Month: August 2015

How to Help People (some pointers)

I was thinking about how to help other people in their walk with God, then God reminded me of how I was helped and encouraged, which is a great starting point for anyone wanting to help others, think to yourself how you have been encouraged and how you have been helped in your walk with God.

When we look back at how God has helped us by other people, this can help us in encourage others in front of us.

I can remember many people that God has brought into my life over the years that have helped and encouraged me, and I am thankful for them all. Complimenting people and pointing out their strengthens, is a great place to start. If you think,  the world is quick to point out our weakness and faults, which in most part the person concerned already knows about.

Someone once told me, Laurence, you would be a great sales man you can talk and have a way with people, if you want a job get a sales Job, now at the time I was not confident with others, my self esteem was very low, as a child I was always told by adults I was hopeless, you will not be good at anything, so you can imagine the thoughts I may have had when I was told I could be good at something, this set a light in my heart, and I went in search of sales job, which I got, encouraging people to get their milk delivered to their home rather than buying it from the shops.

The Milk in the shops was a lot cheaper than having it delivered by the milkman, but there were many people who wanted to support their local milkman and not see this service die out. It was not an easy sale, but I was good at it and ended up running my  own marketing company with my own employee’s promoting door step delivery of milk. I never imagine myself as a salesman, but that person who encouraged me saw my potential and worth, and helped me see that I had something to give. We help people to see their value and worth.

When I began to sale to people the first thing I noticed was when you first speak to the person you’re going to sale to is give them a compliment, for example I would something like, Hello Sir My name is Laurence, I would say what a lovely garden you have, you must of worked hard to get the results you have, then they would say yes and we would go in to  conversation about the garden and then I would tell him what I was there for, nine times out of ten I would get the sale.

When working with people we look for the value in them and point out to them their strengths not their weaknesses. The weakness can be address later on, but the first thing we do is work with people and build strength by way of encouraging and pointing out the good qualities we see in that person.

Believing in people is must, even when they fail, and mess up

speaking the truth in love to them will not only help them grow, it will help you grow too. (Ephesians 4:15)

when your with the person you are helping, speak highly of them in front  of others this is a great confidence builder for them.

I remember when I was a new believer the leader at that time in my life  spoke good about me in front of others and myself, He was telling others how I was going to coordinate a fellowship in my home and be a great leader. I did not even know this was in his heart,  then I  started to believe in myself that God had a purpose for me, that God had called me to do this. and I have been doing this ever since that was 28 years ago. See our words will have lasting impact, for good or bad.

Also we have to have people’s best interest at heart at all times, complimenting them when they do well and achieve the goals they are working towards in their walks. and encouraging them when things do not go to plan for them. As leaders we cannot afford to be hard or judgemental toward them, if they have failed maybe we should look at what we are teaching them, it could also be a lack of encouraging or instruction on our part. “Leaders take responsibility”.

As  leaders we want to add quality and  value to other people’s lives and they will grow by the compliments and encouragement we give them, We correct people by being the examples to them, and showing them why there needs to be a correction. Getting involved in their hurt and dirt and by being a support to them, binding up their wounds, showing them that no matter what, that God is with them and loves them and so are we. As leaders we also need to challenge the people we are working with by delegating opportunity’s  to them, so they can learn and grow. Helping them out of the comfort zones and in to new pastures.

And the biggest thing we encourage above all, is that they go to God and look only to Him

I Pray this encourages you

Laurence xx