As we are approaching and entering a new season of Home Groups, I pray that these steps would benefit, inspire, and encourage you to take your Home Group to the next level with the Holy Spirit.
1. Have a Vision
Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Hearing this scripture through podcast, messages, and reading it in books has been proven that if we want to conquer or accomplish a task successfully, we must have a vision and it needs to be written down. I’m a true witness that taking the action step of writing down the vision clearly, has been a vital step to seeing things happen in my Home Group. I listed what I specifically wanted to see happen in my Home Group and placed it right by my makeup vanity, somewhere in plain sight and where my mind would be reminded of what I’m after, every single morning. My vision consisted of wanting testimonies, healings, deliverances, salvations, new people to come, Holy Spirit’s anointing and presence, to be evident as we met in Home Group. I created a list and would visualize those things manifesting in our meeting. I wanted hunger to be stirred within me believing that this would be possible. As I would have my Home Group, I would mention to my girls the vision, uttering with confidence that they entered a place of testimonies, healings, salvations and deliverances. The girls adopted the vision and our attitudes expected nothing less than the written vision.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Warren G. Bennis
2. Create an Atmosphere of Expectation
I’ve seen countless war movies and there is one thought that I want to draw from. When they are about to wage war, the General or Captain would prep his Army of legions, to win. No matter what side you are on, no one goes into battle thinking well, I hope I win. They go into battle, with an assurance that victory is in their hands. The attitude and speech is directed to win and conquer. They will die to win, but they would never speak of defeat or give up half way in the middle of the battle. The same goes for us when fighting for others in our Home Group. When we go into spiritual warfare and begin to pray for healing, breakthrough, deliverance, emotional healing, or any kind of pain and issue; it is crucial to prepare others to go into prayer believing you are going in for the win. You are on the winning side, and we do not quit until we see that prayer request answered or problem solved.
“Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation” – Andrew Murray
Building a place of expectation to attract more and more testimonies, is an essential key to seeing victory for others. I would ask some of the girls to share their testimonies over and over again, no matter how often we have heard the same testimony. It brought a ruthless confidence to the girls that were listening and that were new. Some of us would end up with tears or a wonderful reminder to be grateful for what God has already done, and HE is ready to do it again. We would watch testimonies or speak of them to each other, and would not go through a Home Group without emphasizing on testimonies. He is a miracle working God, who answers prayers, and who wants to release His blessing to those that are expecting. By the time we get to prayer, expectation is evident, faith is charged, and we are ready with our hands wide open to receive. He’s glorified when your prayers are answered, and that’s the ultimate goal.
3. Extreme Ownership
I constantly would say to my girls at Home Group, “your problem is my problem.” Anytime you go into war, countless men fight for the same thing, and that’s to win. No one is fighting for their life, but for victory. You give up your right to live, when waging in war. You truly yield your life for the cause. You die to purpose and for purpose.
I recently had Katrina, who expressed at Home Group that she was dealing with insomnia for a year. It wasn’t a 2-3 hour sleep problem; it’s where she could not sleep whatsoever. Something inside all of us got angry at the enemy, and we became ruthless. It was not okay for her to live like this. The girls entered into prayer and extreme ownership. Every week, we would pray and believe. I frequently would ask her afterwards, how she was doing with her sleep and if there is any improvement. I’m sure she got annoyed, but we were truly after the problem being annoyed of us and our prayers. Her problem bothered us, and we couldn’t be at peace until we saw her at peace. We spoke truth and declared that she will go up and testify of her miracle in front of others at our church. 2 months later, Katrina did. You can see her testimony here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNwaybHet7o
Do not be afraid to own people’s problems. That’s where the results are produced, through extreme ownership.
“The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” – Jocko Willink
4. The Leader
What you abide in, is what will abide in your Home Group. The results of your Home Group, is ultimately the result of who you are and who Holy Spirit is for you. As a Home Group leader, you are the funnel Holy Spirit uses. Home group is not about hosting people, but hosting the Holy Spirit for the people. What you abide in, is what will be produced. We cannot expect miracles if we do not talk to the one who does them. The state and condition of your mind, heart, and soul needs to abide with Him. As it says in John 15:4 “remain in Me, and I will remain in you.” We as the leaders of our Home Group must raise the bar and expect to do God’s business, and we cannot do it without Him.
“Home group is not about hosting people, but hosting the Holy Spirit for the people.”
Seek more of Him today, pray that He will raise the desire in you to make an impact as you gather together. Home Groups are meant to be a blessing and not a burden, and if it’s a burden ask God to work on your perspective. It’s not an obligation but a privilege to serve in God’s kingdom. I truly believe that this season of Home Groups will bring a new awakening within you.
