breakthrough leaders,

Dr George Hill
President and Founder of Victory Churches International

Life is lived on levels and arrived at by stages. Every time we overcome we increase and go to a new level. On a new higher level you see more. This puts you in a position to do more, experience more, and accomplish more. “May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children” (Psalm 115:14 NKJ). God has increase on His mind and so should we.

“And Peter…said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29).

Five things all potential White Water Walkers need to know:

1. God Initiates Growth and Advancement. He initiates it to stretch us; He wants us to do things we have never done before. When I get on a plateau I know God is going to do something to stretch my life. He took Peter out of his comfort zone—He took him beyond what was normal.

2. God doesn’t stretch us in times of ease, comfort and pleasure. He does it in turbulent times, in times when we are under pressure: “[You have] enlarged me when I was under pressure” (Psalm 4:1 RSV). An English proverb states, “Smooth seas never made a skilled mariner.”

3. When God wants us to do A New Thing, Jesus may the only model to follow. Peter’s friends would only go as far as the edge of the boat. Peter was the only one to take the initiative to ask and then obey.

Many will watch to see if you sink or swim. When you take a risk and step out in faith you may miss it somewhere. Jesus was there for Peter and He will be there for you too. Learn from your failures, find out where you went wrong and get up and go on just like Peter did.

4. When God does A New Thing He often gives us a new revelation of Himself. Peter and the disciples had a new revelation of Jesus when they saw Him walking on water to help in a time of trouble.

There is something in all of us that craves the supernatural. You ask, “Lord can I do that?” You will never know if you don't take new steps of faith. “But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid” (Matthew 14:27 Amp). “[God said], I AM…This is My name forever” (Exodus 3:14-15 NKJ). In other words, whatever you really need, Jesus says…”I AM.” “God is…a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

5. Peter wasn't much when he started, but by the time he finished even his shadow healed the sick.

“Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Peter fought the good fight of faith and continued to grow and so can we. Peter gives us all great hope for the future. Your future is worth fighting for!

Are you ready to step out and do some white water walking?

Yours for the next level of faith, maturity and opportunity,

Dr George Hill
President and Founder of Victory Churches International

The Thrill of New Beginnings
“Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19 NKJ)

1. The New Birth is the Beginning of all Beginnings.
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again” (John 3:7).

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When Saul met the resurrected Christ everything changed, his name, his nature, his message, his relationships, his mission in life and his destiny (Acts 9:1-6). I thank God that Christianity can do more than just put a new set of clothes on an addict, it can put a brand new person in that set of clothes. In the new birth you have a new master, a new nature, a new kingdom and new potential!

2. Every Day is a New Day that brings with it the Opportunity for a Fresh Start.
“The Lord’s mercies …are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

He can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe your slate clean, make all things new and give you a brand new beginning.

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Every morning school is in session, make sure you are there to hear, learn and grow!

“He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4b)

“So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8). At his birth Abraham rejoiced, but when he was weaned he had a great feast. When the child was weaned he was taken off breast feeding, not totally dependent any more. When you get to the place where you can feed yourself, pray for yourself, encourage yourself you have gone from pabulum to porterhouse. Stay hungry, the Lord has much more for us to experience!

3. Are You Ready for Your Next New Thing?
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

Ships may be safe in dry dock, but that’s not what ships were made for. They were made for adventure to go over horizons to take people and cargo to new lands, peoples and places. Things were pretty boring and mundane for the disciples until they decided to follow Jesus, and when they did they never had another dull moment in their lives.

Don’t be afraid to trade your ordinary for God’s extraordinary. Let the thrill of soaring exceed your fear of falling. When was the last time you did something for the first time? The risk of risk-less living is the greatest risk of all!

Your life is made up of a series of God given assignments; every one fulfilled prepares you for the next one. With Christ it’s never the end, it’s just a bend. If you live a biblically based, eternally focused life, your vision will always be progressive, continuous, expandable and eternal.

Rejoice the Next New Thing is Here!

Yours for the Expansion of God’s Kingdom

Dr George Hill
President and Founder of Victory Churches International

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”
(Daniel 12:4 NKJ).

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them”
(Isaiah 42:9).

The Shifting Style of Leadership

As technological trends shift and knowledge increases, leadership style must also evolve. At one time, leaders were the storehouses of knowledge, innovation, and decision-making power in an organization. They controlled the flow of information, trained employees how to do their jobs, and authorized others to act.

The top-down leadership approach no longer applies

In an age when workers have just as much information as their managers and possess specialized skills beyond the know how of their bosses, the top-down leadership approach no longer works. What’s more, young employees entering the workforce do not respond well to environments in which they must seek permission from a leader before they can have any kind of input into the job. They’re accustomed to expressing themselves freely by uploading content to YouTube or posting on social media sites.

Today’s young people want their opinions to be heard and their input appreciated. Put them in a position where they must passively await instructions from above and they will quickly search for employment elsewhere. How then do leaders lead in a workplace where they’re no longer the hubs around which an organization revolves?

First and foremost, leaders must have a compelling purpose

Leaders might not be able to command, demand and expect perfect compliance, but instead they can invite others to experience the challenge and fulfillment of accomplishing something worth while. A compelling purpose statement is one that engages the mind and captures the imagination. One that solves problems, helps people, expands God’s kingdom, and is of eternal value. Keep your purpose statement simple so people can remember it, repeat it often, and live it out. The purpose of an organization is like its magnetic north, it pulls everything in that direction.

Secondly, he or she must be a credible leader that others deem worth following

The leading leader must have a good track record of integrity and success. They must know how to recognize a good idea no matter where it comes from. They will listen to their team, sift through all the information and make a wise decision. The ability to decipher what will work and what won't, comes from years of experience and maturity. Good leaders have more than one leadership style and they know how to adapt their leadership style to the different situations they find themselves in.

“What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?”
(1Corinthians 4:21)

In other words the Apostle Paul was saying, when I come to you, my leadership style is changeable—based on the given situation.

Thirdly, leaders can transmit values to their teams to clarify the decision-making process.

In today’s complex world, rules and procedures are not enough to guide a staff member in exercising judgment. Nor can a lone leader insist on handling all of the decisions that need to be made. Trying to do so would create a bottleneck, and at the same time take power away from the team.

The solution for leaders is to model a set of core values and then highlight their significance clearly and repeatedly. In time, as those values prove their merit, team members will adopt them and filter their decisions through the established values. Jesus—the leader of all leaders—lived His life in front of His disciples, modeled His message while molding their lives, and turned them into world changers and history makers. And He did this in only three years!

Fourthly, in a world that is superficially networked and connected, leaders can offer real, meaningful, working relationships.

Today, many people have thousands of virtual “friends” on Facebook, yet they experience intense isolation due to the absence of genuine, real-world relationships. They’re linked-in yet feel left out. As a result, they’re attracted to leaders who authentically care about their well-being. Take time to be with your people, be interested in them, and let them know you care.

Jesus led mainly by example and relationship. Even in the age of information and innovation this kind of leadership style still works best.

Encouraging you to be like Jesus—a leader worth following!

Dr George Hill
President and Founder

The introduction of something new: a new idea, method, or device (merriam-webster.com). To make changes in anything established (Random House Dictionary 2013). The Gospel message never changes but the methods and strategies of how we deliver it does. We cannot continue to advance using yesterday’s technology.

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth…” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

The LA Times article: News Corp. sells MySpace for $35 million reported the demise of what was at one time the world’s dominant social media network. The article details how Rupert Murdock bought the site in 2006 for $580 million, and then sold it June 30, 2011 for $35 million, while its valuation at one time had been nearly $65 billion. “Myspace's decline—hastened by its failure to match the innovations of its chief rival, Facebook, speaks to what can happen when a mainstream media company seeks to capture technological lightning in a bottle” (Dawn C. Chmielewski and Jessica Guynn).

“…until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4).

Don’t underestimate the value of good ideas

Successful businesses place high value on innovation. One good idea (God idea) for a new outreach oriented sermon series, a new strategy for making disciples, training leaders, running effective small group ministries or raising funds can be the key to your breakthrough. God has all kinds of great income producing ideas, church growth ideas, church planting ideas, leadership development and world mission’s ideas and He wants to share them with us.

“I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions” (Proverbs 8:12 KJV)

Three things that will help you to be more innovative:

1. Ask God questions about the specific problems or opportunities you face. This will help prepare your heart for an answer and help you to recognize it as an answer when it comes. Good ideas come from God, so let’s ask Him for one. The world has been blessed by those who did.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” . Jeremiah 33:3).

2. Expand your thinking power. God gave us a brain, so let’s use it. Let’s expand it so we can recognize and take hold of the God ideas available to us. Take time to think about ways of doing things better. Ask yourself: “how can I do it better.” To become a good thinker, do more thinking. Great thinking comes from good, focused thinking; and once the ideas start flowing, they get better. Once they get better, creative, innovative ideas flood your mind. Make your mind work!

3. Create an atmosphere where people are not afraid to share their ideas. Most of the best ideas come from a team environment. It’s called Creative Collaboration!

Creative people encourage and provoke others to think outside of the box (Proverbs 27:17). As a leader I know I don’t have to come up with all the ideas I just need to recognize a good idea when I hear it.

One night a friend of John Kilcullen described something he overheard in a bookstore. A customer asked the clerk, “Do you have any simple books on Microsoft DOS? Something like DOS for Dummies? It was only a passing comment meant to be a joke, but it stuck with Kilcullen and he did something with it. He launched the “For Dummies” books. Some unknown customer had a good idea and it went nowhere they probably didn’t even know at the time that it was a good idea. But in the hands of a thinker, that good idea became a great idea. Then it became a bunch of ideas. The “For Dummies” books now encompass a product line of 360 titles, in 31 languages, with sales of more than 60 million copies.

The CEO of Motorola Company when it was thriving in the 1970-80s would have his key leaders come to designated meetings: and they had to have a list of 100 ideas of how Motorola could do business better. They knew that to get one good idea it sometimes takes looking through 100s of ideas. They had to show their list before they were allowed to come in. The philosophy: Only thinkers with initiative and innovative ideas allowed in here.

“Behold, I will do a new thing.... Shall you not know it?” (Isaiah 43:19)

Are you ready for your next new thing?

Yours for the Planting of Thousands of Fresh, New, Vibrant Victory Churches,

Dr George Hill
President and Founder, VCI

Creative Problem-Solving Leaders

Problems continually occur at work, at home, and in life in general. My observation is that people don’t like problems, weary of them quickly, and will do almost anything to get away from them. This climate makes others place the reins of leadership into your hands—if you are willing and able to either tackle their problems or train them to solve them. Your problem-solving skills will always be needed because people always have problems and if you are a problem solver you will soon find yourself in a position of leadership.

Problems Give Meaning to Life

A wise philosopher once commented that an eagle’s only obstacle to overcome for flying with speed and ease is the air. Yet, if the air was withdrawn, and the proud bird were flying in a vacuum, it would fall instantly to the ground, unable to fly at all. The very element that offers resistance to flying is at the same time the condition for flight.

Many Great People Had Giant Problems to Overcome

It was David's ability to kill Goliath that revealed his potential to be a great king.
It was the Lion’s den that made Daniel an overcomer.
It was Job's trials that made him a legend.
It was the fiery trials that brought promotion to the three Hebrew children.
Many of the Psalms were born in difficulty.
Most of the Epistles were written in prisons.
These all overcame because they refused to hold on to the common excuses for failure. They trusted God, acted upon His Word and turned their stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

Recognize a Problem Before It Becomes an Emergency

Great leaders usually recognize a problem in the following sequence:

1. They sense it before they see it (intuition) (Proverbs 22:3)
2. They begin looking for it and ask questions (curiosity)
3. They gather data (processing)
4. They share their feelings and findings to a few trusted colleagues (communicating)
5. They define the problem (writing)
6. They check their resources (evaluating)
7. They make a decision (leading)

Great leaders are seldom blind-sided. They realize that the punch that knocks them out is seldom the hard one– it’s the one they didn’t see coming. Leaders should focus on building big people who will handle big issues effectively (Acts 20:32).

The size of the person is more important than the size of the problem.

Solve Task-Problems Quickly; People Problems Will Take Longer

Problems never stop but people can stop problems. There are two things you can do to produce problem-solvers:

1. Make a time commitment to people. Those who never take time to develop people are forced to take time to solve their problems.

2. Never solve a problem for a person; solve it with that person.

When we are able to think right about tough situations, then we become solution oriented rather than problem oriented and our journeys through life become better and better.

The word crisis in the Chinese language is made up of two characters that mean:

Problem
Opportunity

In every problem there is an opportunity. In every opportunity there is a problem. Focusing on the opportunity will help alleviate depression and cause you to realize how creative our God is.

Having this kind of mindset will help you to becoming a long standing, overcoming giant killer!

Yours for the Developing of Big People who can solve Big Problems.

Dr George Hill
Founder/President