Friday, October 31, 2008

SIGNIFICANCE

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." - Psalm 90:17

Many of us begin our careers with the goal of achieving success. If we haven't entered our work as a result of God's calling, we will eventually face a chasm of deep frustration and emptiness. Success flatters but does not provide a lasting sense of purpose and fulfillment. So often we enter careers with wrong motives-money, prestige, and even pressure from parents or peers. Failing to match our work with our giftedness and calling is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that happens over an extended period, a person crashes.At this time, many make another mistake. Workplace believers think that beginning a new career in "full-time Christian work" will fill the emptiness they feel. However, this only exacerbates the problem because they are again trying to put another square peg into a round hole. The problem is not whether we should be in "Christian work" or "secular work," but rather what work is inspired by gifts and calling. If there is one phrase I wish I could remove from the English language it is "full-time Christian work." If you are a Christian, you are in full-time Christian work, whether you are driving nails or preaching the gospel. The question must be, are you achieving the God-given calling for your life? God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.It is time for workplace believers to stop feeling like second-class citizens for being in business. It is time workplace believers stop working toward financial independence so that they can concentrate on their "true spiritual calling." This is the great deception for those called to business.Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made. Ask Him to confirm this in your own life.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“More gold has been mined from the minds of men than has been taken from the earth crust.” – Napoleon Hill

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

KNOW YOUR ASSETS AND HOW TO USE THEM

Nick was a talented guy who managed the assets of investors by trading
on the global stock market. He became a wheeler-dealer in a high-risk
segment of the market, but he didn't really know the importance to his
employer of the assets he was managing. To him, the assets were merely
one of the components allowing him to play an exciting game.
Unfortunately, he didn't count on an earthquake in Japan destabilizing
his market. He tried to adjust, but he was a gambler, and the only thing
a gambler does well is gamble. By the time he gave up gambling he had
lost some serious change-like about a billion dollars. His little
mismanagement fiasco destroyed a 300-year-old bank, the bank that had
once held the first mortgage on the Louisiana Purchase. Oops.
Nicholas Leeson never really understood the value or purpose of the
assets that had been entrusted to him. What can we learn from Nick's
debacle? First, don't get so caught up in what you're doing that you
lose sight of why you're doing it. And second, you can squander your
assets if you don't understand and use them well.
What do I mean by assets? Simply, those parts of our life and situation
that we can choose to use for God's glory-or for other things. Every
season of life provides certain assets. When I was four years old my
assets were adorableness (so my mother says) and the fact that I didn't
take up a lot of space in the family car. As a teenager my assets were
plenty of energy and...well, that's probably it. Do you see the assets
in your life that come from your singleness? Equally important, do you
understand them and use them wisely?
I believe the most overlooked asset of singleness is flexibility. The
average single adult has available to him or her a wonderful mix of
time, energy, and resources with which to build a lifestyle overflowing
with ministry impact and spiritual growth. Yet so often the choices made
by singles rob them of this valuable gift of flexibility. How do we
maximize our flexibility?
One key aspect of flexibility is time. A single woman once characterized
her singleness as "drowning in time." Have you felt this way? The single
life can seem heavy on time, and ways to randomly fill that time are
expanding daily. How can our free time become "impact time"? Leland
Ryken advises us well: "Time is the arena within which all human quests
run their course. It is within time that the issues of life are
contested and sometimes resolved. Without making one's peace with time,
a person will not solve the question of how to find the good life."
How do we "make our peace with time?" Do you steward your time,
including your free time, or do you let outside influences determine how
you use it? I am a slacker by temperament, but I've learned to schedule
my time so that my slacker tendencies don't eat my life whole. My
objective in time management is not to get as much done as possible, but
to try to make sure that I end up doing what is best for me to do.
For example, I tend to over-commit my evenings. So, I schedule every
one, even if it is simply a "reading night" or an "off night." Then if
something comes up, I have some options on how to handle it-it doesn't
just infect my schedule like the flu, throwing off everything else in my
life until I can regroup. I've also come to recognize how I can blow
time (like in front of the tube), so I make a special effort to
discipline myself in those areas.
I encourage the single folks I know to take regular overnight personal
retreats-to break from the routine, be before the Lord, and just assess
life. Let me encourage you to do the same. Use those times to set goals
for progress, not perfection. Study the scriptural principle of the
Sabbath, then apply what you learn. If you do things like this, will
every moment become an impact moment? No. But impact will likely emerge
"all by itself" from the ordered use of the time you do have.
Your flexibility will also be affected by your approach to work. As a
single adult you are highly prized in the employment world for the sheer
number of hours that can be sucked out of your life for the sake of the
bottom line. Money, perks, travel, "opportunity," and promotions are all
used as lures to get single folks to carry the time load no one else
seems to want. Don't bite. This is the hook of the world lurking under
the bait of career. Whether you work for yourself or for someone else,
don't let career or job define you. Work hard, but work as unto the
Lord. God is your boss, and in the end his advancement plan is the only
one that counts.
Another potential snare is possessions. I knew a Christian single woman
who always seemed to be moving from one place to another. Was she an
irritable person, unpleasant, hard to live with? No, she just had too
much stuff. She always needed a large area in which to store her
accumulated possessions, most of which weren't in use and could have
easily been replaced if needed. But she had a false sense of security in
her possessions. Her stuff had become her treasure, and in a sense she
worshiped it. She passed up some great living opportunities because she
thought it more important to protect her stuff than to be available for
the adventure of God's purpose. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also" (Mt 6:21).
The less stuff (car, house, music collections, etc.) we have to manage,
the less chance our heart will attach to it, and the greater will be our
flexibility for God's purpose. I'm not saying "stuff" is inherently bad,
but we must recognize that our sinful nature will always tempt us to
worship it.

Monday, October 27, 2008

KNOWING OUR LIMITS

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases
fantasies will have his fill of poverty."-Proverbs 28:19

Webster's defines entrepreneur: "one who organizes, operates, and
assumes the risk in a business venture." [Merriam-Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary, Tenth ed. (Springfield, Massachusetts, 1993),
"entrepreneur."] Entrepreneurs can smell an opportunity a mile away.
However, what is often their greatest asset can become their greatest
downfall. The road is littered with entrepreneurs who have been
successful in one venture only to fail in countless others. Is this the
natural way for an entrepreneur, or is there a better way?
King David was an entrepreneur. He grew up as a shepherd boy and later
became Israel's greatest warrior. He responded to opportunities, like
the time when no one would fight Goliath. He saw this as an opportunity.
He ultimately became king of Israel and faced many opportunities placed
before him. David learned an important lesson somewhere along the way
that each of us as workplace believers should learn.
As an entrepreneur the greatest danger is engaging ourselves in
activities in which God never intended us to be involved. This is poor
stewardship of what God has entrusted to us. When the Philistines
attacked David, he always inquired of God as to if and when he was to
counterattack. When he was attacked a second time on one occasion, David
inquired of God as to whether he was to attack yet. This time God said
yes, but with a condition, "Wait until you hear the sound of marching in
the balsam trees" (see 2 Sam. 5:24). This story tells us that David had
learned an important lesson about staying vertical in his relationship
with God at all times. David had learned the important principle of
staying focused on what God wanted for him, not what seemed logical. He
was an opportunist, but only through the filter of the Holy Spirit in
his life.
How do you approach opportunities? Do you consider the merits of the
opportunity only? Or do you inquire of God as to whether He desires you
to pursue? It may be a wonderful opportunity, but it may not be God's
will for you to be involved. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you as you
seek to use the skills He has given you.

Friday, October 24, 2008

MIXING FAITH WITH COMMERCE

"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little
oil."
2 Kings 4:2b

Her husband had died. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her
creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the
obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the
only man of God she knew.
"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.
"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."
Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her
neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.
When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil
she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In
fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. "Go, sell the oil and pay
your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left" (2 Kings 4:7b).
God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no
resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources.
She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a
resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith
was mixed with the practical step of going into the workplace to sell
what she had in order to receive her needed income. In fact, there was
so much income she was able to pay her debts and live on the money
derived from the sale.
Quite often we forget that God works through commerce to provide for our
needs. It is wrong to place total trust in commerce without faith in
God. God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous
to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God
honors.
Do you have a problem that is perplexing to you? Do you see no way of
meeting your need? God may have already given you the skills and talents
to meet your need. However, He may be waiting for you to mix them with
faith. Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. Be
willing to take the next step.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

THE MEASURE OF A LEADER'S SUCCESS

If we judged success by worldly standards, some might be
inclined to assess Paul's leadership career as an abject
failure and a bitter disappointment. In the closing days
of his life, when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, Luke was
virtually his only contact with the outside world
(4:11). Paul was confined in a Roman dungeon, dreading
the savage cold of coming winter (vv. 13, 21), and
without any hope of deliverance from the death sentence
that had been imposed on him. He suffered because of the
sadistic contempt of his enemies. He was even abandoned
or disavowed by some of his closest friends. He wrote,
"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away
from me" (2 Timothy 1:15).
"Asia" refers to Asia Minor, where Paul had focused his
missionary work. Ephesus, where Timothy pastored, was
the capital of that region. So Paul wasn't telling
Timothy anything Timothy didn't already know firsthand.
In that time of fierce persecution, association with
Paul had become so costly that all but a few of the
apostle's own spiritual children had in effect disowned
and abandoned him.
That's why people who see things superficially might
think the end of Paul's life was tragic. At first
glance, it might even seem as if his enemies had finally
defeated him.
A failure? Actually, the apostle Paul was not a failure
as a leader by any measure. His influence continues
worldwide even today. By contrast, Nero, the corrupt but
powerful Roman emperor who ordered Paul's death, is one
of history's most despised figures. This is yet another
reminder that influence is the true test of a person's
leadership, not power or position per se. In fact, a
careful look at how Paul's life and ministry came to an
end can teach us a lot about how to gauge the success or
failure of a leader.
Paul's first long imprisonment and trial before Nero
apparently ended in the apostle's release sometime
before AD 64, because he wrote the epistles of 1 Timothy
and Titus as a free man (1 Timothy 3:14-15; 4:13; Titus
3:12). But that liberty was short-lived. In July of the
year 64, seven of Rome's fourteen districts burned. When
the original fire was nearly extinguished, another fire,
fanned by fierce winds, broke out in another district.
Rumors circulated that Nero himself had ordered the
burning of the city to make room for some ambitious
building projects, including a golden palace for
himself.
Trying desperately to deflect suspicion, Nero blamed
Christians for starting the fires. That began the first
of several major, aggressive campaigns by the Roman
government to destroy the church. Christians in Rome
were rounded up and executed in unspeakably cruel ways.
Some were sewn into animal skins and ripped to death by
dogs. Others were impaled on stakes, covered with pitch,
and burned as human torches to light Nero's garden
parties. Many were beheaded, fed to lions, or otherwise
disposed of at Nero's command in equally ruthless ways.
During that persecution, Paul was again taken prisoner
by the Roman authorities, brought to Rome, subjected to
persecution and torment (2 Timothy 4:17), and finally
executed as a traitor because of his relentless devotion
to the lordship of Christ.
Throughout his first imprisonment at Rome, Paul had been
kept under house arrest (Acts 28:16, 30). He was allowed
freedom to preach and teach those who visited him (v.
23). He was under the constant guard of a Roman soldier
but was treated with respect. The influence of his
ministry had therefore reached right into the household
of Caesar (Philippians 4:22).
Paul's second imprisonment, however, was markedly
different. He was virtually cut off from all outside
contact and kept chained in a dungeon (2 Timothy 1:16).
He was probably held underground in the Mamertine
Prison, adjacent to the Roman forum, in a small, dark,
bare stone dungeon whose only entrance was a hole in the
ceiling scarcely large enough for one person to pass
through. The dungeon itself is not large; about half the
size of a small one-car garage. Yet it was sometimes
used to hold as many as forty prisoners. The discomfort,
the dark, the stench, and the misery were almost
unbearable.
That dungeon still exists, and I have been in it. The
stifling, claustrophobic confines of that dark hole are
eerie and depressing even today. It was there (or in a
dungeon just like it) that Paul spent the final days of
his life.
There is no reliable record of Paul's execution, but he
obviously knew the end of his life was imminent when he
wrote his second epistle to Timothy. Evidently he had
already been tried, convicted, and condemned for
preaching Christ, and perhaps the day of his execution
was already scheduled. He wrote to Timothy, "I am
already being poured out as a drink offering, and the
time of my departure is at hand" (2 Timothy 4:6).
Naturally, there are notes of profound sadness in Paul's
final epistle. But its dominant theme is triumph, not
defeat. Paul wrote that last letter to Timothy to
encourage the young pastor to be bold and courageous and
to continue following the example he had learned from
his apostolic mentor. Far from writing a concession of
failure, Paul sounds a clarion note of victory: "I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only
but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy
4:7-8).
Facing his own imminent martyrdom, Paul had no fear, no
despondency, and no desire to stay in this world. He
longed to be with Christ and eagerly anticipated the
reward He would receive in the next world. Therefore, as
he reviewed the course of his life, he expressed no
regret, no sense of unfulfillment, and no feeling of
incompleteness. There was not the smallest duty left
undone. He had finished the work the Lord gave him to
do, just as in Acts 20:24 he had hoped and prayed he
would do: "so that I may finish my race with joy."
Paul measured his own success as a leader, as an
apostle, and as a Christian by a single criterion: He
had "kept the faith"-meaning both that he had remained
faithful to Christ and that he had kept the message of
Christ's gospel intact, just as he had received it. He
had proclaimed the Word of God faithfully and
fearlessly. And now he was passing the baton to Timothy
and to others, who would be "able to teach others also"
(2 Timothy 2:2).
Therefore, Paul faced his own death with a triumphant
spirit and with a deep sense of joy. He had seen the
grace of God accomplish all that God designed in him and
through him, and now he was ready to meet Christ
face-to-face.

Monday, October 20, 2008

BUSINESS AS USUAL

"And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. "Luke 2:7

Imagine if the God of the universe decided to visit planet earth as a new baby and you were given the opportunity to host His first night-in your hotel! Think of the future promotional possibilities..."God stayed here His first night!" You could sell tickets to see the room where He was born. What an opportunity to make history as a small-business owner! God had need of a business owner's establishment one night 2,000 years ago. But there was no room for God in this business that night. There was no room for the unexpected miracle; no awareness of what was taking place in the heavenlies, no sign that God might be reaching out to this workplace believer to be used like no other in all of history. Every day God has need of some man or woman's job. He wants to demonstrate miracles in their work. But there is no room in their work for Jesus. He is not asked to participate. That night God slept in a stable. That night a business opportunity from Heaven was missed. It was business as usual. May we all have spiritual eyes and ears to know when our Master needs what He has entrusted to us for His purposes.

Friday, October 17, 2008

A TALKING DONKEY

"Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day?"Numbers 22:30

Most workplace believers I know tend to be task-oriented, motivated visionaries. And they will do just about anything to make their projects successful. This great strength can, if not properly bridled by the Holy Spirit, be a great weakness in their ability to fulfill God's will in their life.Sometimes we want something to succeed so much that we fail to listen to that little voice inside trying to warn us by directing us on a different path. Such was the case of Balaam. He started out as a man of God, but then took the path of a "prophet-for-hire." God was not pleased with Balaam's decision to respond to a pagan king's request that he curse Israel. As Balaam rode his donkey to keep his appointment with the king, God sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the way and oppose Balaam. Although Balaam did not see the angel, his donkey did. Three times the donkey turned from the path and three times Balaam beat the animal in anger. Finally, the donkey turned around, and to Balaam's shock and amazement, began to speak to him, admonishing his master for beating him. Imagine a donkey talking to you! He warned Balaam of the angel of death who was standing in the road with a sword drawn, ready to kill Balaam if he continued.There are times when pushing harder, trying to manipulate the circumstance, or pressing those around you is not the response to have to the roadblock. God may be trying to have you reconsider your ways. God may be doing one of four things when you are faced with an obstacle:
1) He's blocking it to protect you.
2) His timing to complete this stage is not the same as yours, and He may need you to go through a process of character refinement.
3) He may want other players to get in place, and the circumstances are not yet ready for them to enter.
4) He may be using the process to develop patience in you. Relying on the Holy Spirit to know which one applies to your situation is the key to moving in God's timing.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

CHANGING OUR PARADIGM OF EXPERIENCE

"So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.'" Exodus 3:3

Have you ever heard someone say, "God doesn't work that way? He would never do that." Well, there are times when God chooses to confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience. Moses had never seen a bush that burned but did not burn up. It got his attention and it drew him to God.
When Jesus appeared on the water in the middle of the night during a storm, the disciples exclaimed, "It's a ghost!" They had never seen a man walk on water. This led to a great miracle-Peter walked on the water, too. When Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get the coin from its mouth to pay their taxes, you can imagine what Peter must have thought about those instructions. When Moses got to the Red Sea, he ran out of options. God had an unexpected solution to the Israelites' problem-He parted the Red Sea to demonstrate His power and allow the people of Israel to cross over to flee the Egyptian army.
Each of these new paradigms was a stepping-stone of an encounter with God so that the individual would experience God in a new way. God used these times to enforce the principle that His ways are not our ways. Whenever we try to predict that God will act in a certain way, He changes the paradigm to keep us from becoming our own little gods.
Have you ever been guilty of judging someone for an experience they've had that you've never had? Did you dismiss it as extreme or something not of God? God is in the business of changing our paradigm from no personal experiences to God-experiences. However, if you operate on a level of rigid logic, you may never have the privilege of having the God-experiences. Keep your heart free to experience new paradigms with God today.

Monday, October 13, 2008

SITUATIONAL ETHICS

"Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart." Psalm 15:1-2

"I cannot believe they are not going to honor my bonus agreement," said the executive who was about to take another position in a new city. Her understanding of her present work agreement called for a bonus at the end of the year. Management saw the situation differently. "It's not right. I am entitled to that bonus," she complained.
It was time to leave. The company had given her a laptop to use. However, when she left, she decided that because the company was not going to pay her the bonus she was entitled to, she would simply keep the laptop as compensation due her. "And they would never miss it," she reasoned. She was now in the employment of the new company. As each day passed, she grew uneasier about her decision. She could not get it off her mind. Finally, she concluded that the Holy Spirit was telling her this decision was wrong and that she needed to call her former boss to confess her action. She called him and confessed what she had done and why she had done it. Her boss accepted her confession and forgave her. Strangely enough, he allowed her to keep the laptop computer.
Truth never changes. It is absolute. When we make decisions based on other actions that are taken, we move into making decisions based on the situation, not truth and righteousness. The executive may indeed have been wronged, but she had to address the wrong in the appropriate way. Trying to compensate for the wrong by doing something that violates another scriptural principle is called situational ethics. If the employer had never wronged the executive, do you think she would have felt justified in taking the computer? Probably not. When you isolate the two situations, you see that one action was taken in response to the other action. Have you had any experiences in which you have used situational ethics? The Lord desires His people to have a higher standard, even at the cost of being wronged. Ask the Lord to reveal any business practices that may indicate situational ethics. You might be surprised what will happen when you do the right thing.

Friday, October 10, 2008

STAYING THE COURSE

"Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD" (1 Chron 21:18-19).

In 1857, an American businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier was sent out by his local church to begin a noon-day prayer meeting on Fulton Street, right around the corner from Wall Street in New York City. A simple prayer, a willing heart, and an act of obedience resulted in city transformation throughout the United States.
However, at that very first meeting, no one showed up in the first 35 minutes. But Jeremiah waited. Gradually, six people wandered into the room at 35 minutes past the hour. Six months later, 10,000 people were meeting for prayer throughout New York City. This led to one of the greatest spiritual renewals in the United State's history.
What would have happened if Lanphier had decided to abandon the idea after 30 minutes?
In a small, darkened room, in the back of one of New York City's lesser churches, a man prayed alone. His request of God was simple, but earth-shattering: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" He was a man approaching midlife, without a wife or family, but he had financial means. He had made a decision to reject the "success syndrome" that drove the city's businessmen and bankers. God used this businessman to turn New York City's commercial empire on its head. He began a businessmen's prayer meeting on September 23, 1857.
The meetings began slowly, but within a few months 20 noonday meetings were convening daily throughout the city. Thousands met to pray because one man stepped out. This was an extraordinary move of God through one man.
It only takes one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to be used by God to impact a workplace, city, or even an entire nation. Simple obedience can lead to things you cannot imagine. Are you willing to be used by God?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

MODELING CHRIST TO YOUR EMPLOYER

"Urge slaves to obey their masters and to try their best to satisfy them. They must not talk back, nor steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy. In this way they will make people want to believe in our Savior and God" (Titus 2:9-10 TLB).

Sometimes I hear people say they don't see how they can have any significant impact on their workplace because they are pretty low on the totem pole, with little authority to make change. "I'm just a worker," they say. They fail to realize that the authority to impact any workplace comes from having authority with God, not man. And each person can have great authority in God.
The apostle Paul was instructing Titus on how common workers on the island of Create could have an impact on their employers. These workers were often no more than slaves, working in deplorable conditions for masters who were likely involved in lawlessness, drunkenness and idolatry. Not the nicest of working conditions.
Paul felt the way to win over your employer was to follow several key principles:
1) don't talk back,
2) don't steal, and
3) be trustworthy.
There is a great example of a young girl who worked for the wife of an army commander named Naaman. He had leprosy. The godly servant girl from Israel told her employer how he could get healed. What faith and boldness on the part of the servant girl!
"Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy" (2 Kings 5:1-3).
Naaman followed the advice of the lowly servant girl. God healed him through Elisha. I can only imagine the conversations between the servant girl and her employers after this healing occurred.
How might God want to use you in your employer's life?

Monday, October 6, 2008

INNOVATION

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1).

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
Those were the words of a Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp. which is the number one overnight delivery service in the world with 260,000 employees. Founder, Fred Smith, is synonymous with the word "innovation."
There have been many great innovators who have turned concepts into successful companies. Walt Disney said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
God is the source of all creativity and innovation. He created the world in seven days. He has made you to create. If God has placed on idea in your heart to do, ask the Lord for His help in bringing it to reality. He desires to see His people create new things that can serve mankind and bring glory to God. Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
Faith plays an important role when considering stepping out to launch a new endeavor. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for" (Heb 11:1-2).
Perhaps you've failed in the past and you're afraid to step out again. Most successful entrepreneurs failed several times before they were successful. Don't let fear of failure keep you from success.
You were made to create. You were made to succeed.

Friday, October 3, 2008

VICTORIA'S FRIENDS

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9-10).

Victoria grew up like many middle income families. She loved school and was even the in her homecoming court all four years in high school. After some tragic family deaths during her teen years, she began to experiment with alcohol and drugs. She was raped, underwent multiple abortions, and began working as a dancer at local nude dancing club, which she continued for more than four years.
After suffering nosebleeds from her cocaine addition, Victoria became very involved with the new age movement, nearly had a nervous breakdown, and eventually became suicidal. By the age of 28 she was homeless, stranded and fired from her job as a strip-club dancer. Barely 100 pounds, she was no longer profitable to the industry. Then a Christian gave her a Bible. The first book she read was Job and something gripped her heart. A church family took her into their home. They surrounded her with love and pointed her to who she was in Christ. Victoria says, "Jesus is the only healer of deep, deep wounds."
Now, years later, Victoria's compassionate heart is focused on reaching other lives on the brink of life or death. She founded a ministry called Victoria's Friends, which goes into the heart of the darkest places of the city in the strip clubs. Trained women ministry volunteers bring baskets to the dancers in their dressing rooms with no motive other than to show they care. Men stay outside the clubs and pray for the women going inside. It is the ultimate rescue mission. It is the love of Christ expressed in a simple, but powerful way. This act translates into relationships that are formed between those who continue to show their love for them.
Hundreds of young women have come out of this lifestyle because one woman decided to do what others had done for her - rescue her from the pit of darkness.
What type of rescue mission might God call you to lead?

Thursday, October 2, 2008

DISCOVERING THE SOURCE OF PROBLEMS

"After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land." 2 Samuel 21:14b

During the reign of David, there was a famine in the land for three successive years. So David sought the Lord regarding this famine, "Why is there famine on this land?" The Lord answered David, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death" (2 Sam. 21:1b).
Years earlier, Joshua made a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. This, too, was an act of disobedience. When God called Israel to come into the Promised Land, they were to destroy all the enemies of God. Joshua failed to see through the ruse of deception when the Gibeonites portrayed themselves as travelers. The Israelites signed a peace treaty only to discover who the Gibeonites were after the fact. Now, they had to honor the treaty. However, this led to intermarriages and much sorrow for Israel. Years later, Saul made a decision to kill the Gibeonites.
The nation was now receiving the punishment for their sin of disobedience through a famine. David knew that famines could have a spiritual source, so he inquired of God and God answered. The source was Saul's murder of the Gibeonites. Once David knew the source of the problem, he took action. He repented on behalf of the nation and made restitution. The famine was then lifted.
Do you have a problem that seems to be a continually unresolved issue? Have you asked God to tell you the reason for the problem? It may have a spiritual root that is still unresolved with God. He may be allowing this pressure to bring attention to an issue He wants you to take care of. Ask the Lord today to give you revelation on your problem. As a loving Father, He desires to make known anything that stands in the way of fellowship between you and Him. However, His righteousness must always be upheld.