Are you considering starting a new job, a new relationship, or joining a new organization? It’s essential to do your due diligence by doing your background check. The background check your employee or the organization does on you is as important as the background check you do on them. This can also be part of the questions during your interview or onboarding process. However, this is not limited to getting a new Job; this applies to people considering joining anything in general, whether you are starting a new relationship/partnership (friendship, marriage, business, etc.) or joining any institution at all; this is for you!
Three Things to Consider When Joining Any Organization/Institution:
Conviction: Conviction talks about God’s leading that backs up what you are doing. The bedrock of every decision should be rooted in what God has said. The first thing you have to do is to make sure you are led to join that organization. Your conviction can come in the form of a knowing, a strong impression, a dream, a witness of the spirit in your heart, or a still, small voice. Whatever form it comes in, please make sure you have the conviction. Let me provide an example of someone who had a conviction from the scriptures. In Acts 16:6-10, we see Paul and his company being restricted by the Holy Spirit not to go to certain places to preach the gospel. (Side note: Just because you have the zeal and passion for preaching the gospel does not mean you should go everywhere and anywhere. There is a general instruction to every believer by Jesus to go ye into the world (Matt 28:19), but each believer must locate which part of the world they are sent to.) Then God gave Paul a dream by night. I love how the message translation puts it:
Acts 16:9-10 (MSG): That night, Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.
So we see how vital a conviction is. Paul and his company had to wait until they knew God was leading them into Macedonia. So First, pray and get a conviction before doing anything else.
Vision: The second vital ingredient is vision. Vision speaks of direction. Where is the organization/relationship headed? What is the purpose? The scripture states that two cannot walk together unless they agree (Amos 3:3). You must discover the “why” behind the organization. If you are going to London, taking a flight to Turkey is a waste of your time and resources. Your destination and the destination of the flight are different. If vision is absent, that is even worse. Have you ever seen a flight going nowhere? It means it can land anywhere and even in the sea. The reason for starting any journey is to get to a particular destination. So if there is no destination in view, there is no reason for the trip. That’s how important a vision is! So ask questions!
Value: The third vital ingredient is value. Value is as important as the other two ingredients. This is because your values are closely linked to your identity, your essence, and who you are. Values speak of principles and standards you uphold—honesty, integrity, trust, etc. Every individual or institution has core values, whether positive or negative. Find out what that value is. You cannot assume someone else’s value. Value is not written on people’s faces, nor can you tell just by how people look or dress; Value is demonstrated. You cannot do business with someone that does not have a similar or identical value system. If you do, you will get into what I call value conflict. Value conflict is a situation whereby what is happening does not align with the values you believe in. This is marked by frustration and confusion. Value conflict leads to either a separation or a compromise. It often leads to a compromise because people usually would not like to lose years invested in a relationship or an organization.
When these three ingredients (Conviction, vision, and value) are present, you find out that there is an effortless, genuine connection, like that Mary had with Elizabeth. You are not forcing things to happen; it just flows. The mistake is that people first look for the connection instead of looking out for these three things. Connection is only a by-product of alignment. The connection will naturally happen when you have the conviction and your vision and values align. When your values and vision do not align, and you have a conviction, please check that conviction again; something may just be off. God cannot lead you into something that will make you compromise your values and go in a different direction than he has for your life.
It is wise to join an organization or start a relationship with a conviction and alignment of vision and values. There may be one or two things out of place, but that’s okay if these three things are there! Every institution/organization, or relationship is flawed, so don’t look for the perfect people or organization. This is also for people considering leaving an organization or institution; if you have these three ingredients mentioned above, please stay there. Do not leave because of a minor issue; you may dislocate yourself in destiny.
I pray that whatever decision you make this year will be backed up by a solid conviction, followed by an alignment of vision and values in Jesus’ name! Amen!
To read my blog on Making Great Decisions click here
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