Renewing Your Team

The band Unspoken sings, "Every sorrow...every sickness...all my failures, I leave 'em in Your hands. Amen. I leave it in Your hands...Every promise...every healing...and my future, I leave it in Your hands. Amen. I can leave it in Your hands." ("In Your Hands") Remember, no matter what you are facing, you can leave it in God's hands, and there's no better place for it! God knows how to take care of anything better than you could ever imagine on your own. Trust in Him! Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (NIV)

Numbers 21:7, 9 says, "The people came to Moses and said, 'We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.' So Moses prayed for the people...So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." (NIV)

That situation that Moses and the other Israelites found them in may have seemed bleak. However, with God's direction, Moses provided a solution, a way to mobilize the people again.

As a leader, you may find yourself in situations where your team is stuck, unable to make further progress. They may be tired, disappointed, or uninspired. They probably cannot move themselves in such situations. Therefore, it is your job to start moving forward again.

Maxwell recommends four actions to help a team that lacks energy to move (each is a direction quote):

1. Investigate the situation.
2. Initiate belief.
3. Create energy.
4. Communicate hope.

It is your job to figure out what is causing the negative situation. Maxwell says, "When morale is low, the only way to get the ball rolling is to start pushing it yourself." To do so, you can fight against that negativity by showing your followers that you believe in them and in the cause. You must then give them energy by having it yourself and causing it to rub off on them. (Maxwell) Finally, make sure they know that there is hope for them and for the cause. By following those steps, you can renew your team and get them moving forward again.

Maxwell asks, "How can you utilize the four keys above to improve morale in your team?"

Every situation is unique. As the leader of your team, you probably know information that is specific to your case. With that information in mind, ask yourself that question. What can you do in your specific information to get your team moving again?

Pray this prayer: Father, thank You for all You have given me. Please help me to positively lead my team, no matter what the situation may be. I put my situation, trust, and faith in Your hands, along with anything negative that has come or may come. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

God bless you!

In Your Hands