December 2, 2009
The Lord Calls for a Sacrifice
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. (2) Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." - Gen 22:1-2
Wed December 2nd 2009 – 5:27am
Close to 8 years ago, I was about to enter the most difficult season of my life, thus far. I was just a few months from the impending collapse of the Lord’s Gym. It was a period of great uncertainty, loneliness and tremendous anxiety that was building with each passing day.
On a Sunday morning, during this difficult time in my life, I was attending church service with my wife at Northland Community Church in Longwood, FL. We had been attending for several years. On this particular morning, I remember really enjoying the Worship service and I tried to really enter into God’s presence. Just as the worship part of the service was ending and everyone was beginning to take their seats, a lady in the row behind me, tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned around, she touched me on the shoulder and leaned in to tell me the following words, which I will never forget. “God will be magnified and Glorified through your obedience”. I’m weeping a bit as I write those words and consider how personal of a touch it seemed to be from my heavenly Father. I had never seen this lady before and as the service ended, I turned to try and thank her but she was nowhere to be found. I don’t remember seeing any missing seats in that row and yet she was not there. I have always wondered if she could have been an angel that the Lord sent to give me a word of encouragement at a time that I so desperately needed it.
Today, some 8 years later, I’m wondering if those words, which have stuck with me for so long, were really spoken for this time in my life.
As I consider the possibility that the Lord is asking me to give up and surrender KickstartMySales and KickstartMyDay.com, both of which I have invested thousands of hours of work in, I am slightly more able to identify with the obedience Abraham must have wrestled with, when he was to surrender his son Isaac on the altar.
The Bible says, Faith without works is dead and it also says that Abraham’s obedience in his Faith to God, was accounted to him as righteousness.
For several weeks now I have struggled with surrendering KS and have gone back and forth on what to do. I’m fearful of doing it and I know people will think I’m stupid, if not crazy, but it seems more and more that the Lord might be asking me to surrender it. From a Biblical perspective, they have no real lasting value in his Kingdom…it only makes sense.
KickstartMySales is only about helping people to be self-sufficient at making MORE MONEY. KickstartMyDay is watered down Biblical principles at best and both were largely created to bring me money and honor. I have spent hours considering this matter. I’ve gone back and forth on what to do…get rid of them, give them away for free, shut them down completely, change them into KickstartMyFaith, etc.
As a side note, while I was mentally justifying KickstartMyDay and the fact that many of the principles shared in the videos, come from the Bible, it hit me that I’m unknowingly robbing God of his Glory and essentially passing off his works as mine. If I used original ideas from an author’s book and passed them off as if they were my ideas, that would be IP infringement.
Why isn’t that the case when it’s done to God. How can we believe it’s ok to teach Biblical principles without giving the author “God” the credit for his work? How long will I continue to serve “Watered Down” Christianity?
If my work will in fact be tested by fire, like the Bible says it will, then I’m afraid it won’t pass the test and it will be shown for what it really is.
DEC 17 EMAIL showing that as soon as I finished Brad Minn’s video, the Lord simultaneously asked me to set down my sales training career and business.
From: Michael Chriswell
Sent: Dec 17, 2009 11:35 AM
Subject: RE:
You're welcome buddy! I still haven't put up the new video yet...maybe I'll get that done later today. I'm headed out now to wash up that motorcycle of mine and get it on craigslist.
By the way...the Lord is encouraging me in my efforts to walk away from the old to step into the new.
KickstartMyDay is gone, so is kickstartmysales, and check out what I did with Revelations Training A pastor friend of mine, is so excited.
Have a tremendous day bud!
Michael Chriswell