http://www.jdm.org/p-33.aspx?sename=the-m-ms-of-ministry-motivation-and-momentum

June 2017

Motivation &
Momentum
For Your Vision

by Jesse Duplantis

Do you want to taste and see that the Lord is good? Do you want to finish what God has called you to do? Then it's time to get motivated and gain momentum in your vision for God.

Motivation and Momentum - they may not be candy-coated, but if you've got a vision to do something for God, then it will be these M&Ms that move your vision to completion.

How many people do you know who are motivated to do something for God and yet never actually do anything? I meet people all the time that talk about what they're going to do and never do it. Why? They've only got one "M" - motivation.

But I've also found that it is very possible to gain momentum in doing what God has called you to do and yet lose all heart. I meet many "successful" people who've lost all joy for living and working for God. Their motivation is gone and they're getting by on only one "M" - momentum.

Regardless of your profession in life, it's going to take the "M&Ms" working together to get God's will done. You're going to need motivation and momentum to avoid the traps of the devil and finish what God has called you to do.

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The Simpler the Better
God isn't trying to make life complicated for you; He keeps the vision simple and wants you to do the same. In Habakkuk 2:1-2, the Bible says: "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it."

Now, the vision must be written in pretty big letters if you're going to read it while you're running! If you've ever tried to jog and read at the same time, you know that it's not easy if the print is too small and the wording is too complicated.

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Habakkuk 2:3). In other words, there is a time frame in which God has appointed the vision to be completed. It's as if He's entered you into a race and already clocked how long it should take you.

If you are the leader and there are people called to run alongside you, then your job is to make that vision as plain as possible. The plainer you keep it and the more you repeat it, the more others will be able to keep pace with you.

Remember, some people won't believe it's possible, but they'll still work with you because you believe it's possible. As long as they're following you and you're keeping up with the M&Ms of ministry, in the end the vision will speak for itself. With their own eyes, the Bible says they will see it "surely come" to pass.

This means that if you're a leader, you need to KNOW your vision better than anybody else. If you're under a ministry, you need to know that vision like the back of your hand. Think about your ministry right now. What does your church or ministry stand for? Where are they going? What are they doing now to see that vision come to pass?

When you know the vision, then you are motivated to do what it takes, no matter what it takes. When you know the vision, you'll start running toward the vision.

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Staying Motivated
How do you stay motivated? By learning how to FOCUS. Scattered brains and double-minds don't have the stability to stay motivated for very long. Those who teach themselves to focus are gaining a valuable discipline