Note: Thanks to some recent developments, we have quite a few new readers who may not really be familiar with what Nourish The Dream is all about… so we felt it was time for an introduction of sorts. Enjoy!

Has God Called You To Business?

A little over ten years ago, I stepped out of my full-time job as a Pastor and went full-time into the business my wife & I had started several years earlier. It was a gigantic leap of faith for us at the time, but we were responding to a strong sense of calling and the belief that we had clear direction from God.

The problem was that the idea of being “called” to do something other than “ministry” (as we understood it) didn’t jibe with our training. After all, once you were “called to the ministry,” the gifts & calling are without repentance, right?

An Anointing for Business?

We were in for a few paradigm shifts, some of which had been bubbling below the surface in me for a number of years. One of the first ones that crystallized for me was that the “anointing” of God isn’t reserved for people behind a pulpit or leading worship or working on the mission field.

Today, I would argue that there’s an anointing available for anyone doing what they were created to do.

Business may not seem very “spiritual” on the surface, but there are numerous examples in Scripture of people who were anointed to do very “non-spiritual” things. Metalworking (Exodus 31) and killing giants (1 Samuel 17) are just a couple of quick ones that come to mind.

“But business deals with ‘filthy lucre’!” some may argue.

It’s true that “greed” is going to come up in this discussion. We might as well get it out of the way. Anyone who has a greed problem or deals with love of money needs to take it to God and get rid of it. But I would argue that more people struggle with “love of money” and misplaced trust in money when they don’t have any or have no means of getting their needs met than those who have some. Perhaps that’s a debate for a different day, but you can think about it. Either way, without the manifest Grace of God, any fleshly lust can consume a person regardless of their position, calling, daily work or status in life. Enough said.

Staying Away From Evil

That said, it’s time to address something that’s a real problem with the Church today. To some extent, it’s been an issue for hundreds of years, but it seems that in the United States it really matured in the latter half of the 20th Century. Somewhere along the line, we decided that certain elements of society were inherently “evil” and Christians should stay away from them. Politics, Hollywood and business are big examples.

After years of study, I’m more convinced than ever that God doesn’t think like this. Quite the opposite, in fact. From Scripture, it’s clear that God is trying to invade every corner of society and infiltrate it with His Kingdom. (If you need a Scripture to start with, let’s take Matthew 28 back out and study the Great Commission.)

But we’ve raised a few generations of believers who don’t see things that way, so we have some unlearning to do.

And those who—like me 10 years ago—have a sense of calling or anointing where business is concerned, need to be retrained with a new Biblical foundation for work.

We also need relationships with others who share our calling.

We need to be authenticated in our callings and allowed to dream about not only what we’re built to do here on the earth, but also about what a future would look like with believers in every corner of society who are authenticated and functioning in their callings.

Wow… what a dream!

My friend… this isn’t just a dream born in the hearts of some radical people. This dream was born in the heart of God. It’s His dream… and it’s time for us to bring it to life!

Care to join me?

If this resonates with you, don’t miss your opportunity to connect with others like you in Tampa, FL March 30th & 31st, 2012. This will be 2 days of life-changing teaching, training, equipping & inspiration from Godly business leaders who taken major territory for the Kingdom and unabashedly created millions of dollars in profits along the way! Check out the details now!

This is probably going to be controversial. Any time “the Bible” and “money” show up together, all kinds of feathers get ruffled.

But you know what? I’m tired of God’s people not having enough money. And I’m willing to stir up a hornet’s nest if necessary and even shake you up a little bit if I can provoke you to do something big for the Kingdom.

I know that we’re all trying to have a good heart and not be greedy. I get it. I really do.

But after appearing recently on Christian television, my office has been flooded with phone calls and website inquiries. Time after time, my staff and I have spoken with people who have a desire to do something big. They’ve got ideas. They’ve got “million dollar ideas,” even.

Some of them want to support missions efforts — overseas and at home. Some of them want to fund other ministry efforts, including feeding the hungry or creating financially strong private schools so that options other than State-run Godless education will be available.

But nearly every one of these people lacked one thing.

Yep. You guessed it… the money to get it done.

I’m tired of it! I’m absolutely finished with God’s people — the ones inhabited by the very Creator of all things — not having enough to do what He’s called them to do. He’s placed destiny in their hearts… and we as the Body of Christ haven’t trained them to go get the resources that it takes to fulfill their God-given destinies.

So… to start things off, I’ve just created and released a free e-Book.

But consider yourself warned: it is controversial. It will shake up your thinking.

Go get your copy. There’s a $10 free gift inside. No strings attached.

This week, Nourish The Dream founder David G. Johnson, CEO of Epiphany Marketing, LLC,  is appearing as a special guest on the popular Faith Life Now broadcast with Gary and Drenda Keesee.

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.

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children….” (Proverbs 13:22a NKJV)

Off and on for the past few years, I’ve returned to this subject in my personal study.  Whether ministering from the pulpit or working with entrepreneurs and businesspeople in the context of business, the idea that we — as Christians — struggle more than most with money has come up again and again.

Looking at my own church experience, I can see that there are a number of factors that have affected me personally.  It has been a journey in and of itself to reconcile my own thinking with what I’ve come to understand from the Word of God.

But… reaching beyond myself, I’ve discovered that many people struggle with many of the same issues.  And there are others that I’ve found are working to limit the effectiveness of God’s people that had not been a part of my own experience.

The most dangerous ones, of course, are the ones that affect us without us being aware of them. For example, confusing wealth with money is a common misunderstanding. What exactly is it that we are pursuing in business anyway?

All of this has led me to work on something that I’m excited to be announcing very soon.  It is intended to address all of this — and much more — head-on.  Watch this space for updates!