What I’m about to share are scriptural principles of winning. Winning is more than just praying. Whether you are into business or the secular world you will need to understand these principles. These scriptural principles from the holy bible does not border on whether you are a Christian or not. Humans are made for connection – for a team.
Eccl 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
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You are not created to live life all alone. You need more than yourself to be able to fulfill destiny no matter your ability or knowledge. We will always need a team-spirit, team-attitude and team-mentality to achieve our goals in life. There is an adage that says “to go far in life you need to walk with others.” You can understand life better if you see it as a game of sport made up of team members. You cannot win alone. In life you’ve got to recognize your team mates; that is, others you need to succeed. Life is about survival and we all need each other to succeed. The Christian community is like a team. A church is a subset of this team. The various departments and ministries within the church are also sub teams of the family. Psalms 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families:…
We are going to study how the team you belong to can succeed. There’s a difference between having a big name and making a team. The family into which you were born is a team; whatever is your position, contribution and advantage you belong to the team. A family is a team that is also likened to a tree; if you cut off away from it you may not survive for long. You need your family to survive! The first thing in setting up a team is making your family to succeed. Talking about making a winning team, there is a lesson to be learnt from the book of Judges chapter seven. God commissioned Gideon to make a team that will go and fight the Midianites. Gideon formed an army of 32,000 soldiers. God complained that they were too much, with just 300 goal congruent, victory minded and purposeful men he was able to make a winning team.
God does not need plenty to accomplish much!
Judges 7:2-7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me…, whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand…, the people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there:…, and the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water…, by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place…, arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
WHAT IS A TEAM
- A team is made up of more than one person, at least two.
- It must have clearly defined requirements for joining the team. Both spiritual and physical teams have rules of engagement and the basis for choice.
- A team must have a leader and a goal. Without a leader there’s no team. Leadership is everything.
- 4. It must have members; that is, all members participating, and no spectators. Everybody must be doing something for the overall good of the team.
Eph 4:15-16 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
TWO TERMS ABOUT A TEAM
Every relationship must be divided into two groups –
- Parasitic: that is one person giving and the other taking.
- Symbiosis: that is a team where everybody is giving according to his or her ability. Everybody contributing to its goal, this is what defines the team. This is the only team that can win.
THOGHTS ON GIDEON’S TEAM
- The leadership is chosen by God; that is, God given leader, Dan 4:17.
- The team is fewer relative to the enemies. He is a God of minorities. The winning team is small but loaded from above, 2 Cor 5:13.
- Members of a team must be aggressive and violent against the enemy. You must have a will to survive and succeed. The members of a team must be on fire. Matt 11:12, 2 Tim 2:3-4.
- The team is full of disciplined people, 1 Cor 9:24, Matt 16:24.
- The team is fearless. You can’t oust the devil if you are afraid, Dan 20:8, Heb 2:14.
- A winning team must have a goal set and be goal congruent, Phil 3:11.
- Obedience – the winning team is an obedient team not rebellious, Judges 7:18
- There must not be anti-team activities (e.g. lack of character, taking offence, bitterness, selfishness and rivalry) – this weakens the team, Eph 4:27-32.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The good definition of a leader is one that inspires people to be aggressive towards goal achievement. If you are not disciplined you will be self destruct. If any member of a team is a failure then everyone else will tend to fail: “a chain is as strong as its weakest point.”
If you are too big for the church (team) then you cannot be in the church (team). A team member cannot be above the team. You must be in a team to make things happen in your life.
