It has been my experience that when most people say they have faith, it's connected to some type of improvement in their lives. Whether it's believing God for a new car, bigger house, better job, or a situation that needs to change, I am comfortable in saying that the typical person connects their faith with some type of improvement, enhancement, or advancement.
Interestingly, when I look at the life of the one that we are supposed to be emulating, Jesus Christ, I have to conclude that his faith drove him to his death. His faith took him to Jerusalem for Passover instead of staying out of harm's way. His faith caused him to keep his mouth shut when he had every right to defend his innocence. His faith caused him to be tortured when he should have been celebrated. His faith permitted him to be humiliated when he should have been honored. His faith allowed him to be beaten mercilessly with a whip that most likely contained pieces of metal and bone by the very people that he created. His faith kept him on the cross when he could have called 10,000 legions of angels to rescue him. His faith kept believing in his Father even when He turned His back on him. His faith positioned him to be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; to bear the chastisement of our peace upon himself; and to trust that his stripes would heal us. Our faith is usually directed towards making our lives more convenient, but he used his faith to take him to the place of ultimate inconvenience - death. His faith carried him to the cross. RELATED: How Would Jesus Lead Your Business? Jesus shows us that true faith is not about getting what we want to make our lives go more smoothly. Real faith is believing God for the strength to lay down our lives for his will; to die to anything that we want if it's not what He wants for us. This may not necessarily take you to the point of a physical death, but it will certainly take you to the place of inconvenience, submission, sacrifice, and potentially looking foolish in the eyes of other people. The beauty is that on the other side of that kind of faith is a refreshing life that is free from the mundane cycles of mediocrity that most people experience. On the other side of that kind of faith is a radical relationship with God that causes you to be in situations where you regularly experience exceeding and abundant expressions of God's love. On the other side of that kind of faith are amazing miracles that bless you and others. On the other side of that kind of faith is a life far beyond anything that you can ask, think, or imagine. Are you willing to die to your will for that kind of faith? Jesus did. Leave your comments below... “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3 In the Kingdom of God private preparation positions you for public promotion. God told Abraham "I will make your name great," and He gave similar proclamations to others, including Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. That promise is for you too.
And just like Abraham - the father of our faith spiritually and financially - we can apply Biblically-based business principles that position us to be used by God in the marketplace to bring our greatness into manifestation. Join us at Kingdom Business University for this powerful Bible study for business leaders that I will host beginning Monday, April 21st. We will journey through the Word of God to understand how He uses grace in our transformational process to become who He created us to be. Even if you can't attend in person there's even a way for you to engage with us online through KBU Online. God has greatness planned for you. Now is the time to embrace who you are and the life He planned for you. We look forward to seeing you there! I'm excited to announce that I am now doing some freelance writing for Gospel Today Magazine. My first article was published a few days ago, entitled Great Leaders in Business Are Great Followers. Here is a short excerpt: For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, our current economic times present some extremely daunting challenges. From the complexities of differentiating yourself in a crowded marketplace, to the arduous task of raising capital, one would tend to think that entrepreneurship may not be the financial Promise Land of which so many often speak. Continue reading the entire article: http://www.gospeltoday.com/blog/2014/03/22/great-leaders-in-business-are-great-followers/#sthash.QPWBmsMQ.dpuf
I look forward to your feedback. Just recently the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia ended and the many winners were awarded either a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Interestingly, while most people who observed these great athletes would typically associate passionate, practice, perseverance, a never-quit attitude, and many other key attributes with their path to success, I realized something significant that I believe most people overlooked. Winners are quitters. They identify the self-limiting thinking and behaviors that stifle their growth, development, and prosperity and then resolve to repent, i.e. turn and go in a new direction. Quitting will lead to winning when you quit the right things. Not quitting certain things keeps you in a "doom loop" that has no ending and on-going frustrations. In the case of the Olympians, they quit eating unhealthy food, being lazy, avoiding hard work, wasting time, doing anything that didn't get them closer to their goals, and the list could go on. Well neither you nor I are an Olympian, but we are champions who God has called to succeed in our game of life. Go to www.brothaonline.com to continue reading I Quit… So I Would Win to see a few things that I've been quitting. You might also see something that you need to quit. When I hear a lot of Christian businesspeople using terminology like "I'm on my grind" or "rise and grind" it makes me cringe a little. It makes me wonder if by their own words they are creating more of a challenge for themselves than necessary. Are you prophesying difficulty into your day or your business by declaring that you're "grinding?" If you are grinding without grace you are toiling, which is what Adam had to do - and everyone else since him - after the fall. Jesus came to break the curse which included us no longer having to toil for our survival. He said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light," which means the work I do for Him is empowered by grace. I should be flowing with God as I work in my business. I also should have a sense of peace in what I'm doing while I'm doing it. What I'm not saying is that you can be lazy or produce shoddy work because "the Lord has your back" so to speak. You still must be diligent, faithful, and produce excellence in all your work. It just shouldn't kill you out in the process. RELATED: Stop Working So Hard in Your Business Consider this example: If you had to push a cart down a train track, grace would be like oil that lubricates the rails allowing the cart to glide along smoothly. When you're grinding you don't have any oil on the rails and your effort is much more difficult. In both cases you still have to work, but grace makes your work much smoother. Let's look at the difference between working by grind vs. grace: RELATED: Incorporate the Mind of Christ in Your Business
God doesn't love you because of what you can do for Him. You don't qualify for God's love by working harder. You can't increase His love for you by completing projects that you call working in your purpose. He loves you just because you're you. And because He does you're empowered to do more with Him than without Him. So stop grinding and start working by grace! What are you thoughts about this? I would love to read your feedback below... It’s very interesting how early experiences as children can shape our thinking and perceptions well into adulthood. This especially relates to money. I’m sure you can clearly remember a time or two when your parents responded to one of your requests for something that you didn’t realize the value of with a resounding, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!”
And while they surely meant well with their retort, the long-term implications for many is that you still think it’s hard to make money, money in large amounts is only available for a certain groups of people, money is evil, or other unhealthy perspectives. Even if it’s only subconsciously, many Christians have brought these and other mindsets into their relationship with Jesus and thereby operate from an adversarial relationship toward money. And if you have an adversarial relationship with money more than likely you won’t keep very much of it for very long. This may sound a little strange, but stay with me. Click here to read my full article Yes, Money Grows on Trees in Brotha Magazine I look forward to your feedback... "A man's heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.." Proverbs 16:9 Today is the day we are celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And as is often the case on this holiday, in reflecting and commenting on his life many people are going to reference what he so eloquently articulated as his dream. This of course is a great thing. You know what else is great? When you discover God's dream for you and you live on purpose to accomplish it. However, I wonder how many people have chosen to live for something that is an alternative pathway compared to what God has intentionally designed for you? I suspect it's far, far greater than what most people would like to admit. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 Many people live in pursuit of a dream that's different or far smaller in scope than what God has planned for them. His plans and expectations for us are so far beyond what we see for ourselves, but, unfortunately, many people settle for what they can see not what God has for them. Fortunately, we have a wonderful example in Dr. King of living a B.I.G. dream based on God's purpose for his life.
From the perspective of his life, here are five key characteristics to assess whether you are living your dream or God's:
So do you need to reevaluate your dream? I look forward to your comments below... |
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