Wednesday, April 30 2008

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

There is a line that separates everything we do. It separates the moral from the immoral; the ethical from the unethical; the wise from the unwise. And too many of us walk the edge and the ledge of that line trying to see how close we can get before we have to face the consequences.

God tells us, though, in order to reach our potential, in order to gain the full and rich life that he has in store for us, we can't walk that line. Instead, we need to be in line with him. And to be in line with God we must make wise, insightful decisions. When we fail to do that, we spend an insane amount of time swimming laps in the pool of regret. We look back at our dumb, shake our heads and say, "If only... "

The best way to avoid diving into the pool of regret; the best way to make the right decisions is to ask ourselves the right questions. As you go through the decision making process, look at each option with "in tense" eyes. When you are in tense about your decision making process, you will gain the insight that allows you to see what is obscure to the rest of the world.

This week, ask yourself if your decisions are going to reflect what you have learned from your past; if your decisions are wise considering your present conditions; and if your decisions are the best options to get you where God wants to take you. Get in line with God and you will be able to see the right answers to life's multiple choice test.

Tuesday, April 29 2008

"Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage" (1 Sam. 10:22).

If you want to experience something you've never done, you must do something you've never done. We must know if we want to go where God wants us to go, we must be willing to leave our zone. You cannot go with God and stay where you are.

God often has to radically change us if we are going to fulfill His purposes in our lives. Saul was about to be anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel. Samuel said to Saul, "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person" (1 Sam. 10:6). Up to this point, Saul had never prophesied or led a group of people. He had also never had to be accountable to a prophet and to God for his every action.

Saul took a big step of faith right away and prophesied with the prophets just as Samuel said he would. How exciting that must have been. Yet, when Samuel called the entire nation of Israel together to announce him as Israel's first king in history, Saul was nowhere to be found. This part of the story is humorous. Excitement is in the air, but when they call Saul's name, he doesn't even come forward. So the people "inquired further of the Lord, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage'" (1 Sam. 10:22).

The story of King Saul should be an encouragement to us all. God continues to pick the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Your greatest setback can be thinking that there's no way that God can use "little me." However, the reality is that He can and will, if we respond to the new places He takes us.

Monday, April 28 2008

"So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah" (Ruth 2:17-18).

The story of Ruth provides an excellent illustration of the connection between spending time in the presence of God and receiving physical provision. Naomi was married to Elimelech. They had two married sons. Elimelech died and ten years later both of the sons also died. Ruth was married to one of the sons.

The other daughter-in-law moved back to her family, but Ruth, in spite of Naomi's encouragement, insisted on staying with Naomi. The only way for the family line to continue would have been for Ruth to marry another son or direct relative. Now, through a custom known as the kinsman redeemer, Ruth could be married to a relative in the family line. Times were tough and most people made a living by farming. Naomi had a relative named Boaz who was a prominent land owner and farmer. She sent Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz all day in hopes of picking up excess grain left behind by the harvesters.

Ruth stayed in the fields all day and yielded just one ephah of grain. It is a picture of sweat and toil for very little return. However, something happens later in the story. Naomi realized the only way Ruth was going to have any kind of future is if a kinsman redeemer came to her rescue. She instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz would be and to quietly sit at the feet of Boaz all night. This would be a sign of submitting her life to Boaz. He would have to exercise his right to be her kinsmen redeemer.

Later, Boaz sends Ruth home and takes the necessary steps to become her redeemer. But before he sends her home, he gives her six ephahs of barley - six times what she got spending all day in the fields.

Friend, if we are going to succeed in fulfilling God's destiny for our lives, we must have a life of intimate worship and devotion to Jesus. Why not start spending more time at the feet of Jesus.

Friday, April 25 2008

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship" (Romans 8:15).

Living a balanced life is evidence of a Spirit-led life. People work long hours for many reasons which can lead to significant problems in our lives.

One reason people over work is that they often think they must work longer hours to keep up with their workload. This is often the surface reason people give to the question of working long hours. Like any compulsive behavior, there is usually something beneath this behavior. The root of overworking is often 1) a fear of loss, and 2) a need for self-acceptance created by performance.

The fear of loss issue can be a fear of what will happen if we don't work long hours. A fear that there may not be enough money if we don't work long hours can drive us to overwork. Often an inaccurate view of what is enough makes us drive ourselves to greater levels of achievement, believing a financial reward will insure us against potential financial disaster. This usually operates at a subconscious level. When one operates at this level we often find those around them will feel shamed if they do not work at the same level and can be intimidated by the unspoken or spoken directive that long hours are required. This leads to a whole new set of problems.

The second reason people work long hours is their need to gain self-acceptance and esteem from their jobs. It is rewarding to see something come from our efforts. However, when we begin to be driven to work, it becomes an unhealthy condition. We are looking to gain self-esteem needs from our performance instead of being secure in our position in Christ.

So, in order to avoid work becoming an idol and a compulsive behavior, we must maintain a balance that provides time to spend quality time with the Lord, our families and fellow believers. Sometimes the greatest exercise of faith is to work only forty hours a week. This insures that the outcome of our work is dependent upon God, nor our self-effort.

Thursday, April 24 2008

" 'If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. . . .' " (John 15:20)

It is hard for a lot of Christians to understand how their friends and family can suddenly turn against them. People they have been close to for years suddenly become hostile, simply because they have said they were now following Jesus Christ.

Many of us many times amazed at how parents have turned against children. Perhaps we've heard teens and young adults how they were strung out on drugs, or living sexually permissive lives, or getting in trouble with the law all the time. Then they found Christ and their lives changed. They began living moral lives. Their parents were angry with them for coming to faith when, in fact, they should have been elated by the change.

Sometimes, even parents won't understand what the Lord is doing in our life Sometimes, our extended family won't understand. Sometimes, your husband or wife won't understand. Sometimes, your friends and coworkers won't understand.

Remember when Saul, later to become the apostle Paul, was striking out against Christians? One day on the Damascus Road, he met none other than Jesus Christ himself who said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). Saul thought his fight was with the Christians. But it wasn't It was with Christ himself.

People take their hostilities out on us because you are God's representative. And probably we experience after we have spoken with people who discover we’re Christians, suddenly they begin dumping everything they have against God on us. Friends, we should know that it is a great honor to be God’s representatives. But with that honor comes responsibility. Be careful. Don't keep someone away from Christ by misrepresenting Him.

Wednesday, April 23 2008

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save" (Psalm 33:16-17).

The Bible tells us not to put our confidence in things the world considers to be our protection, defense, or strength. However, the man or woman who does not perform well on the job is left behind in today's competitive world. Not only is this typical of the world at large, but even many Christians promote the importance of identifying our strengths and encourage us to move in them to accomplish God's will. Yet, throughout the Bible, we are discouraged from depending upon our own strengths. Instead, we are urged to rely totally upon the Lord.

God wants us to depend upon Him, and He demonstrates this throughout Scripture. For example, in Judges 7, God wouldn't let Gideon fight against another army until he reduced his own from 22,000 soldiers to a mere 300, so that Gideon could not boast about his army's strength. In Joshua 6, God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets instead of relying upon his mighty army to overpower his enemy. In 2 Samuel 24, God judged David when he counted his troops to determine the size of his army's strength, apparently because David took the census out of pride or overconfidence in the strength of his army.

On the other hand, Jesus instructed the disciples in due diligence through the parable of the builder, who is cautioned to consider the cost before beginning to build. "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).

Today, bring every project and endeavor before the Lord as you ask for His power and grace to accomplish it using both your natural gifts and the Spirit of God working together.

Tuesday, April 22 2008

"Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand" (2 Chron 16:7).

Asa was a godly King of Judah. There were two kingdoms during his reign - Judah and Israel. Israel's king was Baasha, who was a wicked king. To the east of Judah was Damascus, whose king was Ben-Hadad. Asa was an amazingly faithful and righteous king for thirty-five years. He got rid of the idol worship, and even deposed his mother for idol worship. God blessed his rule by allowing peace in the land for thirty-five years.

When Asa came into power the nation was lost. There was no godly ruler. There were many wars and the people began to cry out to God for deliverance. God sent them Asa.

When Judah was attacked by Zerah the Cushite who marched against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, Asa called upon the LORD and God answered his prayer and delivered them from a larger and stronger army than Judah's.

However, thirty-five years later, Asa began to move away from trusting God and decided he could buy the favor of his enemy, the King of Ben-Hadad. Asa sent gold and silver to him as a bribe asking Ben-Hadad to cancel his treaty with King Baasha and go to war on behalf of Asa and Judah. Asa's strategy worked and he defeated Israel. However, there was a cost.

"In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers" (2 Chron 16:12-14).

What we learn from Asa is that whenever we place our trust and obedience in the Lord, God becomes our source for security and prosperity. However, when we move away from trusting God, that security is removed and we fail to receive those things God intended us to have.

Monday, April 21 2008

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

There are a lot of people today who say they hear the voice of God telling them to do thus and so. But what we must remember is that God will never contradict His Word. He will always lead us according to what the Bible says.

Some people come up with some lame concepts, such as "We're not married, but God has told us it's okay to have sex." Friends, let’s understand and study the truth that God didn't say that, because He says in His Word, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). God will not contradict His Word.

Let's say you were hoping for a letter from someone. You stand at the window, waiting for what seems like an eternity for the mail carrier to arrive. Finally, he drives up and you bolt over to your mailbox. You're looking for that letter. Maybe it's from someone you're in love with. Maybe it's an answer to a job application. Maybe it's something you ordered in the mail. Maybe you've won the sweepstakes.

But imagine this. What if you had a handwritten note from God to you? Would you carry it around in your pocket for a couple of weeks and open it when you got around to it? I doubt it. You probably would tear it open as you're thinking, "Wow, God spoke to me! What does He have to say?"

The Bible is a written letter from God. A lot of us carry it. We have it in different colors and sizes. We have it in different translations. But we never read it. It's a letter from God to us. If you want God to speak to you, then open up His Word.

Friday, April 18 2008

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

On February 20, 1962, at 9:47 A.M., the spacecraft Friendship 7 rose on a pillar of fire, piloted by lone astronaut John Glenn. Leaving the coast of Florida far behind, the space capsule orbited the earth three times, traveling 81,000 miles in less than four hours. As the craft began its descent from space, mission controllers in Houston received a warning signal. A sensor indicated that the capsule's heat shield was in danger of detaching. If the heat shield came loose during reentry, the capsule would burn like a meteor--and John Glenn would die.

Because radio waves cannot penetrate plasma, the spacecraft experienced a total communications blackout--what astronauts and mission controllers call a "black hole".

The minutes crawled by and the suspense mounted in the Houston control room NASA engineers felt totally helpless. Finally, after five minutes of silence, mission controllers heard Glenn's voice crackling over the radio: "Friendship 7 to Houston?"

Shouts of joy shook the control room. John Glenn was coming home. Although neither Glenn nor the mission controllers knew it at the time, the heat shield was absolutely firm and reliable. The fears for John Glenn's safety during his black hole experience were unfounded.

If you've ever been through a major crisis, you probably know what a communications "black hole" feels like. While you are in the pit of adversity, you feel that your world is collapsing, that your life is out of control--and that God is silent. The silence of a black hole is deafening. You feel isolated and alone. You question God's love, His care for you, and even His existence.

But even when it seems that God is distant and silent, your "heat shield" is still there, firm and reliable. In your black hole experience, God is teaching you to go deeper into your relationship with Him. You may think that your life is out of control and burning like a meteor, but in reality God, your heat shield, still protects you from the fiery forces that surround you.

Thursday, April 17 2008

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. . . . My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:14,27).

Tom Fox is a successful financial investment manager who heads up a workplace ministry in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area. He used to be troubled when he heard Christians say, "The Lord told me . . . " He certainly had never heard God speak to him like that. "What is different about those people and me?" he wondered. In the book of John, Tom had read that Jesus had said that His sheep hear His voice, but he didn't understand how they could do that. His pursuit to answer that question began his quest to discover how to hear God's voice himself.

Today, Tom realizes that God does speak and that we, as His children, can hear His voice. He has discovered how to hear God's words of guidance in his daily life, which includes the day-to-day operations of his business, and he is teaching others how to hear God's voice as well.

He told a story about an experience he had in Israel that demonstrates how sheep know their shepherd's voice. He and his wife were visiting some of the famous biblical sites when they saw a group of shepherds and their flocks. They watched as three different shepherds put their sheep in the same pen for the night, and they wondered how in the world the shepherds would separate their sheep the next day, since none of them had any identifying marks on them.

He got up early the next morning to watch the shepherds gather their sheep. The first shepherd went over to the pen and called out to his sheep. One by one, his sheep (and only his sheep) filed out to follow him. The same thing happened with the other two shepherds. He was very amazed watching how only the shepherd's sheep followed him while the others remained in the pen--and all because they recognized his voice. What a picture of Jesus' words spoken centuries earlier.

Ask God to help you hear the voice of God--even on the job.

Wednesday, April 16 2008

"AND THERE was a famine in the land... and Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.'" (Genesis 26:1-3)

We're hearing so much this year about the economy, the housing market, the falling dollar and business conditions in general. Hopefully, your job, business and family are not being affected by it personally, but whether you are or not, hearing about it frequently can have a mental, emotional and even spiritual impact.

In the book of Genesis, we find Isaac also found himself and his household surrounded by difficult conditions, and it's hard to imagine how that may have weighed on his mind. As casual readers, we sometimes forget that his household was most likely substantial, with a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of people looking to him for answers. Today, he might be the owner of a small company -- perhaps with 50 employees or more.

What to do?

What's interesting is that when Isaac heard from God, the instructions he received were very counter-intuitive. Egypt would've been a safe haven for a nomadic family like his to go and find trading partners. But God instructed him to essentially start a business in a failing industry in an economy that was suffering, and in physical conditions that would not support his new venture. When there's a famine, it's generally not the best time to go into agriculture!

But when you have instructions from God, you have hope that others do not have! We'll pick this subject up again in the next message, but in the meantime, consider this question: Are you getting instructions from God in this season, or are you allowing the conditions around you to shape your thinking?

Tuesday, April 15 2008

"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant" (Josh 24:13).

In the world of business we are taught to do whatever it takes to produce a desired outcome. Competitive forces can drive companies to go beyond the limits of ethics and integrity to achieve a desired outcome. Men and women can become work-a-holics as the need for competitive advantage is passed down the various management levels in order to meet sales and marketing goals. This sweat and toil mentality contradicts God's Kingdom Economy.

The Kingdom Economy is found in the above verse in Joshua. When the people of Israel were coming out of Egypt, a place of sweat and toil and slavery, God was trying to teach them a new economy of receiving. Instead of sweat and toil, He wanted them to learn obedience. Now their income would be based on their obedience, not their skill or their sweat and toil.

This new Kingdom Economy meant that there would be times when what you receive from your efforts might be less than the commensurate time invested. Yet, there would also be times when you would receive more compared to your time invested.

Perhaps we used to determine whether we would meet with a person based on our perceived return on that investment. And many times we justified that behavior as being a good steward. God says we are to determine if He wants us to meet with that person or be involved with an endeavor based on His leading alone, not based on the perceived outcome. It is His responsibility to bring fruit from the activity.

This will result in a new freedom in your work life. Stay vertical with God and let Him determine your next activity.

Monday, April 14 2008

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

As we begin to express the life of Christ in our work lives, we need to be aware of another set of Satan’s deceptions, namely, the religious spirit.

The religious spirit can best be defined as an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices. The religious spirit seeks to distort a genuine move of God through deception, control, and manipulation. This spirit operates out of old religious structures and attempts to maintain the status quo, favoring tradition over a genuine, intimate relationship with God. It influences believers to live the Christian life based on works instead of grace. Similar to the Greek way of thinking, the religious spirit depends on human effort to acquire spiritual knowledge and favor from God.

In the years before the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther's greatest challenge was to root out the religious spirit. He was told by his religious teachers that there were stringent requirements for receiving the favor of God. "Remember Martin, just to pray by yourself is not enough. The church has to pray for you too. Even when the priest has asked that you be forgiven, God will not listen unless you do good works. The more gifts you give to the church and to the poor, the more trips you make to Rome and Jerusalem, the more pleasures you give up, the better will be your chances for heaven. The best and safest way to do all this, and the one that is most God pleasing, is to give up everything and become a monk." The essence of Martin Luther's struggle to win God's favor still resides in many a Christian worker.

The religious spirit nullifies the importance of faith and grace that has been given to us through the work of the Cross. You cannot gain acceptance from God by doing any works. Accept His unconditional love for you today.

Friday, April 11 2008

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." (1 Corinthians 10:14

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He began by saying that we should have no other gods before Him.

Idols can be a lot of things. Essentially, an idol could be defined as anyone or anything that takes the place of God in our lives. An idol is any object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, sport, or thing that has one's primary concern and loyalty, or decreases one's trust and loyalty to God by any amount.

Alan Redpath defined idolatry this way: "Our god is the person we think is the most precious, for whom we would make the greatest sacrifice, who moves our hearts with the warmest love. He or it is the person who, if we lost him, would leave us desolate."

This definition really opens up the possibilities, doesn't it? A lot of things could qualify as idols in our lives. It is a true but terrifying fact that a person can attend church every Sunday and still practice idolatry.

Is there one thing in your life that, if God asked you for it, you would say, "Absolutely not"? Is there one thing that, if the Lord required it of you, you would say, "Anything but this"? If so, then that thing, that pursuit, or that passion may be an idol in your life.

Is there an idol in your heart today? Is there someone or something more precious to you than God Himself? Any person or pursuit that takes the place of God in your life will not satisfy. Let Him be your Lord. Let Him be your God. He will satisfy you.

Thursday, April 10 2008

"And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.' " (1 Corinthians 10:7)

At first glance, the sins that brought the children of Israel down in the wilderness don't seem to have any rhyme or reason. But a closer examination reveals that the root problem was a lack of relationship with the true and living God.

When Moses was temporarily taken out of the scene when he went to meet with God on Mt. Sinai, the people wanted something to take his place. It was only a matter of time until they were bowing before a golden calf.

When you get down to it, Moses was their first idol, and the golden calf was their second. Moses was like God to them, so when Moses was gone, they created a god of their own making.

We do the same when we start remaking God in our own image. When we give God a 21st-century makeover, when we make God politically correct, when we start changing His Word to fit the perverted morals of our time, this becomes idolatry. We are remaking God because we are not comfortable with what He says. We don't like His standards. Thus, if we can remake God in our image, we can live the way that we want to and do as we please.

We want a celestial salad bar where we can casually stroll up, choose the attributes of God that most appeal to us, and leave the rest behind. It's religion á la carte.

When we mold God and His Word into our image, it is as much an act of idolatry as it was when the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf.

Wednesday, April 9 2008

"Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands" (Micah 7:14).

We are called to be shepherds in the workplace. Your "staff" (vocation) represents your calling to your work life ministry. Moses' staff represented his calling as a shepherd. God's first words to Moses were: "Remove your shoes. For this is Holy ground." God came to Moses during his work day. His work became holy because God's presence was there.

God used Moses' staff to perform miracles and deliver the people of Israel from bondage. (Ex. 4:17). He is still issuing this same call today to you and I in the workplace. For most of us, this is where our inheritance lies. As we minister through our work life call, our inheritance will come as a result of letting God use our abilities. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:23, 24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

What makes our work holy is the motivation by which we do it. If we work to glorify God in it and serve others in the process, that is what makes it ministry. The word ministry and service are derived from the same Greek word, diakonia.

Those in the workplace are like a remnant of a wayward people in a forest awaiting harvest. It is a fertile pasture awaiting a shepherd who can lead them into a life of purpose and destiny. Will you be the instrument of God to shepherd His people out of bondage?

Ask the Lord to use your "staff" to perform miracles and to become a shepherd to those He has called you to lead. Why not start today?

Tuesday, April 8 2008

"A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the sea. . . Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD. . ." (2 Chron 20:2-3).

Have you ever had someone bring you really bad news? It was so bad that when you heard it your stomach immediately became upset. You went into a crisis mode.

This was the situation for King Jehoshaphat. He had just been informed that his country was going to be attacked by an army much larger than his. However, instead of panicking, he immediately turned to the Lord by calling for a time of a fasting and prayer. The people from every town in Judah responded

King Jehoshaphat prayed and reminded God of His promise to Israel. Then he asked God for strategy. "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." At the end of his prayer it says they waited on God's answer. It came through the prophet, Jahaziel son of Zechariah. He said, "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's'" (2 Chron 20:15-16).

God supernaturally wiped out their enemies that day. They didn't even have to fight. God caused the enemy to fight themselves. However, the one thing they did do that began the ambush was when they began to praise God on the battlefield. "As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated" (2 Chron 20:22-23).

Jehoshaphat immediately did four things in response to bad news. He called for prayer, he called for fasting, he asked for God's strategy, and he began his battle by praising God in the midst of the battle.

Maybe you've just gotten some bad news. If so, follow the example of Jehoshaphat. Pray. Fast. Ask. Praise.

Monday, April 7 2008

"When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!'" (Luke 5:8-9).

Are you playing Christianity or having an encounter daily with the living Christ? Peter was going about his work-day trying to earn a day's wage in his fishing business. Jesus showed up on the shoreline after they'd had a bad day. They had caught no fish.

Jesus asked to use his boat by casting off the shoreline in order to teach the people. After Jesus used Peter's business for His purposes, He turned to Peter and suggested he throw his nets out again. Peter, somewhat reluctant and argumentative, said in his hallmark attitude, "Been there, done that Master ... you don't know what you're talking about." (my paraphrase) How many times do you and I do the same thing? "Jesus doesn't care about my work life. He only cares about the orphans and the poor," we say to ourselves.

When Peter's nets are filled with fish—a strange awareness comes over him. "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!'" Peter was overwhelmed at the personal love and power that was directed specifically at his need at the moment—his ailing business. It was more than he could handle. "God even cares about the condition of my business," Peter must have thought.

Whenever we move from playing Christianity to having a genuine encounter with the living Christ, we are confronted with our own humanity and sin compared to the unmerited love and power of Jesus Christ that is personally directed to us. It should bring us to our knees. It is an awesome experience to transition from religion to relationship. Life is never the same when you have a personal encounter with our Savior.

How about you? Do you need a personal encounter with Jesus today? Ask Him to reveal His power in your work today.

Friday, April 4 2008

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb 11:5-6).

How is your faith quotient? On a scale of 1 to 10 where would you rank yourself?

We drive our cars 60-70 miles per hour with an oncoming car doing the same with only a white line and six to eight feet separating us. We place our faith that every car will not cross into our lane. We fly on airplanes that take us over oceans, trusting the pilots with our very lives. We ride on thrilling amusement rides that take us several stories into the air and travel fifty to seventy miles per hour down a winding slope. We trust the operators of that ride with our own mortality.

There is a great irony in the fact that we can place our faith in such things but cannot place our faith in the hands of our Creator. God got angry with one of his priests named Zechariah when he questioned his angelic messenger about his wife becoming pregnant with John the Baptist.

"Zechariah asked the angel, 'How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.' The angel answered, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time'" (Luke 1:8-20).

Zechariah was struck mute because of his unbelief for nine months until the birth of John the Baptist. What consequence have you suffered from a lack of faith? Jesus is always looking for faith on the earth. Is there an area in your life where you have not been able to trust God? Why not repent of your unbelief and place your faith totally in His hands today.

Thursday, April 3 2008

"David asked the men standing near him, 'What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?'" (1 Sam 17:26).

Every entrepreneur must determine the risk and reward before entering a venture. This is not the only consideration. We must determine if God is leading us after we consider all factors. We also must consider if the timing is right to proceed.

David was a young shepherd when he was bringing food to his older brothers in the army. He had already killed a lion and a bear during his days as a shepherd. David understood the risk/reward principle. When he heard about Goliath and that no one was willing to fight him he was angry. However, he didn't just respond out of pure emotion. He asked a very important question. "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?" He got the answer he was hoping for: "The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." (1 Sam 17:25).

Do you see the reward? He gets financial wealth, a wife, and no longer has to pay taxes! What more motivation does a young Jewish boy need? Does this take away from the spiritual significance of the story? Absolutely not.

The religious spirit always tries to make the business side of faith evil. Money and profit is not evil. It is the love of money and the pride of life that gets man into trouble. David understood the proper balance of these co-existing to accomplish God's purposes. To avoid getting into trouble simply ask this question of yourself: "What is the true motive of my heart?" If it does not have the spiritual element balanced with the business element, you may be in trouble.

Ask God four questions before you proceed in any venture:
1) Is the Holy Spirit leading me?
2) Is this the time to be involved?
3) Is the risk and reward worth it?
4) Do I have what is necessary to be successful in the venture with God's help?
After you've asked these questions go about your task with all your heart.

Wednesday, April 2 2008

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

It is clear that we are living in the last days. All around us, the signs that Jesus and the prophets told us to look for are taking place before our very eyes. The devil and his demons are doing their dirty work, and this should not surprise us. The Bible warns that in the last days, things will go from bad to worse.

One of the signs will be an abandonment of the faith, or an apostasy. Some will fall away and will follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Could you or I ever become one of these spiritual casualties? Could you or I ever fall away from the Lord? Without question, the potential and even the propensity for sin lies within us. I have the potential to fall. You do to.

That is why we must give careful attention to potential pitfalls for believers that are given to us in Scripture. There are things we must be aware of as we live in the last days. As the apostle Paul wrote, "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light" (Romans 13:12).

Your relationship with Jesus Christ needs constant maintenance and cultivation. The day that you stop growing spiritually is the day you start to become weak and vulnerable to the devil's attacks. The best way to not go backward is to keep moving forward.

Tuesday, April 1 2008

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God" (Ps 55:12-14).

Betrayal is one of the most difficult tests that we will ever face because it involves being wounded by someone we trust. It's hard not to become bitter when a friend or family member wounds us. It takes a lot of Christ-like grace to forgive a traitor.

You have probably faced the Judas Test yourself. Everyday we work in a marketplace that is rife with betrayal, deception, duplicity, and treachery. Perhaps you have been betrayed by our boss or a coworker. Or perhaps somebody betrayed a confidence or stabbed you in the back. It may have even been someone you've gone to church with or prayed with - someone you trusted as a brother in Christ.

The Judas kiss stings worse than a slap across the face. Almost every leader has experienced that sting at one time or another. Yet God is watching to see how we respond to the Judas Test. If we pass the test, He can then take us to the next level, the next test. If we fail, we'll probably have to repeat the test until we learn to forgive.

The Judas Test is God's graduate level course in faith, designed to reveal the truth about ourselves: Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives? The book of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Ps 12:15). When we refuse to forgive we risk infecting others with a "bitter root" of resentment.