9 Steps to Building a Personal Support Team

Choosing your team—many people want what God has for them, but they fail to take advantage of the gifted, loving, and wise people He puts in their path. Part of God’s program to make a way for you is to put good people around you who are gifted to help you get where you need to go. Some of these people will just show up in your life, sent by God at just the right time. Others you have to seek out on your own. Some will be professionals. Others may be neighbors or friends at church. As the Bible tells us, when we love and support each other, we are actually handing out the resources of God Himself (1 Peter 4:10). Here are some of the things others can give to you, which are really God’s gifts.

Support.
When going through challenges or change in our daily lives, we don’t often have the resources or strength we need in and of ourselves. But God helps us meet those needs through the support of others. Where would you go to find solid, mature support for your life’s challenges?
Love.
The Bible says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). We all need a safety net of love. Love takes the sting out of life. Ask the Lord to lead you to a place where you can know His love through His people.
Courage.
When what we have to do is not easy, and not without risk or fear, we need people to say to us what the apostle Paul said to his friends: “So keep up your courage” (Acts 27:25). Who gives you courage by his or her mere presence in your life?
Feedback.
We need feedback from others to correct us if we’re going to get where we want to go in life. When has a wise man’s rebuke (Proverbs 25:12) helped you correct your path? Is there someone you’re avoiding today because you know deep inside you’re headed in the wrong direction and you don’t want to hear about it?
Wisdom.
We do not possess all the knowledge and wisdom we’re going to need. God speaks these things into our lives through wise people. When has God spoken knowledge and/or wisdom into your life through others? To whom do you—or could you—go for wise advice when you need it?
Experience.
In times of trouble or times of growth, we need the experience of others who have been there before. Have you been encouraged by someone who understood your situation because of a similar experience? Do you currently have someone helping you walk through a tough situation because he or she has been there? If not, where could you go to find such a person?
Modeling.
We can’t do what we have never seen, so God calls us to imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12). We learn best when we watch and learn from someone who is doing marriage, work, or personal growth the way we want to. Has God put someone in your life as a role model? What have you learned from watching that person?
Values.
Our values are what guide us, and values develop in the context of community. Are your values supported by the people you hang out with? What values have you learned from others?
Accountability.
We need to be held accountable by others in order to know how we are doing and what areas need more focus. Who is close enough to you to offer such accountability? What do you need to do to be open, rather than defensive, with that person? The wisest man who ever lived knew the value of traveling companions. King Solomon wrote these words: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).