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Are You A Borderline Christian?

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As I was reading through Joshua and studying for the series on the Gibeonite deception, I came upon another lesson that I think can apply to us as Christian business owners and leaders. This lesson comes from Joshua and Numbers and deals with borderline Christianity.

Christian

Joshua’s Reminder

If you read Joshua 1:12-15, you will see Joshua reference instructions that Moses had given the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Joshua is reminding them that they agreed to go into the Promised Land with the rest of the tribes and help to conquer the land as God had commanded.

So, why does Joshua feel the need to remind only these people and not those from the other tribes? Is he just picking on these tribes for no reason? Or is there a valid reason for his reminder?

Borderline Request

To get the answer, you need to go back to Numbers 32:1-38 and read. In this passage, you find that the people of these three tribes asked Moses to give them their inheritance from the borderline land just outside of the Promised Land. They initially even requested that Moses not make them cross the Jordan and fight!

Moses got angry and called them a brood of sinners! He reminded them that they were repeating the very sin their fathers had committed. That sin was the reason they had wandered the wilderness the past 40 years!

The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh then asked another question. If they agreed to go over and help the other tribes conquer their lands, could they return to this borderline land and settle there? Moses conceded and allowed them to do this.

As I read this, several questions come to mind.

Why The Borderline Land?

The first question that pops into my head is, “Why?” Why did these tribes want to settle outside of the land God had promised them? What does Scripture tell us about their motives?

Take a look at Numbers 32:1 again. They had a lot of livestock and saw that the land was good for livestock. That is it? Are they serious? At this point, they have not yet even seen the land inside the Promised Land to know if it is good or not.

Of course, they know from God’s promises, and from the reports of the original 12 spies that scouted out the land in Numbers 13, that this is a land flowing with milk and honey. Evidently that is not enough!

Is This Important?

The second question that pops into my mind is, “Is this important?” Is this really a big deal? Why did Moses get so upset?

Well, Moses got upset because this request reeked of the sin that caused all of Israel to wander the wilderness for the past 40 years. Moses understood that God does not take kindly to His people rejecting Him or His promises or commands. Moses did not want God to get upset again.

What Are The Dangers?

The final question I had was, “What are the dangers of taking the borderline land?” As these “borderline” tribes finished the fighting and settled in their land outside the Promised Land, what should they be concerned about? Were there any issues they needed to consider that the other tribes would not have to worry about?

The answer is that there were several dangers in taking their inheritance from this land instead of the Promised Land.

1. Lack Of Natural Defensive Border

    First, the Jordan River would create a natural defensive border for those inside the Promised Land. This natural defensive line would prevent sudden attacks and would allow for better strategic position for the Israelites inside.

    For the “borderline” tribes outside the Jordan, this would not be the case. They would be more vulnerable to attacks from other tribes and peoples.

2. Delay In Aid

    Second, and even worse, the Jordan would actually serve to separate them from the aid of their brothers. If the other Israelite tribes wanted to come to their aid in a crisis, there could be a significant delay.

3. Reduction Of Communication

    Finally, not only would it serve to delay any military aid from their brothers, but it would also drastically reduce communications between them and their brothers inside the Promised Land. This would eventually allow other peoples and their religions to influence these borderline tribes away from God.

Application To Christian Business

In my next post, I will address how we can apply these lessons to our Christian businesses. In the meantime, think about the following questions. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

What parallels can you draw from this lesson?

Have you experienced something similar in your Christian walk?

How can this “borderline” idea apply to your Christian business?

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What I Did In Response To My Angry Boss

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This guest post is from Mike Holmes. He is a blogger and speaker who heads the Simple Strategies for Startups community. He is also the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. You can also download 4 free chapters here. You can also find him on Twitter.
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extra mile

Going The Extra Mile!

I used to work for a catering company in their purchasing department. My duties included receiving heavy boxes and moving them to the appropriate part of the company. In essence, it was manual labor.

I, however, didn’t see it like that. I saw it as an opportunity to go above and beyond in everything to either:

    a) Move up to a more a favorable position,

    or

    b) Move out of the company to a more favorable position.

So to me it didn’t matter whether I was moving boxes or sweeping floors–I was going to stand out! I was going to go the extra mile!

Angry Boss

But there was a problem: while going the extra mile I encountered a lot of grumbling from my co-workers. They just seemed to be getting angrier and angrier. I was as pleasant as I could be…but they just kept getting angrier. I stopped paying it attention until one day one the assistant manager called me:

“Holmes!” He said in a gruff manner. “I want you to move all those boxed grapes to the cooler room…by yourself!”

He said this with some of the staff around him giggling.

By myself???

There were at least 40 box of grapes, each weighing 20 pounds each, and he wanted me to move them by myself! We all knew it was a 2 man job.

At first I was upset!

Livid!

I did nothing to deserve this.

My Response

But then I remembered my friend “Holy Joe.” When Joe was mistreated for doing right, rather than get upset, he simply worked harder and did it with a great attitude!

So that’s what I did.

You should’ve seen me: I got all those boxes done in less than 7 minutes.

Then I went to the same boss and said, “What else do you need help with?” I did that too in record time. I even started helping the people who were grumbling and laughing behind my back–the manager included. And for the rest of the day I was quicker, more efficient, and more helpful than anyone could imagine.

In fact, we were so fast we finished a shipment that normally takes till 2pm at 11:30am!

The grumbling stopped. They were friendlier and more respectful. You would’ve thought I just bought them lunch!

The extra mile triumphed again!

The Origin of the Extra Mile

When Jesus spoke about extra mile principle He summed it up in this statement:

    “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
    (Matthew 5:41 NKJV)

He related the principle to an oppressive practice of the day. It originated with the Persian government and was later adopted by the Roman government.

Under this custom the king’s messengers had power to take horses, camels, and men into service against their will. Couriers and messengers were staged in specific locations by the king; if someone were to pass the location the courier rushed out and “compelled” them into service. Simone of Cyrene was later “compelled” into helping Jesus with His cross.

Rather than quarrel and complain about the treatment, Jesus advised otherwise: comply with the request, but exceed expectations in a spirit of love and service.

The extra mile is what separates leaders from followers, great companies from mediocre ones, and it will separate you in your chosen occupation.

The Power of the Extra Mile Principle

More than just a useful practice…the extra mile principle is a spiritual law. Like “turning the other cheek” and “loving your enemy” it’s a powerful weapon in the hand of a mature believer.

What are the benefits? I’m glad you asked:

1. You benefit by the law of comparison.

    Most people don’t go the extra mile. They go the first mile and complain all the way there! When you go the extra mile the spotlight of attention shines favorably on you. And after a while you soon become indispensable to those around you…especially superiors! And indispensable employees are always paid more than dispensable ones!

2. You develop greater leadership qualities.

    Going the extra develops the habit of personal initiative–a trait necessary for ANY kind of leadership. As you employ the extra mile your brain looks for more ways to become helpful. Soon you stop waiting for people to tell you what to do–you just do it. You no longer wait for things to happen, you make them happen!

3. God makes sure you’re compensated fairly.

    Paul said,

      “Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8 MSG)
    At the end of day whether we’re salaried or self employed: we write our own checks! We do this we the quantity and quality of service we give to either a boss, company, or clients. But even though we write our checks God is still the Boss. And if God sees you going above and beyond that what you’re paid rest assured, He’ll make up the difference. In the end He’ll reward you fully:
      “Because I, God, love fair dealing and hate thievery and crime, I’ll pay your wages on time and in full, and establish my eternal covenant with you.” (Isaiah 61:8 MSG)

But what do you think? Are there any other benefits to going the extra mile?

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How Does Busy Impact Your Impact?

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Are you so busy at work that you do not feel you are accomplishing anything for God? Is your work situation causing you to question how you will ever impact another person for eternity? Do you wonder if this period of time will ever end? Are you even questioning the job itself – whether God may want you somewhere else? If you have ever asked similar questions, keep reading!

busy

Too Busy For My Job?

In my last post, I described how I had recently experienced a period of time when I felt I was too busy to do my job. A key executive leader had left our company and I was forced to take on many of his responsibilities. I knew it was only for a season, but I knew that season would make it difficult for me to fulfill my true God-given job description – to impact others for eternity by pointing them to God.

Eternal Job Trumps All

Based on Scripture (Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20), this true job description should trump all other job descriptions. This fact is accepted by most Christians as being the truth. In fact, we usually describe it by saying our priorities are God, Family, Job – in that order.

Unfortunately, there are times when our busy-ness on the job seems to crowd out any opportunity for us to carry out this eternal job description and impact others as we should. This is especially tough when the busy-ness is not within our control – when others have the most influence on how we spend our time.

Many Treat It As Separate!

The problem is that though most agree our God-given job description is top priority, too many people also think it is also completely separate from the job description their employer gave them. Most people fail to realize that God’s job description for us is to be fulfilled IN CONJUNCTION WITH the other job descriptions we have!

You see, God has placed you in the job you have for a reason and a season. He knows all there is to know about your job and the circumstances surrounding that job. He is not surprised by the sudden busy-ness you are experiencing. Nothing about your job is surprising to Him.

Both At The Same Time!

Instead, God is watching to see how you are living out the eternal job description He has given you while you are carrying out the temporal job description given to you by your employer. It is NOT one or the other, but BOTH at the same time.

Folks, this is really great news! This means you do not have to “steal” time from your employer to carry out your eternal purpose! It also means you will never be asked by God to ignore business needs so you can work on His requests. The cool thing is that you can do everything God wants you to do WHILE carrying out your job for your employer or running your business.

My Recent Example

For a concrete example, let me describe my approach to this recent season of busy-ness I had. Before I do this, please know that I did not execute this perfectly! I am no better at this than you can be…I screwed it up plenty of times. As you read about my intentions, just be aware that my actions did not always match up.

If you will do your best to follow these same steps, God will honor your efforts as He did mine!

Step #1 – Gain & Maintain Perspective

    Fortunately for me, I was headed out on a family vacation when my busy season started. I say fortunately because it allowed me to step away from my job for a week and use the time to regain the right perspective. The “right perspective” is an eternal perspective. I had to remind myself that God knew what I was about to endure and all He wanted was my best, with a focus on the eternal impact of my actions.

    To maintain this perspective, I renewed my commitment to a productive quiet time (it had gotten stale). I began a new study of Joshua (see resulting posts here) because I saw him as a leader that followed God’s commands even under extremely tough circumstances. I knew I would learn perspective from Joshua.

Step #2 – Pray (like never before)

    Along with a renewed commitment to an effective quiet time, I dedicated myself to sincere, blank-canvas prayer. I gave God the brush and paint while I stood back and waited for Him to create the picture for me. Though it had the potential to get repetitive, I continued praying day after day for Him to paint the picture…I did not want to lose this perspective!

    Folks, I am not a good pray-er. This is especially true when I get busy. I lose focus and my mind wanders. I get off track and start listing my trivial requests before I realize what I am doing. During this time period, I fought through this weakness. I stayed on my knees for an extra 15-20 minutes when necessary, but I was not going to give up on this prayer.

Step #3 – Triage (and eliminate) Where Possible

    While being inundated with “stuff” from everyone that normally got their answers from the leader that left, I realized I was not physically capable of doing it all. Something had to fall through the cracks or I was going to crack!

    I made the decision to triage my tasks like the Emergency Room does when overloaded with injuries. Those non-critical issues were put to the side. Even “good” things I was doing in the past were put aside in favor of the “best” things. I prayed for wisdom as I did this and promised those affected by these decisions that I would return to these tasks when (and if) time permitted. In most cases, they understood.

Step #4 – Pursue Excellence in Everything

    As I described in Step #3, I allowed the non-essential “good” stuff to be delayed or eliminated altogether. I did this because I believe we are called to Excellence in whatever we do as Christians. Busy is no excuse for falling short. Rather than be mediocre at the whole range of tasks coming at me, I chose the most critical and tried to complete them in an “excellent” way.

    This was not always the way they ended up. I missed some things. I messed up on others. But I maintained this strategy and (for the most part) it worked. I will probably look back and beat myself up for some of the things I put off, but today I feel I did all I could.

Step #5 – Pray (some more)

    Finally, I continued praying. I prayed that God would make up for my shortcomings. I prayed those around me would be given more patience for my weaknesses than they normally had. I prayed for endurance to keep up the increased pace and duration of my working hours. I prayed my family would give me grace through it all.

When all is said and done, this busy season appears to be coming to a close for me. I am sure there is another just around the corner, but I am thankful for the learning from this one. I hope you can get something out of my experience as well.

Do you think these steps will help you when you get busy?

Which one(s) will be the hardest for you?

What steps would you add to this list?

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9 Lessons From Our Hiring Process

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Well, it is finally over and I am so glad! Of course, now the hard work begins! I am referring to the hiring process I have been going through over the past 90 days. While I have not discussed much detail, I have alluded to this process in several posts. Now that it is over, I want to share some of what I have learned.

hiring process

Lesson #1 – Trust God.

This hiring process began for me at the first of June when a key leader in our organization let me know he had been given an opportunity that he simply could not decline. While I instantly knew that my workload had just increased dramatically, I also knew it would only be for a season.

For some reason, God had been preparing me for this very eventuality. As a result, I did not panic. For the first time in a long time, I really trusted – right from the start – that God would take me through to a better place. As a result of this trust, my stress level really never increased throughout the process. I was truly amazed by this!

Lesson #2 – Begin with Prayer.

Well, I did not immediately start by looking for a replacement. Instead, I began praying that God would reveal to me His structure. I prayed that God would take a blank slate and put His picture of our organization on it. I was prepared for His picture to look very different or exactly the same. I was prepared for anything in between.

I can honestly say, I was prepared for whatever He showed me! I can also say that I have not prayed for any other decision as much as I prayed about this one. I was determined that He was going to show me the way. I was not going to choose it for myself.

Lesson #3 – Seek Godly Advice.

In addition to prayer, I began to seek advice from those I knew and trusted to give godly advice. I sought this advice from my C12 group, other Christian dealers in my industry, and various other advisers I know personally. Quite simply, I did not try to handle this hiring process alone.

As a result of prayer and the advice we received, the decision was made to seek to hire a COO for the organization. This was to be a step of faith as this position has not existed in our organization before. Even so, when we looked at all of the pieces, it made the most sense.

Lesson #4 – Cast a Wide Net.

We began by running ads in a national trade magazine and online. I reached out to those contacts I knew would possibly know of a candidate and asked them for help. I also continued praying!

We were overwhelmed with the number of applications. Even though we included the description, “Christian automotive group” in the ad, we had over 70 applications submitted. This may not be many for some of you, but it was a mountain in my eyes.

Lesson #5 – Set Clear Guidelines (and Don’t Waiver).

It takes more than gut instinct to successfully filter 70+ applications down to a manageable number. Based on the scope of the job, we worked hard to come up with a list of several requirements that we used to evaluate resumes. While there were several applicants that I identified with, they did not make the cut unless they met the qualifications. There were several hard decisions, but I pressed through it. The first round of filtering by these guidelines brought our number down to 12 solid candidates.

From there, we had each candidate complete a behavior and motivator assessment. Again, due to the specific nature of the job, we had a clear picture of the type of personality that would be successful in this role. This picture was compiled from the input of several current key leaders in our organization. This avoided any single perspective driving biased results.

Lesson #6 – Turn Up The Heat

Once we had narrowed the candidates to the final three, the hiring process got more intense. We started with a phone interview of each candidate. This interview was conducted by a close friend and adviser who also happens to be an industry expert. He followed a script of a number of questions that were posed to each of the three candidates. He took notes on the answers that we reviewed together after each interview.

At this point, we each called several references on each candidate. Fortunately, one of us knew someone on each of the reference lists. It always helps to know the person giving the reference so you have a better feel for their perspective.

With good reports from the references, I then interviewed each of these three candidates via Skype. This gave me the opportunity to see facial expressions and gestures. I could gauge their stress in response to certain questions as well. Just like the phone interviews, I followed a set of questions that I posed to each candidate.

While the intent was to select one of the three candidates to bring to the dealership in person, we were unable to narrow it down beyond two candidates. So, we brought both candidates to town to go through the remainder of the hiring process. We scheduled them to come in back-to-back (two days each) over a four day period.

Lesson #7 – Involve Your Team

Each candidate arrived in town the day before the interviews would take place at the dealership. That evening, they went to dinner with me and my brother, our spouses, and the friend/adviser that conducted the phone interviews. At dinner, we got to see how they would interact with others. We also were able to get a very different perspective from our wives! This proved to be very helpful.

The next morning, each candidate had breakfast with two members of our executive leadership team. Then they went through a series of interviews with management teams from each department. They were also interviewed by a mixed group of front-line employees. This part of the hiring process, an idea from another adviser, was priceless! I would not trade it for anything!

Lesson #8 – Can You Work With Them?

For the last couple of hours before they were scheduled to depart, the candidates answered some tough questions, ate lunch with us, and answered more tough questions on a variety of issues. At this point, the candidates had been vetted and were both capable of filling the position. It really boiled down to which was a better cultural fit with our team. Which one would we enjoy working with more? Which one seemed like they would enjoy working with us?

Lesson #9 – Pray Some More

At the end of the entire hiring process, we were all clear on the candidate we thought would be the best fit. It was not an easy process and both candidates were highly qualified, but we felt the right one had come to the surface. At this point, I decided to wait one more day.

I prayed in depth that God would make it clear to us who we should choose. Although we had prayed all through the process, I was determined to make absolutely sure that our decision came from God, not from our own preferences or biases. I wanted Him to give me a peace about moving forward.

Hiring Process Result

The final result was that we made an offer of employment to one of the candidates. He accepted with excitement and started at the first of the month. Like I said in the beginning, there is now a lot of work ahead of us! At the same time, I trust that God will guide us through this new season.

I would live to hear your thoughts on the hiring process we used.

Take a moment in the comment section to let me know what you liked.

What you would do differently?

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Turn Your Mistakes To Your Advantage

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Here it is – my last post in the series of lessons we can apply from Joshua’s encounter with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-10:15). We have covered a lot of ground in the past couple of weeks as we have broken this story of Joshua’s mistake into a total of seven lessons for Christian business owners and leaders. Today we will discuss the seventh, and final, lesson.

mistake

Series Recap

In this story, God had commanded the Israelites to destroy all people groups inside the boundaries of the Promised Land. The Gibeonites disguised themselves as living in a distant land and convinced Joshua and the Israelite leaders to pledge an oath of peace.

Listed below are the lessons we have drawn from this story so far:

1. Don’t relax after a victory; be prepared to face the enemy.

2. The Enemy sometimes comes as roaring lion, sometimes as slithering serpent.

3. The Enemy knows God’s Word (better than you) and will use it to his advantage.

4. Don’t trust your own senses, but slow down and seek God.

5. Don’t repeat the same mistakes twice.

6. Mistakes do not give you right to break your word.

Two Mistake Examples

For our seventh lesson, we need to take a look at two different examples in this story and the circumstances leading up to it. First, let’s look at what Joshua did once he realized his mistake in granting peace to the Gibeonites. We already discussed the fact that he stuck to his oath a kept peace between them. What else did he do?

This is what Joshua did to them: he delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them. On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers—as they are today—for the community and for the Lord’s altar at the place He would choose. – Joshua 9:26-27

Mistake To Advantage #1

Rather than simply give peace to the Gibeonites, he put them to work! He took his mistake and used it to his advantage. His oath kept him from destroying the Gibeonites, but did not prevent him from gaining from their labor. In doing this, the Gibeonites were thrilled to be alive and the Israelites had additional laborers!

Let’s look at a second example of Joshua using a mistake to his advantage.

Looking back at the first battle against Ai (Joshua 7:1-5), you remember that the Israelites were quickly driven back and many were killed. After hearing about the many Israelite victories due to God’s miracles, seeing the Israelites flee in front of them must have had an impact on the people of Ai! I imagine they were rather proud of that moment, wouldn’t you think?

Fast forward to the second attempt to take Ai. Joshua and the Israelites have cleansed their camp of the sin of Achan and they are ready to give it another go. Do you remember what God told Joshua to do in his battle plan?

Mistake To Advantage #2

He set up a fake retreat, causing the people of Ai to think the Israelites were fleeing again! I can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of the soldiers of Ai. They must have been determined to finish the job they had started the last time. They were likely so overconfident due to the first battle that they did not even pause to think it was a ruse.

As a result, the soldiers completely abandoned their city and allowed the Israelites to come in behind them and set it on fire. Then the Israelites had them surrounded and destroyed them.

Again, the first battle was a mistake. They did not intend to go up to Ai and get their tails kicked! However, they were later able to use that mistake to their advantage!

Our Application

Folks, we can do the same thing. As we make decisions in the process of doing business, we will most certainly make mistakes. The only way to avoid making mistakes is not to get into business in the first place – and if God has called us there, we do not have that option!

When we make these mistakes, we need to stop and pray about how we can use it to our advantage. God will show us things we never would have considered if we will simply put Him first in our decision process. Trust Him to do this and He will surprise you!

Have you had the opportunity to turn a mistake into an advantage?

Have you missed an opportunity like this?

What were the results?

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Mistakes Are No Excuse To Break Your Word!

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Have you ever given your word to help someone with a need on a specific day and time, only to be invited later to some incredible event at the same time? Have you ever agreed to sell something at a price BEFORE you found out you had additional costs you had not considered? These situations can come up regularly in life and business. The question is whether making a mistake is a valid excuse for breaking your word.

mistake

Joshua’s Mistake

As we continue our study of the story of the Gibeonite deception, this same issue occurs for Joshua. In fact, it really occurs twice in a very short period of time. Let’s take a look at what happened to him and how we can apply it to our own Christian business leadership.

As we read in Joshua 9:1-10:15, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelites into agreeing to a peace treaty with them. The Gibeonites actually lived within the boundaries of the Promised Land and were therefore sentenced by God to be destroyed by the Israelite army. Because they tricked Joshua into thinking they were from a distant land, they were given the peace treaty they sought. Joshua’s mistake was in not seeking God’s guidance first.

But They Lied!

The problem is that three days later, the Israelites somehow found out that they had been tricked. It became crystal clear that the Gibeonites had lied about where they lived. They even admitted it to the Israelites when confronted about it.

So, if that is the case, what stopped Joshua from ordering the Israelite army to attack the Gibeonite city? Why did Joshua and the other Israelite leaders decide to let them live? Wasn’t it still true that God had ordered them to destroy all people groups inside the Promised Land boundaries?

Sworn Oath

While that was still true, Joshua and the Israelite leaders knew that they were now bound by their oath. Mistake or not – they had sworn an oath, by the Lord, that there would be peace between them and the Gibeonites. These leaders knew a truth that we need to remember and apply in our own businesses.

Mistakes do not give you the right to break your word!

If you continue to read, you will see that the whole community of Israelites grumbled against the leaders for this decision. If left up to the crowd, they would have attacked and claimed that the oath of peace was based on deceit and was therefore invalid.

God’s Perspective

Unfortunately, God does not see it the same way as the Israelite community. Take a look at 2 Samuel 21:1-14 and see what happens many years later when David was king. There had been a famine for three years and David inquired of God as to why.

God answered that it was because King Saul had killed some Gibeonites and violated the oath made by the Israelites. Generations later, God still remembered the oath to the Gibeonites and was holding Israel accountable to that oath!

Joshua Understood God

Fortunately for the Israelites following Joshua, he understood this about God. He knew that his oath was valid, regardless of his mistake and the circumstances leading up to it. As a result he and the Israelite leaders honored their word to the Gibeonites and did not allow the Israelites to attack.

Another Level!

If the story ended here, it would be noteworthy. Instead, Joshua showed us another level of leadership that we can aspire to imitate. At the beginning of Joshua 10, we read that five kings and their armies went to attack the Gibeonites. Quickly, the Gibeonites sent word to Joshua, asking for help based on their treaty!

Surely, the deceptive Gibeonites did not actually expect Joshua to put the lives of his men at risk by coming to their defense against the five armies. Isn’t that asking a little much?

Evidently, Joshua did not see it that way. He immediately gathered the Israelite army to come to their defense. Not only that, but he also had his army march all night in order to catch the other armies by surprise!

God’s Reaction

What did God think of his actions? Well, we read that God reassured Joshua, telling him that He had already handed the other armies over to him. Then, during the actual battle, we read that God threw hailstones on the five armies as they fled! More soldiers died from the hailstones than from the Israelite swords!

If that is not confirmation that Joshua made the right decision, then I do not know what is!

Our Application

Folks, this lesson has direct application in our businesses. Whether we have given our word to a customer, an employee, or even a vendor, we are bound by that word. If we later find out that we made a mistake or were deceived, we are not excused from our word.

The lesson here is that we need to do our best to move slowly when it comes to giving our word to someone. We need to buck the trend in society today that says your word is only good as long as it is convenient for you to keep it. Look at failed marriages, businesses, mortgages, etc. and see that too many people simply see their word to be more a matter of convenience rather than binding.

Higher Standard

As Christian business owners and leaders, we are called to a higher standard. Before you give your word to someone, make sure you have prayed for wisdom and guidance in the decision. Then, once you have given your word, live by it. Keep your word even when you have made a mistake and it causes you loss. Follow Joshua’s example.

Have you experienced something similar to this before?

What was your decision and why did you make it?

What were the results of that decision?

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Do You Repeat The Same Mistakes?

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mistakeOne of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 15:16. The disciples are asking Jesus about a specific parable and what it means. Evidently a little frustrated, Jesus replies, “Are you still so dull?”

While I am probably wrong for laughing at this, I cannot help it. I even hear it in my sleep sometimes!

Why is this funny to me? I hear Him saying it to ME after one of my many mistakes!

Series On Joshua

We are getting close to the end of a series about business lessons we can pull from the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites. If you have not yet read this short story, you need to do so now. It won’t take long! You can find it here – Joshua 9:1 – 10:15.

In this story, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelites into making peace with them. In doing so, the Israelites disobeyed God’s command to destroy all people groups within the Promised Land. In my last post, we discussed that Joshua was so easily deceived because he did not seek God’s counsel, but instead trusted his own senses.

What Is The Connection?

So, you may ask, what is the connection between Joshua’s mistake and my favorite verse in Matthew? Quite simply, Jesus’ reply in Matthew leads us to believe this was not the first time the disciples had asked a question that they should have known the answer to. Evidently, the disciples had repeated this mistake several times, trying Jesus’ patience with them.

Joshua’s Mistake

To connect this verse to Joshua’s situation, we need to go back to Joshua 6. In the beginning of this chapter, Joshua sought God’s counsel on how to attack Jericho. After that victory, the next city to be attacked was Ai. Unfortunately, Joshua did not consult with God about this one. He made his own plans and the Israelites were soundly defeated.

When Joshua finally did seek God’s counsel, he was told about sin among the Israelites that brought on the defeat. Had Joshua sought God before the attack, he would have learned of the sin and been able to address it before the defeat! Joshua should have learned his lesson right there – seek God before a decision.

Joshua Repeats His Mistake!

The problem is that Joshua did not learn his lesson. Instead, he repeats the very same mistake when approached by the Gibeonites. All he had to do was to seek God and he would have learned of the deception. Like the disciples in Matthew 15, and like many of us, Joshua repeated the same mistake and had to face the consequences.

Application To Christian Business

I think the application to Christian business is fairly clear. When it comes to trying to do it all on our own, we are certainly going to make mistakes. That is unavoidable. Even when we KNOW what God wants us to do in a given situation, we will likely fail in the execution at times.

However, we must push to mature to the point where we do not make decisions on our own! We have a God that created the world in which our business operates. He has all business knowledge and is willing to share it with us (James 1:5) if we will only ask!

I encourage you to learn from Joshua’s lesson. Burn it into your mind that God is your CEO and you will not make any significant decisions without consulting Him. Commit to asking Him for wisdom before committing to a decision. He is faithful to guide you.

Have you made this same mistake multiple times before?

Why do you think it is so hard to stop and ask for God’s guidance?

What do you need to do to prevent making this mistake again?

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Do You Trust God Or Your Own Senses?

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God gave us our senses. With the ability to taste, touch, feel, hear, and smell, we are equipped to experience the world in which we live. The problem is that quite often, our senses can fail us. It is because of this fact that we should always look to trust God and His guidance for us. We should do this even when our senses tell us otherwise.

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Trusting Your Senses?

This could not be more true than in the story of the Gibeonites and their deception of Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 9:3-13). Imagine standing there as you see the Gibeonites approach with the look of exhaustion and hunger. Picture their threadbare clothing and patched sandals. Try to think of how they probably smelled.

Now, as children of God, put yourself in Joshua’s shoes when the Gibeonites claim to be from a distant land seeking peace. Knowing God’s law regarding people from outside of the Promised Land, think about your natural response. Every input your senses are feeding to your brain tells you they are telling the truth. Their story matches with the evidence given.

What do you do?

Wrong Decision!

Well, obviously you have read the story. You know that Joshua and the Israelites agree to a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. They believed the evidence. While they did briefly question the Gibeonites on some of it, this was not enough to discern the truth. Instead, the Israelites locked themselves into peace with a people group that God wanted them to destroy.

Trust God In Business?

Can this happen in the business world? Don’t you and I face similar challenges everyday as we attempt to run our businesses as platforms for Christian ministry? I don’t know about you, but this story is very common in my world.

I can only assume you face the same thing. The deceiver could be a potential partner or a candidate for a leadership position in your company. Make the wrong decision here and you will likely pay dearly!

Other pitfalls could include vendors or even customers that appear one way and end up actually being something totally different. If you commit to these with enough resources before you determine the truth, the price can be significant.

What Is The Answer?

So what should we do to avoid these traps? What could Joshua have done differently that would have prevented him from making a treaty with the deceivers?

For the answer to these questions, I am only going to need four words. This is not that complicated, but the reward for following my advice here is huge. Here is the simple answer:

Slow Down. Trust God.

That is it. It really is that simple. It does not require spreadsheets or committee meetings. No focus groups or off-site retreats are necessary!

The Better Choice

Joshua could have simply told the Gibeonites that he needed some time to process their request. He could have said he would meet them back at the same spot the next morning. Then he could have gone into his tent and prayed.

I do not know how long it would have taken for God to speak to his heart about the deception. I really do not think it would have been long at all. But even if it was an extended period of time before he received his answer, wouldn’t it have been worth it?

Determined To Trust God

As I have mentioned here before, I have recently been going through a hiring process for a key member of our leadership team. I cannot convey in this post how critical this decision was to the future of our company. A wrong move here could be devastating.

As a result, and due to my ongoing study of this passage, I have been taking my time and praying more than I ever have for a decision. It took me just over a full month from start to finish to go through this hiring process, but I was determined to trust God to pick this candidate.

I don’t want it to sound like I was interviewing a bunch of deceivers. At the same time, you do have to sort through a lot of fluff and word-smithing to filter through resumes today. It is also difficult to discern the whole truth when talking on the phone, over Skype, and even in person. There were many times that I could have decided to trust my senses for a decision. Instead, I remained determined to trust God for the results.

One More Day

Even on what I thought was the last day of the process, I decided to wait again. My gut wanted to move forward, but I took one more day to pray and trust God to speak to me about the decision. Nothing changed, but the decision was that much clearer the next morning.

Now that I am looking back on the process, I am confident that my goal has been achieved! The new leader starts tomorrow morning and I am truly excited to have him as a part of the team. Only time will tell how good the decision was for both of us, but for right now I believe it will prove fruitful!

Good Advice

Let’s learn from Joshua’s mistake. Let’s apply his lesson to our business decisions. In your own situations, commit to slowing down before making a decision. Trust God to be faithful to give you wisdom and discernment. I promise you will not regret it!

Have you faced this dilemma before? Did you trust God?

How did it turn out for you?

What advice would you give someone else facing a similar question?

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The Bible: Does The Enemy Know It Better Than You?

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How well do you really know the Bible? If tested on your Bible knowledge, do you think you would score in the top percentile, in the middle of the pack, or would you likely be embarrassed at your score? If someone came to you today and asked where he should look in the Bible for instruction on a certain topic, do you think you could point him to the right spot?

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Bible Illiteracy

Unfortunately, too many Christians are not very familiar with the Bible, even though it is THE book upon which we should base our lives, both here and in eternity. While most recognize that this is a real problem, too few are actually willing to do anything about it. This is truly unfortunate – mainly because our enemy does not have the same problem.

This is my fourth post in a series of lessons from one story in the book of Joshua that we can take and apply in Christian business. The story is about the experience Joshua and the Israelites had with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-10:15).

Lessons From Joshua

We have already learned the following lessons from this story:

1. Don’t relax after a victory; be prepared to face the enemy. (Read here)

2. The enemy sometimes comes as roaring lion, sometimes as slithering serpent. (Read here)

Now I want to give you the third lesson we can learn from this story:

The enemy knows the Bible (better than you) and will use it to his advantage.

God’s Commands

Let’s look at how this lesson is illustrated in the story of the Gibeonites and their deception of Joshua and the Israelites. If you read Deuteronomy 7:1-6, you will see that God intended ALL of the nations of the Promised Land to be destroyed. Not a one of them was to be left alive. This is very clear.

However, if you read further in Deuteronomy 20:10-20 (especially v.15), you will notice that God allows for peace with other nations – those OUTSIDE the land that He is giving them as an inheritance.

Joshua knows this Scripture and is fully aware that he and the Israelite army must destroy all of the cities in the Promised Land. He is also aware that he must first offer peace with those outside of this area.

Gibeonites’ Knowledge

What Joshua did not know is that somehow, the Gibeonites also knew of this law. As a result, they used it to their advantage to achieve protection. Had they simply come in peace without a disguise, they knew they would be destroyed. Had they attempted to fight the Israelites, they figured they would end up destroyed like the other cities Joshua’s army had faced. Their only hope was to convince the Israelites that they were from outside of the land of inheritance, and were therefore eligible for peace.

Our Application

How does this apply to us today, as Christians in business?

If you are in business as a Christian, you already know that there are obvious ways to ignore the Bible and make more money. You probably know many ways you could bend a rule here or there and see quick results on the financial statement. You don’t do these things because you know they are wrong and the decisions are clear.

Unfortunately, there are times when the decisions are not so clear, when the enemy sneaks up on us and we are presented with decisions we are not prepared to make. Decisions made when unprepared are rarely the right ones. Too much is left to chance.

Jesus’ Example

When Jesus faced direct temptation in the wilderness, He answered with Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). He was obviously prepared. If He is our model (1 John 2:6), then shouldn’t we be prepared in the same way?

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, we are told to remember God’s commands, teach them to our children, and repeat them wherever we go. These commands are not to leave our hearts or minds. If that is the case, shouldn’t we take more time to learn them?

Our Responsibility

Having a ready word from the Bible can give clarity to an otherwise murky situation. On the other hand, if we are not familiar with Scripture, the enemy can use it against us. He tried this with Jesus, but was unsuccessful because Jesus was prepared. If the enemy were to come at you today in your business with a twist on God’s Word, how would you fare? Would you feel confident in your response?

Determine today that you are going to take action steps to improve in this area. If this is a strength of yours, turn to someone else and encourage them to join you!

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The Enemy: Serpent Or Lion?

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This is my third post in a series of lessons from one story in the book of Joshua that we can take and apply in Christian business. In the first post, I set the stage for the series by briefly summarizing the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites. In the second post, we discussed how we should not relax after a victory. Today, I want to talk specifically about the enemy that Joshua and the Israelites faced and how we can learn from their experience.

enemy

Multiple Enemy Attacks

If you look back at other times during the Israelites’ journey to the Promised land, beginning in Exodus, you will see where the enemy came after them on multiple occasions. In most cases, the Israelites were simply attacked by the enemy in a straightforward way (Exodus 14:5-10; 17:8, Numbers 14:45; 21:33).

However, in the case of the Gibeonites, the Israelites were not attacked head-on. Instead, the enemy came to them in disguise. Instead of lining their armies up against those of the Israelites, the Gibeonites used stealth to execute a “sneak-attack” of sorts. In the end, this was even more effective for them!

Second Lesson

The second lesson we can learn from Joshua’s experience with the Gibeonites is this:

The enemy sometimes comes as roaring lion, sometimes as slithering serpent.

Two Examples

There are many examples in Scripture where the enemy (the devil) attacks the people of God. We can cite examples from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are two specific instances that come to mind that illustrate my point very well.

Likely, you can recall the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, when Satan appeared to them and tricked them into eating from the Tree of Life, an act that God had forbidden.

Later, we see Satan approach God and get permission to attack Job and his family. In this case, Job’s entire family (except for his wife) is killed along with his livestock.

Scripture On The Enemy

In both of these cases, the enemy was intent on opposing God and doing harm to his children. Some people may say that this only happens in the Old Testament, but here are a couple of verses from the New Testament that say otherwise.

In 2 Corinthians 11:3, it says this:

But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.

Later in 1 Peter 5:8, it says the following:

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Sometimes Serpent, Sometimes Lion

I am not sure exactly what you believe about Satan, the devil, the enemy, etc., but I personally believe the Bible is clear that he exists and is opposed to God, and therefore His children (us). Sometimes he will attack us as a lion would, but other times he sneaks up on us like a serpent. This is not only true back then, but is also true today.

Because this is true, we cannot assume it will always be easy to identify the enemy when he comes at us. Unlike Joshua, we need to be prepared for a lion or a serpent!

You Will Be Attacked

In business, this can mean any number of things. As you strive to use your business as a platform for ministry, you must know that the enemy is going to come after you. It is simple fact that your efforts to share God’s love through your business is in direct opposition to the enemy’s efforts to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Knowing this, you must therefore expect attack.

This attack can come in several forms, but it will not always be obvious. When it is obvious, I think it is easier for us to do battle. It may not be any easier, but at least we know what we are dealing with.

On the other hand, like the Gibeonites did to Joshua, the enemy may come to you in disguise. There may not be any recognizable danger. In this case, your only defense is to remain in close relationship to God so that He can steer you through it.

Relationship Is Best Defense

In fact, our best defense against the attack of the enemy is always to remain in close relationship with God. In some cases, He may help you avoid the enemy’s attack. In other cases, like with Job, He will be there to see you through it. Either way, it is safest when you are connected to Him and His wisdom and peace.

Have you seen the enemy as a lion and a serpent in different situations?

How has your relationship with God been a help when attacked?

What action step do you need to take in light of this lesson?