ERROR OF POSITIVE THINKING

..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord
Almighty." - Zechariah 4:6

God's people should be the most positive, joyful people on earth. This
joy should be a by-product of a healthy, intimate relationship with
Jesus. In today's business climate, we are barraged with every possible
means of becoming more productive workplace believers. Positive thinking
and self-help philosophy are promoted as tools for workplace believers
to fulfill their potential and overcome the mountains in their lives.
God calls each of us to be visionary leaders, but we must be careful
that vision is born out of His Spirit, not the latest self-help program.
These ideas lead us away from dependence on God to a self-based
psychology designed to give us more power, prosperity, and significance.
The result is heresy. Our faith in God becomes faith in faith. It is
born out of hard work and diligence rather than obedience to God's
Spirit. The problem lies in that these philosophies sound good, and can
even be supported by Bible verses. Beware of anything that puts the
burden of performance on you rather than God. There are times in our
lives when God doesn't want us to climb every mountain. Sometimes He
wants us to go around. Knowing the difference is the key to being a man
or woman led by the Spirit.
God has called us to affect the workplace through His Spirit, not by our
might. Have you tapped into the real power source of the soul? Ask the
Lord to reveal and empower you through His Spirit today. Then you will
know what real positive thinking is.

GOD'S TESTS

"..."What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father,
that he is trying to take my life?" - 1 Samuel 20:1

The cost of being one of God's anointed can be great. Those whom God has
anointed for service and influence in His Kingdom go through a special
preparation. David was anointed to be the next king over Israel. Shortly
after this, while still a young boy, he was brought into King Saul's
service to play music in Saul's court. While there, the opportunity to
stand up against Goliath elevated David for his next stage of
development as future king. As his popularity grew so did Saul's
jealousy. However, even Saul's jealousy was God's instrument for molding
and shaping David.
Saul finally decided he could no longer tolerate David's success and
popularity among the people, so he tried to kill David. The confused
young shepherd boy spent many years hiding in wilderness caves before he
was able to see the hand of God in all of this. No doubt David thought
that when Samuel anointed him he would be conveniently raised up to be
king with all the accompanying benefits of kingship. Not so. God's
preparation of David involved much persecution, disloyalty, and
hardship. These were the lessons necessary to be a godly king. God
brought many tests in David's life, just as He did with Saul. David
passed these tests. Saul did not.
When God anoints us, it often is accompanied by some severe tests. These
tests are designed to prepare us for the calling God has on our life.
Should we fail these tests God cannot elevate us to the next level. For
a workplace believer, these tests often involve money, relationships,
and other issues of the heart.
What if God has chosen you for a specific purpose in His Kingdom? Are
you passing the tests He is bringing about in your life? These tests are
designed to bring about greater obedience. In most instances, it will
involve great adversity. The Bible tells us that the King of kings
learned obedience through the things that He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). If
this is true, why would it be any different for His children? Be aware
of the tests God may be bringing before you in order to prepare you for
His service.

GOD-INSPIRED DELAY

"Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more
days." - John 11:6

Delays in our life are not always easy to handle or to reconcile in our
minds. Often, when God does not answer our prayers in the time that we
feel He should, we appoint all sorts of characteristics to God's nature
that imply He does not care. Such was the case with Lazarus' sisters
when Lazarus became ill and died. Jesus was a close friend to Lazarus
and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. (Mary, you may recall, was the
woman who came and poured perfume on Jesus' feet.) When Jesus arrived
two days later, Martha shamed Him by saying, "If You had come he would
not have died." She implied that He didn't care enough to come when sent
for. It was a matter of priorities for Jesus, not lack of love.
God often has to delay His work in us in order to accomplish something
for His purposes that can be achieved only in the delay. Jesus had to
let Lazarus die in order for the miracle that was about to take place to
have its full effect. If Jesus had simply healed a sick man, the impact
of the miracle would not have been as newsworthy as resurrecting a man
who had been dead for four days. This is Jesus' greatest "public
relations act" of His whole ministry. What many do not realize is that
the key to the whole story is in the next chapter.
Many people, because they had heard that He had given this miraculous
sign, went out to meet Him. So the Pharisees said to one another, "See,
this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after
Him!" (John 12:18-19)
If Jesus had not raised Lazarus from the dead, there would have been no
crowds to cheer the Lord when He came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
God often sets the stage so that His glory is revealed through the
events that He orchestrates. He did this with Moses and Pharaoh,
allowing delay after delay for release of the Israelites from Egypt. He
did this with Abraham and Sarah for the promised child, Isaac. God
granted Sarah a baby past the age of childbearing in order to
demonstrate His power.
God did this in my own life. He delayed the fulfillment of what I
believed He called me to do for several years. But the delays provided
the necessary preparation and greater glory that God was to receive. My
friend, don't take the delays lightly. Do not faint as God places you in
what seems to be a holding pattern. God is at work. God knows the
purposes for His delays. Don't give up, for they are for His greater
glory; so we need to remain faithful.

GOD'S SELECTION PROCESS

"So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him,
"Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from
those who kneel down to drink." - Judges 7:5

Would you ever take on an army of 100,000 with only 300 men? Sound
preposterous? I agree. However, this is exactly what happened with
Gideon. It was bad enough that he began with 10,000 against 100,000, but
this was too many men according to God. He would not allow Gideon to
fight with this many soldiers, because the temptation would still remain
to believe that it was the strength of his army that won the victory.
God told Gideon to pare down his army to a mere 300. This would ensure
that God would receive total credit for the victory. This is a law in
the Kingdom of God. All glory must go to Him. "Announce now to the
people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount
Gilead.' So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained"
(Judg. 7:3).
Now there are 10,000 men left but that was still too many. God gave
Gideon an interesting selection method for the 300 as he took the men
down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the
water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink"
(Judg. 7:5b). What was the significance of this? Those soldiers who
lapped water like a dog were soldiers who were more aware of the enemy
around them compared to those who kneeled to drink. The lappers were men
who were on constant guard to the danger around them, keeping their eyes
up and looking about them. The others could be easily picked off.
If you and I are going to be one of God's elite, we must be battle
ready. We must be sensitive to the spiritual dangers around us. We must
be trained to go about our business while, at the same time, discern
when the enemy of our souls is prowling about seeking to destroy us. "Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Beware of the
spiritual dangers around you.

OUR PLANS AND GOD'S PLANS

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose
that prevails." - (Proverbs 19:21)

Have you ever heard of someone who spent years of preparation for
one vocation only to end up doing something completely different?
Perhaps this could be said of you. Quite often we have in our
minds what we believe we want to do only to have a course
correction. Often the course correction comes through a major
crisis that forces us into an area that we would never have
considered.
Such was the case for Samuel Morse. Born in 1791, Morse grew up
desiring to be an artist, and he eventually became very talented
and internationally known. However, it was difficult to make a
living as an artist in America during that time. A series of
crises further complicated his vocational desire when his wife
died; then his mother and father also died soon after. He went to
Europe to paint and reflect on his life. On his return trip
aboard a ship, he was captivated by discussions at dinner about
new experiments in electromagnetism. During that important
occasion, Morse made the following comment, "If the presence of
electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit, I see
no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted by
electricity." In the face of many difficulties and
disappointments, he determinedly perfected a new invention, and,
in 1837, applied for a patent that became what we know today as
the telegraph. He also created Morse code. It was only later,
after many more setbacks and disappointments, that his projects
received funding.
Samuel Morse later commented, "The only gleam of hope, and I
cannot underrate it, is from confidence in God. When I look
upward it calms any apprehension for the future, and I seem to
hear a voice saying: 'If I clothe the lilies of the field, shall
I not also clothe you?' Here is my strong confidence, and I will
wait patiently for the direction of Providence." Morse went on to
create several other inventions and can be recognized today as
the father of faxes, modems, e-mail, the internet and other
electronic communication. ["Glimpses," Issue #99 (Worcester,
Pennsylvania: Christian History Institute, 1998).]
God's plans may not always seem to follow our natural
inclination. Perhaps God has you taking a path that may not lead
to His ultimate destination for you. Trust in the Lord, lean not
on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all you do, and He
shall direct your path (see Prov. 3:5-6).

GOD'S MOTIVE

"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He
delighted in me." - 2 Samuel 22:20

Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become an
overriding response to those to whom we relate. Wrong motives can
result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, and falling out of
God's will. Sometimes we do not know the motive of another person. It
is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence
that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, we
become judge and jury over them.
God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring
us into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of
safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes
beyond ourselves. What do you think of when you think of a "spacious
place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? These are
positive images. Sometimes these spacious places encourage us to step
out in faith into areas where we've never ventured. Sometimes we need
to be rescued by the Lord. When Peter walked on the water, God was
inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat and
ventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his
venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next
victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Sometimes failure is what is
needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God.
However,we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.
The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is
always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence
on Him.

GOD'S AUTHORITY

"I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is
coming. He has no hold on Me, but the world must learn that I love the
Father and that I do exactly what My Father has commanded Me...." - John 14:30-31

There is a constant war going on between our flesh and the Spirit. As
Christians, the Spirit seeks to move us under the authority of His
domain in order for us to fulfill all that we were created for. Every
person was designed to be under some form of authority. Jesus modeled
this in His own life. He lived under the authority of His heavenly
Father. He made no independent decisions. He, unlike us, was sinless
and always remained under His Father's authority. He acknowledged that the
prince of this world has a hold on many, but did not have a hold on
Jesus.
The prince of this world does have his hold on many in our world, even
among our brothers and sisters. The one thing most of us want the
greatest is the freedom to make our own decisions. It goes all the way
back to the Garden of Eden when the decision was made to exercise a
personal right: freedom to decide, freedom of choice, freedom from
hindrances, freedom from pain. However, Jesus said He had no freedom of
choice. He chose only the Father's desire for His life. He was the
ultimate model of a man under authority.
Each day we must determine if we'll willingly choose to be under the
authority of the Father and the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is a
choice each of us must make. It is a choice that actually leads to
freedom, not bondage. Choosing to live under the authority of our
heavenly Father frees us to gain the greatest fulfillment in life-His
mission and the purposes He has for us. It is the little decisions of
daily life that reveal whether we truly live under His authority.