Change“Principle and Priority”

Practical Steps to ChangePractical Steps to Change

• 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Importance of PrincipleImportance of Principle

• Ruth 1:1-5 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.

House of Bread

God is King

Jeremiah 48:1 (TLB) This is the message of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, against Moab: "Woe to the city of Nebo, for it shall lie in ruins…its forts are overwhelmed and captured.

The ConsequencesThe Consequences• Ruth 1:3-5 (NIV)

3 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

What could have been…What could have been…• Psalm 33:18-19 But the eyes of the Lord are on

those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

• Psalm 37:18-19 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

Principle based decisionsPrinciple based decisions• Do not make reactionary decisions!• Do not make decisions based on convenience!• Do not make decisions based only on your logic!• Do remember what the Word of God says about

the situation!• Do remember the promises of God in your life!• Do make decisions and take steps based on faith

on the Word of God!

• Jeremiah 17:5 • This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one

who trusts in man who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Principle, not consequence!Principle, not consequence!• 2 Kings 6:4-7 They went to the Jordan and began to

cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!" The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.

The ProblemPanic from

consequence Identify the root of the problem!

Miracle happens!

Keep growing!Keep growing!• Develop Creativity:• God makes us creative:• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man

in our image, in our likeness…”• Ephes. 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as

dearly loved children • John 10:10 I have come that they may have life,

and have it to the full.

Keep growing!Keep growing! Develop Creativity: Learn to be a better listener

“Not to be fortified with good ideas is to be victimized by bad ones” – Carl Henry

Read from other industries Change your routine

“When I look at the same old things, I think the same old thoughts, but when the furniture is changed, my thinking changed…routine is the enemy of creative thinking” Stanley Marcus

Change your old assumptions

Importance of PriorityImportance of Priority

God is a God of Order The whole creation is in order

There is a sequence in creation

Proverbs 28:2 …..a man of understanding

and knowledge maintains order.

Jesus exemplifies the importance Jesus exemplifies the importance of prioritizing:of prioritizing:

• In commitment:• Luke 14:26 • "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his

father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus exemplifies the importance Jesus exemplifies the importance of prioritizing:of prioritizing:

• In relationships:• Matthew 12:46-50 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd,

his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Jesus exemplifies the importance Jesus exemplifies the importance of prioritizing:of prioritizing:

• In material things:• Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves

treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus exemplifies the importance Jesus exemplifies the importance of prioritizing:of prioritizing:

• In lifestyle:• Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he

will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

• Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Importance of PriorityImportance of Priority• Haggai 1:3-6 (NKJV) 3 Then the word of the Lord came

by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?“ 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! 6 "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."

Importance of PriorityImportance of Priority• 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.

What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.

Importance of PriorityImportance of Priority• Understand that activity is not necessarily

accomplishment• Efficient is doing things right• Effective is doing the right things (Peter Drucker)• Efficiency is the foundation of survival• Effectiveness is the foundation of success (Maxwell)• To increase effectiveness, we need to learn how to

prioritize

Learning to Prioritize

Leaders Followers

Initiate React

Lead; p/u phone, make contact

Listen; wait for phone to ring

Spend time planning

Spend time living day-to-day

Anticipate problems

React to problems

Invest time with people

Spend time with people

Fill calendar w/ priorities

Fill calendar by requests

Learning to Prioritize The “3 R” principle: (Maxwell)

1. What’s required of me? A leader can give up anything

except final responsibility Ask: ”What do I have to do

that no one but me can do?” Put these high on your priority

2. What gives me the highest return? Ask: “Am I doing what I do

best and receiving a good return for the organization?

Learning to Prioritize 3 common problems in organizations: Abuse: too few employees are doing

too much Disuse: too many employees are

doing too little Misuse: too many employees are

doing the wrong things 3. What is most rewarding?

Our best work takes place when we enjoy it.

Find something you like to do so much that you’re willing to do it for nothing; then do it so well that people will be happy to pay you for it.

Success is greatly increased if the 3 R’s are similar!

Learning to Prioritize Organizing Priorities

High Importance/High Urgency: Tackle these projects first

High Importance/Low Urgency: Set deadlines for completion and get

these projects worked into your daily routine

Low Importance/High Urgency: Find quick, efficient ways to get these

done with minimal personal involvement.

Low Importance/Low Urgency: This is busy or repetitious task like

filing. Stack it up and do it in half hour segments every week. Get somebody else to do it, or don’t do it at all.

Priority Pitfalls Staying put too long:

Priority continually shifts and demand attention

“Anything excellent stands moment by moment on the cutting edge and must be continually fought for (Ross Perot)

Evaluate: every month review the 3 R

Eliminate: anything that doesn’t pass the 3 R test

Estimate: what are my top projects this month and how long will they take?

Priority Pitfalls Settling for the good

instead of the best: Go back to the 3 R and ask

again: What is most aligned with

the organization’s purpose? What benefits the people

you serve the most? What is the preference of

your leader?

Priority Pitfalls Trying to have it all:

“95% of achieving anything is knowing what you want”

Too many priorities paralyze us: (lion tamer’s technique)

Failure to prioritize and eliminate small priorities will create big problems

No deadlines, no crisis: If you have one letter to

write, it’ll take you all day to do it. If you have twenty letters to write, you’ll get them done in a day (Parkinson)

Prioritizing The importance of prioritizing:

God is a God of order Jesus exemplifies prioritizing

Learning to prioritize 3 R principle:

What’s required of me? What gives me the highest return? What is most rewarding?

Priority pitfalls: Staying put too long Good vs. best Trying to have it all No deadlines