YWAM Africa.org

Avoiding Over-Commitment

It starts with learning how to let your yes be yes

--by Gina Fadely

I want to talk about swearing.
Not using foul language, but rather making an oath, making a declaration, making a vow, a covenant, a pledge, a promise, a guarantee. Making a commitment. Giving your word. Or simply saying, "Yes."

In YWAM, as an organization and as individuals, it is part of our ethos to journal our spiritual lives—to write down and then remind God in prayer of the words we have received from Him. Some YWAM locations even keep a log of these words from the Lord to remember them.

But what I want to ask you is: What about our words to God? Not "the word of the Lord to Gina," but rather, "the word of Gina to the Lord." Are we people of our word?

Do We Keep Our Vows?

The Bible clearly states that to make a vow and not fulfill it is a sin.

"Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: `This is what the LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said'" (Numbers 30:1,2).

We cannot easily dismiss this as Old Testament law by which we are no longer bound. Jesus said:

"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool....Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No;' anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37).

As YWAMers, are we modeling that we are people of our word? Are we corporately an organization that keeps its word ("word of YWAM to the Lord")? And as individuals to each other, are we people of our word?

Concerning our YWAM corporate covenants, do we even consider these in our ministry plans and goals? As an organization, we have made various international covenants (Manila Covenant, Red Sea Covenant, Nanning Covenant, etc.). Furthermore, as a response to Jim Stier's Adopt-A-People challenge in 1995, YWAM locations collectively have made around 800 commitments to unreached people groups. What about these words of ours to God? Do we remind staff of these promises we have made to God, and do we work toward fulfilling them?

Do we keep the vows we make during partnership meetings with other organizations? Do we do the things we say we will do within our YWAM teams, our families, and with our friends?

In one of John Maxwell's books, he lists some things to look for in potential leaders, including the willingness to take responsibility and the ability to take initiative. These sorts of leadership criteria often capture most of our focus. Maxwell goes on to list following through on one's commitments. This often gets much less attention.

Hazards that Cause Us to Stumble

Many things cause us to stumble in our integrity and not keep our word:

Over-commitment.

We cannot say "yes" to everything. And saying "yes" to some opportunities now can prevent us from saying "yes" to future opportunities, at least until we have fulfilled or been released from our current commitments.

I will first acknowledge that there are seasons of extraordinary ability and grace to do enormous amounts of work, but then we must retreat. Our time and energy are limited. God's grace is sufficient for what He gives us, and under that grace, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

But saying yes and yes and yes…well, something has to give. God has given human beings some restrictions. On the most basic level, we are limited by 24 hours in a day and a need for sleep and food. So besides the failure to do what you said you would, this lifestyle of never saying "no" can lead to emotional and physical consequences that can leave you unwell and unable to do anything. Steve Goode, YWAM's International Mercy Ministry ambassador, once said, "We so over-extend ourselves, over-commit ourselves, over-engage ourselves. And we are not immune to the consequences."

2. Ignorance

We commit hastily and don't adequately consider what we are getting into. We don't fully understand the amount of time, effort, or expense involved before agreeing. It can then become costly to keep our word. Jesus said: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

It is important that leaders take care to not pressure or manipulate others to hastily say "yes" or make a vow without thinking of the implications as that could cause them to later stumble. It is especially hard to say "no" to a leader. Encourage each other to make careful, considered commitments and then to fulfill them.

3. Fickleness

We "feel led by God" to get out of the promises we have made. Can this be? God's character is not unsteady or unstable. I don't believe He is as fickle or flighty as many make Him out to be when they claim that they have gotten a word from Him…then another…then yet another, leading to sudden changes of direction and reneging on commitments. God keeps His promises, and it is a godly characteristic in our own lives to do so.

4. We don't feel responsible

An individual could think, "You know, I wasn't there at the Red Sea; I wasn't on the Global Leadership Team (GLT) when that covenant was made. It doesn't affect me; it is not my responsibility." Even if one does accept a certain degree of responsibility, he or she may rationalize, "Well, there are thousands of other YWAMers who can take care of that. I have my own stuff going on--my own vision and calling."

In a similar fashion, regarding covenants made at the local ministry level, an individual may say, "Oh…that commitment. Well, the guy that had that vision left and, well, I wasn't here when the base made that decision. I didn't agree to that myself, so I'm not obligated to honor it."

In the same way that God dealt with the Israelites, I believe His blessing will follow us from generation to generation when we honor the corporate covenants of our YWAM family. As an organization, we have a responsibility to hand on to each new generation the honoring and embracing of our unfulfilled covenants. Unfortunately, in our eagerness to do "new things," we often fail to esteem the old.

Becoming a Person of Your Word

Here are a few things we can do to guard our integrity in this area:

Consult with God and godly counselors about your personal and ministry goals.
Thoughtfully and prayerfully develop your priorities. Write them down.
Be disciplined towards these priorities. (Paul said, "I press on towards the goal….") Be accountable. Get another to help you press on and to overcome any excuses and justifications for not doing so.
Take responsibility for your own failure, ask for and receive forgiveness, and resolve to continue pressing on.
When asked to take on new responsibilities, find out what would be expected and required of you before committing. Stop and evaluate: Is this my tower to build? Can I do this now or is it for another season? Will this new responsibility distract me (or cause me to fail) in completing my prior commitments or goals?
Learn how to say "no" gracefully in your culture, and practice it! (For example: "What an honor that you would think to ask me; this is such a wonderful project and I am so sorry that I will not be able to help you at this time as I have made other commitments.") I don't exactly want to provoke you to go around saying "no," but I do want to provoke you to both organizational and personal integrity.

When we don't keep our word, not only is it an offense before God, but our perceived integrity suffers. We spread ourselves too thin, do just enough to get by, and our work becomes mediocre. We frustrate others and trust is lost; we embarrass ourselves and those we represent. Solomon wrote the following: "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7).

By His grace, may we be known as people who keep our word.

--by Gina Fadely, YWAM's International Frontier Mission Director.
Gina first gave this message in an address to the GLT.

Published in: International YWAMer, June-September, 2007


Avoiding Over-Commitment It starts with learning how to let your yes be yes --by Gina Fadely I want to talk about swearing. Not using foul language, but rather making an oath, making a declaration, making a vow, a covenant, a pledge, a promise, a guarantee. Making a commitment. Giving your word. Or simply saying, "Yes." In YWAM, as an organization and as individuals, it is part of our ethos to journal our spiritual lives—to write down and then remind God in prayer of the words we have received from Him. Some YWAM locations even keep a log of these words from the Lord to remember them. But what I want to ask you is: What about our words to God? Not "the word of the Lord to Gina," but rather, "the word of Gina to the Lord." Are we people of our word? Do We Keep Our Vows? The Bible clearly states that to make a vow and not fulfill it is a sin. "Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: `This is what the LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said'" (Numbers 30:1,2). We cannot easily dismiss this as Old Testament law by which we are no longer bound. Jesus said: "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool....Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No;' anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37). As YWAMers, are we modeling that we are people of our word? Are we corporately an organization that keeps its word ("word of YWAM to the Lord")? And as individuals to each other, are we people of our word? Concerning our YWAM corporate covenants, do we even consider these in our ministry plans and goals? As an organization, we have made various international covenants (Manila Covenant, Red Sea Covenant, Nanning Covenant, etc.). Furthermore, as a response to Jim Stier's Adopt-A-People challenge in 1995, YWAM locations collectively have made around 800 commitments to unreached people groups. What about these words of ours to God? Do we remind staff of these promises we have made to God, and do we work toward fulfilling them? Do we keep the vows we make during partnership meetings with other organizations? Do we do the things we say we will do within our YWAM teams, our families, and with our friends? In one of John Maxwell's books, he lists some things to look for in potential leaders, including the willingness to take responsibility and the ability to take initiative. These sorts of leadership criteria often capture most of our focus. Maxwell goes on to list following through on one's commitments. This often gets much less attention. Hazards that Cause Us to Stumble Many things cause us to stumble in our integrity and not keep our word: Over-commitment. We cannot say "yes" to everything. And saying "yes" to some opportunities now can prevent us from saying "yes" to future opportunities, at least until we have fulfilled or been released from our current commitments. I will first acknowledge that there are seasons of extraordinary ability and grace to do enormous amounts of work, but then we must retreat. Our time and energy are limited. God's grace is sufficient for what He gives us, and under that grace, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But saying yes and yes and yes…well, something has to give. God has given human beings some restrictions. On the most basic level, we are limited by 24 hours in a day and a need for sleep and food. So besides the failure to do what you said you would, this lifestyle of never saying "no" can lead to emotional and physical consequences that can leave you unwell and unable to do anything. Steve Goode, YWAM's International Mercy Ministry ambassador, once said, "We so over-extend ourselves, over-commit ourselves, over-engage ourselves. And we are not immune to the consequences." 2. Ignorance We commit hastily and don't adequately consider what we are getting into. We don't fully understand the amount of time, effort, or expense involved before agreeing. It can then become costly to keep our word. Jesus said: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30). It is important that leaders take care to not pressure or manipulate others to hastily say "yes" or make a vow without thinking of the implications as that could cause them to later stumble. It is especially hard to say "no" to a leader. Encourage each other to make careful, considered commitments and then to fulfill them. 3. Fickleness We "feel led by God" to get out of the promises we have made. Can this be? God's character is not unsteady or unstable. I don't believe He is as fickle or flighty as many make Him out to be when they claim that they have gotten a word from Him…then another…then yet another, leading to sudden changes of direction and reneging on commitments. God keeps His promises, and it is a godly characteristic in our own lives to do so. 4. We don't feel responsible An individual could think, "You know, I wasn't there at the Red Sea; I wasn't on the Global Leadership Team (GLT) when that covenant was made. It doesn't affect me; it is not my responsibility." Even if one does accept a certain degree of responsibility, he or she may rationalize, "Well, there are thousands of other YWAMers who can take care of that. I have my own stuff going on--my own vision and calling." In a similar fashion, regarding covenants made at the local ministry level, an individual may say, "Oh…that commitment. Well, the guy that had that vision left and, well, I wasn't here when the base made that decision. I didn't agree to that myself, so I'm not obligated to honor it." In the same way that God dealt with the Israelites, I believe His blessing will follow us from generation to generation when we honor the corporate covenants of our YWAM family. As an organization, we have a responsibility to hand on to each new generation the honoring and embracing of our unfulfilled covenants. Unfortunately, in our eagerness to do "new things," we often fail to esteem the old. Becoming a Person of Your Word Here are a few things we can do to guard our integrity in this area: Consult with God and godly counselors about your personal and ministry goals. Thoughtfully and prayerfully develop your priorities. Write them down. Be disciplined towards these priorities. (Paul said, "I press on towards the goal….") Be accountable. Get another to help you press on and to overcome any excuses and justifications for not doing so. Take responsibility for your own failure, ask for and receive forgiveness, and resolve to continue pressing on. When asked to take on new responsibilities, find out what would be expected and required of you before committing. Stop and evaluate: Is this my tower to build? Can I do this now or is it for another season? Will this new responsibility distract me (or cause me to fail) in completing my prior commitments or goals? Learn how to say "no" gracefully in your culture, and practice it! (For example: "What an honor that you would think to ask me; this is such a wonderful project and I am so sorry that I will not be able to help you at this time as I have made other commitments.") I don't exactly want to provoke you to go around saying "no," but I do want to provoke you to both organizational and personal integrity. When we don't keep our word, not only is it an offense before God, but our perceived integrity suffers. We spread ourselves too thin, do just enough to get by, and our work becomes mediocre. We frustrate others and trust is lost; we embarrass ourselves and those we represent. Solomon wrote the following: "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7). By His grace, may we be known as people who keep our word. --by Gina Fadely, YWAM's International Frontier Mission Director. Gina first gave this message in an address to the GLT. Published in: International YWAMer, June-September, 2007