This event is being hosted by Gary Keesee, who along with his wife Drenda hosts the Faith Life Now television broadcast, whose vision for the conference is to equip believers with both practical training and inspirational empowering to be successful in business.

Provision 2010 Conference with Gary Keesee and David G. Johnson

It is my privilege to join a powerful lineup of speakers for this event, including Mike Healy, Stan Souder, Bert Lindsay, Jerry Frisbee, CPA, as well as Drenda Keesee and Amy Freudiger.

There will be something for everyone — whether you own a business, are planning to start a business, or are simply looking to advance in your profession.

For those of you looking to grow a business, I’ll be presenting these topics:

How To Grow Your Business Now Using 21st Century Tools

When traditional marketing methods aren’t producing needed results, you need to know:

• how Google rankings and social media affect your sales
• why SEO (search engine optimization) companies and web designers may be COSTING you sales
• how to more effectively get your message in front of the right prospects and create new revenue for your business!

PLUS: the #1 ROI (Return on Investment) Marketing Medium Available Today!

You can catch this session on Friday the 25th at 2pm or Saturday the 26th at 2pm.

Social Media Secrets: 5 Ways to Beat Your Competition

Are outlets like Facebook & Twitter time wasters or revenue producers? Market research has proven that it’s possible to substantially improve your profits with social media. But having an account & using it strategically are 2 different things! This practical “how to” session will give you the understanding you need to effectively engage your marketplace and get results!

PLUS: the System You Can Use to Multiply Sales in Only 10 Minutes Per Day!

You can catch this session on Friday the 25th at 3:30pm or Saturday the 26th at 11:30am.

These are going to be powerful worskshops, but there’s one session I’m even more excited about. It’s this one:

What To Do Next Monday: Renegade Strategies In Action

We’ve all done it: attended a conference and taken page after page of notes… only to let them sit and gather dust after re-entering our busy lives. In this unique interactive training session, we’ll move beyond dispensing information and will take you through some powerful exercises that will help you take action and get you on the road to results before you even get home!

Here’s something I’ll fill you in on as a reader of Nourish The Dream that other folks don’t know about: we’re going to do some real “hands-on” stuff in this last session. In fact: we’re going to get a volunteer (or 2) and lay out a killer marketing strategy for them as a group. This will create some amazing take-aways for the people who need to get results quickly in their businesses! If that’s you… don’t miss it!

This last session will only be happening once: on Saturday the 26th at 3:30pm.

There will also be a couple of other unique opportunities for us to interact, including a lunch with Gary Keesee and all the speakers (separate registration is required for that) on Friday, as well as a late night rapid-fire Q&A Session Friday night.

The event will be held at The Now Center in New Albany, which is on the Northeast side of Columbus. Get the rest of the details and register for the conference here.

I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

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Where is God in my darkness?

He made darkness His secret hiding place; as His pavilion (His canopy) round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. (Psalms 18:11 AMP)

If you’ve walked with God any length of time at all, you’ve had seasons where this seemed to be the case. Where is God in my situation?

What I love about this passage is that the psalmist penned these words after witnessing first-hand how God delivered him from his enemies. Reading this verse in its context, you discover that God hid Himself in the darkness while bringing victory over enemies to pass in David’s life.

Are You in Distress?

It seems like so many of the Psalms were written in and about difficult times. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that David spent an enormous amount of time under threat from enemies. And in some ways, it can be hard for us to identify with David. Today, most of us — at least in the Western world — don’t have enemies that chase after us hoping to take our lives.

But we do face real enemies. There are real enemies that work to steal and to kill your dreams. Perhaps your #1 enemy is on this list:

• debt
• financial lack
• poverty mindset
• apparent lack of abilities, skills or training
• sickness
• relational challenges

Whatever enemy is staring you down today, consider David’s words:

In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears…. The Lord also thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, amid hailstones and coals of fire…. He reached from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy and from those who hated and abhorred me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted and came upon me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay and support. He brought me forth also into a large place; He was delivering me because He was pleased with me and delighted in me. (Psalms 18:6, 13, 16-19 AMP)

These words may seem poetic… or somehow disconnected from reality, but remember that David, “spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”

If David were somehow able to reach out to you today in your distress, I believe he would tell you to place your trust wholly and completely in the Lord. He would tell you from his personal experience about battling a lion, about challenging Goliath, about supernaturally dodging Saul’s spear, about miraculously overcoming enemies that he would be the first to admit were too strong for him.

Listen, friend. I don’t know how God will deliver you from your distress and from your enemies today. You don’t either. In fact, if you knew how He would do it, I’m convinced He would come up with some other way to do it just to keep you guessing.

But remember this: God hides in the darkness of your darkest night. Why He doesn’t just show Himself to us is a mystery that I’ll probably ask Him about when I see Him face to face. Perhaps He chooses to do it because He knows that for us to make it in this life, we must walk by faith. But know that in the darkness — when it seems as though your deliverance is furthest away — He Himself is escorting your answer to You. He personally goes to war against your enemies.

Many people give up in the darkness… and in so doing, they disconnect themselves from their help when it’s most critical… and when it is closest. Place your trust in Him. Rely upon him completely. Allow Him to speak to you and to work in you. You’ll have a story of your own to tell when your enemies have been completely eradicated. And I can’t wait to hear it!

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“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a thing.” (Proverbs 25:2 AMP)

I’ll admit, I’ve read this verse as often as once a month for many years as part of my regular journey through the book of Proverbs. And it’s always been a mystery to me. Every time I think I have it figured out, there’s some new twist.

My first idea (as far as I can recall) was that this was one of those verses that demonstrates the character of God by contrasting it against something else. I have no idea why, but my first thought was that it must have something to do with scandal — that God would receive glory when the sins of a repentant person are concealed (so as not to bring hurt or injury to others), but that earthly kings or people who seek glory for themselves would hunt down every detail and bring it into the public eye.

In other words — seeking something out would show that you’re a gloryhound and not interested in bringing glory to God.

Then I heard someone — a friend of mine, actually — refer to this verse when exposing what he considered the “sins” of another person. He felt it was his right to do so, because as part of the family of God he considered himself a “king.” In his mind, this verse authorized him to make sure everyone knew what was going on in the other person’s life.

This injured my conscience — after all, why would you do the opposite of what God seemed to want to do? It didn’t make sense to me.

It wasn’t until several years later that it dawned on me that this verse could be talking about a “thing” other than something that people might want to conceal. Honestly, it seems so obvious to me now that it’s almost embarrassing. But it reminds me that we bring our own presuppositions to the Word of God more than we know… and we desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us as we read.

As with much of Scripture, I’m sure that there are multiple layers of meaning here. But within this passage is this concept:

God Enjoys Hiding Things From You… For You

What's Waiting for You?

Jesus had a practice of teaching profound truths by hiding them just below the surface of a parable. Why? The valuable gems are not available to just any and everyone for the grabbing. Instead, they are for the hungry — those who are searching. There are, of course, lessons to be learned on the surface as well. But those who take the time to peel back the wrapping are the ones who discover that the juiciest, most valuable parts are enshrouded deep within.

Likewise, when we face some tangible need in our lives, God has already made provision for us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3 NKJV)

Every blessing already belongs to us… and is contained within the Kingdom!

“Well that’s all fine and good, but I don’t need a spiritual blessing… I need a natural one,” you may be thinking. “I can’t pay the bills with a spiritual blessing — they expect actual money!”

It’s true that we must take the blessings contained within the Kingdom and translate them into the natural realm. But that is our part. God cannot invade this natural realm and simply place Himself in the midst of your difficult circumstance and fix everything for you! To do so would violate the very principles of the Kingdom and of the Earth!

But what He can do is show you where He has hidden the treasures you need. Much of the time when we talk to God about a financial need, for example, He responds by revealing something to us: an unmet need in the marketplace, an innovation, an idea, or even an invention.

Made In His Image

When God began to think about His prized creation — the one He hadn’t yet made — He knew that Adam would need certain things. And God produced those things by doing the work of Creation. He spoke light into existence. Next came water, land, the earth, plants, animals, etc. Where did those things come from? Within Himself. He imagined them first, and then engaged in the work of bringing them into existence.

We, as His sons and daughters, are intended to work just like He does. The ideas, innovations and insights that He gives us are not just for our amusement. He wants us to engage in the Work of bringing those things into existence. Doing so will translate into income and influence for us so that we can continue to expand His Kingdom.

But the entire process begins by seeking out the things He has hidden from us. If everything were obvious, or if Had left them out in the open, anyone could discover them and capitalize on them. It wouldn’t take any effort — anyone could just walk by and spot them… and thereby steal the blessing that God intended for you.

This is why, my friend, there’s a struggle involved in receiving from God. There’s a hunt… a chase… some digging and effort involved. It’s not the same as sweating and toiling and receiving nothing but thorns. Quite the opposite: we pursue Him and He shows us where His hidden treasures can be found.

If you’re challenged by a need in your life today, it’s time to pursue Him and His Kingdom. That’s where your answers are hidden!

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On this television program, which airs on the Daystar and NRB television networks, hosts and entrepreneurs Gary & Drenda Keesee talk with David about the opportunities that exist right now — especially in these changing times — for believers to tap into the creativity of God and establish mechanisms for creating wealth.

To view this program, check the broadcast schedule for air times or watch the program online at Faith Life Now.

Kingdom Thoughts is being offered this week on the Faith Life Now broadcast

In connection with the program, Gary & Drenda are making David’s 5-disc teaching series, “Kingdom Thoughts” available to viewers at a very special price. If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on this teaching series, now is the time to take advantage of the offer and enjoy a substantial discount.

In this powerful teaching series, David talks about the internal struggles that believers face where wealth, money and business are concerned. He talks about the teachings that have unfortunately contributed to these difficulties, what the Bible actually says, and how to overcome these struggles and bulldoze the barriers to your business and financial success.

In addition to the substantial savings, Gary & Drenda Keesee are also adding a single-CD teaching from Gary’s ministry called, “The Parable of the Sower.” Gary’s unique perspective on this foundational teaching of Jesus will transform how you view wealth creation in the Kingdom.

Click here for the Kingdom Thoughts package from Faith Life Now.

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Never Waste a Good Crisis!

Regardless of what’s happening around us, though, we are in one of the greatest moments of opportunity in our lifetimes.

Why?

Because in times of change, opportunities get created. In times of great change, more opportunity exists than at any other time. And now is without doubt a time of significant change.

John F. Kennedy once related that the Chinese character for “crisis” is a conglomeration of two other characters: “danger” and “opportunity.” This means that in any crisis — including a major one — you have a choice about what you will see. On the face of it — the portion that is obvious to anyone — is the danger. And in fact that facet of any crisis will be the most oft-repeated. It’s simply a matter of human nature.

But as people inhabited by the Spirit of Almighty God, the Creator Himself, we have the ability to look beyond what we are bombarded with in our 5 senses. We can, instead, view the situation from an entirely different perspective. Yes, there are needs; perhaps even great needs. But to a creative person who is diligently looking through the lens of opportunity, needs represent the occasion for solutions.

I firmly believe that hidden within the Kingdom of God are all answers to life’s situations. We as believers are the very dwelling place of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17). Like Joseph confronted with the news of impending disaster in the nation of Egypt, we have the ability to access the Wisdom of God to understand how to bring solutions.

And here’s the interesting thing: the world pays for solutions. The marketplace rewards problem solvers.

Friend, this is our moment to shine. Perhaps you have a dream of moving out of the system of wage slavery that dominates our society. Maybe you’ve been considering starting a business. Perhaps you’ve been questioning God about your purpose, your calling, your destiny.

This is your hour to allow God’s Spirit to reveal to you how to share the giftings and talents that He has put in you… and to share them in a way that provides solutions to the problems of others while providing a reward for you and your family.

The key is found in 2 distinct, but connected elements:

1. Pursue relationship with God at all cost.
2. Take action on what He reveals to you.

We must first seek after Him with all of our hearts. Clear up your relationship with Him. If you’re angry, resentful or frustrated with God as a result of your difficult circumstances (or those of people around you), then tell Him. Allow His Spirit to address the issues. Plow into His Word. Allow Him to speak to you. Cultivate a listening heart.

Secondly, we must take action. God has “right now” Wisdom available to us. We may never see a season of such incredible opportunity again in our lives. Simply hearing from God will not be sufficient. We must act. This is the hallmark of the life of faith: it is a life of action. Sieze the moment. Grab the opportunities in front of you… and take territory for the Kingdom of God by force.

Will it be easy? No. But valuable doings rarely are. This doesn’t mean it will be complicated, but it will require that you reach down into the depths of your internal fortitude and latch on to the supernatural power of God residing within you.

You can do it!

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Does what we believe have the ability to produce what we need?

The starting point for this is that we do believe that God Himself has the ability to supply what we need. This isn’t in question.

Are you in crisis?

But… will He produce and supply it for us?

This can be the harder question. Again, it isn’t just “in Whom” I believe — it’s what I believe about Him that will affect the results that I get…

In the book of Ezra, there’s a moment in Israel’s history that I’ve gone back to again and again these last few months. It’s not the most popular book of the Bible for sermons, so a little background may be useful if you haven’t read it recently.

Ezra was a priest during Israel’s captivity under the Persian empire. He began to search out God’s Word and eventually went to King Artaxerxes and, with great favor upon him, requested — and got — permission and funding to go back to Jerusalem and re-establish the temple and the sacrifices.

He hit a snag, however, when he and the several hundred he recruited to make the journey to Jerusalem with him set out. They had a very dangerous road in front of them, and the trip would ultimately take several months.

In other words, he had a dream. He had discovered his God-given purpose. He had some of what he needed to succeed, but he had a major area of lack — security and protection in his case.

Here was his response:

“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
(Ezra 8:21-22 AMP)

This passage strikes such a strong chord within me. Where do we turn?

Notice that he and the others needed to know how to proceed because their lives, their little ones, everything they owned, and their God-given purpose was all at stake. This wasn’t a time when a nice-sounding prayer and a religious platitude would help.

Their faith had to manifest a result. Period. End of story. We quite literally wouldn’t be reading this story if they hadn’t received their answer. The risk was real — enemies on the road, uncertainty, failure.

Are you in that kind of situation today? Does your relationship with God have to manifest what you need?

To be continued…

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For today, however, I wanted to post a quick note because I wanted to share some really great practical advice from the blog of author Tim Ferriss. He has a guest post that serves as a great response to all of the fear in the atmosphere. His guest, Cameron Herold, has some tips on “activity pairing.” In other words, here’s what to do in different cycles of your business.

As someone who has started multiple businesses, I can tell you that I wish I had known:

1. I’m not alone in having emotional ups and downs, and
2. There are great times to perform certain types of work… and terrible times.

Hope this is insightful and helpful to you.  We’ll pick up our main line of thought next time.

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“I [Wisdom] walk in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), in the midst of the paths of justice, That I may cause those who love me to inherit [true] riches and that I may fill their treasuries.” (Proverbs 8:20-21 AMP)

It just doesn’t get any plainer than Proverbs chapter 8.  The chapter begins with Wisdom (personified) calling out to any who will listen — offering her instruction, her words and her benefits to one and all.

As the chapter progresses, we gain further insight into who Wisdom really is. She was “present” with God at the moment of creation. She was “brought forth” at the beginning of His “way” before His “acts.” In other words, she emerges from the very essence of God and represents His ways.

You may remember that the children of Israel knew His acts, but Moses knew his “ways.”  God has always offered His Wisdom to those who would incline their ear — reach out for it, listen for it, intently pursue it.

Isn’t it interesting that among the very clear benefits of hearing and obeying the Wisdom of God are, “riches and honor… enduring wealth and righteousness?” (Proverbs 8:18 AMP)  For some of us, it would still seem that being righteous or having right standing with God would make it impossible to have wealth and riches (God’s words, not mine!)… and vice versa!

But acting according to Wisdom will fill your treasuries.

Obviously, pursuing Wisdom — especially as described in this chapter — requires that we pursue God and His ways as our first priority. But just as night follows day, we should expect that we experience substantive improvement in our lives as a result. It reminds me of what Jesus said:

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” (Matthew 6:33 AMP)

Don’t be ashamed to expect financial increase when you are pursing God and His ways with abandonment.

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Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalms 35:27 NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but ever since I can remember, it has always been in my heart to please God. I am truly thankful for the heart that is in me to please Him.  It’s not something that I can really take any credit for. There’s a tender something in me towards Him.

Sure, at times, it has been less influential over my thoughts or my actions. At times, disappointments and discouragements may have caused me to move away from it to a greater or lesser degree.  OK, that’s not fair.  Nothing can “cause” me to move away from it… but I may have chosen to do so due to my poor reactions at times to life’s blows.

But regardless of what may or may not have been… my heart is toward God. Is yours?  Do you want to please Him?

I do.

And it’s like a warm soothing balm to know that He gets pleasure out of the prosperity of His people.

Before you jump on me for sucker-punching you on this one, think about what the Scripture says at the beginning of this post.  Did I take it out of context? A little. Does that change its meaning? Not at all.  In fact, if you read the rest of Psalm 35, you’ll find out that what David was saying was actually much stronger than what I am saying.

One quick note: “prosperity” in this verse is the Hebrew word shalom.  I’ve done a lot of studying about this word over the years and I can tell you that its true meaning is “overall well-being.”  It represents a state of wholeness, of peace, of prosperity, of abundance, of safety, of soundness.  It isn’t just financial in nature, but it definitely includes the financial side of life.

So… if you’re wondering today about whether it’s a good idea for you and/or your business to be successful… think about pleasing God.

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, (2 Corinthians 2:14 AMP)

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We Decided We Were Going to Win

You may remember this race. The American women had individually experienced some blunders in previous races. They were pretty heartbroken as a result. So they came into the race with some serious motivation.

As the relay came to an end, they were down. It was the last leg of the race. Sanya Richards was churning along a fair distance behind the runner from the Russian Federation. But as she rounded the last bend in the track, she absolutely turned something on.  She was “digging deep,” as the commentator called it.  She held a laser focus on the finish line, while the Russian runner’s eyes kept glancing up to the big screen to see what was going on.

After her experiences at the Beijing Olympic games, Sanya could’ve lightened up. After all, she’d suffered some hard knocks. To say she’d had some disappointments would be a severe understatement.  She ran pretty hard in the last leg… but she was behind for over 300 meters.  She’d given it a good run. She’d been behind from the very start — the Russians had taken the lead from the Americans in the last few meters of the previous leg.

What goes through your mind when you’re in the race, you’re behind, and the pressure is on? I’m sure that your body is screaming at you to stop. You’re not sure if you have anything left. Everything in you tells you that it would be OK to finish in second place.

And yet… somewhere, from the deepest parts of her, something arose.  What was it?  A decision.

“We decided we were going to win it.”

These were the words uttered by one of the American women after the race was over. The interviewer from the television network was trying to find out what they had done to make it happen. The sentence blew past in a flurry of words as the ladies relished their victory.

It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I took note of exactly how profound that statement was.

When was the last time you made a decision of that quality?  When was the last time you simply decided that there were no options… you were absolutely going to achieve that goal?

In the case of Sanya Richards, she came from behind to cross the finish line .28 seconds ahead.  That fraction of a second may not seem like much, but it was the difference between heartbreak and victory.

In your case, it might be in business. It might be a sales goal. It might be a revenue target. It might be a profitability number. It might just be to survive until that big deal closes. It may be to simply stay the course and finish producing a product.  No matter what your goal is… do yourself a favor: make a decision.

Decide you’re going to win.  You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you leave yourself no option.

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