Tag Archives: searching for answers

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4 Signposts For Business Renewal

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You may not remember how it started, but you know the factors that went into it. Your current perspective on your business or career: Lack of enthusiasm. Feelings of apathy. Loss of distinction. Lack of direction. You need renewal.

renewal

Signs Of Trouble

A customer complaint here. A faulty business design there. Shoddy product quality, unexpected staff conflicts, a bland proposal. All lead to career apathy.

What happens in the business and career arenas also happens in the spiritual realm.

A bad decision here. A wrong choice there. A questionable compromise. A self-serving direction.

It’s like the bumper sticker that reads, “If you feel far from God, guess who moved.” Or Chuck Swindoll’s book, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back.

Need For Renewal

Does your life or career ever feel like that? Mine does. I’m doing great one minute – walking with God, spending time with Him, making good choices. Three steps forward and them bam! Before you can say, “Beam me up Scotty”, I’ve fallen two steps back. Maybe you can relate.

Or in business – new customers, great reviews, positive cash flow, and then it all falls apart. Not just the normal cycle of business, but a real crash. Things just came apart at the seams.

The remedy is all the same. I need renewal. I need a second touch from the Lord Himself.

Example From Scripture

Did you ever wonder why Christ touched the blind man twice in Mark 8:22-26? Was it because He couldn’t do it right the first time? Oh yeah, I’m sure that’s it! This is only the Son of God we’re talking about!

Christ touched him twice to demonstrate that we need a second touch from time to time. And a third, and a fourth, and …. That’s what renewal is all about; reconnecting with God through His Son.

I know I need it, maybe you do, too. But do I just wait for Him to do it or can I do something to bring renewal about?

Perspective: Just like the blind man in Mark 8, I need to first admit I don’t see the world right. I see men as trees walking; that is, men as other than how Christ sees them. I see my business, my career from my limited human perspective instead of God’s lofty perspective.

Seeking: Next we have to seek. God uses Elijah’s life to show us renewal. Elijah was in a three steps forward, two steps back kind of cycle. (Or maybe that’s just life, but it reminds us of our need for renewal.)

Elijah’s Situation

Elijah had been communing with God. His work as a prophet was humming right along. Then in I Kings 18-19 he begins the three forward, two back dance. God had him confront Ahab with his wickedness. Not easy or comfortable, but he did it, one step forward.

Then God had Elijah confront Ahab again, because Ahab wasn’t getting the message. Elijah did it again with boldness, two steps forward.

Elijah then challenges the prophets of Baal, those competitors for the hearts of the people, to a sacrificial BBQ with the winner being able to have access to the entire customer database and declare their God as the one, true god. The preparations commenced and Baals prophets called out, but to no avail.

Elijah just snickered in the corner. Then Elijah called on his God and whoosh, the sacrifice, the altar, even the water was licked up by the flames enabling Elijah to declare God as the God of the universe. Three steps forward! What a great victory!

Elijah Falls Back

But it didn’t last. I’m just like Elijah, and I’ll bet you are too. I may experience God’s presence in a mighty way in church worship, or see prayer answered, or see a decision validated, or see God using me in the lives of others at work. But I don’t last.

Elijah heard the mighty executive, Queen Jezebel, had ordered a contract to have him killed. And what did he do? After confidently confronting Ahab twice, and after defeating the prophets of Baal in the sacrificial dual, did he stand up to Jezebel and say, “Bring ‘em on Jezzie!”?

No, he ran for his life. A few words from a crazed woman in leadership drove Elijah to despair. So he ran; one step back for Elijah.

He hid out in the wild, then in a cave, then in the mountains. Two steps back for Elijah.

Elijah Seeks Renewal

Finally, he began to get his faith back in perspective and started looking for God. Elijah needed renewal. He needed that second touch. He needed a new view of his purpose, his mission, his work.

So Elijah looked for some miraculous word from God in the tornado, and in the earthquake, and in the fire, but God was not there. God finally got Elijah’s attention with a still, small voice. And what did He say to Elijah? God told him how to attain renewal. God’s words to Elijah are His words to us also.

Renewal Signposts

God told Elijah to head down the road to Damascus (the same road to Damascus Saul of Tarsus walked when he experienced his own spiritual renewal) and do four things. These were the signposts God gave to point Elijah down the road to renewal:

  • Remember His faithfulness.- “Go back the way you came.” Reflect on just who this God is you worship and see Him anew in all His strength and majesty. Catch a new glimpse of just Who God is.
  • Reflect on how God had been there in the past. – “Go back the way you came.” Reflect on your journey with God and recall the times He has been there in the past, when He has pulled your bacon out of the fire, when He has blessed your work, inspired your heart.
  • Retreat and spend some time alone with Him. – “Go the desert of Damascus.” Get away from the hustle and bustle of the world to just focus on God; read the Word, pray, sing, and worship. Take a day away from your work, a whole day, to focus just on God.
  • Relate. – “When you get there anoint…” Get back in touch with others who worship the same God, fight the same fight, and are part of the same giant army. Reconnect with those leaders in your business that meant so much to you. Reconnect with those faithful customers that stand by you. Reconnect with other believers in business that can offer encouragement, hope and challenge.

These were Elijah’s signposts to renewal. These are ours also.

Remember, reflect, retreat, and relate. Then you will reconnect with your God and catch a new glimpse of Him and what He is doing in your world, your life, your career.

About the Author:

BILL HIGGINS is currently the Managing Director of MindWare Incorporated, an independent training and career coaching consulting firm. He previously served on the pastoral staff of churches in the U.S. and Canada, and worked in a managerial capacity for industry leading organizations. Bill is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot Theological Seminary and his book, Your Road to Damascus: 6 Biblical Secrets for an Effective Job Search is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and MindWare Publishing websites.

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My Life Purpose Is Multiplying Silhouettes!

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Add Silhouettes

What is your life purpose? What actually motivates you to fulfill that life purpose? When the going gets really tough and you are tempted to give in, what thought do you cling to for the strength to keep pressing forward? While you think about the answers to those questions, I am going to share my answers to those same questions. Maybe my answers will help you think through yours!

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Andy Stanley Book Give Away

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[title color=”orange-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-7em”]Free Book Give Away!!![/title]

Andy Stanley

Another Free Book Give Away?

You read that right! I am offering a free copy of Andy Stanley’s book, When Work and Family Collide: Keeping Your Job from Cheating Your Family!

How Do You Win?

If you scroll down just a bit you will see the Rafflecopter entry form which outlines a bunch of ways to enter the When Work and Family Collide giveaway. Just complete as many as you would like to be entered to win!

Why Am I Doing This?

I started this blog in an effort to spread the message of integrating the Christian faith into our businesses. I want to see more Christian business owners and leaders begin looking at their businesses from an eternal perspective and running them as platforms for Christian ministry.

While I know my posts are written toward this effort, I thought I would try to step it up a notch for 2013. My plan is to give away one book a month for the entire year! All I am asking from you is to follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. As you enter, you will be helping me to spread the word about this blog at the same time. We both win!

This Month’s Book: Andy Stanley’s When Work & Family Collide

Is Your Occupation Also Your Preoccupation?

Let’s face it. With all the demands of the workplace and all the details of a family it’s only a matter of time before one bumps into the other. And many of us end up cheating our families when the commitments of both collide. In this practical book, Andy Stanley will help you…

  • establish priorities and boundaries to protect what you value most.
  • learn the difference between saying your family is your priority and actually making them your priority.
  • discover tested strategies for easing tensions at home and at work.

Enter The Give Away

Follow the instructions below to enter the When Work & Family Collide contest and then spread the word to others! The contest ends at midnight on Friday, May 31st and the winner will be announced on Saturday, June 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Something Really Stinks!

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The more I have committed to teaching or writing material over a period of time, the more I have begun to see lessons in even the smallest of things going on around me. I have found I can learn a lot about life if I will just pay attention! I recently learned a great lesson about how the “little sin” that we often leave unaddressed. It stinks!

stinks

Lessons All Around Us

Have you experienced this? This happens to me a lot. I can be in a conversation with someone about a funny story or something stupid I did and suddenly it hits me! Something one of us has just said strikes a chord inside of me and I get an immediate picture of a life lesson. In some cases, I file it away for later. Today, I felt the need to immediately share it!

Just this afternoon, I was in my office catching up on things with our chaplain. I described to him how I had been on my way out of town last night to watch my son’s last soccer match of the season. I had stopped for a burger and was hurrying to eat it while driving because I was running a little behind.

The Event

As I was taking a bite at a traffic light, I felt something drop onto my lap. As I looked down, I did not see anything on my pants where it hit, but I knew it had come from the burger. I figured it had fallen into that “black hole” between the seat and the center console, but I was not worried about it. I figured I would get to it later. After all, I was in a hurry and I would have had to pull over to dig down and find it.

I kept going and made it to the game with a few minutes to spare. As I got out of my truck, I knew I had better remove the box that once held the burger or else the cab of the truck would really stink later! I put all of the evidence of the burger into the box and placed it into the bed of my truck. I would throw it away after the game.

First Signs Of Trouble

After the game, I returned to my truck to find that removing the box was evidently not enough to prevent the smell. It was bad. Of course, after a few minutes in the truck, my son and I got used to the smell. So we headed home without thinking there may be more to the smell than just the bag. Once on the road (a two hour drive), we forgot about the smell.

I did not give it another thought when we arrived home just before midnight. Even if I had remembered, I am convinced I would not have crawled under the seat to investigate. As it was, I was tired and just wanted to get to bed so that is what I did.

It Still Stinks!

At this point, you are probably thinking that I making this up as I go. Unfortunately, I am not. This is all true. Fortunately, there is a huge amount of learning we can glean from my stupidity! Read on!

When I got into my truck this morning, the odor was terrible. The smell of onion was unmistakeable! So what did I do? I went back inside the house and came up with a brilliant idea.

Masking The Problem?

I remembered an old method I had learned in the past for removing odors from a used car. I put about two cups of fresh coffee grounds into a small plastic container and took it back out to the car with me. The idea is that the coffee grounds smell great AND they absorb odors.

Proud of my ingenuity, I drove to work. I parked my truck and did not return to it until lunch. I was fully expecting to open the door and feel like I was entering the local Starbucks coffee shop. Instead, I was shocked to smell coffee…AND onions! In case you are wondering, these two distinct smells do not go well together.

Final Resolution

Finally, I gave in. I realized that I would have to crawl in behind and under the driver’s seat and try to find whatever it was that had fallen in my lap the night before. It took me a minute or two, but I came out with a piece of an onion that was half the size of a penny! I could not believe something this small had caused so much damage!

Unfortunately, the truck still stinks. It will likely take a few days for all of the smell to go away. Until then, I will have to suffer through the consequences of my delay! Hopefully, I will learn from this!

Lessons Still To Come!

I apologize if you have gotten to the end of this post and you are expecting the lesson. Amazingly, I have run out of room in this post! You will have to wait until my next post to get the points I want to make.

While I am sure you already have a hint of the lesson here, I would encourage you to read back through the post and consider ALL of the points that parallel our experience with a “little sin.” Just like the game on the kids menu at your favorite restaurant, I will challenge you to see how many points you can find in this lesson!

How many points can you make about the lesson we should learn?

Why do we ever let this happen?

What is the best way to prevent it?

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Wisdom Is Not To Be Ignored!

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Personal responsibility is an idea that seems to have been forgotten in our society today. If you listen carefully, you will quite often hear people offer excuses or point fingers at others when something goes wrong in their lives. Even when it is clear to everyone else around them, they cannot seem to make the connection between their decisions and their circumstances. Worse than this, in my opinion, is the way in which many leaders handle wisdom when it is offered to them.

wisdom

Wisdom Ignored

In my last couple of posts, I have been discussing the problems that surface when someone seeks wisdom from godly counselors and then ignores or dismisses the wisdom they are given. We have all seen this happen and have likely been guilty of it ourselves at one point or another in our lives.

For various reasons, we seek out wisdom from godly advisors, but we do not take it and apply it as they prescribe. Maybe we were actually seeking someone to agree with us or to confirm our own wisdom. Maybe the wisdom offered requires more work or discomfort than we are willing to experience. There are many more reasons this could happen.

Various Problems

Regardless of the reasons, ignoring wisdom causes problems. In my first post on this subject, I showed how ignoring wisdom can lead to serious trouble for the one doing the ignoring. The next post described how godly advisors can (and should) stop offering advice to someone who repeatedly ignores it. In today’s post, we will look at how this issue affects those who are following the repeat offender.

Higher Standards

First, lets remind ourselves that as Christian business owners and leaders, we are held to a higher standard. The Bible is clear about this and we have spent a lot of time in this blog discussing this fact. We cannot allow ourselves to forget that we are not only responsible for ourselves. We are not the only ones facing the consequences of our decisions.

We are also responsible for those who work for us and with us. We are responsible for their families as well. We have responsibility for our vendors as well as our customers. Everyone with whom we come into contact is relying on us to make wise decisions in one way or another. Whether we like this or not, this is the path we have chosen.

As a result, when we run into a situation that requires us to seek wisdom from godly advisors, it is likely a decision that carries significant consequences. It is likely a decision that will affect all of those we mentioned above. If we decide to ignore the wisdom we receive for whatever reasons, then we are sentencing others to our same consequences. We are taking them with us!

What Does Scripture Say?

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this…

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
– Proverbs 13:14

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
– Proverbs 10:17

Leading Others Astray

Here you see that when we ignore the teaching of the wise, not only are we headed toward the snares of death, but we are also leading others to that fate as well. These are people that have trusted us to lead them. When we ignore the wisdom in front of us and choose our own path, we take them with us to face the consequences!

Even if we are okay with our own personal consequences of ignoring wisdom, we cannot allow others to be led astray as a result. Either we need to step down from our position of leadership or we need to step up to the responsibilities that come with it!

Pray For Clarity

I would encourage you to pray (as I will) that God would reveal to you situations where you ignored wisdom offered. Pray that He will make those situations clear to you and show you how to avoid them in the future. Pray for Him to give you wisdom, along with discernment to see it in others. Pray for the humility necessary to accept wisdom from others the next time you ask for it.

Have you witnessed disastrous results for those following one ignoring wisdom?

Do you accept the responsibility for leading others according to godly wisdom?

How do you maintain the humility needed to remain open to wisdom offered?

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Do You Love Jesus More Than These?

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As I look back on Easter and the events surrounding the resurrection, I cannot help but also think about Peter’s denial of Jesus. Though he is clearly a leader that we would do well to emulate, Peter really messed up this time – just like we do! In fact, we are constantly faced with opportunities to deny Jesus. I want to look at three different ways we could look at Jesus’ response to Peter and what we can learn from each about how we love Jesus.

love Jesus

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

Just in case you are not familiar with the story, Peter was following at a distance behind Jesus as He was taken to the house of the High Priest the night before He was to be crucified. Three times, Peter is asked about his relationship with Jesus. Three times, Peter denies knowing Jesus.

While there are reams of sermons about Peter’s denial, I want to look at a different part of the story. Fast forward to sometime after the resurrection and Jesus is having breakfast over a fire with Peter and the other disciples. Jesus is focused on Peter and from what we can tell, restoring their relationship.

In John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter a fairly straightforward question:

Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

Straightforward Question?

While this appears like a straightforward question, there may be more to it than we think. Clearly, Jesus is giving Peter a chance to admit his love for Jesus. That is not hard to figure out. In fact, Jesus gives Peter this chance three times – the same number of times that Peter denied knowing Jesus.

There are many lessons we can pull from this part of the story as well. Still, I want to focus elsewhere. Instead, I want to focus on the last three words of Jesus in the question above. I want us to look at what Jesus meant by asking if Peter loved Him “more than these?”

More Than These?

What did Jesus mean when He added these three words to the end of His question? He did not include these words as He asked the question two more times. Was it a mistake? Of course not! Can we know for sure exactly what He meant? Maybe not.

But if we really think about the possible meanings Jesus intended, I think there are at least three solid lessons we can learn. As Christian business owners and leaders, we can take these three words and gain some insights into some potential pitfalls we may face regarding the way we love Jesus.

Let’s take a look at the first of these potential pitfalls today. We will cover the other two in my next two posts.

More Than You Love These Disciples?

In order to get an idea of one question Jesus could have been asking of Peter, let’s modify His question slightly.

Do you love me more than you love these disciples?

IF this indeed is what Jesus was asking Peter, what are the implications? What would this mean to us in the business world? What can we do about it?

Well, if this was truly what Jesus meant when He asked Peter the question, then the implication is that Peter had the potential to put his relationship with one or more of the disciples ahead of his relationship with Jesus. Maybe Peter had indicated this with some of his behavior at some point and Jesus was calling him out on it.

How Do We Love Jesus?

I am not sure about this problem with Peter, but I am confident it is a problem for you and me! I think we make decisions every day that place our love for and relationship with others ahead of Jesus.

Take a moment and think about it. Have you made decisions to bend the rules a little in your business or job because it would benefit you and your relationship with others? Maybe the “others” were your wife or children or even other employees or coworkers. Have you ever made these kinds of decisions even though you knew it was not exactly what you “should” do?

Have you ever chosen, or even allowed yourself, to spend time with someone else instead of keeping your commitment to time with Jesus? Maybe it is simpler to ask it this way. Do your relationships with others come between you and Jesus?

I Am Guilty!

If you are anything like me, you have to answer “yes” to some or all of these questions. If you are like me, it is also true that these decisions seem to slip under your radar. There is not always a sharp nudge from your conscience when this happens.

I guess this is because we tend to put our sins on a scale, assigning differing values to each. Some sins (especially when we see it in others!) are considered more dangerous. Some (those we detect in our own lives!) are less serious. Because no one is visibly hurt when we choose another relationship over Jesus, I guess we just tend to minimize this.

Love Jesus First!

Unfortunately, I do not think Jesus sees it this way. A quick glance at a couple of Scriptures confirms this (Luke 14:26, Matthew 8:18-22, Revelation 2:4). Quite simply, Jesus expects to be our first love. We are to put all other relationships aside when it comes to Him. He gave it all for us and expects us to fully commit to Him.

I encourage you to search your heart (and your business) to find what relationships you are putting ahead of Jesus. Pray for Him to show you where He should be first. Be open to hear and willing to change. I promise, He will answer you.

Do you see any relationships in your life that come between you and Jesus?

Do you love others more than you love Jesus?

Are you praying for clarity in this situation?

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An Interview With David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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David GreenWhen I started this blog, I had several purposes in mind. They are listed in more detail below. As I look back at these purposes, I think think I have stayed true to them over the past 14+ months. Yet there are times when I run across a resource that does a much better job of communicating these purposes than I can. One of these resources is an article about David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby.

David Green Article

For today’s post, I am going to do something I have not done before. I am simply going to refer you to that article. If I thought I could do a better job communicating this idea of Christian business better than David Green of Hobby Lobby, then I would try. Since I cannot, I will just allow you to read it directly from him.

I encourage you to read the whole article, though it is longer than my normal posts. Even if you have to save it for later, I promise you it is worth the time and effort.

I hope you enjoy the article!

Article: A Candid Interview With David Green

Hobby Lobby Statement of Purpose: HobbyLobby.com

The Christian Faith At Work blog has several purposes…

  • Enlighten – I am writing this to open the eyes of Christian business owners and leaders everywhere to the fact that we are called to more than just Sunday Christianity. We are called to be disciples of His the rest of the week as well.
  • Educate – I am writing this to share what I have learned over the years and what I continue to learn going forward. I want to share resources that I have found to be helpful. I want come alongside others and learn with them as well.
  • Encourage – I am writing this to encourage others that have chosen a similar path to mine. Whether through relating my successes or failures, I hope other disciples of Jesus will draw strength, encouragement, hope, and wisdom from the content here.
  • Enlist – My hope is that, as a result of reading this blog (and more importantly listening to God), others will decide to take the same path. I believe this is my part in going and making disciples!
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Wise Counsel In Unexpected Places

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When I set out to create this blog over a year ago, I really had no idea what would come of it. I knew something in me wanted to do it and I felt God leading me in that direction, but my expectations were very low. I just did not know what was in store for me. Now, roughly 14 months later, I can say that the benefits have been overwhelming. Today, I want to discuss one of the most unexpected – wise counsel.

wise counsel

Unexpected Benefit!

See, when I started the blog, I had the distinct feeling that God would use it to teach others about integrating their Christian faith into their work. What I did not expect was that He would also use it to introduce me to wise counsel from many other Christian business owners and leaders!

Isn’t it funny how God turns things on us? We know that Scripture says that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but we often forget how that plays out in our lives. Well, I can say that I have been the recipient of more FROM this blog and those I have met because of it than I have ever given TO it.

Wise Counsel Examples

I have had the fortune to meet a man in Chandigarh, India that has taught me a lot about doing intentional ministry with whatever tools you have at your disposal. He has taught me about joy in tough circumstances and praising God in trials.

I have had the opportunity to get to know a couple of other bloggers like Tom Tarver, Kari Scare, Michael Nichols, and Loren Pinilis. Each of these has taught me something different, but all have been valuable.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting several Christian business owners and leaders in person. In fact, over the past couple of weeks, I have spent an hour or two with three different individuals that have each taught me something. Two of these guys were complete strangers to me a couple of months ago!

Just this afternoon I had the privilege of talking with another CEO about similar struggles we are having. He called me for some input on an idea he had, but I was also able to learn a valuable idea from him during the conversation. His wise counsel is something I cannot find just anywhere.

Wise Counsel In Scripture

The Bible speaks a lot about wise counsel. Take a look at the following verses:

    Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance. – Proverbs 11:14
    A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise. – Proverbs 12:15
    Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. – Proverbs 15:22
    Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life. – Proverbs 19:20

Different Opportunity?

Folks, I have obviously been blessed by God to have access to all of the wise counsel that I have mentioned above – and these are only the connections that have come as a result of this blog. I have other sources that are just as valuable.

The problem is that not everyone reading this blog right now feels they have the same opportunity for this amount of wise counsel as I do. Well, I have news for you.

You are wrong!

Pray For Wise Counsel

Listen to me before you puff up! I agree that not everyone has a blog that creates these opportunities. However, I did not have this source for wise counsel just over a year ago. It has only just recently become a source for me.

Even then, I had wise counsel available to me. I had it because I saw value in it and was committed to praying for it. That’s right, I have been praying daily for wisdom for years (as long as I can remember) and God promises that He will answer that prayer. He has been faithful to that promise for me.

    Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.
    – James 1:5

Expect Results!

In fact, I believe that one of the reasons God led me to start this blog was that He knew it would be another avenue He could use to provide me with wise counsel – an answer to my prayer for wisdom!

If you are sincere about wanting wise counsel (which will lead to wisdom – if you pay attention!), then all you need to do is start praying for it. Pray earnestly and consistently, with faith, and it will come.

While you are praying, start looking for it expectantly in the unexpected places. You will likely be as surprised as I have at the results!

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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.

trust God

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?