At our recent Nourish The Dream event in Tampa, Gary Keesee shared a powerful nugget from the early ministry of Jesus. In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching a crowd of people and was soon surrounded and pressed. He was backed up to the water where Peter and his partners in their commercial fishing business were cleaning their nets after having toiled all night with nothing to show for it.

Can you identify with that? Working… slaving… tearfully laboring without the results you need?

Jesus called upon Peter to allow Him to use one of Peter’s boats. Peter agreed, so Jesus stepped into the boat and asked Peter to push away from the bank so he could teach the crowds from there. After Jesus finished, he told Peter to let down his nets for a catch. (One translation says, “Let down your nets for a haul.”)

You know the story: They caught so many fish that the nets began to break and the boats began to sink.

Why Did Peter & His Partners Catch So Many Fish?

Let Down Your Nets for a Catch!

It sounds like a nice miracle story—especially when you’re in business and you recognize all those fish for what they represented to the business owners: profit.

But Gary pointed that this wasn’t just an arbitrary miracle that Jesus sovereignly chose to perform. Instead, it was an operation of the laws of the Kingdom of God.

When Peter permitted Jesus to use his boat, he placed his business under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God. The government of God came over the business. That permitted the laws of the Kingdom to operate.

Just like the widow’s jars of oil (see 2 Kings 4) which Elisha commanded to be filled and sold; when the government of God comes over a business enterprise, the business will be filled to capacity.

For Peter and his partners to be blessed financially, they had to take something they had authority over (something under their control) and place it under the government of God. (Have you ever thought about Peter’s partners and how blessed they were that day to have been in partnership with him?)

Here’s What Was Really Amazing

After Gary shared that particular incident with the Nourish the Dream audience, one of our other speakers had an opportunity to reflect on it. You see, he had been the CEO of a public company for a number of years. He had always attributed the success they enjoyed under his leadership to his own relationship with God and to subjecting his decision-making to the Scriptures.

But he experienced an “epiphany” that day. He said he had never understood previously that what he had done was placed that company under the authority and government of the Kingdom of God. This was why they experienced some otherwise-inexplicable successes and pulled out of some difficult places!

What do you have today that you can place under the government of God? Is it a business? Is it a business idea? Perhaps it’s an invention or a product idea. Place it at the service of the King. Lay it at His feet. Ask Him to show you how to place it at His disposal. Then proclaim a blessing over it and watch it produce like never before!

Whenever I teach on “marketplace ministries,” I often ask in my presentation, “Who wants God to get involved in your business?” The vast majority of those present raise their hands expecting me to help them find effective ways to help them further achieve that “divine connection.” To their surprise, I not only don’t help them, I actually shock them by telling them what I am about to tell you. God doesn’t want to get involved in your business.

Let’s talk about why He doesn’t. First, it may be your “ministry,” but if you’re really serious about God’s involvement, we have to begin on the proper foundation. That means we must recognize that in reality, it isn’t “your business”; it’s His gift-opportunity for you which He is letting you steward in order to serve others and release provision for you while He helps grow you up in the process. As we all know, we actually own nothing, but merely steward things on God’s behalf. Unless we are clear on this reality and remain clear—especially if we prosper—our foundation will be insufficient to sustain a working partnership with God’s Spirit. Indeed, this issue of “who controls and gets credit for my success” was addressed by God as He forewarned Israel:

(11 ) “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; (12) otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, (13) and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, (14) then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (17)”Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘my power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’” Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17

The second foundational issue is closely related to the first one. If God were to join “your business,” who do you think would most likely assume the “senior role,” you or Him? Our fallen nature is not to be trusted as we all should know by now. If God “joins us,” we are in the position of extending an invitation to Him, with us sitting in the position of the resident’s chair. When we do this, God says, “thank you but no thank you.” Obviously, it is absurdly presumptuous for us to even extend Him the invitation. It would be like the pot inviting the potter to the art exhibit where it will be on display! God rejects the proud and exalts the humble. Therefore, a “take your shoes off on this holy ground” attitude is the kind of spiritual posture God will honor. The correct question is not, “will you join me”, but rather, “Lord, could you possibly consider letting me join You in Your business, unworthy as I am?” Joshua experienced a similar situation when he foolishly approached the Angel of the Lord and asked him whose side he was on. The Angel answered, “No”. Wrong question junior. Joshua quickly came to his senses and essentially responded with a recalculated attitude adjustment essentially saying, “since you’re on the Lord’s side, I’m with you!” Fortunately for us, Jesus already extended the invitation for us to join Him in business some 2,000 years ago. Here is His statement:

(28)”Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (29)”Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30)”For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

We take note of this essential truth contained in His kind invitation. It is in Christ’s “yoke” (business) that we, “learn of Him”. Common labor together or partnerships (like marriage) is where the deepest transfer of life takes place. In the common yoke we “apprentice” with God in His vision; passion; perspective; labors; challenges and the fulfillment of His heart. Fellowship is deepest with God when we enter His passion and it begins to become ours.

We now arrive at the second correct question. Exactly what business is God in? From our human vantage, He is in the people-empowering business. Whatever business we think we’re in is now about to shift. Guess what. If we go into the people-empowerment business with Him, that must become the foundation of “our business”, no matter what product or service we apparently offer. Christ died to empower people because truly serving people requires a genuine degree of death-to-self on our part. As we become genuine servants to those we interact with in our marketplace ministry the principle of “your good at my expense” will begin to change us and the people within the circle of our spiritual influence.

At last, we come to the really personal questions. Do you really believe my statement that, “God pays for what He orders” or is that really just a religious cliché or platitude? If we follow Christ’s example as a master-servant and give up our “rights” to think of and expect our “returns-on-investments first, what might be our fate? Well, for starters we have now actually gone into God’s business if we’re truly willing to enter this practical law of God’s Kingdom: whoever serves leads. If we join Father’s business, it’s clear that He will “empty us” on the way to exalting Himself through us:

(5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (8) Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11

Simply put, God pays handsomely for what He orders.

As we have said for years, for a Christian in business, God’s people business that is, profit is a fruit of obedience not a goal or way of ultimately keeping score. In Father’s business, the real profit is knowing Him, growing in Him, and working with Him in the people-loving business. Is this naïve or “religious”? Let me ask another question. Do you know anyone who is building their business ministry like this with God and complaining? Everyone I know who is on this journey and has paid the initial dues of truly aligning their business with God’s principles of stewardship and strategic and relational building is prospering in every way. So let’s rescind our offer to God to join with us in our business and join His instead. What a deal! He makes us an offer only the foolish would refuse.

Editor’s Note: Crystal recently discussed this topic with David G. Johnson on a webinar as a “sneak peek” of what’s to come at the Nourish The Dream event in Tampa March 30th & 31st. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can catch it here.

Are You Functioning at the Place of Convergence?

There is an internal mechanism within each of us that operates similar to a GPS. This navigational tool is designed to provide direction. Unfortunately, many spend their lives listening to this inner voice saying: “recalculating…recalculating.”  They drive lost; second guessing their turns and questioning choices in life. They live in a constant flux of re-evaluation; always searching for the quickest route to somewhere, unable to find the on-ramp to a satisfying life.

In order to successively navigate, you must have a clear understanding of your “somewhere”. There must be clarity in regards to the address you are seeking…you must learn how to find home! Where do you shine? What are your natural tendencies, your interests and your passions? It is this ability to identify your sweet spot that allows you to provide accurate input for your internal compass. Defining this data of purpose and direction will help to pave a path and minimize the U turns and traffic jams of life.

However, knowing your destination is not enough. Life is littered with those who have found themselves and yet sat waiting for circumstances to give them the green light to proceed. The commitment to prepare and develop the required skills impacts the ability to start and finish the journey. A variety of equipping avenues are available such as books, classes, on the job training, coaching and conferences. Each external development provides the opportunity to test drive vehicles and practice for navigating the course.

It is the combination of internal direction and external preparation that positions individuals to discover the on-ramp of life and merge safely on to their freeway. This critical moment is called Convergence.

Many individuals spend their lives searching for Convergence and yet it is neither mystical nor unattainable. It lies within the grasp of each one of us. It requires the ability to listen…really listen to what makes you tick and sets you apart. It then requires the discipline to take this revelation and apply elbow grease, hard work and intentional tuning of your skill sets. In convergence you operate on a new level and are fueled by a higher octane. It is here, that you experience a deeper satisfaction and enter into a more rewarding life.

Convergence happens in multiple areas of life at varying times. Catalysts can be used to accelerate this process. Our goal is to function as a catalyst for convergence in the lives of individuals, businesses and organizations. We have developed numerous workshops and conferences designed to facilitate the necessary internal and external growth. These include…

CEO DNA Codes ~

It has been said that within every individual lies the seeds of greatness. We identify these seeds as the CEO DNA codes. Everyone has them. However, these codes lie in seed form waiting for recognition and then cultivation. The ability to Administrate, Operate, Market and conduct Finances are the codes that play an essential role in businesses, organizations and even in the lives of individuals. Training is beneficial in the understanding and practical application of these codes.

EQW ~

When it comes to creating wealth, there are three components: Spiritual, Emotional and Mechanical. Unfortunately, most individuals focus on the spiritual and mechanical processes and overlook the connecting factor— EQW.

The Emotional Quotient of Wealth is the fulcrum that weighs the experiences, aspirations and internal thought processes of an individual against the factual data and calculations of finances. It acknowledges the internal belief system and the pragmatic formulas of reason to create a response based upon wisdom without emotional entanglements. It removes reactionary impulses and produces proactive solutions and strategies. A developed EQW provides the ability to create wealth!

Tribal Leadership ~

Tribal leadership focuses on identifying the stages of culture and how individuals, businesses, organizations and communities can transition through these stages successfully. It is not about performance evaluations, project management or even a well structured business plan. Rather, tribal leadership is moving past procedure to identifying the underlying core value and common bond within an environment. This revelation, combined with insight, can shift cultures and transition mindsets from preservation to innovation.

Financial Strategy Team ~

Organizations have depended upon the generosity of donors as the financial foundation for their ministries. This single stream of income is directly connected to the circumstances and faithfulness of individuals and often creates questionable sustainability.

Financial Strategy Team training is designed to broaden the financial platform for organizations through the intentional development of donors. Four strategic components are integrated together to increase financial literacy and transition individuals, as well as the organization, from spenders to savers to wealth creators

Our goal is to be a catalyst that helps people, businesses and organizations discover their point of convergence so they can enter the freeway of life. We realize that on this freeway, they will excel as quickly as their vehicle will allow. Therefore, their vehicle must be prepared and secure, with solid internal wiring that is fine tuned for maximum performance …and enjoyment!

Today we have a guest post from Gary Keesee that I’m sure you’re going to enjoy. If you missed it, be sure to listen to last week’s webinar with Gary and find out how to get a free copy of his book, Fixing the Money Thing.

Now, here’s Gary…

Gary Keesee, Entrepreneur, Pastor, Television Host & Successful Author

When was the last time you failed at something? Was it something small, or something big? Was it fun? Of course not! Failure is never fun. And it’s not a cliché to say we can always learn from it. In fact, having a proper understanding of failure is vital to our success.

Honda has a proper understanding of failure. Their engineers spend 95% of their time studying why the lawnmower wouldn’t start the first time, or why the gas mileage is higher on their new car model than it was on the old one. They know that their success lies in those failures.

We have to look at failures that same way. We’re all going to make mistakes. Most of us come into God’s Kingdom and we don’t know how to live life, so we fail. And the enemy loves to pervert our failures. He wants us to hesitate. He tries to rehearse our failures or paint a picture of the risks. He tells us that they’re permanent and we believe him. We stop. We don’t move forward because we’re afraid we’ll fail again.

Or, he blames the failure on God. That’s one of his favorites. He gets us questioning God. He used it on Joshua. In Joshua 1, Moses had died and God had put Joshua in charge. So, Joshua took off. He led the people to Jericho and the walls came down. Things were working just like God had said…until we get to Chapter 7.

Everyone has a Chapter 7. That’s where failure happened. There was a guy named Achan in Chapter 7. Achan had stolen some of the spoils from battle and Joshua had no clue. Unaware of Achan’s failure to follow God’s instructions, Joshua went ahead and sent men on to the next battle at Ai only to see his men killed.

We’ve all had those moments when we begin to follow Christ and something happens that doesn’t match the picture, or the promise, in the Bible. If we don’t understand how to deal with failure, those moments may make us lose our courage. We might hesitate, or we might set up camp and never try again, or we might just try to run back to Egypt. So, we have to understand failure and how to deal with it.

Joshua had to learn. At first, like we all do, Joshua reacted. The enemy’s plan to have him blaming God worked. Joshua questioned God. Ever done that before? We all have. But God wasn’t having it. He told Joshua to GET UP!

See, people say that they wish Jesus would just show up. Trust me, you DON’T want that. Jesus isn’t going to show up and say, “Let’s have a group hug.” When the disciples freaked out that they were going to drown in the storm at sea, Jesus didn’t get up and comfort them. He said, “Where is your faith?” He’s going to say, “GET UP! Have you not read MY WORD? I already paid the price!” He WILL correct you.

That’s exactly what God did to Joshua. He told him to get up. Then, He told Joshua exactly what had happened. See the failure wasn’t just on Achan’s part; it was also on Joshua’s. Joshua hadn’t sought instruction from God before he engaged Ai. God could have told him about Achan before they went to battle. Instead, Joshua assumed. We can NEVER assume things in the Kingdom. We can’t do anything based on our past victories. The enemy is already wise to them, and he’s already changed strategies.

Like Joshua, we don’t have to fail. If we go to God first, failure doesn’t have to happen. But, if we do fail, there are steps we can take to overcome the failure and move forward:

1. Ask God what happened. If the Word says it, it’s God’s will. There are a lot of variables—things like unbelief and wrong expectations—that mess with the heart and can short circuit faith. If it didn’t happen, you need to ask God why.
2. Pinpoint the short circuit. Know who, what, why, when, where and how so it doesn’t happen again.
3. Ask God how to fix it.
4. Get the plan on how to restore the loss.
5. Stand up and take action.

Sure, you’ll be tempted to be afraid. Ignore your feelings. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. You will have to be, too. You can feel afraid, but don’t act like it. Remember, if you’re not doing the hardest thing in your life, then you’re not growing.

God has already prepared a way for you to go and succeed in a big way. Be confident to let the Holy Spirit teach you and train you, and reveal unique strategies to you. Keep your vision in front of your face. Write it down! Believe it’s possible; otherwise you’re destined to stay right where you are.

God wants to advance His Kingdom in the earth through you. He’s depending on you to overcome failure and kick butt!

Gary Keesee was the “poster child” for debt and poverty until he discovered how the Kingdom of God works and started his first business more than 25 years ago. His businesses continue to produce millions of dollars each year in gross revenues and he now pastors a church in Columbus, Ohio, hosts a television program and has published several books. Don’t miss what Gary has to say at Nourish The Dream in Tampa, Florida March 30-31, 2012!

Believers today face a number of unique challenges where it comes to really reaching out for and achieving success. Religious training has, unfortunately, not done us any favors along these lines… something we’ve talked about repeatedly here. But today I want to bring up one of the challenges that all of us face.

This nasty critter is more fundamental, more universal and more subtle than perhaps any other obstacle we must overcome. It’s one I hate to even name. It’s partly a belief about ourselves (and about God), but it’s better described as a condition that controls us.

What's Holding You Back?

This one will cause you to second-guess yourself. It will make you feel like a fraud. It will cause you to want to avoid contact with your Father God. It will undermine your faith. It will sideline you.

This controlling condition has weakened the greatest among us. It has aborted dreams, robbed destinies and prevented miracles. You were born with it and so was I. Once in a while someone seems to be more or less immune to it, but most of us suffer silently.

And in the greatest of ironies… it’s already been dealt with.

The condition I’m referring to could most easily be called shame.

We certainly have Adam to thank for this. He entered life without it. All of us since him have been born with it. Jesus whipped it on the cross, but our souls are wired & trained to accept its presence. Efforts to eradicate it from our lives are like getting the car aligned… only to hit a nasty pothole. Again. And again.

A few months ago, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine that started a chain reaction. He’d been studying the subject of shame, and like interlocking puzzle pieces it connected right up with some of what I’d been studying. It was truly a pivotal moment.

Since then, it’s as though God has been showing me shame everywhere. And I’ve become convinced that conquering the effects of shame in our lives is not only critical for our own sakes, but it’s being highlighted by God as an area in which He wants to work right now.

Shame is a Thief

Here at Nourish The Dream, we often talk about dreaming big dreams. But if we don’t deal with shame, it’s hard to dream at all. Your “big dream” today might just be surviving. You may find yourself sitting in the ashes of broken dreams… maybe you experienced a foreclosure, a bankruptcy or a business failure. You may have lost a job, lost your marriage or are separated from your children. You may think that dreaming any kind of dream at all right now is out of the question.

I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. When Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matt 28: 20 NIV) He didn’t mean, “I’m with you unless you goof up.” He is with you. Right now.

And it’s in His great heart today to tell you that He took your shame. You’ve been made righteous. The charges against you haven’t been dropped… He took them Himself. For you. On your behalf. The penalty for your sins and your mistakes has already been paid.

Religion tries to tell you that you have to suffer for your sins & mistakes. But Jesus suffered so you don’t have to. You’ve been placed in complete right standing with the Father today. As with the woman caught in adultery, the only One capable of condemning you is justifying you. He’s releasing you.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter what you haven’t done. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. God’s favor and power to overcome the challenges and obstacles you face is aimed at you today. Jesus earned righteousness so He could give it to you.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 NKJV)

We’re going to spend more time on this subject in the days ahead… but if you possibly can, take a moment and give this a listen today:

Bezalel is my hero. Well… one of them. Aholiab, too.

You may not remember their names. Chances are, you’ve never heard a sermon preached on them or even a Sunday School lesson that does anything more than mention them casually (if at all) when plowing through the Old Testament.

But what God says about these two guys is amazing. It’s one of the most fascinating, inspiring moments in all of Scripture:

“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you….” (Exodus 31:2-6 NKJV)

There are only a handful of instances in the Old Testament where someone is described as being “filled with the Spirit of God.” Off the top of my head, I can only think of 3 or 4. There are lots of occasions where the Spirit of God comes upon someone. But we usually think of the Spirit of God within someone as being a New Covenant benefit — only available to us after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

But here sits Bezalel. He’s completely unknown. All we know about him is that God filled Bezalel with Himself. And He also gave him wisdom, understanding and knowledge… and for what? Was it to lead the nation? Was it to fight the enemies of Israel? Was it to be a prophet? Was it to teach God’s people amazing hidden truths?

Nope.

It was to work. God anointed Bezalel (and Aholiab and some other unnamed artisans) for workmanship.

My friend, if you’ve ever thought that God only empowers and enables preachers, missionaries or influential leaders with supernatural ability, it’s time to look at Bezalel.

God had a plan. He gave Moses the blueprint and detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle. God wanted it a certain way and He let Moses know that He had already prepared the right people for the job. It was going to require specific skills — in metalworking, sculpting, carving, etc. But more importantly, for it to turn out the way God wanted… it was going to require someone who had the ability to let God breathe upon their work.

Out of hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of Jewish people under Moses’ leadership at that time, how many of them must have acquired skills of this type in Egypt? We know the Egyptian culture was filled with gold, jewelry, elaborate sculptures and carvings.

But one person caught God’s attention. In fact, God was so pleased that he dropped Bezalel’s name to Moses and Joshua there on the mountain as He laid out His plans.

My friend… today I want you to realize that you were created by God for this very hour. You weren’t born by accident. You are alive at this very moment because God has a plan. He has never stopped working. All of your life experiences — the training, schooling, education (or lack thereof), successes, failures, all of it — have led up to this very moment.

Allow God to breathe on you today. Let His Spirit fill you with power and ability to do what you do. It doesn’t need to be in the pulpit, on the mission field or in any form of what we call “ministry.” Let God take your efforts today and turn them into “workmanship.” Be excellent. Be the best… not out of your own ability, but out of His strength. Reach out to Him today. He wants to use you!

For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. Ephesians 3:14, 16 AMP

Photo: David Monniaux.

The past decade has been full of change. Marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 really provided an opportunity to look back and see just how much things have changed… and how much faster they continue to change.

From a business perspective, failure to adapt is deadly. This places tremendous demands on each of us personally as well. Change can be exciting to those of us who are wired to enjoy it… but even then, it is incredibly stretching. That process can be painful enough that we avoid and delay things that need to change.

The Key to Success is Breaking Out

But with all the “transition” going on,  we can find ourselves struggling to maintain a personal sense of  identity. Our understanding of our calling — both personally and corporately in business — is vulnerable to being rocked. And if we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves changing things that shouldn’t change.

How can we stay anchored to the things that shouldn’t change while at the same time freely adapting in other areas?

Guy Kawasaki tells a story* that we frequently use when training entrepreneurs & business leaders in the principles of 21st-century marketing.

From the 1830s to 1890s ice harvesting (cutting up frozen ponds and selling the ice) was a huge industry in New England.  In 1886, the biggest ice harvest that ever occurred amounted to 25 million tons.

By the 1920s, almost all the ice-harvesting companies were out of business.  Ice harvesting had been made obsolete by ice-making plants that could operate in any part of the country during every season.  Later, these ice-making plants were themselves made obsolete with the advent of refrigerators in people’s homes

Before I read about it, I’d never even imagined that someone would have at one time made their living cutting up frozen ponds. It’s easy now, though, to imagine why changes in technology (refrigeration) put the ice-harvesting companies out of business.

But what if there had been an ice-harvesting company that understood its real calling? What if they had realized that they existed not to cut up frozen ponds, but to “create & deliver cold?” Had such a business existed, they could have seen the changes coming. They could have constantly been working to discover better ways to get the end product to the buyer. And perhaps they would’ve invested in refrigeration technology.

A business like that might have even lasted until the modern day, had they truly understood their purpose and calling. You see, it’s easy to confuse mechanisms with purpose.

In your life & work… you must be willing to let go of methods that are outdated & outmoded, but you must be unshakable about the calling God has given you. In our own business, we’ve had to do a lot of re-evaluating. In some cases, we’ve had to go back and fix things that we allowed to “change with the times” that were central to our calling. It’s painful to change things back after enduring a painful change to begin with… but I’d rather have egg on my face than miss God’s purpose.

“Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 AMP

How closely connected are you to your God-given purpose today?

*In How to Drive Your Competition Crazy: Creating Disruption for Fun and Profit

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church [Gr. ekklesia], and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 NKJV

Recently, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to why more believers aren’t successful financially and in business. Since I work every day with business owners on growing their businesses, I’m constantly confronted with this subject. And the longer I live, the more convinced I am that business and financial success is almost entirely internal. By that I mean that our mindsets and our thinking control our outcomes.

One pattern of thinking that we seem to have adopted in the Church world today is that of standing on the promises of God and using the power available to us to defend ourselves from the onslaught of the enemy. And let me be the first to say that I believe in Psalm 91 for protection. I stand on it for myself, my wife, my daughter, our home, etc. Countless times in my life, I’ve witnessed supernatural protection from threats — everything from auto accidents to natural disasters.

But I believe that all this focus on protecting us from the enemy has caused us to lose sight of the point: we’re supposed to be plundering him and taking territory… not going on the defensive and desperately hoping to keep what we’ve got.

Jesus made this point clearly in Matthew 16 (quoted above). He told Peter that He (Jesus) was building his ekklesia (governing assembly) and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. In other words, Jesus was establishing new government — outside the realm of the existing government structures — and Satan and his cohorts were going on the defensive.

On my recent trip to Haiti, I observed first-hand the effects of the dominion of the enemy. Sickness, poverty, and death are the result of the government of Satan. To a certain extent, this includes the natural human government, but far more importantly, it is the spiritual environment of the land.

Taxis to Hell—and Back—Into the Jaws of Death, Robert F. Sargent / United States Coast Guard (Public Domain)

We — as believers — have been delivered out of the dominion of darkness and conveyed into the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Jesus called us to bring His government and dominion every where we go (Matthew 28:18-20). This isn’t a matter of defending ourselves… it means we’re going on the offensive.

Imagine what would happen to an NFL football team that spent all of its energies working on defense… if they eliminated the offensive coordinator and never practiced playing offense — only defense. They might be difficult to score against, but they would never win any games.

This, my friend, is what we’ve done in the Church. We’ve trained everybody to cower in the corner and try to protect themselves and their families from the influence of the world. We’ve piled the salt into the saltshaker and hidden the lamp. But this isn’t the plan of God for us. His plan is that we take territory from the enemy and gain influence so that His government can increase. And His power is there for you today to do it.

It may seem a little late to say, “Happy New Year!’ but this is our first communication so far this year, so I want you to know I am personally praying for you to have an exceptional year. How’s it going so far? Have you gone through the exercise of taking time to re-evaluate where things are in your life? Did you make any resolutions?

Personally, this year, I’m skipping the resolutions. Too many times, these fall through the cracks and then just create an extra weight of guilt that I don’t need to carry around. If you made some, that’s great — this year, they just aren’t for me.

Make 2011 an Extraordinary Year

But that isn’t to say that I’ve skipped taking some time to re-evaluate. In fact, my wife and I have taken quite a bit of time to examine our lives and look at what God is doing and is leading us to do differently in 2011. We’re not finished, actually… we’re taking this slowly so that we can be deliberate and prayerful about the decisions we’re making.

Fasted Lately?

We’re thankfully surrounded by some people who have chosen to do some fasting, and while it can be extremely painful (this one included caffeine for me… youch!), it’s so valuable to quiet the soul and to break some of the habits that we don’t even know are holding us back in life. Whether you choose to abstain from all foods, from certain foods, or even from activities that are particularly pleasurable to you, this discipline alone has incredible benefits to help bring clarity and perspective to your life and make 2011 a better year.

Serve Someone Else

Fasting has a way of bringing us down a notch or two, but I can’t think of anything that will do this more quickly than setting out to serve someone else. We all know someone who could use a helping hand, and when we give of ourselves in a selfless way — especially when we’re already busy (or even overwhelmed) in our own lives — it can really help shift our attitudes and our point of view. I personally always seem to come away having learned something important, and usually feel grateful for the opportunity to be a blessing.

Developing a heart of servanthood can make all the difference in your success this year. Remember, Jesus said, “But this is not to be so among you; instead, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant,” (Mark 10:43 AMP).

Recently, my wife came to me and said she felt like 2011 was going to be a “year of service” for us. We had already decided to take on supporting the Haiti Orphanage Project I mentioned to you just before Christmas, but after hearing her share this, we’ve prayed more about it and thought about our business:

How can we better serve our customers and clients?

This kind of thinking has already caused us to rethink some of the strategic moves we were getting ready to make and I believe everyone will be the better for it.

Who can you serve? Make it a neighbor, a homeless shelter, or go clean the toilets for your church. Whatever you do, allow God to speak to you as you demonstrate His selfless love and goodness toward someone else!

I’m looking forward to your thoughts on this. Feel free to comment here! And watch for part 2 coming soon…

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV)

In previous articles here, we’ve talked about the inner struggle that some of us face — particularly those who have been around Christianity for awhile — where business and financial success are concerned. One of the biggest contributors to this struggle is an abundance of erroneous teaching about the Bible and what it really says.

The Root of All Evil?

This screwed-up teaching is so pervasive that even people outside the Church have been infected by it.

For example, here’s a direct quote from a 2008 Newsweek article:

“For one thing, Scripture is full of exhortations against accumulating wealth. The New Testament, especially, repeatedly reminds followers of Christ that earthly wealth means nothing in heaven. ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God,’ says Jesus.”

These few sentences are so full of misunderstanding about Scripture that it’s almost infuriating. (Where does Newsweek get off interpreting Scripture anyway?!) But the tragedy is that many churches have actually taught fallacies like this — arguably with good intentions.

Another big example is the, “root of all evil,” Scripture referred to in the title of today’s message. Not only is it frequently misquoted as, “money is the root of all evil,” but the entire passage that it comes from is (in my experience) usually preached from a fundamental place of misunderstanding.

If you’re hearing from those you look up to (spiritually speaking) that it’s wrong to accumulate wealth, doesn’t that directly work against you?  Isn’t business challenging enough without wondering if God is upset with us for doing well in it?  Is God so cruel as to require that we work to provide for our families and even call us into the business world only to tell us that we are only pleasing to Him when we fail?

It’s time that we take a hard look at some of these teachings and find out what the Scripture really says.

Stay tuned for more on this topic. If you’re ready to dive into some more intense study of this and other topics related to money, business and profit, be sure to check out our 5-part audio teaching series on bulldozing the barriers to your business and financial success.