July 11, 14, 2011
God’s Guidance About My Work Life and Ministry
July 11th 2011
Father, I love you so much and thank you so much for the relationship that you and I have. Lord, I need your direction on finding a church and finding some work. I know that you have me in school, and that you have asked me to be still for a long time, now, but I am sensing that the time is near for me to find some kind of work. I trust you Lord, please guide me Holy Spirit and help me get this right. I know that you have my best interests at hand and I don’t want to do anything that will interfere with the work you are doing in my life.
I’m wondering about the talk I had with Eddy the other day and the whole story telling business stuff. I’m not sure if you want me to do that or not. All I really want to do is begin to tell people about you and how they can have a tremendous relationship with you, and I’d like to do that with writing and speaking and video, but Lord, I’m not sure how I can do that and make money. Please give me some solid guidance on this Lord.
My mind is flooded with the video message idea Lord. I really want to make those video messages and I wonder if people would buy them. Can you please confirm for me, if this is the direction Lord. Thank you so much...I love you!
July 14, 2011
Today, I woke up feeling like absolute garbage. My sinuses are not well…I have blurred vision and pressure. I feel quiet and not wanting to do anything…typical bad sinus day.
I tried to read the word and really couldn’t concentrate at all. As I laid down, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me with my sinuses.
I decided to finish listening to the last of “Pursuing God” by A.W. Tozer. I was on the last chapter. Incredibly, it was on the subject of the Spiritual vs. the Secular. He goes into detail about how many Christians get caught in the dreadful gap between wanting to rid themselves of the world and its nonsense , so that they can have more time for God and needing to LIVE in the world, ie..work, eat, chores, systems, etc. This has my attention, because I have straddled that fence for years and I even just talked about it in my story video.
I sense that the Lord may be wanting to get my attention on this matter. I have a tendency to go extreme on whatever I do. I have felt myself thinking that the Lord is pulling me out of the marketplace completely and having me do his work full time and yet I have heard myself then say… “Well, Lord, everyone can’t just quit their jobs and run completely from the world.” In other words, I’ve always known that I could quickly go to an extreme on something the Lord was trying to teach me.
I believe the Lord has allowed me to lose everything because I told him I loved Him and wanted him to have his way with me. I believe he knows my motives were wrong and that’s exactly what Tozer talks about. He says the work we do is not wrong or evil, it’s the motive behind what we do that makes it evil.
He explained that not every activity is as valuable as the next, but that they can all be made Holy or set apart for the Lord. He uses the example of Paul making tents, vs him preaching the Gospel. Making tents is certainly not as valuable of an activity as bringing people into the kingdom of God, but it can be made Holy, as Paul instructs us, “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
The overall sense I’m getting is that the Lord doesn’t want me to think of work as wrong or something that I should run from, but rather work is necessary and a means to an end. And if my motives are pure, it can be made Holy and useful to bring God glory.
Again, the problem of work being when people’s motives are wrong and they use work for the wrong reasons, to get rich, to gain glory, to gain power, to run from their family, etc.
I think it is possible that I am struggling with this so much because my primary work for so long, was in this area of sales training and motivation. I do not believe that either of those are bad, in and of themselves, but they are a very slippery slope. Sales training, teaches people to be hungry for money and to seek money with all their efforts. That is a grievous evil, we know from scripture, and it causes all kinds of problems. Motivational and self-improvement teaching are more like a religion in and of themselves too…You are your own master, you choose and determine your results and the goal is ALWAYS more…how much more is enough? Just a little bit more.
That type of training takes people closer and closer to SELF and farther and farther away from God. So is there any kind of sales job that is acceptable to God. I mean Paul had to SELL his tents. It’s a very slippery slope but I suspect that there are those that keep their hands clean and hearts pure. I suppose a teller at a bank has just as much temptation to take a little something for themself as the salesperson does, to fudge on their presentation or manipulate to make the sale. Again, I think that sales in and of itself appears NOT to be the problem, but rather the motivation and purity of the heart.
This idea certainly shows a need for people to be taught this in sales.
To me this matter is pretty clear and especially after the Lord, showed me Mark 2:22, which incidentally I just saw last night and was like “What’s that for Lord…I already know that!” Hmmmm…did the Lord know I would be thinking about this very subject the next day?
So, I became excited about the idea that work can be made Holy, regardless of what it is, assuming it does not violate God’s principles.
Work was originally part of the curse that man received from God as a result of the fall. Woman received increased pain in childbearing and that has not stopped, just because Jesus showed up, so why would work, and toiling the soil, for man? It wouldn’t.
Work creates dignity, provision for self and family and resources to be shared with others, if God so blesses the work of a man’s hands.
Assuming a man does not choose a field of work that violates his conscience, he can create Glory for God, by working as unto the Lord and not man. An example, of how my work could be made holy, would be as I say sentence prayers of thanksgiving and requests to God, throughout my day and projects, and regularly tell people about His truth.
So, I sense that the Lord has opened my eyes to this today, and that he is preventing me from running towards Ministry as the ONLY option for my time and life. The Lord still wants me to work. The bible says that if a man does not work, he should not eat. A man that does not provide for his family, is worse than a non-believer.
So, now the question I have is what should my work be? What kind of work would help me provide and yet leave me enough time to do MINISTRY, just like Paul did, when not making tents?
It makes sense to use the talents that the Lord gave me and since we live in a country where there are many options, the doors of choice are open.
Should I possibly create a VERY Christian sales training program, that removes all the slimy tactics and focuses on helping people like you and trust you, putting service before money, having integrity, not chasing money, but rather doing your best and trusting God with the results?
This would be a very tight niche, but it would be a great opportunity to encourage and train the body of Christ in those areas. It would be like ministry and work.
Should I maybe stick with the Story telling business and write an e-book and do seminars on that subject. The thing about Story is that it could even be taught to salespeople as a way of “selling” their product without manipulation.
Or, should I stay right where I am at, work on small video projects and jobs like Dr. Greg, so that I can get my books done and have speaking and writing become my career, similar to Donald Miller?
Or should I contact Larry Crab to see what opportunities might be available to work alongside of him?
Lord, I suspect that the kind of “plow” I put my hand to, might not be super important to you, but since my gift is so close to my desire to minister, I pray that you speak clearly to me about this Lord. I am listening with all my heart. Please direct your servant’s steps, like you are so faithful to do. I love you Lord…thank you so much!
Sunday July 17th 2011
After just praying about the work thing on Thursday, Greg Millar and I go to lunch on Friday and he firms up that he wants me to do his video work, starting on Wednesday and he has $2k waiting for me to go. He also agreed to pay me $6k for his story video. I was so excited and relived...praise the Lord.
I told him about finally doing my story video and he says “Michael...be careful...you know that Satan is going to attack you because of your testimony and doing this...” I said YES!