Overcoming

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

"Why does it seem that those involved in Christian enterprise find the way so hard? It seems as though it is harder for those who are committed Christians in business. Have you found this to be true?" This was the comment from a business associate recently. My answer was a definite yes. In fact, if you were not a Christian and sought to do a similar business without regard to maintaining a biblical philosophy, the way would be much smoother sailing. It makes us think of the prophet who asked, "Why do the wicked prosper?" (see Jer. 12:1)

It is a spiritual principle of which we speak. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan before they entered the Promised Land, they fought only two battles. Then after they entered the Promised Land, they fought 39 battles. The way of the cross is not paved with lilies; it is paved with grace. When we seek to honor God in our business life, we will be met with opposition from the spiritual forces of this world. This is why each of us must commit ourselves to walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and to be as gentle as doves but as wise as serpents.

Do not be surprised when you find the way harder as a believer than when you were a non-believer. You now have more at stake among the spiritual forces that desire you to be defeated and ineffective.Stand firm against the evil forces that desire to keep you from walking in freedom in the Promised Land. Jesus is your victory for every battle you will encounter. Call on His name.

By Os Hillman

Those in Whom God Delights

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. ~ Psalm 147:10

Mammon and power are the ruling strongholds of the workplace. If you possess either of these, then you will be courted by those who serve the workplace in hopes of increasing market share. It is a competitive environment that often gives way to decisions and actions that are dictated by the financial bottom line. A recent newspaper article stated that employers are requiring workers to put more time into their jobs, often requiring weekend work in order to be more competitive. For the Christian worker, this brings pressures on the family and will result in "lost market share" in the spiritual realm.

The Lord has a different measuring stick. The Lord is not impressed with your ability or what you can do for Him. Only one thing delights Him-people who fear Him and put their hope in His unfailing love. What does it mean to fear God and place our hope in His love? It means we acknowledge that God is the source of all that we are. He is the one who gives us the ability to work, plan, and execute. He does not want us to look to our abilities, but to His abilities. Sometimes it is difficult to balance these two perspectives.

However, if we ask God to show us how to maintain this balance, He will do it. Put your hope in His unfailing love today. Then you will know that your heavenly Father is looking on you as a proud Father.

By Os Hillman.

Wrestling With God

Have you ever wrestled with God? I mean really struggled with where you are in relationship with Him? Wondering, “What is He doing?” “Has He left me?” “Why am I going through this?”

Does the LORD want you to change? Does He want you to mature? Does He love us too much to let us stay where we are? Our loving Father desires for us to shed our old nature. He wants us to “put on the new man!” He wants us to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” It is His desire for us to be like Him.

We are given a wonderful example of this in Jacob. Jacob was a controller and manipulator. God wanted to mature him. In wrestling with God, God touched him in the hip. This was very painful for Jacob, but this was the only way God could overcome the strong will of this man Jacob. In breaking him, God was removing the remnants of Jacob’s old nature. For the rest of his life, Jacob lived with the constant reminder of his dependence on God.

Striving with God is good if it is out of our strong desire to seek Him. In seeking Him, we know that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). But are we willing to let Him change us?

Perhaps in bringing you to the place He wants you to be, you may go through a time of immobilizing, a time of trial or trouble. Your mind must be renewed. You must stop striving with God through your own self-efforts. You must learn to be totally dependent on Him. This process is not pleasant, but be encouraged. He is preparing you for the inheritance He has for you.

Building a Solid Foundation

by Os Hillman

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ~ Matthew 7:26

There were two kinds of people in the days of Jesus. Some heard the words that Jesus spoke and were awed by His wisdom and understanding, but did nothing about what they heard. Others heard those words and acted on them. Jesus said that those who heard the words but failed to put them into practice were foolish and likened them to building a house on sand. How foolish, indeed, it would be to build a house on sand.
The person who followed what Jesus taught was a person who would be sure to weather life's storms.Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:24-25).
You never know how well your house is built until it is tested by the elements. Torrential rains reveal the quality of your roof. Wind and cold reveal how well your home is insulated. Heat and sun reveal the quality of your paint and siding. All these elements reveal whether a solid foundation has been laid to make your home a secure and lasting place to live.
Many of us find that we have given only lip service to God's commands. We are faced with the reality that our foundations are not strong enough to weather life's storms. How do we react when the trials come? Do we fret and worry? Do we take life into our hands? Do we respond inappropriately when we don't get what we want? The Lord uses these times to help us recognize whether our foundations are sand or rock. Ask the Lord today if you have built on His rock. If so, you can be comforted to know that you can weather any storm that may come your way.

News magazines don't kill people, Muslims do

Catchy title! Sorry, it's not mine. Borrowed it from Ann Coulter. Her article, NEWSWEEK DISSEMBLED, MUSLIMS DISMEMBERED! is really good. An example:

When ace reporter Michael Isikoff had the scoop of the decade, a thoroughly sourced story about the president of the United States having an affair with an intern and then pressuring her to lie about it under oath, Newsweek decided not to run the story. Matt Drudge scooped Newsweek, followed by The Washington Post. When Isikoff had a detailed account of Kathleen Willey's nasty sexual encounter with the president in the Oval Office, backed up with eyewitness and documentary evidence, Newsweek decided not to run it. Again, Matt Drudge got the story. When Isikoff was the first with detailed reporting on Paula Jones' accusations against a sitting president, Isikoff's then-employer The Washington Post -- which owns Newsweek -- decided not to run it. The American Spectator got the story, followed by the Los Angeles Times.

Somehow Newsweek missed the story a few weeks ago about Saudi Arabia arresting 40 Christians for "trying to spread their poisonous religious beliefs." But give the American media a story about American interrogators defacing the Quran, and journalists are so appalled there's no time for fact-checking.

Read this article! It is a MUST!

It's Been a Long Time

I've been in a dry place. The desert. Empty. Usually this happens just prior to coming to an oasis. Like the saying, "it's always darkest just before dawn." I'm one of those dense people that usually has to be hit squarely on the head in order to realize anything. The last time, it was a license plate. It said "ISA 5417." A normal looking license plate. Just so happens that the car it was on wouldn't let me pass -- for two hours! I was going through a hard time in my work. My older sister called me on my cell phone. Said she had a Bible verse just for me -- it was Isaiah 54:17. I know -- I've been staring at that verse for two hours on the car in front of me!!! I'm so dense!

Anyway, this time it took a disabled postal worker and a man I hardly knew calling me -- "hitting me on the head" -- to get my attention. "LORD, I'm listening!!" "I'm ready!"

HE is like a loving Father. HE wants us to grow. Stagnant is not good. How do we prod our children? How do we get them to grow in maturity? How do we teach them to have a relationship with HIM? Is that how HE deals with us? Does HE put us in certain circumstances to make us miserable? Does HE allow us to be in a miry pit in order to teach us? In order to grow us?

I THINK SO. More later…

Free Market?

In today's local paper, editorialist, Giles Lambertson opines regarding the state's regulation of attorneys. Quite interesting. I, too, have always believed that in our capitalistic, free market economy, that the market should determine who succeeds and who doesn't. Carrying that a bit further, why should the state regulate attorneys at all. Leave that to the market place, if you are good, you will succeed. Lambertson, argues the point comparing lawyers to journalist. He admits that he doesn’t have a journalism degree, yet he is a successful journalist. I agree. We have way too much regulation from the government. Why should someone have to go through 3 years of law school and pass a very hard bar exam in order to hold oneself out as a lawyer? If one is competent, one will be successful. After all, graduating from law school and passing a bar exam doesn’t really mean that one is competent. Lambertson’s comparison to journalism is a valid comparison to an extent, but let’s look at college professors. Why should one be required to obtain a Ph.D. in order to teach on the college level? Certainly we could argue convincingly that a lifetime of experience would be sufficient qualification. We can all agree that just obtaining a Ph. D. does not make you a competent teacher. What about C.P.A.’s? What about surveyors? What about engineers? What about nurses? And, what about medical doctors? Does the state have an interest in trying to protect the unsuspecting public from people holding themselves out as experts in any giving area? Where do we draw the line?