Personal development for spiritual efficacy in life and ministry

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Personal Development For Spiritual Efficacy In Life & Ministry
Pastor Oyewole O. Sarumi
Introduction
Most people thought that Self-Development teaching was self-centred instead of Christ
centered. So they asked: Aren’t Christians supposed to be Christ-Centered? Have you taken a
trip somewhere in an aircraft, and you watched the demonstration that shows you what to do
when the oxygen mask comes down, what do you notice? You are told: “Fix your own mask
first, then attend to your children.”
In the same way, you need to get your own life secured and on track to reach your highest
potential, and then you will be better equipped to support the lives of others. Secondly, the key
issue is our heart motives. Whatever you do in life, you can do with one of three main motives:
 Self-centered - your only interest would be to create value for yourself.
 Others-centered - your genuine focus is to bring value to the lives of others.
 God-centered - your motive for what you do is to please God, and very often this is
combined with being “others-centered”.
Everything has to do with your heart motive. A truly wholesome plan of self-development
training followed with the motive of being your best for God and for others can only enhance
your Christ centered life.
Importance of Christian Personal Development [CPD]
CPD is very important because it does the following:
 To renew your mind. Remember what Paul commanded us to do in Romans 12:2.
 To learn to walk in the abundant life that Christ purchased for you. This means you learn
to walk in faith which is the biggest thing you can do to please God – Hebrews 11:1.
 To learn to add value to the lives of others around you and with whom you come in contact
every day. (This responds to the second commandment in Mark 12:31.)
 To learn to live a disciplined life. A disciplined life becomes a successful life. The first
command that Jesus spoke (as recorded in the Gospels) was: “Follow Me”.
 To learn to war against the negative influences of this world. The enemy has given himself
the task of destroying this world using every negative influence he can throw into this
world.
NOTE: A daily program of personal development will help you to train yourself to be a
disciplined warrior. A disciplined warrior always looks to his captain! (So when you apply self-
development training to your life it does not mean you are not Christ centered, in fact it will
help you to be more Christ centered).
The lion is by nature the king of the jungle. Yet they are not born with the developed skills to
operate as the king of the jungle. They have to learn these skills. They have to work at it and it
takes them at least 2 years to fully develop as the king of the jungle they were born to be. So,
we shouldn’t forget the power of one man in this life!
All Christians have Rights & Power
Apostle John penned this: “However, to all who received him, to those believing in his name,
he gave authority (power, right) to become God’s (adult, mature, fully developed) children, -
John 1:12. This means that all Believers have rights & power to become mature, develop & be
great. Now the question is: Are you developing those rights and the authority you were given?
Are you becoming an adult son or daughter of God in life and ministry?
In order to be able to operate in this position (as an adult son or daughter of God, you have to
learn (develop) the skills. It will take WORK. This work is called “Personal or Self
Development”. Luke 16:8 says…. for the children of this world are in their generation wiser
than the children of light” The application of this text is that many of the young people of the
world go to Self-development Seminars here/there, and come back more motivated than the
youngsters that are in church”. What then is the church doing to take her place??

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The story of Moses as he was backed up against between the army of the Egyptians and the
red sea. He cried out for God to help. God’s reply was in fact a rebuke! God said: “Why are you
crying out to Me? What do you have in your hand”? (Exodus 14:15) He had a rod in his hand.
What does the rod symbolize? Authority! We have the Authority and Power to turn our life
around for better. It is through a daily systematic personal development to grow all round as
a child of destiny.
What is Personal Development for Christians?
What is the meaning of personal growth in a Christian context? Christians are in the process
of being changed into the image of Christ, from glory to glory [2 Cor. 3:18]. Christians are to
be making upward progress and are to be growing and developing. Really? Actually, it means
that we are being reduced, while He becomes greater – when we consider the words of John
the Baptist [John 3:30].
Even though we are growing, we need to replace the reign of self with the reign of Christ if we
must keep growing. We need humbling. Paul had great experience in humbling. Early in his
ministry he called himself the least of the apostles [1 Corinthians 15:9]. Later, he called himself
less than the least of all the saints [Ephesians 3:8]. And towards the end of his life, he called
himself the worst sinner in the world [1 Timothy 1:15]. As the apostle Paul grew in faith, he
saw himself as less and less.
When we study the lives of God’s people who have made progress in their spiritual life, we
noticed that, what marks them out is the recognition that they are fading out of the picture,
while Jesus Christ takes the foremost place. [John 12:24-25].
Examining Some Key Terminologies
 Self Development
 Self Improvement
 Christian Personal Development
 Personal Growth
 Spiritual Growth
 Spiritual Maturity
 Christian Perfection
 Continuous Preparation
Definition
NOTE: These terms are basically talking about the same thing: KEEP GROWING, GROW UP,
GET MATURED: i.e.: Moving forth beyond yourself [Phil.3:10-14], Attaining God’s fullness,
moving from grave to grass, to grace, to glory and to glory [2Cor.3:18], Large-heartedness,
Maturity, A broad shoulder [Ikgs.4:29], Character building and attitudinal changes [2Pet.1:5-
10], Breaking bad habits, overcoming weaknesses and complete change [Lam.5:21].
Personal Growth and Development is a gradual and systematic character building, attitudinal
changes, spiritual stability, personal preparation and equipping for life and ministry exploits.
It is a mental, emotional, spiritual, social and psychological development with the ability to
behave maturely in every circumstances of life. [ICor.13:11, 14:20, I Tim.4:23, Heb.5:12-14].
Practical Illustrations of Growth
The illustrations of growth abounds everywhere: Nature is subject to the natural laws of
growth. God has so created the world in such a way that growth is natural – Gen.1:21-22,28.
The trees & all creatures are growing and multiplying. When growth stops the world will come
to its knees. When progress stops, past achievement pales away. Without growth there’s no
future. Without growth, decay and deterioration becomes common.
Personal Christian Development Covers:
a) Spiritual Maturity – Your spiritual stature determines how much you become for God
b) Emotional Maturity – Self Control and Self-mastery ICor.9:27
c) Mental Maturity –Information, learning, knowledge and wisdom
d) Social Maturity – Relating effectively with people
e) Communication Maturity – Your words can make or mar you. Luke 1:40, 52

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God Demands That You Develop. God loves growth, desire development and command
everyone of His creature to do so. Even though He does not grow [change], He demands it –
Mal.3:6, Heb.13:8. When there’s no growth, man becomes frustrated, downcast, sad, crest-
fallen, unsettled and bored with life.
Personal Development Is Improvement: Therefore:
 Every Christian leaders must grow because:
 If you don’t grow within, you can’t grow without
 Your growth will be the growth of your work
 Your capacity will be the capacity of your ministry
 The speed of the leader will be the speed of the ministry
 Gifting without growth leads to incompetence
 Growth prevents personal and ministerial stagnation
 When leaders grow, church organisation grows
 If your development stops, ability to minister stops
 You can’t demand from others what you don’t demand of your self
 You need to be the person God has purposed you to be
 Being used doesn’t mean you’re perfect or approved.
The Reality of Personal Development for Spiritual Efficacy for Ushering Ministry
Personal development and growth for those who minister as ushers is critical because:
 You stand to welcome people [all sorts] into God’s house & presence.
 Your calling demands that you must be above board
 People expectations of ushers is very high
 People readily trust, rely and obey you
 You stand in a privilege position in the church, hence people confide in you.
 You are more targeted by spiritual powers because you stand at the gate
 You are more subject to temptation and pride due to prominence
 Some people take delight in attacking, criticising and condemning you
 Heaven needs you, the church needs you and Satan is after you!
Spiritual Growth Begins With Discomfort. Many of the problems, trials, persecutions,
misunderstandings and crisis in our lives were designed by God to aid our personal growth
and development and prepare us for better work. Akin-John wrote this, “If God loves you
dearly, He will hurt you deeply”. Andy Rooney nailed it when he gave us these wise words,
"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs
while you're climbing it”.
The Power of Personal Development
Personal Development or growth is key to: ministry growth, growing others, unquantifiable
success, finishing strong, great achievement, outstanding leadership, higher calling, handling
success successfully, and overcoming the storms of life.
The Importance of Personal Development is born out of this fact: Desire, determination and
dedication is 20%, relationship with others is 30% while personal growth is a huge 50%. So,
there’s danger of stagnation if we don’t grow and develop.
Without consistently developing and continually improving yourself, ability to move forward
in life and lead others in ministry will stagnate:
 Your character will drive people away
 People under you will remain immature
 You’ll handle problems the same old way
 You become petty, callous and intimidating
 Become routinized, and mechanical
 Immaturity, babyish and overwhelm with challenges.

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The Many Dangers of Non – Growth
According to Rev.3:15-18, Phil.3:10-14, Lk.1:53 the danger of not developing include:
 Loss of first love
 Decay and corruption
 Incapacitate God to work more
 Sands in your salt
 Lose what you have
 Dog back to its vomit again
 Loss of heaven
 Danger of Non – Growth
 Loss of first love
 Decay and corruption
 Incapacitate God to work more
 Sands in your salt
 Lose what you have
 Dog back to its vomit again
 Loss of heaven
 You begin to crawl and stop climbing
 You put ceiling on vocational growth
 You put a stop to God’s flow into your life
 You begin journey into oblivion
 You become a man of yesterday
 You abort your greater tomorrow
 You embrace decline and decay
 You open the way for others to overtake you
 You debar God’s glorious flow though you to
others
Imperatives of Personal Development – Exo.18:19-21
Every true leader in ministry must seek to grow and develop in these five major areas:
1) Character – Your character is the backbone of your life and ministry
2) Capacity – You must grow and develop in spiritual, physical, leadership, relational,
management and financial capacities.
3) Competence – You must handle things, meet needs and solve problem admirably
4) Contribution – You must make positive, lasting and notable contribution to people’s
lives.
5) Connection – You must attract, nurture people around you and not be a loner
What Happened When Spiritual Growth Occurs:
Spiritual growth occurs when the following phases are recognized and carried out:
 Phase 1: You recognizes a biblical expectation.
 Phase 2: Experiences discomfort when he becomes aware of his need to change a belief or
act on a biblical obligation.
 Phase 3: An accountability leader wisely guides the member toward action.
 Phase 4: Then, he makes the decision to do what's right rather than what's easy.
 Phase 5: The member/usher commits to the action.
 Phase 6: The leader and other members celebrate with the individual who has
courageously moved beyond his comfort zone.
 Phase 7: The individual experiences growth and is more easily motivated to take on the
next challenge to obedience he encounters in the Bible.
Steps For Christian Personal Development
The following are the requirement that you must pursue to achieve personal development and
growth for spiritual efficacy:
 Be connected to the Divine Source
 Discover God’s purpose for your life and
pursue it
 Have desire to Grow [be hungry and
thirsty for growth Lk.1:53]
 Learn all you can about growth [training
and learning]
 Work and keep improving yourself daily
 Give your all to it to grow
 Do everything with grow in view
 Study read and read the Word I
Tim.4:13, II Tim.4:13
 Share your faith
 Maintain a regular prayer life
 Be current and be informed
 Dig in until you see your development in
reality [perseverance]
 Don’t be satisfied with average – Phil.3:4
 Move with men of purpose – An
Accountability partner - Pro.17:17
 Ask for more grace daily
 Always watch and be careful – Luke
21:34-36, ITim.4:16

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Why Are Many of Us Not Growing?
The reasons why many believers are not growing include:
1) Lack of purpose and direction – Pro.29:18. Vision of who you are, purpose in life and
where you are going is lacking.
2) Absence of genuine salvation – Many aren’t sure of their salvation. Many are religious
but not saved. Many are reformed but not transformed. Many are hoping to please God
with their works.
3) Lack of stock taking and analysis – 2Cor.13:5. Many fail to check up themselves. They
assume they are OK. They fail to compare their today with their yesterday spiritually. The
best watchman in the world is the man who watch himself.
4) Unseriousness and Frivolity – Many are unserious about their life, God and things of
eternal value. There are three types of people: the serious, seriocomic and the light in spirit.
The last two never grow.
5) Unwillingness to change – Many are so set in their ways that they consider change as
compromise. They believe they are right. They glory in saying: “I am still the same, as I
was, so I am”. However, growth means change.
6) Self Satisfaction – Many are satisfied with little, they love average and go for crumbs
rather than full.
7) Self Indulgence – Most people who aren’t growing have chosen not to pay the price for
growth. They indulge their appetites and become slaves to food, sex and pleasure.
However, we must realize that self-indulgence is the law of death, while self-denial is the
law of life.
8) Demonic Activities – Demons may harass by temptations, doubt, anxiety and
discouragement, and all these combine to retard the journey to development.
9) Carnality and Worldly minded – When all the waking thoughts and labours are
centred on the ephemeral things of this life, growth and development is hindered.
Obstacles to Personal Development
Anything that is good and beneficial will be attacked, hence many obstacles has prevented a
lot of people to develop and grow in faith and life. Some of these obstacles include:
 Ignorance glorification – the giant killer
 Self-contentment and adulation
[Comparism syndrome]
 Anti-change and anti-growth spirit
 Lack of clear vision
 Laziness
 Pride and boasting
 Lack of courage and determination
 Moving with wrong company
 Playing today to pay tomorrow
 Fear of advancement – fears has
destroyed many great dreams
 Satisfaction with average life –little men
cannot achieve much
 Unwholesome myths and notions – Can
serve great hindrances
 Demonic activities – they abound in
Africa
 Strongholds of the past – the past can
hinder the future
 Carefree and carelessness –
unseriousness is a great bane
The DON’TS of Christian PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Don’t surrender means: Never give up, don’t stop. Quit not. Ensure not to neglect. The
following are quintessential we can’t surrender our personal growth and development to:
1) CIRCUMSTANCES - Your circumstances and condition may be pathetic: no helper, no
supporter, and no encourager. Yet, you must remember that your condition does not
matter, but your conclusion. Remember Gideon!
2) SUCCESS - Success is good, and everyone desire it, but… Even when you’re swimming in
this ocean, you can be carried away if you’re holding on or keep progressing. Many who
fail to grow, move were destroyed by their success. Don’t forget Judas!
3) ANOINTING - Anointing is desirable when its results becomes a reality. Those who rely
on anointing without strong character have got themselves to blame. Let Samson speak to
us!

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4) ACHIEVEMENT - Whether achievement or accomplishment, many because of it had
become history. Your personal and ministry achievement will collapse in the absence of
dedicated and committed personal growth and development. Please remember David!
5) METHODOLOGY - Method is good, but without a progressing renewal in tandem with
current happenings, it’s futile. All the methods in the whole world will fail in the absence
of a persistent personal and progressive development.
6) PERSONALITY - A personality not supported with constant nutrients for refreshing will
be stale and wears out. Your natural strong personality will not suffice for long without
personal growth.
7) COMMENDATION - The fact that people are praising and commending you should never
make you abandon your labour on your development. Father Noah should preach to us!
8) POSITION/TITLE - Many are running after these today with all they can muster. Positions
and titles have blindfolded many from pursuing their personal development. We should
learn from Diotrephes.
9) AGE & EXPERIENCE - Growth and development is a never ending journey. Age and
experience cannot replace the key role of personal growth
10) GIFTS, TALENTS & PROPHECY - The Lord has graciously bestow us with different gifting
to do ministry and bring His people to maturity. Many who are wonderfully gifted, but
lacks personal growth have been ruined by their gifts.
The Goals & Benefits Of Personal Growth
The goals of Christian personal development include:
 To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
 To take health, happiness and prosperity to everyone you meet.
 To truly free from every vestige of self life.
 To be well prepared for the higher calling of God in Christ Jesus.
 To make all your friends feel that there is something good in them.
 To look at the sunny side of everything and be positive always.
 To think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best.
 To be able to do things that pleases Him always.
 To be truly and sincerely happy and enthusiastic about the success of others.
 To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the
future.
 To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.
 To give so much time to the improvement to the improvement to yourself you have no
time to criticize others.
 To be too large to worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit
the presence of evil.
 To do the greatest good to the greatest number of people.
 To live so well that those who come across you will never remain the same.
 To think well yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in
good deeds.
The GOALS/BENEFITS Illustrated
The goals/benefits illustrated using Eph.3:18-19 Four Dimensional Growth as depicted below:

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How to Continually GROW As a Leader in Ministry
Those who desire to continually be in ministry must love to grow and develop. Such must
pursue the following:
 You must be intentional, purposeful and deliberate in your effort if you are going to grow
as Christian leader:
 Possess a Learning Spirit – Learn about yourself, others, ministry and your field
 Be a good reader – Read others, read wide and deep. Read to gain knowledge, insight and
experience. Read magazine, newspapers, blogs, books and biographies.
 Listen to Tapes and CDs – Messages that challenge, inspire, educate and prick your soul
abound around.
 Enrol in a Training – You will always need formal, informal and non-formal trainings in
ministry and life.
 Get Resources – Materials and resources makes a leader. Spend to gather relevant
resources that can increase you.
 Develop your devotional life – Create time to study, research, pray, seek and wait upon
God. Let the fire from the altar touch you every morning.
 Attend quality conference – There are things you will learn in a conference that you will
never learn anywhere else. Create time to attend 5days quality conferences twice a year.
 Seek for wisdom – Feedback, evaluation and counsel of mentors and accountability
 Obey the Holy Spirit – Build a deep communion with the Holy Spirit and listen to and obey
His instruction.
 Move with those that can improve you – The people you move with will either add to you,
multiply you or divide and subtract from you.
Conclusion
The development of leaders and under-leaders will always be the growth of their work. Their
personal growth and development is the mother of every growth. So, if you stop growing, you
start to grey. When you engage seriously in personal growth and development, it will help you
to balance out many areas of life and ministry such as: Power with purity. Healing with
holiness. Faith with faithfulness. Miracle with meekness. Prosperity with pureness of heart.
Gifts with love for the Giver
If you don’t want to be a developing and growing church leaders, then don’t be intentional
about your spiritual life, always hang out with people just like you, never take any risks to move
out of your comfort zone, keep patting yourself on the back even though you’re not
progressing, and keep chasing trends and short cuts to success. However, if you desire to
progress in your Christian journey, note that personal development for your spiritual potency
is not optional as it depends on Spiritual, Social and Emotional maturity which is a reflection
of your daily life pursuits.
To be spiritually matured is…. To be socially matured is….. To be emotionally matured is……
Have You Ever Been Accused Of Being A CHRISTIAN???? Please read Gal.6:17 from
The Message translation.
……..Concluding comments & Prayers!!!