Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

I'm going to talk about emotional intelligence (EQ) this weekend as we continue The Neurology of Faith series. I think one dimension of EQ is the ability to discern another person's spirit. And no one was better at it than Jesus.

Behind a person's gifts, looks, roles, and image is a spirit. And that spirit is what makes or breaks the person. It is the key factor I look for in hiring staff. It is the key factor I look for in friends. And right at the top of the list is a spirit of humility. Nothing impresses me as much as someone with a humble spirit. They are approachable and teachable and likable. At the end of the day, it is the spirit of a person that determines their destiny.

I had a conversation with a pastor yesterday that God is blessing in some profound ways. The church he pastors has impacted thousands of people in a few short years, but there is a level of frustration because he feels like the black sheep in his pentecostal denomination. He doesn't do things the traditional way so their is a level of suspicion about what God is doing at his church. He feels like God wants to use him on a larger platform to influence other pastors and he asked my advice.

My short answer was to nurture a spirit of humility. God will take care of logistics. He is in the business of supernatural synchronicities. But I honestly think that humility is what sets the stage for everything God wants to do in our lives. Our job is managing our motives. If our motives are wrong then nothing we do is right. If our motives are right then everything else takes care of itself.

I think part of what prompts this post is spending time praying for each person on our team at our staff pray and play. I felt like God gave me insight into the spirit of each person and I walked away with a deeper appreciation for each of them. We've got a team full of people with the spirit of joy, the spirit of encouragement, the spirit of humility, and the spirit of fun :)