INTRO MESSAGE
GET FAT - Teachable
QUICK REVIEW
➢ We are in a series of teachings on the characteristics that lead us to experience promotion and become the person God has created us to be.
➢ For the past 2 weeks we have been GETTING FAT – because God wants to use FAT PEOPLE.
• F-FAITHFULNESS/ A=AVAILABILITY/ T=TEACHABILITY
➢ Today we get into the last letter T
➢ An appropriate day for this characteristic
➢ My father seem to always be trying to develop this in me
➢ It was most difficult during those teen years when I knew everything and my father (along with most adults) knew very little.
➢ This is a sign of adolescence.
That is why the apostle Peter said this to his youth group
I Pet 5:5 says; "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
➢ If there is one thing that bugged my dad (and now bugs me) when he was trying to tell me something and I’d roll my eyes and say “I Know.”
➢ For the past 9 months I have been running an afterschool club called FSEA for pre-teens (entering adolescence)
o The stand-outs are those who eager to learn
o They listened and learned from failures
o I can identify those kids who are going to succeed in school by their mature humility
Because Humility is the essence of teachability.
The kind of person God wants to promote is someone who has a humble heart.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up
“AM I TEACHABLE?”
Do you have a humble attitude that says I can learn from this person or situation? Or do you have the prideful attitude that says, it's got to go my way?
One leader asked the question “Am I Teachable?”
He had 10 thoughts to help us discover if we are teachable:
See if you can answer Yes or No to these statements:
1. I am willing to listen more than talk.
2. I admit when I am mistaken.
3. I observe before acting on a situation.
4. I desire information more than answers.
5. I enjoy asking questions.
6. I am open to suggestions and new ideas.
7. I feel comfortable asking for advice or directions.
8. I am patient and a willing “Student.”
9. I enjoy reading for information that is practical and applicable.
10. I can appreciate criticism without being deeply wounded.
If you can answer yes to at least 5 of those statements then you are more teachable than not.
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2 WAYS TO INCREASE TEACHABILITY
#1 Listen
Proverbs 1:5: “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”
Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
QUOTE
Larry King says, “I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”
STORY
There is a story about Theodore Roosevelt:
President Theodore Roosevelt was a man of action, but he was also a good listener, and he appreciated that quality in other people. Once at a gala ball, he grew tired of meeting people who returned his remarks with stiff, mindless pleasantries. So he began to greet people with a smile, saying, ‘I murdered my grandmother this morning.’ Most people, so nervous about meeting him, didn’t even hear what he said. But one diplomat did. Upon hearing the president’s remark, he leaned over and whispered to him, ‘I’m sure she had it coming to her!’ The only way to find out what you’re missing is to start listening (80).
• The ability to actively listen is the key to teachability.
#2 – The second way to increase teachability is learning from experiences.
➢ Can you learn from situations good & bad? Success & Failure?
John Maxwell in his book "Failing Forward" says “In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. Are you going to fail forward or backward?”
➢ Negative Experiences and challenging people can be a greater tool of learning depending on how we approach them.
➢ Take a look at these two lists to determine how you approach failure:
Failing Backward vs. Failing Forward
Blame Others - Taking responsibility
Repeat the same mistakes - Learning from each mistake
Expecting never to fail again - Knowing failure is a part of progress
Expecting to continually fail - Maintain a positive attitude
Accepting tradition blindly - Challenging outdated assumptions
Being limited by past mistakes - Taking new risks
Thinking I am a failure - Believing something didn’t work
Quitting - Persevering
• We can fail forward if we are teachable.
When we are teachable we can be used by God
Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
• This passage reveals to us the kind of heart we need to have in our life. We need to be open for God to show us His way.
FACT: God is not limited, but we can certainly limit what He is able to accomplish for His kingdom, through us, if we are unwilling to learn! If we refuse to learn, it is disobedience! If we humbly pray and ask God to illumine His word, He is faithful and willing to do so!”
APPLICATION:
➢ These three characteristics (Faithfulness, Availability, Teachability) are the qualities that I look for in leaders
o Bosses are looking to promote
o God is looking for to accomplish His purposes & plans.
