“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NKJV)

It’s really an easy concept to wrap your head around: with the Creator of the universe — the all-supreme Ruler — on your side… who or what could really stand against you?

The big problem seems to come from that little tiny, 2-letter word: “If.”

Maybe it’s never happened to you, but I know what it feels like to really question whether God is really for me or not. The question isn’t really about God or His character. The question comes from whether or not I qualify to have God on my side.

The righteous are bold as a lion. Prov 28:1

From Sunday School in my childhood through countless sermons ever since, I’ve been given reason after reason to believe that I don’t. And being the analytical person that I am, I can spend hours (literally) rehearsing all of those reasons. Even when I think I’ve been on good behavior, all I need is time (and usually not very much) to come up with some reason that I’m disqualified from the favor of God.

Perhaps it sounds silly to admit this. And hopefully you don’t deal with this kind of thinking. Frankly, it doesn’t affect me very much when things are going well. But if there are challenges… if things don’t seem to be going my way… if I’m up against some obstacle that doesn’t seem to want to budge, this line of thinking rears its ugly head.

Ultimately, you have to settle this question. Is God for you or not?

Ironically, the very passage from which this Scripture is drawn contains some real solid answers. Reading the verses that precede this one, you find that as someone who is in Christ, you have been:

• foreknown by God
• predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son
• called by God
• justified by God
• glorified by God

The One who knew you beforehand… decided ahead of time…  that as you enter into covenant with Him, He would begin conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus. He called you. He justified you — or literally, “He declared [you] righteous.”

I once heard someone say that if today is Wednesday (and it is, as I write this to you), if God suddenly decided He wanted it to be Thursday and then said, “It’s Thursday,” then it would be Thursday! Just like that. All of our watches, calendars, computers, and systems would suddenly say “Thursday” instead of “Wednesday.”

You see… we don’t get to vote. The Blood of Jesus was shed on your behalf. By receiving Him (a choice we do get to make), you became a recipient of this declaration that God made: “You are Righteous.”

“Who shall lay a charge against the choice ones of God? God is He that is declaring righteous, who is he that is condemning? Christ is He that died, yea, rather also, was raised up; who is also on the right hand of God–who also doth intercede for us.” (Romans 8:33-34 YLT)

In other words… no one (not even you) has the authority to charge you with failing to qualify for God’s favor. Only God has that authority, and He is the one declaring you righteous! If someone were to lay a charge against you, it is over-ridden by the declaration of God! Jesus has the authority to condemn, but He is the one interceding (“going between”) on our behalf!

Don’t believe me yet? Here are some places to spend some more time studying this out: 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 5:4-5, Ephesians 6:14, Revelation 12:11, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3:9

The bottom line, my friend is this: because of Jesus, you qualify for the Favor of God today. He is for you. He said He would, “never leave you nor forsake you.”

Whatever challenges or obstacles you may be facing in your business, your family, your finances, your health, you can silence the voices that try to convince you that you don’t qualify for God’s favor. Once you settle that question, you can move forward with boldness and confidence! (Proverbs 28:1 NKJV)

Believing this — really accepting it as true — will affect everything you do. David would never have run out onto the battlefield against Goliath had he not been certain God was with him.

What will you do today, knowing that God is for you?

—

On that note: if you have a business or are responsible for generating new business, I want to give you a sneak peek at something that’s being introduced this week as a way to help you boldly promote your products and services. Our world-class marketing training is now available in a new format for half price! Check out The Ultimate Small Business Growth Kit in a Box …Without the Box! right away!

If you follow the path of least resistance — as we are so prone to do — it’s easy to slide down the slippery slope of negativity while being bombarded by all the bad news about the economy. Perhaps you’ve lost a job or experienced a downturn in your business. Maybe your local environment is getting tough… you might be surrounded by foreclosures or businesses boarding up or people in dire circumstances.

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!

Yesterday we began talking about how someone who believes in the Word of God should respond to bad economic news. We’re going to continue that particular discussion in the days ahead.

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.