Mixing Faith With Commerce

2 Kings 4:2 - "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

Her husband had died. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.

"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.

"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."

Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.

When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left" (2 Kings 4:7b).

God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources. She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith was mixed with the practical step of going into the marketplace to sell what she had in order to receive her needed income. In fact, there was so much income she was able to pay her debts and live on the money derived from the sale.

Quite often we forget that God works through commerce to provide for our needs. It is wrong to place total trust in commerce without faith in God. God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God honors.

Do you have a problem that is perplexing to you? Do you see no way of meeting your need? God may have already given you the skills and talents to meet your need. However, He may be waiting for you to mix them with faith. Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. Be willing to take the next step.

John 15:7

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Think on These...

With complete consecration comes perfect peace.

God loves with a great love the man whose heart is
bursting with a passion for the IMPOSSIBLE.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

The blood of Christ stands not simply for the sting of sin
on God but the scourge of God on sin, not simply for God's
sorrow over sin, but for God's wrath on sin.

If you reveal your secrets to the wind, don't be surprised
if they are whispered to the trees.

Life bit

Your conscience is what hurts…

when everything else feels good.
I Timothy 1:19

Priorities of Prosperity

Gloria Copeland

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

God isn't against your having money. He's against money having you. He's against your making it your priority and putting your trust in it instead of in Him.

Why? Because He knows money makes a lousy god. Its power is limited. It will only buy so much. It will only go so far.

If you need healing from an incurable disease, money won't help you at all. If your family is falling apart, money won't mend it. But if you'll seek God first, His prosperity will reach into every area of your life.

God is so generous that He desires you to have the best on this earth, just as you desire the best for your children. His plan is for you to have all of your needs met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Get in on that plan by keeping your priorities straight. Seek Him first and His righteousness.

Make pleasing God your number one priority. Set your eyes on Him above all else and all these things will be added unto you.

Life bit

If God brought you to it…

He will bring you through it.
I Thess. 5:24

Think on These...

Attitude is the single most significant
decision you make each day.

Faith that’s weak will never speak.

Choosing to trust God is never the
wrong decision.

Freedom does not come in having your own way,
but in yielding to Gods way.

People use duct tape to fix everything;
God used nails.

Exodus 14:13-14

Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.

Never Fall

Kenneth Copeland

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed."
(2 Timothy 2:15)

A lot of people have been playing games when it comes to the Word. They claim to be faith people in public. But, in private, they never open the Bible at all. Then, when a time of trouble comes and they try to stand on the Word, they fall flat on their spiritual faces.

Well, the time for playing games is over. It's time for us to realize that real faith involves action. James 2:20 says faith without works [or corresponding action] is dead.

If you want the kind of faith that will keep you on your feet when others are falling around you, you need to take some action where the Word is concerned.

First, you need to study. You can study the Word in many ways. You can not only read it, you can dig deeply into it with concordances, Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and other study guides. What's more, if you have a cassette player, you can walk around half the day listening to teaching tapes. It's only one way of study, but it is a powerful one.

The second thing you need to do is go where the Word is being preached. When Romans 10:17 says "faith comes by hearing," it's talking about the preached Word.

Whenever I start feeling surrounded by problems and I'm having trouble hearing from God, I drop everything and find some place where I can hear the Word preached. I've received more answers from God that way than I can count. Even though the preacher may not have been preaching about anything even remotely connected with the issue I was struggling with, some Word of Scripture would suddenly start my thoughts in a certain direction. I'd realize, "That's the answer to that problem I've been dealing with for the past six weeks!"

Third, you need to start confessing the Word you've heard. Find the promise of God that covers your situation and then declare it out loud as if it had already come to pass in your life.

Get serious about the Word of God. Study it. Go hear it preached. Confess it. Become such a diligent workman that the devil himself will look at you with fear and say, "There's one believer who's not playing games anymore."

Scripture Study: 2 Peter 1:3-10

Business as Ministry

Colossians 3:23-24 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

The Bible is very clear that the purpose for our work life is to reflect Christ in and through our lives. It is an attitude that says our work is to have an overriding "ministry" objective to it. Our work is our worship to God. These two words even originate from the same Hebrew word, avodah.

Robert Laidlaw was born in Scotland in 1885 but grew up in New Zealand. Born to Christian parents, he committed his life fully to the Lord when he was 17. Laidlaw began working in a hardware merchant company as a traveling sales representative when he was 19. Later he had the idea for a mail-order catalogue business that sold everything imaginable including underwear, groceries, cosmetics, and farm equipment, all at bargain-basement prices. His concept proved successful and his business later merged with the Farmer's Union Trading Company. He became general manager and held that position for 50 years.

But this is not the most significant thing that can be said about Robert Laidlaw. He understood that his work life was a tool to affect others for Jesus Christ. He began giving ten percent of his income early in his business life. Later, however, he entered this into his journal: "September 1919, age twenty-five. I have decided to change my earlier graduated scale, and start now giving half (fifty percent) of all my earnings." This he continued for the next 60 years. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 351.]

The result of that commitment was countless numbers affected for Jesus Christ through the resources he gave to mission groups and other worthy Christian causes. He was personally involved in ministry. He wrote a small book that gave a thoughtful answer to basic questions about life and faith. It was titled The Reason. Many hundreds of thousands came to faith in Christ because of this 46-page booklet. He publicly spoke to many of his faith in Christ and became very involved in the Soldier's and Airmen's Association when World War II broke out. Robert Laidlaw understood what it meant to view business with an overriding ministry objective.

Does the Lord have complete control of your life? If so, you will be able to see your business life as an extension of His life in you. Let the Lord live in and through your business life today.

Embracing the Mess

Proverbs 14:4 - Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

My wife and I run together through a new home subdivision. Often we see the street filled with red clay from the land as bulldozers clear it to lay a foundation. The job site is littered with lumber, all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The house looks ugly; it has all its insides exposed as it is being pieced together, yet this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the home is beautiful. The landscaping looks like it came out of a home-design magazine. Everything is clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.

Our walk with God is much the same process. Often we must go through a messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in disarray. It is in these times that God builds a new structure. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal is more Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of removing all that is not of Him. It can be a painful process.

It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.

Bad Alliances

Isaiah 30:1-2 - "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord, "to those who carry out plans that are not Mine, forming an alliance, but not by My Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting Me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge."

Have you ever entered a business relationship with someone you knew you were not supposed to? Throughout the history of Israel, the people were called to come out of an old way of life. Egypt represented that old way; when things got tough, the Israelites reverted to what was comfortable. They always knew they could take a trip to Egypt and find what they lacked. Perhaps this was their reasoning: "If we can't get it accomplished under the new way, why not go back to the way we used to do it? At least we know we can get it there."

When God calls us into a walk of faith, we can expect to be tested in this walk. If we enter into alliances that God has not ordained, it will only bring heartache. Such was the case for Israel. "But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace" (Is. 30:3).

Beware what you perceive as an alliance that may advance your business. It may actually bring you great distress if God has not directed you to align it. Ask yourself what the motive is behind this possible alliance. Make sure that it is not based on fear or a quick fix. Get confirmation that God is leading you to make such an alliance. Then you will not end up in the way of Israel, experiencing shame and disgrace.

Press on in Patience

Gloria Copeland

"...be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
(Hebrews 6:12)

You've been walking by faith. You've been believing God to meet your need. But what do you do when the results seem slow in coming and you are tempted to give up?

Be patient!

There is not much said about patience these days. But, when it comes to receiving from God, it is just as important as faith.

It will make the difference between success and failure for you.

Patience undergirds and sustains faith until the result is manifested. After you have meditated on the promises of God and have them in your spirit, patience will encourage you to hold steady. Patience is power. It has the courage to refuse the lie of Satan that says the Word is not working for you. It knows that God's Word has never failed. Patience will not draw back in fear but will press forward in faith until you have the answer.

When the results of your faith seem slow in coming, don't give up! Continue to put the Word first, with patience, and you will surely receive the promise of God!

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Scripture Study: Hebrew 10:32-39

Presumption Versus Faith

1 Chronicles 13:10 - The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

A life of faith often requires us to leave God's work alone. Responding to a need out of a desire to help move a vision along can be the greatest challenge for a Christian entrepreneur. There is a fine line between presumption and faith.

Uzzah learned that presumption can cost him his life. He was part of the crew that was to move the ark with the help of a team of oxen. When the way became rough, Uzzah responded in a natural way. He grabbed the ark to steady it. When he did, he was immediately struck down. God said it was forbidden to touch the ark. King David mourned the death of his servant and argued with God about this loss.

Walking with God in the marketplace requires sensitivity to balancing our God-given talents and operating in the power of the Holy Spirit in and through our business life. A mentor once told me, "You almost have to hold back your natural gifting to ensure that God is the one who is guiding you. If not, you will not know if it is through your skill versus His hand that you are accomplishing the work." I find this the most challenging aspect of a walk with God in the marketplace.

You can only grow in your understanding of this balance by being accountable to others in the process. By having other committed Christians walking close to you, they become the safety net to keep you from presumption and the deceit of the heart. God also gives godly spouses to help many in this area.

James 4:7

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Oppose the Devil

Gloria Copeland

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - (James 4:7)

If you've been crying and asking God to run the devil out of your life, STOP! The Bible says you're the one who's supposed to overcome the devil.

How? By resisting him. By rebelling against him when he tells you to do something and doing what God says instead! When Satan tells you some lie, contradict him with the Word of God. Oppose him. This verse says when you do that, he'll flee from you. He'll "run as in terror."

That means everywhere you go, as you walk in faith and oppose the devil, darkness is pushed back.

So start pushing back that darkness. You can do it! The life of God is within you. Jesus Himself is living inside you. Everywhere you go, He goes. Every problem that rises up against you, every evil spirit that tries to influence your life, is coming up against GOD when he comes up against you.

All you need to do is become conscious of that. Begin now living your life moment by moment, knowing that the light of God is in you. The Word of God is in you. The Spirit of God is in you.

Live knowing that Jesus, the Son of God, is in you. Then watch the devil run!

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Scripture Study: Ephesians 6:10-18

He Really Does Care for You

Kenneth Copeland

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7)
Do you know what it's like to face a problem so big it seems downright irresponsible not to worry about it? There may not be a thing you can do about it, but you feel like you need to at least be concerned. After all, somebody needs to! And no one else seems to be volunteering for the job.

I remember one time in particular I felt exactly that way. I was holding a series of meetings in Ruston, Louisiana. I had just discovered our budget was $800 short--and in those days, $800 might as well have been 9 million! The devil was attacking my mind, telling me that no one cared about me or my ministry, telling me that I was facing this problem alone.

But instead of giving in to those thoughts, I got my Bible and turned to every scripture in the Word of God that guaranteed me my needs were met. Then I rolled the care of those expenses over on God. I promised God that with the Holy Spirit as my Helper, I would not touch that problem with my thought life again.

That wasn't an easy promise to keep. I wanted to worry so badly! I went into the courtyard of the Motel where I was staying and walked around the swimming pool. Every time I thought about the problem, I would say out loud, "No, I have rolled the care of that over on the Lord. I will not think about it. The budget is met."

After a while, a man drove up in the driveway and began to honk his horn. I tried to ignore him because I don't like to be interrupted when I'm praying, but he stuck his head out of the window and shouted, "Come here!" He said it with such authority that I obeyed.

He said to me, "Brother Copeland, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'm committed to another obligation and will be late for the meeting tonight. I was afraid I would miss the offering." Then he handed me a check. When I went back to my room and looked at that check, I found it was for $500. Coupled with the offering in the service that night, it totaled the exact amount I needed to meet that budget.

Would you like to have people chasing you down to meet your needs? Then next time you're facing a problem, give it to God. Let Him be the one who's concerned about it. He's volunteered for the job and you can trust Him to do it well. After all, He really does care for you.

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Scripture Study: Psalm 37:1-11

Experiencing God in Your Business

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The CEO walked into the president's office after reviewing his new marketing plan for the next year. It was a well-prepared, thoughtful plan.

"This will not do!" exclaimed the CEO. "This plan describes how you will achieve these objectives through your own planning. I am certain you can achieve these objectives through normal business operations; however, you have allowed no room for faith in your plan. Now you must determine what God wants us to trust Him to accomplish through this business. You must go beyond what you can naturally achieve."

What was this CEO saying? If you and I want to experience God in business at the practical level, we must be willing to trust Him for more than what our natural abilities can accomplish. God likes to show Himself in the midst of unlikely circumstances. This is the place that God receives the glory. God always forced Israel to trust Him for the supernatural. This is how glory was brought to the Father. It is no different in our lives.

The world is looking for real faith. Perhaps you are the instrument that He wants to use to demonstrate real faith to the unbelieving business world. It will require courage, faith, and action; also, it will require risk. You may risk finances, reputation, and being misunderstood. This was the risk of all leaders in the Bible. It was a risk worth taking. Are you willing to see God move in your business life? Ask Him what this might mean for you.

Second Chances

Jonah 4:2 - ..."I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger aand abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

Have you ever gone through a time of disobedience with God? Jonah was a prophet of God who decided he didn't want to prophesy for the Lord. God wanted him to deliver a message to Nineveh to warn them against impending destruction if they didn't turn from their ways. Jonah had developed a hardened heart toward the people of Nineveh. He didn't really care if they repented or not; so rather than travel to Nineveh and deliver the message, he hopped a boat in the opposite direction. You probably know the rest of the story. He was eaten by a fish and spent a few days thinking about his decision.

There is a place where we all will obey. What circumstances must take place for us to become obedient? For some of us, it requires a good shakeup. For Jonah, it required a big shakeup because he was God's man to save 120,000 people. He was chosen by God to be used by God, and God didn't give up on him.

God understands our disobedient heart. He sees what we really are, yet He gives second chances. God gave Jonah a second chance. He gave the people of Nineveh a second chance. It is a lesson of love from a heavenly Father who specializes in second chances. Have you blown it? Have you disappointed someone close to you? God is the God of second chances. All we have to do is acknowledge our waywardness. He will restore. He will give grace. Ask Him.

Philippians 4:4-9

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.