Four Keys To A Multiplying Life

This past week, I was hiking with my wife and my dog Emmie, and Melodie and I were talking about ‘prophetic impact’. God has called her and is using her more and more in the area of prophetic encouragement to younger leaders.

We were discussing some hidden principles of what makes a person’s gift truly carry something more than just momentary impact. Some ministry is for the moment. Some ministry is done in such a way that it creates a movement.

What is required for that kind of multiplied impact?

#1 - I need to learn to discern the voice of God!

Too much ministry happens out of human strategy and ingenuity. The church has taken on the corporate success model that is so effective in the culture. As leaders, we have learned so much about strategic planning, and vision casting, and systems that help organizations sustain growth. Let me just say, that I am in favor of all of the above - and practice everything I can to build a healthy team.

But nothing can take the place of getting a ‘word’ from God!

When God speaks to us, he unlocks the future for us. He is at work ahead of us, preparing something unique for us to step into as we follow him. We can plan based on our own thoughts, but we could never plan for what He is thinking and even arranging for us.

Time spent in the presence of God and studying the Word of God, helps us hone the skill of discerning His voice. When He speaks to us and we act on that ‘word’ by faith, there is something supernatural that is released. Ministry then becomes a matter of partnership not just performance.

There is a big difference between performing for God and partnering with Him.

#2 - I need to be other’s centered in my vision!

Too many ministries are built to establish the credibility and success of the person leading. Again, our culture presents to us a personality-driven model of success. New Testament ministry presents a vision that is not about the apostle, or the prophet, or the pastor/teacher - but about the body being built up by being equipped and released into ministry.

Jesus taught the idea of ‘seeking first the Kingdom of God’ (Matt 6:33). When we do that, we get aligned with the flow of how God works. True leaders are servants. They seek not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). Greatness is the Kingdoms is defined by those who serve the most.

If you spend your life helping others succeed, you will never lack for work. God will send to you a constant stream of people He wants you to lift up. But if you spend your life trying to be a success, you might find yourself frustrated at the lack of favor in your life.

#3 - I need to act in bold faith!

When God gives a ‘word’ to us, we have a responsibility, not just to speak it but to act aggressively on it. Promises that we boldly pursue are keys to explosive breakthroughs. It’s not enough to hear it, you have to believe in it enough to speak it out and stand on it.

Credibility grows in a leaders life when followers can see demonstrated partnership with God. When I see a leader hear from God and then act in bold faith, I am attracted to them. When God comes through for them, I am now ready to follow them in a completely new way. They are teaching me how to truly partner with God.

Multiplication is a result of this process. When God moves, He doesn’t just add to the work. He multiplies it. It’s not just basic execution. It’s supernatural explosion. When God does when we act in faith cannot be explained by natural strategic advancements. What God does when we act in faith can only be explained by giving glory to God.

#4 - I need to make real and sustained investments into the people that God has called me to serve.

One of the major keys to the my story comes from this last point. God has used me to help ignite a church planting movement. This multiplication effect in my life can really be boiled down to these four points, but especially the last one.

The secret sauce of my multiplying is not my strategic genius! It is that I am and have been willing to invest my time, my encouragement, and my money into someone else’s dream. And that I have been willing to stick with it over months and years of relationship.

It’s one thing to give someone a ‘word’. It’s another thing all together to stick around to see that ‘word’ come to pass, and to believe so much in that promise and in that person, that you invest your own bold faith in their ministry journey.

This kind of partnership with God and with others is what makes for a multiplied life.