It is that time of the year when Christian educators are focusing on the new academic year - finalizing schedules, updating curriculum, making last-minute room assignments, processing enrollments, planning teacher and student orientations, selecting a school theme, setting goals, to name a few. The days before the start of school are some of the busiest in the school year. Getting off to a great start is a goal of every Christian educator.
If you had an opportunity to focus on one goal for the year, what would it be? One might suggest, “If I could just make it through a school year without any major parent/student issues, it would be a great accomplishment.” For another, it might be to have a well-behaved class or a class with no major behavioral challenges. Others might want to be able to get all the way through the curriculum. For administrators, it might be to see full enrollment and to end the school year financially in the black.
Although these are important, I would like to suggest a goal that will guarantee a successful school year in every area, regardless of any position you might hold in your school—teacher, administrator, or support staff. Simple, “listen and obey the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is in each of us, speaking to us all the time. So, what do we need to do?
Tune in to the Voice of Your Inner Man
There are thoughts that come up inside of your mind concerning what to teach, how to teach, what to say or not say, where to go or not go, what you need to do or not do. Many times, we listen and act and other times we do not. As Gloria Copeland put it, “You hear it and let it go. Then later it comes back and you hear it again. These are the promptings of your spirit by the Holy Spirit. As we become more aware of the Spirit of God in our everyday affairs, we will be quicker to hear and obey those promptings.”
These promptings are the attempt of the Holy Spirit to reveal the will of God to each of us in our spirits. Jesus says to us in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
As you obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, you will be led into the most successful year ever.
The Holy Spirit will always lead you to excellence. The release of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our classrooms, and our school will result in cleansing us from tendencies to accept less than expected. Accepting more than expected, opens the door to moving down a path of excellence. Let me offer three actions that will lead to success.
Required Actions for Success
Consider these three actions for a successful school year:
1. Pray in the Spirit. As you pray in other tongues, the Holy Spirit will deliver God’s answer to the situation or challenge you are facing (1 Cor. 14). By praying in tongues, you will find the wisdom of God being delivered to your spirit (1 Cor. 2:6, 7).
Gloria Copeland shares this encouraging word, “When you start your day praying the will of God by the Holy Spirit, many times you will have prayed already concerning the problems that you will face during the day. You will perceive an interpretation, a prompting, an impression, a word, a sentence that will enlighten you and give you the answer to the situation.” [If you want to know more information about the gift of the Holy Spirit, See Spirit Directed Discipline: Heling Johnny and Susie to Behave, Chapter 3.]
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Tuning in to the voice of the Holy Spirit requires a commitment to spend time in the Word of God, pray and have fellowship with the Lord. The more quality time you commit to this task, the stronger will be the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the clearer will be the directions you sense in your spirit. As you spend time listening to the Holy Spirit speaking to your spirit, you will find God’s plans unfolding.
3. Acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the job description of the Holy Spirit to act as your Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby (John 14:16, Amplified Bible).
Allowing Him to actively assume these roles for you, increases the possibility of success in all that you face. Proverbs 16:3, Amplified Bible, says, “Roll your works upon the Lord – commit and trust them wholly to Him; [He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.”