Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

While Deniro is referring to “heat” in the sense of law enforcement catching up to him and his crime-filled lifestyle, I think we can apply this same advice to our own lives and even our businesses.

Strangers In This World

See, we are strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11). It is not our home (Philippians 3:20). We will only be here a short time (Job 8:9). Everything we have here will be destroyed by moth and rust (Matthew 6:19). It will burn one day (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

At the same time, we are disciples of Jesus…not just for this life, but also for the life to come. We are God’s children, now and forever. The treasure we lay up for ourselves in heaven is also eternal. It will never be destroyed by moth or rust. It will never burn.

Can you see the contrast here? Our relationship with this world we live in is temporary. Our relationship with our Lord and Father is eternal. Therefore, our attachment to the things of this world should be temporary and our attachment to the things of God should be eternal.

How Does This Apply?

How does this look in our daily lives? How does it look in our businesses? How should it look in our relationships?

I think we are to take the mindset of Deniro and apply it here. We should not become so attached to anything here in this life that we are not willing to walk away from it. We should be be so consumed with our love for Jesus and the life we want to live for Him that we would not hesitate to walk away from anything if He asks.

Would You Walk Away?

What if He asks us to walk away from a highly profitable business deal because it would require us to be unequally yoked with an unbelieving partner? What if He asks us to walk away from our home town because He has another plan for us?

What if He asks us to walk away from our dream home so we can have more resources to give? What if He asks us to walk away from some friendships we enjoy because they are damaging our commitment to Him?

Do you get the picture? Whether material things, business deals, or relationships, I believe the Bible is clear that we are to have a detached mindset and a willingness to walk away from them. Here is a quote from Watchman Nee in his book Love Not the World.

I am not suggesting by this that we must try to dispose of everything; that is not the point. The point is that as God’s children, you and I may not accumulate things for ourselves. If I keep something it is because God has spoken to my heart; if I part with it, it is for the same reason.

I hold myself in the will of God and am not afraid to give if God asks me to give. I keep nothing because I love it, but I let it go without regret when the call comes to leave it behind. That is what it means to be detached.

God Honors The Decision

I went through this very process myself back in 2001. I posted about it here (Why I Decided To Walk Away…). While I have not yet seen the end of this path, I can give you my word that I would not change my decision for anything in this world! God has honored that decision many times over since then. I have confidence He will continue to do so going forward.

I do still struggle with this mindset in every area of my life. This battle is not one that you fight just once and win! It is one that you will likely fight on many occasions in varied circumstances.

It is not easy to maintain a willingness to walk away. I fail at it as much as I win, but I will continue to fight. I am determined not to attach myself to a temporary world. I will trust Him instead.

What attachments do you have?

Have you seen God honor your decision to walk away from something?

Is He asking now?

[Original Post Date December 26, 2011]

Gibeonite Deception

In my last post, I told you that we are going to discuss the Gibeonite deception from Joshua 9-10. Leading up to this story, you will remember that Joshua and the Israelites have just cleansed their camp of the sin that brought defeat.

Israelite Victory

Immediately after this cleansing, God gave them victory in their second attempt to conquer the city of Ai. They even built an altar to God and celebrated victory with burnt offerings. Finally, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law to the entire assembly of Israel. It appears they were in a good place in their relationship with God.

Israelites Tricked

When we pick up the story in Joshua 9:1, word has spread to the other kings in the area and they are preparing for battle. However, the Gibeonites come up with a ruse and trick the Israelites into thinking they are not local, but from a distant land. For this reason, Joshua and the Israelites agree to a peace treaty with them.

Within days, Joshua learns that the Gibeonites are in fact local to the area. He quickly realizes that he has violated God’s command not to make peace with those in the Promised Land. At the same time, he knows his word is his bond and he cannot break the oath he made. He is stuck with the Gibeonites and trouble is coming.

Lesson #1

As I told you in my last post, there are many lessons in this story for Christian business leaders. The first lesson we will discuss is this one.

Do not relax after victory. The enemy is coming.

Relaxed After Victory

You see, Joshua and the Israelites were just coming off of a great victory. They felt good about their relationship with God and they were relaxed. Unfortunately, this was a prime times for the enemy to attack. They were simply not expecting it.

The same is true for us in the business world (or in life in general). There are many times that we experience victory. It may be a hard-won contract for a huge account. It could be a heat-case with a customer is settled and a raving fan is created. Maybe it is something as simple as a relationship with a co-worker is mended.

Protection After Victory

The victory itself is not our focus. It is the moment after the victory that we must protect.

Sure, we can celebrate our victory. There is nothing at all wrong with that! In fact, it is really necessary to re-energize us for the next battle we will face.

No, the problem is not the celebration of victory. It is the lowering of the defenses that is the danger.

Remain Vigilant

We must get in the mindset that recognizes opportune moments for the enemy to attack us. It is during these moments that we must be on guard. We must protect ourselves from attack.

You may be thinking that this is unfair – that this mindset will not allow you to relax enough to celebrate. That is not true. Just be wise about the times immediately following a victory and don’t put yourself in a position to be caught off guard.

Rules For Protection

You need to think about your own set of rules for post victory protection, but I believe I have one example that would have served Joshua well. Consider the following personal rule for Joshua: Do not make any decisions immediately after a victory without first praying about it and sleeping on it for one night.

If that was all Joshua did to protect himself after victory, how do you think the results would have changed? Don’t you think God would have directed him to the right decision?

Challenge

I challenge you to come up with some of your own rules. They really need to be closely related to your weaknesses. This is likely where the enemy will attack you. For Keanu Reeves’ character, his weakness was vanity and the devil went after him there. What is yours?

Do you know where you are vulnerable after victory?

What can you do to protect yourself from attack in this area?

Have you already experienced this issue and can share about it?

Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

While Deniro is referring to “heat” in the sense of law enforcement catching up to him and his crime-filled lifestyle, I think we can apply this same advice to our own lives and even our businesses.

Strangers In This World

See, we are strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11). It is not our home (Philippians 3:20). We will only be here a short time (Job 8:9). Everything we have here will be destroyed by moth and rust (Matthew 6:19). It will burn one day (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

At the same time, we are disciples of Jesus…not just for this life, but also for the life to come. We are God’s children, now and forever. The treasure we lay up for ourselves in heaven is also eternal. It will never be destroyed by moth or rust. It will never burn.

Can you see the contrast here? Our relationship with this world we live in is temporary. Our relationship with our Lord and Father is eternal. Therefore, our attachment to the things of this world should be temporary and our attachment to the things of God should be eternal.

How Does This Apply?

How does this look in our daily lives? How does it look in our businesses? How should it look in our relationships?

I think we are to take the mindset of Deniro and apply it here. We should not become so attached to anything here in this life that we are not willing to walk away from it. We should be be so consumed with our love for Jesus and the life we want to live for Him that we would not hesitate to walk away from anything if He asks.

Would You Walk Away?

What if He asks us to walk away from a highly profitable business deal because it would require us to be unequally yoked with an unbelieving partner? What if He asks us to walk away from our home town because He has another plan for us? What if He asks us to walk away from our dream home so we can have more resources to give? What if He asks us to walk away from some friendships we enjoy because they are damaging our commitment to Him?

Do you get the picture? Whether material things, business deals, or relationships, I believe the Bible is clear that we are to have a detached mindset and a willingness to walk away from them. Here is a quote from Watchman Nee in his book Love Not the World.

I am not suggesting by this that we must try to dispose of everything; that is not the point. The point is that as God’s children, you and I may not accumulate things for ourselves. If I keep something it is because God has spoken to my heart; if I part with it, it is for the same reason. I hold myself in the will of God and am not afraid to give if God asks me to give. I keep nothing because I love it, but I let it go without regret when the call comes to leave it behind. That is what it means to be detached.

God Honors The Decision

I went through this very process myself roughly eight years ago. I posted about it here (Why I Decided To Walk Away…). While I have not yet seen the end of this path, I can give you my word that I would not change my decision for anything in this world! God has honored that decision many times over since then. I have confidence He will continue to do so going forward.

I still struggle with this mindset in every area of my life. It is not easy to maintain a willingness to walk away. I fail at it as much as I win, but I will continue to fight. I am determined not to attach myself to a temporary world. I will trust Him instead.

What attachments do you have?

Have you seen God honor your decision to walk away from something?

Is He asking now?