10 Questions That Determine Success...

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,  so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear - Philippians 1:9-15, 

Paul, Jesus Bondservant

I stole the idea (not so much the content) from an article I saw in INC Magazine online...The idea was simply 10 questions that can determine success. So, for the follower of Jesus here are 10 questions you might consider. I am sure there are many others. Hopefully these are a good starting point for your everyday walk with God and your success in this life!

1. Have I started my day today at the Love's source, Jesus Christ-Worship-Study-Prayer-Meditation?

2. Have I expressed the overflow of His love for me to others around me?

3. With Love as a guide, have I determined how I could better the world around me, even if it is some small thing?

4. Am I taking care of my body so I can express my best to the world around me?

5. Am I bathed in an attitude of gratitude (It will determine how I approach adventures, challenges and people)

6. Do I maintain a continual conversation with Jesus throughout the day? (It will determine how I act in private. This is where all my life plans are formed as well as in public where I act them out).

7. Have I thoughtfully approached conversations with others to strengthen and encourage them and provide God the greatest opportunity to work in and through them?

8. As I review in midday, is it clear I am accomplishing God honoring tasks?

9. Not "have I" but whom have I lifted and helped today that is less fortunate than I?

10. What are the stories and exploits I have started, attempted and/or accomplished today; write them down?

BONUS: Was this a "God-sized" day today or what!??!

Here's the thing.  The questions you ask yourself on a daily basis determine your focus, and your focus determines your effectiveness. Do you want to be passionate? Do you want to find your passion? Be fulfilled? Then plug in each day early to your Heavenly Father...Heaven itself, with all its power and lack of limitations will flow in and through you!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
  ~J~

God: Did I Not Make Myself Clear?

Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.  Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.  And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,  then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. - I Samuel 13:7b-13

Samuel Anointing Saul

In order for this teaching to have a clear foundation there are some things you need to know. First, the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel and it had now been quite some time. The backdrop is a war is about to start. Saul, now 30 years old is leading Israel into battle against the dreaded Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at a place called Micmash to come against the Jews. A major key to understand is that Jehovah (God) was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel had previously instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash. He told Saul that he would follow in seven days. Once Samuel arrived, as was God's requirement, he, Samuel, would then present a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel to God.


But, as with all great leaders, Saul was beginning to feel the pinch of leadership. The real pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel began to freak out. With such a huge enemy within eyesight, seeing how big and angry they were, the Jews began to scatter throughout the countryside. 
It didn't help that Saul was also afraid. 


To make things worse for Saul, Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. With no more personal strength, fearing the worst, an impending attack, Saul decided he would offer the burnt offering. And, as is the custom of all good tales of victory and defeat, Samuel shows up after he had done this.


..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command -1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation that God had provided previous instruction, we demonstrate the power of fear in our lives. 

Saul's Disobedience - He was NO Priest!

We've all heard it said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." But, is that really true?
Jesus came so that the balance of personal leadership and godly direction would be restored to our lives. You and I can know direction, just as it had been given to Saul. We can know what we are to do. Often we do not seek God's guidance. If that's the case then we make life a crap shoot. 

Samuel Upbraiding Saul

However, often we know how God wishes us to react and respond. We know what results our leadership should create and moreover what atmosphere within our workspace, school, church or other sphere of influence. 


I will give you a hint. What does the Bible say about God, Jesus, love and fear? 


HIS love for you and I cast's out fear. If your leading, decisions, options and actions are fear driven then you have left the great Leader behind as you are attempting to navigate this life. Don't control what God has not given you rule over. Do obey and follow, often patiently for God's timing and command.


Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others? This is a sign of "leadership by fear." How about this, can you, as a leader,  allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't like or that isn't perfect? Are you fearful of failure? Don't be! These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. 
Such a season I've been going through. It drives me crazy. But God is prepping my heart for leadership roles where knowing His direction and waiting on Him is essential. It is the big payoff! 


So, for both you and I lets Pray that God will allow us both to walk in the freedom of trusting in hearing Him, trust Him and trusting that God is also working in and on those around us. 
I remain...

InHISgrip,
   ~J~

Oh That God - His Creation Cracks Me Up!

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. - Proverbs 15:13

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast!" - Proverbs 15:15

I love reading about dumb or outdated laws. They crack me up. Now, I am sure, at one time many of these dealt with dead serious issues but not today. Maybe I find them so hilarious because they are supposed to be so serious. Being built to be as somber as a funeral might be why I find some of them downright hilarious.

Some examples?

A San Francisco ordinance forbids the reuse of confetti. (This will make my son Chuck glad beyond words - Or, at least he would want them cleansed with sanitizer!)

In Danville, Pennsylvania, "fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires." I'd love to be the prophet they hire for that task! In Seattle, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon of more than six feet in length. There goes my Alaska Pipeline sized bazooka - I'll just have to leave it at home, in the closet!

An Oklahoma law states that a driver of "any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in death shall immediately stop . . . and give his name and address to the person struck."

So He Can Handle You!

A piece of noise-abatement legislation was passed in the village of Lakefield, Ontario, which permits birds to sing for thirty minutes during the day and fifteen minutes at night.

But the humor does not stop with our local governments.

Preachers can be an incredibly funny lot as well. And when I study the sermons and read about the lives and lifestyles of the pulpiteers of yesteryear, I confess I often laugh my proverbial tush off! Many of them---deep down---were wild 'n crazy guys! Eh, Gary Johnson?

One pastor, (this is a true story but not Gary Johnson) as he was readying for his message one Sunday morning, noted a man coming early into the sanctuary. As the man drew near to the front the minister noted this man only had one good leg. The man carried a short stool with him. He came down the middle aisle, sat front and center in the very front row, sat down and placed his partial appendage on the stool. During the message, the pastor was really "going to town." He was fired up! He was preaching the joys of commitment and sacrifice in the Christian life. At one point as he concluded he looks up and across his audience, raises his right arm to heaven, makes a fist and says, "Even our Lord had no stool to place his stump!" There was dead silence - turned red as a beet and watched as a whole congregation (including his one-legged visitor) bust out in gut-wrenching laughter.

Such humor is not making jokes out of life; it's recognizing the ones that life just happen to embrace.

Now, you don't have to start reading the comics or watch all (or some even) of those mindless sitcoms. Honestly, most of them aren't even mildly amusing; they are mindlessly crass however. You don't need to start telling silly jokes to each other; although a few are okay. all of the aforementioned comedic methods are external, superficial, and shallow. I'm suggesting depth of joy that is far more significant. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, revealing life through us we can fertilize the garden of our very own lighter heart so that it grows into "joyful!" The way to do that is to have a confidence in the living God, the loving Creator, the sovereign Lord. He was the one that gave us humor and who smiles every time we enjoy His gifts, His creation, His personal invasion into our daily lives.

Christian pastor and writer Elton Trueblood said it like this: "The Christian is joyful, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate. . . . The humor of the Christian is not a way of denying the tears, but rather a way of affirming something which is deeper than tears." It's true JOY COMES IN THE MORNING and our morning began when Jesus invaded our individual lives!

Yes, a few things in life are absolutely tragic, no question about it. Today I suggest though that first among them is a joyless Christian. Don't be that guy or gal. A truly cheerful face comes from a joyful heart, not from a lack of concern for life's tragedies.

Join me, find a mirror, look into it and show all 7 of your pearly white teeth (or more if you have them...store bought or otherwise) and have the courage of your joyful spirit!

I remain…


InHISgrip,
   ~J~

If I Had Known I'd Be Alive! - That Ol' Bible

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

I have always been a reader. I truly enjoyed it as a child. Today, as an adult I can't imagine electing not to read.

The world changes quickly. Innovation and the joining of technologies happens daily. Yet I often hear from business associates how much they dislike reading. I also hear it and even more often from Christians and even those who are in positions of leadership.

True pillars of the faith exist who do not have a habit, a discipline, of reading the Bible. You might be one of those. One such Christian friend and business associate told me that he found it a difficult discipline to master. My response was, "Jim, if you do not get into the Bible; if you do not read from it and yes, do it daily, you cannot know how it is that God will speak into and provide guidance to your life specifically."

My worldview, no, LIFEview on the subject of the Holy Bible has less to do with issues like infallibility and inerrancy and much more on the premise that its constant and continual message is this, God's written Word, as provided in the Bible, is life to our souls. It provides knowledge that leads to life."

The prophet Hosea tells us, My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as My priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. - Hosea 4:6. God has given us His Word that has specific foundational principles. You can't know them unless you read about them. Understanding God's heart, His desire for mankind, the fulness of the message of Jesus Christ must be understood if we expect our Heavenly Father's personal, intimate blessing.

King David forgot to follow what we perceive as a law. But something more than God saying, "I said so!" was at work when God instructed David to allow no one to touch the Ark of the Covenant. "...But they must not touch the holy things or they will die..." - Numbers 4:15.

You might recall the story. When they were transporting the ark, one of the men, Uzzah, seemingly in an innocent manner reached to steady the ark but was immediately stricken dead when his hands touched the ark of God.

This has led to speculation. Did David know this law or did he simply forget? Well, the answer was that David knew it because God had told David directly. Had David failed to instruct Uzzah about this command and thus not take care of one who was put under Davids' care? If Uzzah was aware did he really believe it was a specific instruction from God?

Regardless of the implications we know that David thought it was okay to carry the ark the way Uzzah did. And, because of David's lack of truly "hearing" God a man lost his life for his presumption.

Too many of us take the Bible lightly.

We believe we can violate His Word without consequence. Or, perhaps that its directive instruction is not true or relevant to us or to the time in which we live. But the Bible itself says that the Lord stands by (He is at the ready) to uphold His Word.

The Bible can be life, or it can bring death. When God provides instructions, we need to follow them. The Word of God leads to the personal instruction and direction of God for each of us. Knowing this about God brings reverence for our Heavenly Father. David was afraid of God that day and asked, 'How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?' - 1 Chronicles 13:12

We must all have a fearful respect when, like David, God speaks to us to speak through us. For truly, it is life or death.

Do you take God's Word seriously? Is it life or death for you? Does it even register in your heart to devour it daily and discover how the Holy Spirit will use it to revolutionize your life? Do you feed upon His Word daily so that you might know Him and know His instruction and intimate communication to you?

It is my prayer that you understand God's written word as given in the Bible and that it does what it says it will do…give you abundant life in your daily walk…

 I remain...
 InHISgrip,
    ~J~

Built To Be A Blesser

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:24-25

God doesn't need your money. If you have lived in and around church enough of your life you have heard this. But if something, so near and dear to our lives and that takes up so much of our thinking and effort isn't consecrated to Him then what have we learned about how much God cares about us?

Like everything else in the Kingdom of God and associated with this earth, the purpose of money is not as straight forward as we might think. We are provided means to live, to trade, to earn and save as a way of serving others.

In our society God purposed that money should be a means to bless and be blessed by others. It is a way to show love, empathy and caring inside the Body of Christ and to the world. But, it is easy to be insensitive in this area. When we are in a season of lack we withhold money that God has designated for someone else.

Why? We argue that we can't give. Of course, then we have the story of the widows' mite (penny) and yet we reason it away.

No, God wants to bless through us, but His desire cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient. Or, to put another way, we can shut off His blessing by a lack of hearing His instructions to us.

This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him. Our Heavenly Father, HIS Heavenly Father had already planned to provide for that man through his boss, the owner. The owner's hesitantly nearly cost him a divine opportunity to be an instrument of God's blessing in the employee's life.

My point? Hearing from God and obeying, is a daily event.

How many people do we let down because we feel the "harvest" God provides is all ours? Or, is it possible that there is a lack in the Body of Christ because we are insensitive to the instruction of the Holy Spirit?

Jesus said that we needed the Holy Spirit to come and that in His coming we would be provided Comfort…Can you see how the leading of God's Spirit provides for you and I and provides entry into God's purpose for, not just our intellectual and spiritual life but for our daily living?

And, just a quick thought on Spiritual Succession. Are we teaching the generations to come to be givers? If not, can we truly say we are following the commission given to us to raise up disciples? Heck, for no other reason than someday you will be old and feeble…TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GENEROSITY!

In the USA the pressure is always to get more; to have more. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God's vessels of financial blessing to others; we will be insensitive to His spiritual leading.

We need open hearts, minds and an adventurers expectation when it comes to just how God will work in your life. We should expect big and unusual experiences. They should be the kind that seem impossible. "But God!" should be the bywords of our daily lives.

Our hands as well as our hearts and minds should be open; open to give and receive. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.

I remain…

InHISgrip, ~J~

Oh God…You're Late!

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. - Habakkuk 2:3 God has a storehouse of blessings that He has reserved for you and me. Part of growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father is for you and I to daily better understand HIS timing for events in our lives. We cannot accept as a gift what we do not know exists. Believe it that God has a specific timetable for us. Without knowing His direction for our lives that timetable can be excruciatingly slow and emotionally painful. If you've been churched all your life you might be familiar with the Old Testament figure Joseph. He was the one that had the coat of many colors. He was also given dreams from God (Which ended up being the blueprint for his life). But much was to happen to Joseph before he would take hold of the wonders of God's promises to him. He remained a slave in Egypt and was then placed in prison after being wrongfully accused. That would seem cruel and uncaring of God. While in his distresses Joseph was given opportunities and saved lives. He did those faithfully. Yet he still didn't receive these huge blessings. Why? Because an early release would have disrupted God's perfect plan. God takes time to develop character before anything else. God could not afford to have a prideful 30-year-old managing the resources of an entire region of the world. But, more than that (and Joseph seemed to understand this) he had not sought God about the timing and didn't receive it. Not so much in his life, but in the lives of other Old Testament patriarchs we find God's blessing delayed because they refused to fellowship with Him. Moses was such a case. We have a saying that is quite biblical. God is good all the time! It's true. It's true even when it doesn't appear to be true. Just know that the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him! (Isaiah 30:18) If you are awaiting the fulfillment of a vision in your life, you can ask the Lord for His grace to sustain you. But before you do that, close in the gap between you and God. Walk daily in a way that allows you the chance to learn just how deep, wide and bountiful His goodness is to His children; those who "hear His voice." I remain... InHISgrip, ~J~

And The Crown Is Past or Will You Wear It Proudly?

The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors even to David. - 1 Samuel 28:17b

I woke up this morning feeling as though something my heart longed for was missing. I soon realized it was found in my work; I'm simply not being compensated for my work. I'm patted on the back. I'm given oral accolades but no dinero!

It has affected so much of my life. I should say, I've allowed it to affect so much of my life. It has even created perceived affects that make me question my relationships with the people who profess to love me.

I have come to believe our work, the pattern of our life, including relationships, the Body of Christ with whom we worship, the people God puts in our path, they are all a part of our personal calling.Within our calling is the anointing of God on our life. You might feel more comfortable with your life purpose. It is with our calling where we wear our crown.

When God anoints a person, a pattern of trials and circumstances appears to take place at specific times in their life. God often takes each of us through what I identify as four test forms. He does so to determine how (not if) we will walk out His call throughout our life. Our response to these forms of testing provide a sort of set of gates through which we can advance to the next level of responsibility in God's Kingdom and our relationship with Him. The farther along we get, the deeper the relationship to Him. The more He shines through us and the more we resemble Him.

I am not sure if they are ordered just this way. I can imagine they are not. However, my experience, and my reading on the subject of God's will both biblically and extra-biblically point to these four being present for each one of us who names Jesus Christ as Lord.

Here they are:

Self-Control/God-Control - In the scripture above the one being spoken to is King Saul. He spent most of his time as king trying to prevent others from getting what he had. Saul never reached a place with God in which he was a grateful recipient of God's goodness to him either for the unique relationship he had with God or what God had blessed him with in the natural.

Saul did not live with an abundance mentality.

This might have been because he did not live in a time where this was a popular notion. He embraced the grasping, selfish, "survival of the fittest" attitude. By the way, historically, it has not often been the case in any time where a people felt they were a part of abundance either spiritually or physically. However, Saul was a religious as well as secular controller. This control led to disobedience and ultimately being rejected by God because Saul no longer was a vessel God could use.

Bitterness - Every major character in the Bible was deeply hurt by others that were close to them. Jesus was hurt deeply when Judas, a trusted follower, betrayed Him. Perhaps more hurtful was the way his own family and Peter treated Him however. In the case of Judas, despite knowing this was going to happen, Jesus responded by washing Judas' feet. Every anointed leader will have a Judas experience at one time or another. God watches us to see how we will respond to this test. Will we take up an offense? Will we become jaded toward others? Will a severe hurt drive us to a place where love, caring, concern and the ability to love inspire of heartache plague our lives? Will we retaliate? It is one of the most difficult tests to pass. You will be required, most likely more than once to see yourself beyond your emotional heartache in order to fulfill God's greatest joy and purpose in your life.

Power - Power, and more precisely the lording over through its use, is the opposite of the general call on every Jesus believers life. That call is to servanthood. Jesus had all authority in Heaven and earth, so satan tempted Jesus at the top of the mountain to use this authority, this power, to remove Himself from a difficult circumstance. How will we use the position, influence and a superior advantage(s) that God has entrusted to us? Do we seek to gain more? There is a common phrase in the investment community, "He who has the gold rules." The Kingdom of God, the place where all gold is created and from where it is distributed has a different phrase, "Whomever amongst you that would be first must in fact become servant of all!, With Love & In Truth, Jesus.

He was the ultimate servant leader. Follow that which is contrary to all fundamental leadership training and follow His lead.

Covetousness - Covetousness, greed, is a toughie. The "Big Bucks" naturally has great influence. This influence can be for great good but more often than not with a little comes the pursuit of more and more of it and then its very pursuit erodes a mans moral fiber.

When money is a major or just as often, the primary, focus in our life, it becomes a tool of destruction. It takes the place of relationships. It removes us from spending time in the pursuit of the love and serving of others. When it is a fruit of our labor, it can become a great blessing to both self and others. Many of God's kids started out well - only to be derailed once wealth or frankly any form of affluence (knowledge, social status, things, etc.) became a primary portion of their life. What history has shown us is that there are millions that flourish spiritually in terrible trials; only a few can thrive spiritually with the grasp of wealth.

As the called of God, you and I must be aware when the negative pressure of these four (4) things are present in our life situations. You can be confident that each one of these conditions will present itself as God calls you for His purposes.

Will your love of God and trust in the principles of His kingdom overcome your natural tendencies? Start at the beginning. Ask our Heavenly Father for a double dose of His grace today to walk in light; triumphing over the darkness of things that crave to naturally possess us.

I remain...

InHISgrip,

~J~