A COOL SPIRIT

The young staff member and I sat in my office talking through a difficult situation in which he found himself embroiled. In the course of a conversation with a pastor on behalf of the ministry we both worked for, a misunderstanding had occurred. Heated words had been exchanged on both sides and the phone call was finished in anger.

The staff member came to me right away and explained, from his point of view, what had happened. He finished by saying, “I know he’s going to call you and I wanted you to hear my side first!” At least he was as honest as he could be at that point.

The young man then looked at me and said, “You never seem to lose your cool, even when people are saying pretty nasty things about you. How do you do that?” That may not have been completely true but I was glad my life gave that impression. What I shared with him that afternoon is what I’m sharing now. The passages of Scripture and the principles they contain are a part of the scriptural principles that guide my life.

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Proverbs 25:28 - NKJV).

A person who has no control over his own spirit is a person who can be taken advantage of. If you don’t control your thought life, your anger, or your passion, all kinds of influences and thoughts will find residence and will fight for control of your life.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

The man who gets angry quickly is weak and will lose his way more easily than the man who has rule over his spirit. Note that the verse doesn’t say that anger has no place in the life of a believer, but that anger can be controlled. Over and over when praying for and counseling people in trouble, I have been asked to pray that their anger be removed—but I have never prayed for that and never will. It is not wrong to get angry about a problem or a troubling situation, but you must control/rule the anger and not let it control you. God put that intensity in you, but not for bad. It’s a part of who you are and God intends for you to have the rule over it.

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).

This verse is cautioning people to be careful in what they say. The man or woman who knows when to say something and, perhaps more importantly, when not to say something, is a person who has taken a giant step away from trouble. The phrase “mouth and tongue” is figurative language for speech. The word “soul” is better rendered “himself” and the word “troubles” in Hebrew is plural and suggests legal and social difficulties resulting from unwise talk.


“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

The word “sin” is also rendered “transgression” which refers to offensive behavior. Offensive behavior refers to a failure to practice good sense in dealing with others. People who talk too much, who can’t seem to control their tongue, have a tendency to get themselves into trouble that did not have to happen. In fact, people who talk too much are actually displaying their insecurity. It’s better to be a person of few words than to run off at the mouth.

“He that spareth his words hath knowledge; and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 10:19 - New American Standard Version).

When a person has a thorough knowledge of something, he does not normally have to use an abundance of words to make his point.

And then there’s this…I’ve always wanted to be known as a cool guy, and surprise! Here I am in the Bible.

WHEN A PLAN IS NOT A PLAN!

The president/owner of the organization stood to address his employees in a staff meeting.

“I am happy to tell you today that I have decided to implement a retirement program for all the employees who have been with the organization for more than seven years. When you retire, depending upon how long you’ve been with the organization, you will receive up to two-thirds of your salary and full medical coverage. That’s my decision!”

The response of the staff was spontaneous and enthusiastic…they were overjoyed!

Eight months later the first employee to have been with the company long enough to qualify for the retirement program was ready to retire. He excitedly went to the Human Resources office to find out exactly how much he would be receiving in his retirement package.

The embarrassed HR director had to tell him that while the owner had publicly made the statement about establishing the retirement plan, nothing had been done to actually put the retirement and benefits package in place.

The puzzled and disappointed employee said, “But the boss said that he had decided to do this!”
Unfortunately, Mr. Fictitious, the owner, had expressed his good intention but had never followed through. The lesson for all of us is: “A good intention is not a decision and a good intention is not a plan.”

Here are the simple steps to follow to make sure that every decision is a decision and that every plan is actually a plan.

STEP ONE: Write down the decision.
Put the decision and the initial implementation plan in written form that you can regularly review and improve on, and get others to work on it, too. You are creating your initial action plan.

STEP TWO: Who needs to know?
When Step One is complete, then the next step is determining who needs to know. Get the information about the plan/decision to everybody that needs to know. Each person that needs to know the plan also needs to know what is expected of them, what action is to be taken.

STEP THREE: Set a date to have the plan implemented?

What is the timeframe for accomplishing the plan? Ideally, when should it be complete and implemented? Set a date for complete implementation and interim dates for review of progress. As a leader, you have to be willing to hold staff accountable in meeting deadlines.

STEP FOUR: What resources will it take to implement this decision?

What resources need to be committed to this plan to see that it is implemented and done properly? This includes people, finances, equipment, office space. In other words, everything that is going to be needed to see that the decision is implemented correctly. More good plans fail because of the failure to follow through on steps two, three and four than for all other reasons combined.

STEP FIVE: Feedback.

Build into the plan a system for you to get feedback to see what progress is being made and that it is being done according to the plan, within the cost specifications, and in the time allotted. If all else fails, go and look for yourself. The feedback should include a regular schedule of reports that accurately show what progress is being made, and if deadlines are being met. Do not take the reports at face value but check on things yourself to see what progress is being made and if specific areas need more help.

A good intention is not a plan; a plan is not a decision until it is fully implemented!