V.L. Thompson's Blog, page 9

Anxiety: How to Respond

Do you sometimes lie awake at night, fretting about a situation? Have you ever felt paralyzed by worry? Although everyone experiences moments of anxiety, we don’t have to let fear control our lives. The Bible teaches us how to acquire peace in the midst of stressful circumstances.

A. Closely guard your thought life.

Anxiety is an emotion caused by fearful thoughts. Changing one’s pattern of thinking generally causes apprehension to dissipate. When your thought life becomes negative or counterproductive, deliberately choose to set your mind on something else.

According to Philippians 4:8, what should our focus be?
What percentage of the time does your thinking measure up to this standard?
In what areas does it fall short?

There are a number of ways you can stop an unhealthy train of thought. For instance, you can praise the Lord and thank Him, turn to solving a different challenge, or find wholesome entertainment. But perhaps the best way is to meet God in prayer and focus on biblical truths.

B. Renew your mind with Scripture.

Many anxieties are rooted in worldly concerns. Refreshing your mind with biblical truth can help put such worries in perspective.

Two scriptural principles in particular can bring us great peace:

Our heavenly Father is sovereign and in control over all situations (Ps. 91).
He lovingly provides for the needs of His children (Matt. 6:25-34).

You can also look for verses regarding the specific anxieties that bother you the most. For instance, to counter an unhealthy fear of dying, remind yourself: “God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to Himself” (Ps. 49:15 NIV).

In what area of your life do you feel most anxious?
What specific scripture(s) could remind you of God’s perspective on those worries?

If no verses come to mind, simply ask the Lord to reveal appropriate ones during the next few weeks.

C. Turn anxieties into prayers.

A constructive way to redirect nervous energy is to turn our concerns over to the heavenly Father. You may want to get on your knees and talk out loud to God in the privacy of your home. Or you may find it productive to write your prayers in the form of letters to the Father.

Anxieties may return at some point. If that happens, simply say, “Lord, I’m giving this worry back to You.” Then deliberately refocus your thoughts.

Prayer should be accompanied by thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6). What are some reasons for believers to be grateful?
How can an attitude of thankfulness lower a person’s anxiety level?
If we make known our requests to God, what does Paul promise will happen (Phil. 4:7)? What do you think this would look like in your life?

Sometime today, present your requests to the Lord according to Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:6. Even if your situation does not change, God will give you His supernatural peace.

D. Diligently fulfill your responsibilities.

When we fail to perform our duties, we sometimes end up with anxiety-causing situations. For example, a person who fails to maintain his car will typically end up with a malfunctioning vehicle.

Those who neglect their responsibilities will face many unnecessary hardships in life. Let’s look at this biblical principle as it relates to money. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus promises that the Father will provide for our basic needs. But Scripture also teaches that in most cases, believers have a role to play in meeting financial commitments (2 Thess. 3:10).

Article by Dr. Charles Stanley from InTouch.org

Starting Up? 4 Ways to Turn Your Former Employer Into an Ally.

Choosing to quit your job and launch your own business is a risk, but one made easier if you start up in an industry where you already have knowledge, connections and credibility. In that sense, the company you’re leaving can become a key asset in your new venture — or an obstacle to your success.

In late 2009, Ian McAfee left a mid-level executive job at a well-known forex brokerage firm to start a company in the same industry. With less than $15,000, Ian and two partners started Shift Forex, a firm that provides consulting services to forex firms. In its first full year of business, Shift Forex brought in $200,000 in revenue.

Ian says he owes a portion of his first-year success to having a strong relationship with his former employer. And he’s not the only one.

Here’s a look at how you can turn your former employer into an asset that will help your new business succeed.

1. Show respect.

You want your company to know that while you worked for them, you did your best to serve the company’s interests. In practical terms, this means not talking to the company’s clients, suppliers, and fellow employees (other than your co-founders) about your new venture until you have officially left. If management hears about your new venture from an existing customer, there is a high probability that your relationship will end on terrible terms. Before you leave, you should limit your activities to researching, strategizing, planning and securing funding.

To avoid the temptation of speaking to potential clients before they left, Ian and his partners set a specific start date for their new venture. Knowing that they would be dedicating themselves to the new venture in just a few weeks enabled them to finish strong.

2. Share your plan when you leave.

When the owners and managers of your current employer hear that you are leaving to start a company in the same industry, they may be worried that you plan to steal their customers or provide an identical service. While there may be some overlap, your current employer will likely have a different value proposition or customer focus. Explaining your plan to your boss and possibly a senior executive or owner, gives you an opportunity to make them feel less threatened by your new venture. They still may feel that you are doing something competitive, but your actions will demonstrate a high degree of integrity. Also, if they have a strong objection to your plan and believe that they have the legal right to prevent your new business, it gives you an opportunity to work out a friendly compromise.

When Ian provided his notice, he had a conversation with his boss, who ran the education division of the brokerage firm. His boss had no objection to him working in the forex industry, as long as he stayed away from developing and marketing educational courses for a certain period of time. With this reassurance, his boss was supportive of his new venture.

3. Offer to help with the transition.

You’re probably playing an important role for your existing employer and your departure may leave a hole that will take time to fill.  When you leave, you can offer to complete certain tasks or handle limited responsibilities for a certain period time, as a paid consultant.  While they might not choose to take you up on the offer, it sends the message that you care about the firm and want to continue to have a good relationship going forward.

Ian and his boss discussed the projects Ian was working on. There were a couple of projects near completion that would provide big benefits to the firm, and so Ian agreed to finish them as a consultant. As the new business took several months to bring in revenue, the consulting checks were very helpful.

Read full article by MARC PROSSER on Entrepreneur.com

Don’t Panic! This is Only a Test

Article by Joyce Meyer from JoyceMeyer.org

There’s a scripture in the Bible that says, “In the world you have tribulation and trials” (John 16:33 AMP). I believe most people would agree with it. If you read the rest of that verse, you get to the encouraging part where Jesus says we can take heart because He has overcome the world. But the truth is, we all go through hard times and have to learn how to overcome them through Christ.

 

Sometimes God allows or even arranges for us to go through difficulties in this life because it’s during those times that we grow in our faith and develop more of the character of Christ. Trials reveal what we really believe and what’s really inside our hearts. They test us. And until we’re in a situation where we have no choice but to face an issue we need to deal with, we don’t really know what we would do.

James 1:2 (AMP) says we should “consider it wholly joyful” when we experience a trial or face a temptation. Verse 3 goes on to say that “the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.” That sounds lovely to have endurance, steadfastness and patience during trials, doesn’t it?

I remember the days when I would get upset and complain whenever things didn’t go my way. I had no peace and was emotionally unstable. When I was tested by trials, they brought out the jealousy, confusion and negative attitudes that were in my heart. But through the years, as I’ve studied the Word and learned how to trust God, I have developed more of the qualities and character of Christ in my life. Now, I’m much more patient and don’t act much different when I’m in a trial than when I’m not. But it took a lot of trials to get me to this point.

It’s God’s will for us to stay in peace and make decisions with godly wisdom in every circumstance in our lives. We can face our trials and tests with joy when we understand that it’s by going through them that we learn how to live in God’s peace, joy and wisdom all the time—whatever our circumstances may be.

So how do we pass our tests? What are some temptations we can have when we’re going through something that’s really tough? Here are several common ones I’ve discovered:

1. We can be tempted to go back to an old habit or addiction we’ve been set free from. I smoked for many years, and after I quit, there was period of time when I would want a cigarette whenever I was upset or felt pressured by something. If there are habits or addictions that have been broken in your life, the devil will try to tempt you to go back to them when you’re having a hard time. Submit yourself to God, humble yourself before Him, and He will give you the strength to resist the temptation.

2. We can be tempted to be angry with God and resent people who don’t have the same problems we have or who have things we want, especially things we think would make our lives easier. This leads to complaining, and God wants us to totally get over complaining because it affects our lives in a destructive way more than we realize. So when you’re tempted to be angry with God or other people and complain, set your mind to praise Him instead and thank Him for His goodness in your life.

 

Read full article on JoyceMeyer.org

When God Seems Silent

Article by Jon Bloom from DesiringGod.org

God can be maddeningly hard to get. When God says that his ways are not our ways, he really means it (Isaiah 55:8).

We have these encounters with him where he breaks into our lives with power and answers our prayers and wins our trust and he waters the garden of our faith, making it lush and green.

And then there are these seasons when chaos careens with apparent carelessness through our lives and the world, leaving us shattered. Or an unrelenting darkness descends. Or an arid wind we don’t even understand blows across our spiritual landscape, leaving the crust of our soul cracked and parched. And we cry to God in our confused anguish and he just seems silent. He seems absent.

Singing to the Silence

That’s why tears tend to flow when I listen to Andrew Peterson’s song, “The Silence of God.” I know what Andrew means:

It’s enough to drive a man crazy, it’ll break a man’s faith It’s enough to make him wonder, if he’s ever been sane When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod And the Heaven’s only answer is the silence of God

The same thing happens when I listen to Rich Mullins’s song, “Hard to Get”:

Do you remember when you lived down here where we all scrape To find the faith 
to ask for daily bread? Did you forget about us 
after you had flown away? Well I memorized ev’ry word you said. Still I’m so scared I’m holding my breath, 
 While you’re up there
 just playing hard to get

All of God’s saints, if allowed to live long enough, are led into the lonely, disorienting, weary wilderness. And while there, we lament. And since laments are often better sung than said, it’s always been the poets and songwriters who help us most.

Job: “I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.” (Job 30:20)

King David: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.” (Psalm 22:1–2)

The Flat Earth and the Absent God

Atheists will tell us that the reason God seems silent is because he’s absent. “No one’s home at that address. Duh.”

In the silent suffering seasons we can be tempted to believe it. Until we step back and take a look and see that existence itself is not silent. It screams God (Romans 1:20). As Parmenides said, and Maria (“Sound of Music”) sang, “Nothing comes from nothing; nothing ever could.”

Believing atheism is like moderns believing in a flat earth. “From where I stand, it doesn’t look like God is there.” Right. And if you only trust your perceptions, the world looks flat. The only reason you know the world is round is because of authoritative scientific revelation and many corroborating testimonies.

What we experience as God’s absence or distance or silence is phenomenological. It’s how we perceive it. It’s how at some point it looks and feels but it isn’t how it is. Just like we can experience the world as flat when we’re walking on a huge spinning ball, we can experience God as absent or distant when “in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

In reality, God wasn’t absent or silent or indifferent at all toward Job or King David. It’s just how it felt to them at the time. Nor, in reality, was God silent toward Andrew Peterson or playing hard to get with Rich Mullins. And when we feel forsaken by God we are not forsaken (Hebrews 13:5). We are simply called to trust the promise more than the perception.

Why the Silence?

But why does it need to feel that way? Why the perceived silence? Why can it seem like God is playing hard to get or like he’s just standing there looking at us when we cry to him for help?

I don’t claim to understand all the mysteries of this experience. No doubt we underestimate the effects of remaining sin on us and our need for this discipline in order to share God’s holiness (Hebrews 12:10). But I believe there are clues for another purpose as well. I’ll phrase them as questions.

- Why is it that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” but “familiarity breeds contempt”?

- Why is water so much more refreshing when we’re really thirsty?

 

Read full article on DesiringGod.org

Promises for Procrastination

Article from LivingByFaithBlog.com

A stubborn problem

I have a problem with procrastination.

Some tasks I love — Bible study, reading, discipleship, evangelism.

Others — revising bylaws, writing policies, organizing events — not so much.

What to do?

Spurgeon said God has a promise for every problem.

So — since procrastination is a problem, that means God has promises that will help me overcome procrastination.

But first –

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is when God calls me to do something, and I don’t do it because –

- I won’t do it very well.
- I’d rather do something else.
- I don’t know where to start.
- I feel overwhelmed.
- I just don’t want to.

So — to overcome procrastination — we need to find promises to overcome these barriers.

Let’s take them one at a time –

 

I won’t do it very well.

Maybe you could delegate this to someone else.

But let’s assume God has called YOU to do this, and you don’t feel capable.

The promise God made to Moses is the same He makes to you, in Exo 4:10-12 –

But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Why would God call a mumbler to speak to powerful Pharaoh?

Maybe God would heal Moses’ mumbling.  Or — persuade Pharaoh through Moses’ mumbling.

But either way — since God called Moses to do this — God would work through Moses.

So — if God has called me to revise the bylaws, God will enable me to revise the bylaws.

Same with whatever God has called you to do.

So we need to pray over this promise until we feelingly believe that God will work through us.

When we do — we won’t procrastinate.

 

I’d rather do something else.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  (Col 3:23-24)

Paul wrote this to slaves whose work did not exactly stir their passion.

Picture feeding pigs.  Cleaning out chamber pots.  You get the idea.

And yet they were to do it heartily.

Why?  Because ultimately they were not serving their masters.  They were serving Jesus.

Jesus calls them to feed pigs?  And clean chamber pots?  Yes.

And — Jesus will reward their pig-feeding and chamber-pot cleaning by giving them the inheritance.

So try this.  Pray over those verses until you see that it is Jesus Himself who calls you to make that phone call, fix that faucet, or put together that bid.

Then — think of the inheritance He will give you as a gracious (not-earned) reward for your labor.

Doesn’t that help your motivation?

“Here, piggy-piggy.”

 

I don’t know where to start.

Since Jesus has called you to this task, He will certainly give you the wisdom to do it.

That’s in James 1:5 –

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

So if you don’t know where to start — start here –

Ask — what should I do first?  How should I begin?

Ask.  He will give you the wisdom you need.

 

I feel overwhelmed.

Remember the 12 spies who scoped-out the Promised Land?

Ten came back overwhelmed — “the people are greater and taller than we, and the cities are great and fortified to heaven!” (Deut 1:28).

Sounds reasonable.  If that’s true about the people and the cities — why not feel overwhelmed?

But here’s Moses’ answer –

Do not be in dread or afraid of them.  The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.  (Deut 1:30)

Why were the ten overwhelmed?  They had forgotten God.

Yes, the people were huge and the cities were strong.  But that’s irrelevant to God.

So pray over Deuteronomy 1:30.  Ask God to help you feel that this work is not up to you.

Trust that God will go before You.  That God will fight for you.

Then head into battle.

 

Read full article on LivingByFaithBlog.com

Where Older Entrepreneurs Can Find Help

Article by Anne Tergesen from OnlineWSJ.com

Faced with cracked nest eggs and a lackluster job market, older Americans are becoming entrepreneurs. If you’re a baby boomer with a business plan, you should know about a growing number of free and low-cost resources, some specifically geared for your generation.

According to the nonprofit Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, individuals between the ages of 55 and 64 represented 23.4% of the entrepreneurs who launched businesses in 2013—up from 14.3% in 1996. In recent years, the foundation says, this age group has created new businesses at a higher rate than any other. The data, writes Kauffman research director Dane Stangler, indicate “the United States might be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom—not in spite of an aging population but because of it.”

Some boomers are testing deferred dreams; others are seeking to remain in the workforce without being saddled to a 9-to-5 job. Entrepreneurship is “the new passport to funding your longevity,” says Mary Furlong, professor of entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. “Many know they have to work longer but want something more flexible and fun than a traditional career.”

Perhaps in part because they come to these ventures with greater experience and skills than their younger counterparts, older entrepreneurs typically enjoy higher success rates. According to a 2013 report by Nesta, a U.K. foundation, 70% of startups founded by people age 50 or older last more than three years, versus 28% for those younger than 50.

But older entrepreneurs also face a different set of challenges than the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world. For one thing, many have less time in which to recoup an upfront investment, says Michele Markey, vice president of Kauffman FastTrac, a 10-week program the Kauffman Foundation offers to entrepreneurs of any age. It recently added a $700 version for baby boomers.

And because those nearing retirement must safeguard their nest eggs, boomers who can’t afford to lose money should line up other funding sources, says Edward Rogoff, a professor at the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at the City University of New York’s Baruch College, which offers free classes for older entrepreneurs. “When you are 67, you can’t bet the ranch and expect to have time to make it back if something goes wrong,” says Prof. Rogoff. “When you are 27, it’s easier to take more risk.”

To reduce upfront costs, Baruch advises older entrepreneurs to market-test a simplified version of their products and services. Prof. Rogoff recommends seeking investments from friends, family and incubators, which take small stakes in startups in return for providing temporary office space and advice on structuring, marketing and financing operations. Other sources of capital include crowdfunding websites like kickstarter.com and nonprofit micro-lenders, such as Accion International.

Because the stereotype of an entrepreneur is that of a young technology genius, many older adults also need encouragement.

“It helps them to know that they are not the only person considering launching a small business at this point in their lives,” says Debbie Banda, interim director of financial security at AARP. The organization, together with the U.S. Small Business Administration, began offering free “speed mentoring” events throughout the U.S. and a 30-minute online course for older entrepreneurs in 2012. (Visit aarp.org/startabusiness and sba.gov/encore.)

No matter your age, the best place to start your research is with one of dozens of Small Business Development Centers or hundreds of entrepreneurship programs at colleges and universities nationwide. (Women can also visit one of nearly 100 Women’s Business Centers.)

 

Read full article on OnlineWSJ.com

God is Mad at Me and Other Myths

Article by Joyce Meyer from JoyceMeyer.org

One day I put a post on Facebook that simply said, “God’s not mad at you,” and the response was overwhelming. In just a few hours, thousands of people responded, desperately needing to be reassured of this fact.

Through my own personal relationship with God, and through ministering to other people, I have come to believe a large percentage of people either vaguely or perhaps even wholeheartedly believe that God is mad at them.

Where does this belief come from? Perhaps from a parent who was difficult to please, the pain of rejection or maybe even from the church. Wherever these misconceptions about God’s wrath originate, I want to help shed some truth on these false beliefs so you can fully know that God is not mad at you!

“God will never accept me like I am.”

The Bible is a record of sin, deceit and immorality of every kind. It’s also a record of God’s amazing grace and love. The heroes we admire were people just like us. They failed miserably at times, and yet they found love, acceptance, forgiveness, and mercy as free gifts from God. His love drew them into intimate relationships with Him, empowered them to do great things and taught them to enjoy their lives.

Since they experienced that acceptance, I believe we can experience it too. God doesn’t and never will approve of sin, but He does love sinners and will continue to work with us toward positive change in our lives.

I wasted many years living with a vague fear that God was angry with me. Thankfully, over the years I have come to know the amazing, passionate love of God, and I now know that God is not angry with me; He isn’t even annoyed with me! And it isn’t because of anything I’ve done or haven’t done; it is simply because He’s in love with me.

“I’m not doing enough for God.”

We conducted a survey at our office, asking our employees what one of their greatest concerns was in their walk with God. The number one response was, “When can I know that I am doing enough?”

Perfectionism is fueled with the tyranny of the shoulds and oughts. It is the constant nagging feeling of never doing well enough or being good enough. We think things like, I should pray better, study the Bible more, and be kinder. We instinctively want to be pleasing to God, and we are deeply afraid we aren’t. As a result, we believe God is mad at us because we just don’t measure up.

But the pathway to God is not perfection. Some people in a crowd asked what they needed to do to please God, and the answer Jesus gave was, …Believe in the One Whom He has sent … (John 6:29).

That is so simple that we often miss it. More than anything, God wants us to trust Him and believe His Word. You can stop trying to attain perfection because you cannot buy or earn God’s love or favor. It isn’t for sale—it’s free!

Somewhere along the line, we’ve come up with this idea that God is an “angry God.” Worse, some have decided that God is angry at them! Nothing could be further from the truth.

We serve a loving God who, even though He might not like everything we do, never stops loving us. Any belief that God is angry is a myth.

In part one we looked at a couple of the underlying false beliefs that lead people to think God is angry at them. Here are some others that bring so much unnecessary sadness to people’s lives.

 

“My Dad was mad, so God must be too.”

If someone had an angry father, it is quite natural to view Father God as angry too. Hopefully you are one of the blessed ones who had an awesome dad, but for many that is not the case.

One of our most urgent needs in life is to feel safe. But children who grow up with angry, absent or abusive fathers often don’t feel safe. They have a feeling of impending doom or danger hanging over them most of the time.

But God is not like people. If your father was absent, you need to know that God will never leave you. If your father was abusive or angry, your heavenly Father wants to give a double reward for your former trouble (see Isaiah 61:7).

No matter how unfaithful your father may have been to you, I urge you to not let it ruin your life. Make a decision to believe that your heavenly Father is faithful and loves you dearly.

 

“God couldn’t possibly forgive me.”

Satan remembers every tiny thing we have ever done wrong and will do his best to remind us of them every chance he gets. He is vigilant in his efforts to make us cower under the weight of our own shame.

We all sin and come short of the glory of God. No person is without sin, and we all feel guilt at times, but when we keep that guilt long after we have been forgiven it turns into shame. Guilt and shame make us feel that God is angry, and so we withdraw from His presence and don’t live the life God intended for us.

 

Read remainder of article on JoyceMeyer.org

4 Secrets to Starting a Company With Zero Cash

Article by Jay Gould from Entrepreneur.com

So you have the Big Idea. You have the passion. You have the business plan. You can see your future success. All you need now is money in the bank, right?

Probably nine out of 10 startups are where you are, in need of operating capital. There’s no question ample cash reserves make launching a new business considerably easier, yet it’s possible to bootstrap a product, even a company, without investors or a big credit line.

Focus, energy and determination are critical to entrepreneurial success—but so is knowledge. After starting multiple companies from scratch, here are four of the most important insights I’ve gained:

1. Iteration is your most critical resource.

Of course you need a strong core concept in place but that’s just the beginning. You must iterate from your original idea to overcome roadblocks, recover from and failures and capitalize on opportunities.

Mark Zuckerberg’s first website was shut down by Harvard. Sir James Dyson developed over 5,000 vacuum cleaner prototypes before he got one right. Henry Ford didn’t succeed in the automobile business until his fourth time around. And we’ve all read that it took 1,000 (or was it 10,000?) attempts before Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

Business models rarely survive in their original form. Stay fixed on your initial mission but flexible how you get there. Don’t be afraid to change directions or explore new avenues quickly. Let the market dictate your path, and iterate to success.

2. Establish a comfort level with your prospects.

Just because you have a great idea doesn’t guarantee your prospective customers will embrace it, or you. Particularly in specialized fields, it’s important to develop a persona, image and business culture that puts your buyers at ease.

In the earliest stages, many startups find it necessary to “act as if” by creating the impression of a more substantial company. That’s great but it may be smart to do just the opposite, especially if your success depends on other small businesses. A scrappy reputation may be more appropriate.

Remember that image isn’t just about your website or business card. Interact with practitioners in your target field whenever you can. Listen carefully, picking up on both the jargon and the business needs. “Become” your prospect and you’ll have the rapport necessary to land the sale.

3. Hustling is more valuable than cash.

“Life hacking” is a popular buzz phrase these days. One of the arguments in life hacking is that quality of work is more important than quantity. While that’s true to some extent, I’ve found that quality comes from quantity. Practice makes better.

It’s simply a fact of life that investors are attracted to success. They will invest in a startup, as long as the founder has a track record. If you don’t have that kind of entrepreneurial resume, your “seed capital” has to be personal drive.

Read full article on Entrepreneur.com

Receive Your Inheritance!

Article by Kenneth Copeland from kcm.org

Have you ever been invited to an attorney’s office for the reading of a will?

I haven’t. Where I come from, there was never enough money left for the relatives to fight over when someone died. Most of the people I knew didn’t leave wills…they left bills.

But, glory to God, that’s not the case anymore. I became heir to a fortune more than 40 years ago in Little Rock, Ark., when I gave my life to Jesus. At that moment I was born again into the richest family ever known. I was born into the royal family that owns and operates the universe. I received an inheritance so vast it will take me all of eternity to fully comprehend it.

Some people get excited about tracing their natural family history. They like to know if they have great people in their family tree because it makes them feel they’ve come from good stock.

You and I ought to be that way about our heritage as believers. Our ancestors are the greatest men and women who ever walked the face of the earth. We can trace our lineage back to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David…all the way to Jesus. Think about that! Those are our forefathers.

“Now wait a minute,” you may say. “Those are Jewish men. They lived in Canaan and Israel. You’re an American from Arkansas! You’re not part of that family.”

Well, not physically. But spiritually, according to the Bible, yes I am. And if you’ve made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you are too, because Galatians 3 says:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (verses 13-14, 29).

 

Let’s Read the Will 

As a Christian, you are the seed of Abraham! What does that mean? It means everything God promised him belongs to you. It has been passed down to you through Jesus.

Abraham’s blessing is your inheritance! It has been willed to you by the Word of God. So let’s read the will today. Let’s look in the Bible and find out how God treated Abraham, because that’s how God has promised to treat us.

Genesis 12:2-3 is a good place to start. There we see the first promise God made to Abraham: “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

To fully grasp what God was saying here, you must realize when He blesses someone, He is not just telling them to have a good day. He is conferring upon them the power to increase and prosper in every area of life. In fact, according to W.E. Vine and Webster’s dictionary, the true definition of bless is “to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow favor upon, to consecrate to holy purposes, to make successful, to make prosperous in temporal concerns pertaining to this life, to guard and preserve.”

It was actually THE BLESSING of God that made Abraham rich! It caused him to prosper wherever he went.

In fact, he became so “very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2) that he and his nephew, Lot, who was traveling with him, eventually had to go separate ways “for their possessions were too great for them to live together” (verse 6, The Amplified Bible).

Do you know what Abraham did when that happened? He gave Lot first choice of the available land. He said: “Is not the whole land before you?… If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered…. Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley…” (verses 9-11, The Amplified Bible).

Notice that Abraham wasn’t greedy or concerned about his own welfare. He didn’t have to be. He had a covenant of blessing with God and he knew God would bring him success no matter where he lived.

Put Your Name in the Promise 

Financial prosperity wasn’t the only benefit God’s blessing brought Abraham either. It also made him an overcomer. Because God had declared that those who cursed Abraham would themselves be cursed, Abraham could conquer any enemy that came against him or his family.

You can see that fact borne out in Genesis 14. It tells of the time when Lot and his family were taken captive by wicked kings who made war on Sodom and Gomorrah. When Abraham received the news about his nephew, he didn’t sit around wringing his hands wishing there was something he could do. “He armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued…and smote them…. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people” (verses 14-16).

Imagine that. Abraham and his servants single-handedly whipped four kings and their armies, then recovered everything and everyone they had taken captive!

What gave Abraham the boldness to go after those kings? He knew he had a covenant with God. He knew God had promised to be an enemy to his enemies, and he dared to act on that promise.

Abraham understood that God was God! Abraham took God at His Word when He said, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

We need to do the same thing. We need to take that promise and put our name in it. After all, it’s ours! We’re the seed of Abraham.

Years ago, when Ken and I first started to walk with the Lord, we were facing debts and problems that seemed overwhelming. So I took that promise from God to Abraham and put my name in it. I read it like this: Fear not, Gloria. God is your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great!

I decided that since I was an heir of Abraham, those words were just as true for me as they were for him. And sure enough, they have been. In the years since, God has protected me and rewarded me beyond anything I could ask or think. He has been as faithful to me as He was to Abraham!

God keeps His promises, and He promised Abraham that He would bless his seed. He said: “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Genesis 17:6-7).

 

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Never Make Little Plans…

Article by Nico van der Merwe from GodBusinessLife.com drawing by BethV

“Never make little plans” were the words Anita said to me on November 25, 2009 when I shared with her what I believed God instructed me to do and that is to develop a second campus for the Eduplex. She quoted Daniel Burnham, the architect that designed Chicago after the big fire and whose words she read a mere 3 weeks before in the Chicago library.

He said “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.”

A few weeks ago the Executive Mayor of Tshwane (the greater Pretoria area) officially opened the high school and I was reminded about Anita and Burnham’s words when the guests were in awe of what God has done. How different it would have been had I acted in fear, made little plans… instead of acting in faith. Had I invested in temporary classrooms because of fear, looking at what I had, instead of constructing proper facilities in faith, we would have had nothing to show, nothing to celebrate, no magic to stir men’s blood … because it was from man. It was God that multiplied the widow’s little bit of oil, He could, and did do the same for us.

And yet, as I look at my notes over the past 4 years since November 25, 2009, I see how real the fear and panic were that I struggled with. One entry even questioned the ‘big plan’ of a second campus and whether I should not rather scale back…and make little plans. But God was gracious and gave me strength, strength to believe not in my own resources,  but in His resources!

And as I trusted Him, I was strengthened by His word…

“So now, My son, may the Lord be with you and prosper you as you do what He told you to do and build the Temple of the Lord…..Be strong and courageous, fearless and enthusiastic! (1 Chronicles 22:11+13) 

“Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord your my God is with you; He will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly”. (1 Chronicles 28:20)

“…the work ahead of him is enormous; for the temple he will build is not just another building – it is for the Lord God himself! (1 Chronicles 29:1b)

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty – you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak. Therefore no mountain, however high, can stand before Zerubbabel! For it will flatten out before him! (Zechariah 4:6+7)

If you have been following my blogs you will know that this verse weaves like a golden thread throughout the history of the Eduplex and God continues to remind me of it. In addition, it continues to be a very strong warning that I should not try to part the waters of the Red Sea (try to do the impossible) in my own strength because it will fail. I should rather leave it to God. He can make the impossible, possible.

God knows my strengths, but He knows my weaknesses even better. I can “make things happen” and this strength has over the years mostly become a severe weakness as I catch myself relying on my own ability, my own resources and slowly moving away from complete trust in God….and then? Then fear sets in at the first hurdle that I encounter. I am reminded of the words that ‘unguarded strengths can become a double weakness’ and how true this is in my own life.    

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