THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

"You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands
have produced this wealth for me." - (Deuteronomy 8:17)


We've all heard someone say, "He's a self-made man." What are
they saying in this statement? Are they saying that this
individual achieved success by his hard work and sweat? Many a
person has achieved success through honest hard work. There is a
danger for any of us who may have achieved significance through
our work. That danger is the belief that we achieved it through
our own efforts apart from God's grace and mercy. When we live in
this belief, we assert that we are entitled to certain rights and
privileges because of the position we have earned and feel we
deserve.
The prodigal son's brother who refused to celebrate the wayward
son's return was a man who felt he was entitled to certain
rights. He saw himself as one who had been faithful to his
responsibilities and deserving of more attention. He could not
appreciate his brother's failure and the pain of falling into a
sinful life because, in his mind, he had never failed. This pride
kept him from experiencing God's real grace. This is how legalism
develops in believers. It grows into a cold heart and an
insensitive attitude toward others who may have stumbled in their
lives. This same brother did not truly understand the love of his
father apart from works; for he felt he gained acceptance only by
doing his job.
Do you feel accepted by God, regardless of what you do? Have you
wrongfully viewed your works as something you alone have
achieved? These are the minefields of which each of us in
business must be aware. God has gifted us to accomplish anything
through His grace, not by our works.

WRESTLING WITH GOD

"The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because
of his hip." - Genesis 32:31

Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his
way to get what he wanted. It was a generational stronghold passed down
through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his
father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau. This trick led Isaac to give
the family blessing to Jacob, which meant Jacob would eventually inherit
the land God had promised to Abraham's seed. Jacob also learned control
from his uncle Laban who caused Jacob to work for 14 years to take
Rachel as his lifelong mate. One must ask which was more ugly in God's
sight, the self-centered nature and worldliness of Esau, or the control
and manipulation of Jacob?
Control is a problem for men and women. Many women use sex to control
their husbands. Many men use power and force to control their wives.
Control is at the core of that which is opposite the cross-self-rule.
What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control? A crisis. Jacob's
crisis came when he was faced with the prospect of meeting a brother who
said he would kill him the next time he saw him. Esau had built his own
clan and was about to meet Jacob and his clan in the middle of the
desert. Jacob was fearful, so he retreated. There he met a messenger
from God who wrestled with him. Jacob clung to God and refused to let go
of this angel. It is the place where Jacob was given a painful but
necessary spiritual heart transplant. From that point on, Jacob would
walk with a limp, because God had to dislocate his hip in order to
overcome Jacob's strong will.
For workplace believers, God often has to "dislocate our hip" through
failure and disappointment. Sometimes it is the only way He can get our
attention. Our nature to control and manipulate is so strong that it
takes a catastrophic event to wake us up. Yet God did not reject Jacob
for these character traits. In fact, God blessed him greatly because He
saw something in Jacob that pleased Him. He saw a humble and contrite
heart beneath the cold and manipulative exterior of Jacob's life, and it
was that trait that God needed to develop. He did this by bringing about
the crisis in Jacob's life that led to total consecration. This event
was marked by Jacob getting a new name, Israel. For the first time,
Jacob had a nature change, not just a habit change. What will God have
to do in our lives to gain our complete consecration to His will and
purposes?

YOUR WORK

"I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to
do. " - John 17:4

The Lord has revealed to us that the number one thing we are to do is
love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as
ourselves. His desire is for us to know Him and the power of His
resurrection. These mandates deal with our relationship with Him. The
fruit of this relationship must then result in our glorifying Him by
completing the work He has given each of us to do. It will become a
by-product of this relationship, not an end in itself.
What is the work God has called you to do? Jesus never did anything the
Father had not instructed Him to do. He lived in such communion with
the Father that He knew when to turn left and when to turn to the right. Is
it possible to have such a relationship with our heavenly Father? I
think that if it weren't, He would not have given us such an example.
"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know" (Jer. 33:3). What has He called you to do?
Perhaps you are called to be the best CPA in your city or the best
advertising executive or the best office worker or assembly line person
in your company. Whatever work He has called you to do, He will use you
as His instrument to accomplish something that He has uniquely prepared
you to do.
When our life is complete, what a glorious day it will be if we can
each say, "I have completed the work You gave me to do." This will have
brought great glory to Him.

HARNESS YOUR MIND

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." - Phillipians 4:8

What happen in your mind is likely to happen in your future. Meditate on some specific scriptures today that will unlock your faith in God.
Make your mind your servant. Fill your mental warehouse with The Word of God.

RENAME YOUR MOMENTS OF BATTLE...AS THE SEASON OF DOUBLE PORTION

"..also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." - Job 42:10

God your creator, carefully observes every attack against your life. He will get involved. It is inevitable. And, like Job, when your battle is over, you will receive a Double portion of His blessings.

REMEMBER THAT PAIN PASSES

"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." - Paslm 30:5

Pain is discomfort created by disorder. Every champion has discovered that pain is seasonal. It will pass.
It is your passage to promotion. Don't be discouraged by it. A new day is about to dawn in your life. Endurance is the seed for reward.

FIGHT BACK...ONLY ON YOUR TIME TABLE

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you." - James 4:7

During the battle of life be bold and fight back. Satan is a bully. His tactics are always the same...threats and intimidation. Real Fighters intimidate satan and resist his lies.
Choose The 4 Scriptural Weapons: Worship..Words..Wisdom and ..the Word of God.
Whatever satan confronts you with today, resist him and he will flee. Never Telegraph your plan.