What's the Big Idea? Day 19: 100 Days of Leadership

Ideas are great. I come up with a few every day. I’m like the Thomas Edison of Christianity. I tell my wife and she smiles. She knows something that I am only just learning. She understands that ideas are only ideas that are worth value once they are acted upon. I could have ‘all the ideas in the world’ but if I never do anything about them, I may as well be blowing hot air.

Don't just be an ‘ideas man’. Don’t just be known as the person in the office who comes up with the latest thought and latest program. That's not leadership. Be an implementer. Find out whether the idea has merit, and if so, then run with it. Implement the idea. An idea is like a seed; if it is never planted and given an opportunity to grow, it will always simply remain a seed.

What role does the Holy Spirit play in producing ideas?

As a follower of Jesus, hearing from God is paramount. Here’s the risk: You may know your trade well and have great ideas to implement. You may be very well equipped in a field of expertise. But without the whisper of the Holy Spirit you could end up spending your days busily doing that which God never intended. We need to learn to hear the whisper from the Holy Spirit; the whisper that sent Paul to Macedonia and took Elijah from the mountain of depression. We need to learn to hear the whisper of God of when to start something and when to stop. The Holy Spirit can spark an idea, that we could never dream of conjuring up in our own minds.

The best ideas are God-inspired ideas and with God’s help, find a way to turn ideas into fruitfulness.

What does the Bible say?

Acts 16:6-10 - Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.\

What will I do now?

Will you spend a moment and listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit? What is the Lord asking you to stop doing? What is it that the Lord is asking you to start?