“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us. One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3b “God, is this the way You treat someone who is faithful to You?” I yelled out loud on the top of the wooded hill where no one but God could hear me. “I have waited

“…I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” Zechariah 13:9 My business career has been as an owner of an advertising agency. Over the years,

“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said…. 1 Samuel 13:13 The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 For many people in the world, real meaning in life is the next vacation, career success, or stepping up the income ladder. It is

“So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.’” Exodus 3:3 Have you ever heard someone say, “God doesn’t work that way? He would never do that.” Well, there are times when God chooses to confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience.

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites.”Joshua 1:1-2 A rocket launch

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions; your old men will dream dreams.”Acts 2:17 “I need to meet with you,” said the man from England during a break at a conference overseas. We walked outside

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1a I want to share with you a conversation that happened between a man and his wife. “I have an important business meeting in the morning. Would you

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”John 3:16 “I’d like you to help us develop our marketing program beginning in January,” said the CEO of a sports product company. The consultant was delighted to have the

“Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.” Psalm 15:1-2 “I cannot believe they are not going to honor my bonus agreement,” said the executive who was about to take another

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26 Dwight L. Moody was a poorly educated, unordained, shoe salesman who felt God’s call to preach the gospel. Early one morning he and some friends gathered in a hay field for a season of prayer,

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 “You are called to free workplace believers from the Esau life.” Those were the words spoken to me years ago by someone God sent into my life. I had been in the midst of trying to understand some

“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29 It is dangerous to align your calling and your vocation as dependent on each other. God calls us into relationship with Him. That is our foremost calling. It is from this relationship that our “physical” calling results. Whether that is to be a teacher, a

“Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18). One of the great acts of the prophet Elijah took place at Mount Carmel where he called down fire upon the altar of Baal and slaughtered 400 prophets

“As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father’s family?” 1 Samuel 9:20 Saul and his servant were out seeking his father’s lost donkeys. This was symbolic of

“When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark…” 1 Chronicles 13:9-10 There are good things we can do, but only God-things

“After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.” 2 Samuel 21:14b During the reign of David, there was a famine in the land for three successive years. So David sought the Lord regarding this famine, “Why is there famine on this land?” The Lord answered David, “It is on account of Saul and

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut

…”Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6 God’s people should be the most positive, joyful people on earth. This joy should be a by-product of a healthy, intimate relationship with Jesus. In today’s business climate, we are barraged with every possible means of becoming more productive

“And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.” 1 Chronicles 14:2 King David learned an important lesson every leader must learn if he is to ensure God’s continual blessing. He knew why God blessed him.

“With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.” Judges 6:21 How does God call people into His service? There is a clear

“These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants: The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz.” Genesis 36:15 God is big on giving meaning to names. Names often are specific indicators of God’s plans and purposes for that individual. A young boy grew up as Moses’ servant. His Hebrew name, Hoshea,

“The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.” Exodus 14:8 Overprotective parents do their children a great injustice. The caterpillar that lies inside the cocoon will never become the beautiful butterfly if someone cuts open the cocoon prematurely. It is the struggle

“Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.” Numbers 20:11a Will you fulfill the destiny God has for your life? Perhaps you have never thought about it. God had a perfect plan for Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. It’s been said the

“Then Moses said to him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’” Exodus 33:15 Moses was in the middle of his journey through the wilderness, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. The people had just sinned by worshiping the golden calf. Moses interceded for them

“So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 1 Corinthians 14:15 How real is the spiritual realm? My lawyer friend from Nigeria tells a personal story of how he was

“If My people would but listen to Me…. Psalm 81:13 God has a specific training ground for leaders. There are three patterns of preparation that have been common among most of God’s leaders. First, there is a time when the leader is separated from his old life. Consider Moses, Joseph, Abraham, and Paul. In order

“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Mt 26:38). Often the place of our greatest pain becomes the place of our greatest triumph. Gethsemane was the place of Jesus greatest trial. Three times He asked the Father to let this trial pass. It was not to be. The Father sent His Son to the

“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 A business friend of mine confessed that he did not like to read. He found it a difficult discipline. I replied, “If you do not commit

…”I have become an alien in a foreign land.” Exodus 2:22 God’s preparation of a leader involves training, extended times of waiting, pain, rejection, and isolation. Are you ready to sign up? Moses was brought up in Pharaoh’s court. He had the very best of everything-education, clothing, food, and personal care. But there came a