{"id":31422,"date":"2022-02-28T21:21:48","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T02:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/?p=31422"},"modified":"2022-02-28T22:55:18","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T03:55:18","slug":"crawford-lorittss-5-critical-decisions-to-make-when-you-are-discouraged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2022\/02\/28\/crawford-lorittss-5-critical-decisions-to-make-when-you-are-discouraged\/","title":{"rendered":"Crawford Loritts’s 5 Critical Decisions To Make When You Are Discouraged"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>God never intended his children to walk through life alone. He has called each of us to walk alongside other believers and to encourage each other in the joys, trials and demands of the Christian life and ministry. That is the reason the ministry of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/timothy-barnabas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Timothy+Barnabas<\/a> exists.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2022\/02\/05\/complete-content-from-the-2022-johnny-hunt-mens-conference\/\">Dr. Johnny Hunt<\/a>, this conference’s guest speaker this evening was the incomparable Crawford Loritts<\/strong>. \u00a0Crawford was my pastor for many years. \u00a0He is a dear friend and one of my favorite leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you check out these previous posts featuring the wisdom of Crawford Loritts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2021\/03\/02\/5-choices-every-christian-must-make-from-crawford-lorittss-message-at-passion-city-church\/\">5 Choices Every Christian Must Make From Crawford Loritts\u2019s Message At Passion City Church<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2021\/08\/12\/3-decisions-everyone-must-make-to-leave-a-godly-legacy\/\">3 Decisions Everyone Must Make To Leave A Godly Legacy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2021\/02\/02\/3-things-a-leader-cannot-be-successful-or-even-survive-without\/\">3 Things A Leader Cannot Be Successful Or Even Survive Without<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2021\/02\/17\/19-characteristics-of-bad-folks-pastors-and-church-leaders-need-to-be-aware-of\/\">19 Characteristics of Bad Folks Pastors and Church Leaders Need To Be Aware Of<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tonight, Crawford spoke to approximately 185 pastors and wives on the subject of discouragement. \u00a0His thoughts were so transformational I want to share them with you.<\/p>\n<p>___________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><b>This post is brought to you by <a href=\"https:\/\/ministrydeal.com\/2-minute-leader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">The 2-Minute Leader Coaching Course<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>is a great resource for equipping your team members to fulfill their unique roles and find purpose and meaning in their lives. \u00a0This is priced at $37 because I want to get it into as many hands as possible. \u00a0Click <a href=\"https:\/\/ministrydeal.com\/2-minute-leader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">HERE<\/a> or the image below or learn more and purchase.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ministrydeal.com\/2-minute-leader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-30724 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-29-at-7.57.46-PM.png?resize=1024%2C86&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"86\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-29-at-7.57.46-PM.png?resize=1024%2C86&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-29-at-7.57.46-PM.png?resize=300%2C25&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-29-at-7.57.46-PM.png?resize=768%2C64&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-29-at-7.57.46-PM.png?w=1370&ssl=1 1370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>__________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<h2>Introductory Comments<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>\u201cWe serve a faithful, faithful, faithful God\u2026 If God can raise a dead Jesus He can handle any issue in our lives.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSpeaking and preaching are not speech-making.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDisappointment, Discouragement, and Depression<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDisappointment means an expectation has not been met.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIf you\u2019re not disappointed, you\u2019re not doing anything.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDepression \u2013 the two broad categories are circumstantial and clinical.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe signature is the same \u2013 you\u2019ve been thrust beneath the hope line.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIf you are dealing with depression you have to force yourself to get help. The banks of the river have been removed from you.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDiscouragement means you\u2019re dragging anchor.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIt\u2019s trespassed your domain. What are you going to do about it?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHigh-control people are more susceptible to discouragement. They make the dastardly decision that they control something.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe key to overcoming discouragement has to do with volition. We were meant to live at the level of the will.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhen something trespasses my domain I make the decision how I will respond.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEmotions are great passengers but terrible drivers.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>\u201c<strong>You Choose Truth.”<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>“Truth about the situation.\u00a0 You have to force yourself to face it.\u00a0 Denial complicates things, it doesn\u2019t erase things.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIf I respond immediately it\u2019s a reaction, not a response.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou have to choose the Truth of God\u2019s Word.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe can present the Bible as if it\u2019s a point of reference. We have to decide is the Bible going to be a point of reference or the focal point of my life.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThere are seasons in your life when you have to stop listening to your life and speak to your life.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>\u201cYou Choose Joy.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cWe say stuff that\u2019s theologically not accurate sometimes\u2026. Do you know the Bible commands emotions?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cJoy in the Bible is attached to that which can never, ever, ever be affected.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe turn to God when our foundations are shaking only to find out He was the one shaking them.Predictability had become an idol.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>\u201cYou Choose Faith.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe Bible actually never really defines faith. Hebrews 1 is a description, not a definition.\u00a0 Faith is God\u2019s confidence.\u00a0 Faith in the Bible is never denial however.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNowhere in the Bible denies hard times in a person\u2019s life. It defies it.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIn Hebrews 11 you have portraits of people who defied.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFaith is also determination.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBiblical desperation is driven by hope.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPerhaps God allows the bottom to fall out of our lives because we\u2019re not desperate enough for Jesus. When you have too much, idolatry hovers around you.\u00a0 Some of us have too many resources.\u00a0 We have culturally become comfortable.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFaith \u2013 the very word implies desperation. You can\u2019t please Him unless you\u2019re desperate.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>\u201cYou Choose Community.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cOne of the problems of Christianity in the western world is it\u2019s too hyper-dependent.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou can\u2019t have God as your father without having the church as your mother. You can\u2019t have healthy sanctification without the church.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCommunity is companionship as well as identification.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou need other people.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe problem with affluence is there is a whole lot of image management.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPastors, don\u2019t get sucked into a Messiah complex.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI love people but I don\u2019t get my energy from people.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe problem with those of us who are introverts is we take an extra lap around Mount Sinai. We need other people to give us perspective.\u00a0 Isolation always breeds distortion.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe need to feel the love of Jesus coming from other people\u2026 Stop being proud and putting up a wall of pretense.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLet people weep with you.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPride is insidious and it wears many disguises including false spirituality.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGod doesn\u2019t use you because you\u2019re gifted. He uses you because you\u2019re broken.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u201c<strong>You choose service.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cWho told you to stop?”<\/li>\n<li>“Your tears become holy fertilizer which will produce a bumper crop. Let God carry you.\u00a0 There are times you don\u2019t have the strength.\u00a0 Your life becomes a portrait of the resurrected Jesus who met you at your point of need.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What an incredible session. \u00a0To learn more from Crawford on the subject of biblical leadership, may sure you purchase <span class=\"a-list-item\"><strong><em><a title=\"Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3ICTzNG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0I’m not being overdramatic when I say it is the finest leadership book I have ever read. \u00a0Make sure you get copies for everyone in your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-30982 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=232%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=232%2C300&ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=790%2C1024&ssl=1 790w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=768%2C995&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=1185%2C1536&ssl=1 1185w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>The Top 75 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is my latest ebook. \u00a0For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. \u00a0People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional.\u00a0 Hope seems to be in short supply.\u00a0 Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. \u00a0If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">HERE<\/a>\u00a0or on the image provided to download this <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">FREE resource<\/a>. \u00a0The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>God never intended his children to walk through life alone. He has called each of us to walk alongside other believers and to encourage each other in the joys, trials and demands of the Christian life and ministry. That is the reason the ministry of Timothy+Barnabas exists. Hosted by Dr. Johnny Hunt, this conference’s guest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","iawp_total_views":4,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[740],"class_list":["post-31422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-leadership","tag-crawford-loritts"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/fullsizeoutput_21c.jpeg?fit=348%2C214&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31422"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31430,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31422\/revisions\/31430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}