The Original ...

December 12, 2017

Years ago, someone taught me how to do a S.W.O.T. analysis. It's a way to evaluate your organization. It can also be used for your life or ministry. Our leaders at the Summit begin with this exercise every January in our master planning and have found it a very, very helpful tool.

What are our ...

• S-trengths? Where are we doing good? What should be maximized?
• W-eaknesses? What are the obvious weak areas that need to be addressed?
• O-pportunities? What are the open doors that are before us that if seized could propel us forward?
• T-hreats? What are the things that, if left unattended or unnoticed, could torpedo our lives and work?

Jesus gives a SWOT analysis to the 7 churches of Revelation. He tells the church in Sardis that they are asleep and need to wake up and finish their work; the church at Philadelphia that they have a great opportunity right in front of them—a door that God has opened for them; and the church in Laodicea that they're not as hot as they think they are!

We can do these kinds of evaluations all day long, but the obvious point of this passage is that ONLY GOD KNOWS! If we want to know the truth, we must stay before Him until we hear His voice!

THE PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE

The point of such evaluation is to get better. We never do this at The Summit to hurt ourselves, but to see ourselves rightly before the Head of the church. Christ’s goal is to help us rejoice in what He is doing among us and respond in obedient faith to develop those areas of need and concern.

In our lives personally, God will give us clarity (if we stay before Him and have ""ears to hear"" as He says to the churches) in order to cooperate with God in making adjustments to our lives so we can grow to the ""measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.""

It would be a valuable exercise, at the end of this year, to take a sheet of paper and make a personal SWOT analysis of your life before God. You might be surprised, encouraged and helped! 

Lord, deliver me from vain, proud, inaccurate evaluations. Also prevent me from missing the blessings of where you are saying I'm doing well. Help me to have an authentic understanding of my condition so that I can fully cooperate with You and move forward with the spiritual growth and more effective ministry you desire!

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