A Woman's Walk

[Judy Harder]

Week of May 20
Leadership: The Wisdom & Weakness of Solomon
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"...If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel."  -1 Kings 2:4

King David's son King Solomon reigned over Israel for 40 years. He wrote 1,005 songs and 3,000 proverbs of wisdom. He built a temple unto the Lord in which the ark of the covenant rested. He walked in God's favor, peace, power, wealth and wisdom. Yet he turned against God in the end.

King Solomon's weakness for women became his downfall. Since God's promise to him was conditional, he experienced consequences. The bar was high. To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

Like King Solomon, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard, according to Romans 3:23. So how does one return to righteous standing in God's eyes? Through Jesus Christ, of course.

Once we repent of our sin, Father God sees our sins no more. Instead, He sees us through the blood covenant of His Son Jesus Christ. And there is no condemnation in Jesus. For this, we can be thankful. And we need to remember to forgive ourselves.

We can learn much from King Solomon's process and priority. Here are some principles for the journey:

Repent of idolatry – More than once, Solomon was forewarned that the result of idolatry (anything that he put before God) would be adversity.
Repent of unbelief – If your dreams are big but your faith in God is small. Don't shrink your dreams. Just choose to trust God more to help you achieve them.
Repent of confusion and disorder – If you've been trying this and that, unsure of what God has for you, get into God's stillness and consider fasting. Choose to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Seek God and ask Him to cleanse your heart from all defilement, from anything that would try to come against your love for Him and His plans and promises for you. Ask Him to help you be wholehearted and obedient towards Him. And be quick to repent when you mess up. Thank Him for His mercy.
Ask God to charge you with His assignments and firmly establish His kingdom in your hands. Thank Him.
Worship God and make a sacrificial financial offering unto Him.
Pray Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 3:7b-9: "I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"
Ask God to help you establish officials/leaders in your kingdom assignment. Thank Him.
Declare over your kingdom assignment: 1 Kings 4:20, 24c, 25a, 27, 29: Abundance of provision, joy, peace, protection, resources, wisdom, discernment, breadth of mind.
Thank God for: 1 Kings 4:29, 30, 34: Vast wisdom, very great discernment, breadth of mind and influence in all nations.
Ask God to put the surrounding wars under your feet so that you can build for Him. Ask Him for rest on every side, from every adversary and misfortune. Thank Him.
Ask for gifted servants; expect them to come and work and to be able to pay them. Thank Him.
Expect God order of coming into peaceful agreements, setting up and preparing, laying the foundation and building up the kingdom for God.
Expect to hear from God at the outset and during the process.
Keep God your first priority throughout. Finish well. Thank Him.
Know and declare that whenever God does a new thing it is for the purpose of growth and multiplication, even if it involves pruning.
Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord with wholehearted dedication. God always has an action plan for us to flee from our weaknesses. So ask Him for His help and choose to flee.
My prayer is that you will seek the Lord with all your heart, lean not upon your own understanding, know that He loves you beyond measure, step out in great courage and vision and fulfill His plans for you and His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

[Judy Harder]

Week of May 27
Arranged Marriage
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel."  -Genesis 24:64

A lifetime friend of mine shared a wonderful story with me recently: Her adult son's love of his life had returned to him after several years. The young couple had met in high school, where they fell in love. But the young woman's parents were not supportive of the relationship. So they broke up. She later married a pastor's son. And he remained unmarried. Years passed. Three kids later and after enduring a philandering, abusive husband, she got divorced.

One day, my friend and her daughter were out shopping, and the young lady ran up to them out of the blue, after not having seen each other in years. Her eyes were full of tears as she explained her circumstances. They exchanged contact information, and, a little later, my friend called her to have lunch. It was during this luncheon that the young lady asked for my friend's son's phone number. And there began their second chance.

God is a God of open door opportunity, divine appointments, and His timeline is circular (cyclical), not linear. God will often bring opportunities around again in an effort to get us on the right track.

My friend hints that the young couple may have an autumn wedding. The young lady is and was the only woman her son ever loved. He is overjoyed. And her parents now realize they should've stayed out of God's way from the beginning.

God can bring people together in any season of life—early or late—to fulfill His purpose and plan.

My mother-in-law met her current husband in her mid-sixties. Prior to their marriage, she and he lived in the same neighborhood for years and never met each other. The two of them endured the lost of their spouses and attended the same church, where they found themselves serving as greeters together one day. God confirmed His purpose, and they married a year later.

People who know me well know my marriage testimony: After marrying and divorcing at a young age due to my husband's adultery, I had a divine visitation in which the Lord said He would bring my chosen husband in 20 years. Sure enough, God's word proved true, as Glynn appeared on time. We discerned, and God confirmed. And we were married six month later.

I believe that if we seek the Lord on the issue of marriage, consult Him for the mate He has for us and wait upon Him, He will bring our mate in His time. I believe that it is not enough to meet someone, fall in love and expect God's hand of blessing to be upon it. We must hear from Him and know we are to marry His choice for us. I believe that if we are in marriages that He did not choose for us, He is under no obligation to hold the marriage together. And unfortunately, too many of us learn this the hard way.

I also believe that one does not have to date or court in a relationship leading to marriage. One only needs to hear from the Lord. This may sound void of romance, but often the best romance comes after the "I do."

Consider the story of Rebekah and Isaac. It is a Holy Spirit led journey of open door opportunity, confirmation, spiritual discernment, thanksgiving and completion. Genesis 24:40 tells us that God sent an angel along with Abraham's servant to successfully find Isaac a wife. When the servant met Rebekah, he knew she was the chosen one due to her specific demonstrations of kindheartedness. The Bible does not suggest that Rebekah had met Isaac prior, even though they were cousins. And the closest Rebekah came to having a bridal shower in her hometown was the gifts of jewelry and gold and clothing that Abraham's servant gave to her after her brother and father agreed that she should depart with him to become Isaac's wife. It happened quickly, and she was soon on the next camel out of Nahor. God is either in it or He's not. And Rebekah was clearly God's choice for Isaac.

Be sure to discern and confirm God's choice of a mate for you. And beware of Ishmael. Ishmael was Abraham's unpromised son, the one he had with Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. The enemy may try to divert God's plan for you by deceiving you into falling for Ishmael. Don't take the bait. Discern and confirm. Wait upon the Lord for His best, and praise Him and thank Him while you wait. Then you will avoid the enemy's consequences. And God's promise will prove itself.

[Judy Harder]

Week of June 3
Teaching Women
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live...to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women..." -Titus 2:3-4

I so enjoy spending time with my mother. Although we have always had a good relationship, we have arrived at a very sweet spot, now that we are mature women. We are close friends, blessed with God's heart of grace.

My mother is full of wisdom and kindness, because she has followed Jesus from the time she was a young girl. She was a leader in her church at a young age, and she is at the heart of our family. Yes, this was a process.

She has walked through longsuffering, which has strengthened her with patient endurance. She has honored her mother, which has produced a harvest of inheritance. She has laid her troubles—big and small—at the foot of the cross, which has returned a blessing of her heart's desires. And she has taught me well, especially by example. I have watched her over the years as she "went through."

So often, when we think of Titus 2 scriptures, we think of the older women teaching the younger ladies. But it's important to remember that Titus first taught the older women before they could be proper teachers of Christian foundations for living: "...to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives." (Titus 2:12).

I was fortunate that my mother was taught these foundations by her parents and grandparents, by her first church family and by most of her early neighbors, who depended upon God for much. She has witnessed God's power firsthand. She has seen miracles and God's supernatural power at a young age and throughout her life. God developed in her a profound reverence for Him, a knowing and believing, a firm foundation. She knows God and is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He speaks to her, even in profound dreams, now more than ever. This is multiplicity. And I am blessed to call her Mom.

Titus taught the women of Crete their first foundations of Christianity. He taught them the proper way to share one another's burdens (vs. 2-3). He taught them encouragement, correction, discipline and respect of authority (vs. 15). He taught them sound doctrine, sobriety, love, unity of family, purity, productiveness, kindness, integrity, temperance, responsibility and sensibility. He taught them order and all of the characteristics required for peaceful, fruitful living.

This can best be accomplished from a heart of love and respect, by living by example, being available, being consistent, focusing on God and truly trusting Him to take care of what you cannot, especially regarding changing others. It is about 2 Timothy 4:2, "...Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching." In order to do this, you must know God, have His heart, mind and perception and know His word.

Bossy, overbearing, self-righteous, controlling, boundary-busting behavior will not work. It will turn people and anything we have to share away. People get enough of that elsewhere. How will they know Christ if they do not see Him modeled no matter what the circumstances?

And many times, God has to bring in an outsider, like Titus, to teach a people or a single person a new thing from the inside out. In this case, remember that, according to Galatians 5:22, longsuffering is a fruit of the spirit; and 1 Peter 5:6 instructs us to "humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor." In other words, let God do what He's trying to do when He's trying to do it, and He will get you (and others) where He wants you to be. And the "right" time would be His time, not ours.

As an insider, it is critical that you be patient and keep the faith that God is moving on your behalf and others, even when you don't see it or understand. Jumping out ahead of God or focusing on others' flaws can breed contempt, frustration, disappointment and self-righteousness. It is a device and distraction of the enemy to wreck God's strategy. I encourage you to not go there, as strife can stunt your reaching and teaching and mess up God's timing for you. Instead, go to the cross; praise Him; beseech Him with supplication; lay your burdens down; then choose to trust Him. God knows, understands and will work on your behalf when you do it His way.

Ruth is such a fine example of Titus 2 reverence and obedience. She respected God and her mother-in-law, Naomi; discerned that Naomi was hearing from God; humbled herself to God's instruction through Naomi; walked out obedience and met and married her Boaz, where her blessings were then multiplied beyond what she had ever had. She ended up better than where she began. But it wasn't easy.

Young women have much to look forward to. Greater wisdom, grace and understanding awaits you in the latter years and much of it can be learned vicariously before you arrive. Find yourself a Naomi, a Titus or a mature Christian woman who has your best interest at heart. For middle-agers, God can even help you see your life from the end to the beginning, which will show you that there is much yet to come. There is great value in life's latter years. In Haggai 2:9, the Lord promises the latter will be greater than the former. Multiplication awaits those who have sown seeds of goodness, mercy, love and obedience to God's ways. My prayer is that you will be a willing, available and teachable student throughout the journey, so that you can live out God's destiny for you in His timeframe. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

Week of June 10
Choose Your Horse
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."  -Colossians 3:23

Recently, in a team meeting, the issue of temperance and bridling zeal came up. This proved to be an opportunity for me to share my racehorse testimony.

Now, I am not a close fan of the sport, nor do I gamble. But I do like the beauty and power of a gleaming, well-bred racehorse. God will use anything, and, as usual, His timing was spot on, as this opportunity arose just days before the Belmont Stakes. And so, here you have it:

Years ago, a few months after God had instructed me to host our first Women's Expo, He showed me a vision of a racehorse standing inside a gate. The horse was partially suited up, and he was alone. There was no jockey; no other horses stood inside the other gates nearby; and the track and stands were empty.

God impressed upon me that the horse was symbolic of me.

During those few months before this vision, I had carefully sought the Lord and moved forward step by step, setting details in place for our big event. The only outstanding issue was the finances to pull it off.

So through this vision, God showed me that I was to wait upon Him, that I had showed up to run the race, but that the people and finances—neither of which I had control over—were not in place yet. And so I took a deep breath and intentionally chose to wait upon the Lord.

Weeks passed. And then the miracles occurred.

God chose a dear friend through which to provide the needed funds. This doesn't sound like much of a miracle unless you know that she had an "incurable" disease and that, as a result, had lost everything, including her job, her finances, her home and her car. I had befriended this woman about a year or so earlier, at the instruction of my pastor, who pointed her out in the back of our church one day and said, "She could use a friend."

So after befriending this woman for about a year, sharing one another's burdens and praying for one another's needs, God gave us both a breakthrough: She received God's supernatural restoration, not only in her body but in her finances and throughout her life. It occurred "suddenly," in a blink of an eye.

My friend phoned me one day, informing me that she had written a check and sent it to the ministry's address. "Go to your post office box!" she exclaimed. Nearly, two weeks later (on the verge of discouragement), I finally drove to the post office box.

I opened her envelope, and my eyes could see, but my brain could hardly comprehend what God had place in my hands through this woman: A check in the exact amount we needed!

Once I overcame the initial shock of this double miracle, the Lord showed me another vision of the same racehorse. Only this time, he was suited in full regalia; a jockey was on his back; the stands were full of spectators and other horses stood alongside me. And the gate opened; the bell rang; and God showed me a vision of these words in capital letters: RUN, RUN, RUN!!!

My spirit leapt, my body went from relaxed to energized, and I eagerly ran the race the Lord set before me.

He impressed upon me that He was the jockey; that He held the reigns and that, now, He had put all the pieces in place. It was time to finish the race well, to complete the mission.

I was in awe of what God had done! He had given us both a breakthrough in His perfect timing, and we were both overjoyed!

Now, fast forward a year later.

Starting a ministry from the roots up is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy God's presence, learn and grow and to work!

One day, while meeting with our graphic artist, she said something, which I thought to be very odd: "You can either be a thoroughbred or a workhorse."

I now know that God used her to provoke me to pray once more for additional resources, especially for new people to help me.

He soon brought the people, and I witnessed God using each team of people to grow the Women's Expo, the ministry and me.

Here's what God ultimately taught me about horses:

Thoroughbred: Gloriously suited up, this powerhouse is highly-trained, refined and works under the authority of the jockey (God), who holds the reigns. He is a winner that runs the race God's way. He is a beauty, the epitome of grace and strength; a well cared for and highly-valued jewel.

Workhorse: Engrossed and enslaved by his tasks, this draft horse has the potential for power but is tired, overworked; he has grown weary in well-doing. He sometimes works alone, and sometimes works in teams. But his joy is a distant memory, and a fear of not accomplishing tasks on time drives the vision. There is no adornment and no real engagement with others, except to accomplish daily tasks. He is barely functional and often clomps on delicate things. He needs to come away with Jesus and get some rest.

Mustang: A passionately zealous, wild runner. Has a lot of energy, but is unfocused and unbridled. Accomplishes little, if anything, because he's all over the place, driven by whatever he sees and feels. Selfish, free flowing agenda reigns.

Pack Mule: A beast of burden; weighted down and limited by "stuff." Grumpy and contentious, this beast really doesn't want to be bothered outside of his world and way of doing things. Definitely needs deliverance.

Donkey: Considered unclean in Biblical times. Need I say more?

[Judy Harder]

Week of June 24
Divine Structure
by Margaret D. Mitchell

"...you are...fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."  -Ephesians 2:19-22

There was a season of time when I worked for a very large, mismanaged company. This company was so mismanaged that it had grown complacent over time and had fallen to second place within its industry. However, I knew that God had strategically positioned me there.

Once inside this company, the days were often hard. I began to witness the mismanagement up close and personal. I could see much of the carelessness of the employees, the cover-ups of management and the overall lack of integrity within my division, as God would allow me. Since I knew that when God is about to breakthrough, He often positions an outsider as a catalyst to influence an outcome, I began to pray over the employees and the organization.

Less than two years after I began, a rainbow appeared outside my office window. Although I have seen many rainbows, this was the first time I had seen such a wide expanse. I could also see the beginning and the end of the rainbow from my high rise office. And it appeared to be very close to our building. Employees arose from their desks and gathered at the windows in awe. I was right there among them, and I knew in my spirit that God was indicating something important. I prayed for Him to give me the understanding.

A short time later, after God had released me from that company, I learned that that division had been sold to another company, located in the direction of that rainbow. I knew in my spirit this was God answering my prayers.

God, essentially, dismantled that division. He not only cleaned house, He repositioned the house. As a result, many people I once worked with fled, fearing their jobs were endangered.

God knows and see all things, including the fullness of our hearts. He knows the exact graceful balance of discipline and ease we need at any given moment to become all that He has called us to be and to accomplish all He has assigned to us.

His structure in motion encompasses strength, beauty, order and balance. It implies authority and submission to authority in varying degrees, according to what is necessary to sustain life and complete God's purposed missions on earth as it is in heaven.

For example, just as God designed our bodies to contain a bone structure—the framework that allows us to stand and move—He also inspires organizational structures, designed to serve His purposes and that of His people, all of which is subject to The Almighty.

Consider our military forces and the defined structure of authority that is in place to maintain safety, protection, order and victory. When one confronts war, it's not enough to think, imagine or believe how to act. One must understand and know the structure that is in place to battle efficiently. One must trust in the authority that has been set forth and take hold of the weapons at hand. One must know how to operate the resources according to the overall strategic plan.

Structures are Foundational and Fundamental
Structures are frameworks that provide a platform upon which to build. Strong foundations are layered, such as marrow and bone within our bodies or like rebar set inside concrete or wood studs inside walls. Strong foundations are interactive and cohesive, like brick and mortar. As Christians, we stand in unity with Jesus, relating with Him and His people accordingly to His purpose, thus building a strong foundation.

Structures Provide a Vertical and Horizontal Hierarchy
Everything that God creates has a structure. Consider the hierarchy of angels: Seraphim and Cherubim praise and protect the throne of God, while Archangels and Angels serve as God's messengers. Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." God's hierarchy can also be set in place on earth through inspiring man. Consider the Bible, which is the inspired word of God and a structure upon which we build our lives. Matthew 6:10 says, "May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

Structures Can Be Redeemed
Just as Jesus redeems us from our sins, He can lead us to rebuild, restore, reorganize or redesign structures to His originally-intended integrity. We see this principle operate in today's world in preserving and restoring historic buildings and in restructuring businesses for improvement. In Genesis 26:18, we see that Isaac restored the wells his father, Abraham, had dug: "Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them." Likewise, Nehemiah 6:3 speaks to Nehemiah's dedication and commitment to rebuilt Jerusalem against all odds, "...I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"

Respecting God's structures honors Him, protects us and positions us for promotion. If you find yourself in an atmosphere surrounded by ungodly structure, forgive those around you; then ask God to intervene, to restructure the structure to His liking and to reposition you. You'll be amazed at what He will do, where you will land and the new divine connections and opportunities He will give you if you will remain close to Him and follow His lead.

[Judy Harder]

Week of July 1, 2012

"In the last days, God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.'"  -Acts 2:17

Dreams are simply night visions. And night or day, visions are one way God speaks to us. Daniel 1:17 tells us that "Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." And we know that God gave Joseph big dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9) and that he later interpreted dreams for others (Genesis 40).

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Therefore, the same power of Jesus Christ that was present when He walked the earth is the same power that we have living inside us today. Jesus still does miracles, and the Holy Spirit still speaks to us through dreams and visions.

I know plenty of people who have dreams and visions from the Lord on a regular basis, my mother being one. God has spoken to my mother in dreams to comfort her after loved ones have passed, to awaken her to the enemy's trap (so she can pray and avert danger) and to help her understand difficult circumstances that she and loved ones experience. God gifted my mother to interpret dreams—hers and others'.

Asleep, God has our full attention. During the day, we are usually more distracted. So He often impresses images in our minds and hearts in a profound way while we slumber. And we usually remember the dreams because they are so impactful.

God frequently speaks to me in day visions, more so than in night dreams. But I have experienced a few profound visitations while sleeping. Here's one:

Several years ago, I was very ill and required surgery. Three weeks before my surgery date, I saw a vision of Jesus in a dream very early one morning. He walked up to my bedside and reached for my hand. He never said a word. I instantly knew the figure I saw was Jesus, and I was not afraid. From the moment I saw Him, I felt pure, perfect, overwhelming love.

In this dream, I arose from my bed and took Jesus' hand. We walked over to an escalator-like device, but it didn't have actual steps; so, it was more like a conveyor belt. Side by side, we stepped onto the conveyor belt and ascended to the top. There were no words spoken; only pure, perfect love consumed me. There was nothing else around us except a doorway, right at the top of the conveyor belt. Jesus and I stood in the threshold of the doorway and turned around. At that moment, I saw my body lying on my bed below.

At first, this didn't bother me. I only wanted to be with Jesus, and nothing else mattered. But then seconds later, I felt concerned about the condition of my body; and I stepped away from Jesus towards it. At that moment, I woke up.

I realized I had had a dream and that I had seen Jesus. So I decided to drift off to sleep again in hope that I could experience His love all over. Sure enough, Jesus was there waiting for me.

After awhile, I woke up again, fell back asleep and saw Jesus a third time. Each time, I felt overwhelmed by His pure, perfect love.

After I woke up the final time, I nudged my husband and shared what had just happened. I could hardly find the words. I was captivated, overwhelmed by God's presence.

A little later, I phoned a close friend, and as I shared the dream with her, she began to cry and promised to pray for me. We hung up, and she called back about an hour later, still crying. She said that she had been praying for God to not take my life on earth. I was surprised to hear this because I didn't think it was my time to go home to be with the Lord. She said that God told her that I wouldn't die.

Sure enough, shortly after we hung up, the worst pain I had experienced occurred. Then on the day of my surgery, my vital signs were not stable, which caused my surgeon to tell me she couldn't perform the operation because I wouldn't pull through. At this point, I asked her to leave the room, and I laid my own hands on my own body and commanded the vitals to be normal. Five minutes later, the surgeon returned and rechecked my vitals. They were normal, and they wheeled me into surgery.

I awakened after surgery and was taken to a room. That night, about 2:30 a.m., my vitals began to diminish again. At this point, I was tired of fighting, so I whispered a prayer to God, reminding Him of what He had spoken to my friend a few weeks earlier. Suddenly, my numbers returned to normal and I was completely healed once and for all.

I believe my dream with Jesus was a catalyst that prompted life-saving healing prayer. I believe God wanted me to know it was serious and wanted to give me deliverance and a testimony from the brink of death. So the dream was a kind of forewarning.

I believe God will give us profound dreams if we ask Him. And I believe we can receive His dreams, as He wills, if we remain close to Him.

How are some of the ways God speaks to you? Has God ever shown you a vision or a dream?

[Judy Harder]

Enduring Grace @ Work – Part I
by Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of July 8, 2012

"Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."  -Ephesians 6:7

"Say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.'"  -Isaiah 35:4

A couple of my friends recently shared their greatest workplace challenges with me over coffee. Among their laments were: A boss with a double-mind; evil co-workers; multiple, drastic process changes and unattainable performance expectations.

Though these friends prayed together at work, they felt they had seen little improvement. What's more, they had grown weary in well-doing. They wanted to know where to go from where they were. Here are the results of that conversation that may help you, should you find yourself in difficult circumstances at work:

God's Purpose: Why Am I Here?– Yes, your job is for more than a paycheck! Your job is your divine assignment. It is your mission field. It is all divinely purposed! And it is seasonal! You are there so that God can do a work in you, through you and for you (on your behalf) simultaneously. He will use the people, the location and the daily circumstances to accomplish His will accordingly, even—and especially if—you find yourself in a job that you would've never selected for yourself. God will use it all! Are you willing to journey through it with Him and yield to His way of doing His work in, through and for you?

God's Strategy: What Do I Do?– Maintain a servant's attitude, and do the job you were hired to do with excellence. Watch your mouth, your attitude and your actions. Affirm to God that you need His help. Ask God what He wants you to see, know and do amid your circumstances. Ask God to enable you to receive all He has for you and nothing that is not of Him. Ask God to reveal to you His vision, strategy, reinforcement, divine appointments and divine connections. Ask God for a Christian prayer partner or group. Ask God to lead you to the sources and resources that have what you need. All along the way, ask God to reveal His understanding and solutions to problems. Your journey will contain incremental successes. All of it will challenge you in the area of character building to prepare you for your next promotion.

God knows and sees all things, and He will get you where He wants you to be and help you do what He wants you to do if you are willing to hearken. Pray for your boss, your co-workers and the company as the Holy Spirit leads. You will endure the journey and can be promoted faster (internally or externally) by processing through every challenge God's way. Remember, God takes us from holiness to holiness, from glory to glory. Sometimes, He accomplishes this work quickly by taking us through the furnace. In so doing, He redeems lost time. God can do much in these accelerated times in which we work and live. He is the ultimate multitasker. So count it all good, and journey through God's way, so you don't have to perpetually cycle through rounds of testing.

Guard Your Heart | Don Your Armor (Eph. 6:11-18) – Your heart belongs to God, so be careful with human connections, especially in your workplace. Not everyone will have your back or even like you. Some may feel envious or competitive towards you. Many will have different beliefs than yours. Kindness and prayer are strengths, but not everyone will be interested in what your heart has to offer. Apply wisdom. If people are not willing to receive what you are willing to give, there can be no deep connection without God's transformational power intervening. Know this ahead of time; respect and accept others' right to choose (God does); shake the dust off, and turn from situations where people do not accept you. In essence, don't waste your time. Remember, Jesus suffered rejection, so you're not alone. Speak a blessing over those who reject you, and ask God to redirect your path to those who are willing and able to receive. Be professional, move on and keep your eyes on the Lord.

Regarding your boss, she/he has a job to do, regardless of your friendly relationship with her/him. That means you must perform up to standard in the position for which you were hired. If you do not, you will be penalized. It is wrong to expect your boss to cover your inadequate performance regardless of whether you are friends with her/him. In workplaces, performance is paramount. Unless you are a member of a family business or own your own company, bosses will not typically extend the kind of grace your mother would. It is not their job to take care of you outside of your work life. It is their job to oversee you and your work while you are at work. They have a lot on their plate. And not all bosses will nurture you, simply due to time constraints. Various bosses have varying management styles. And different companies have different corporate cultures. Pray about this. Regardless of your circumstances, it is your responsibility to do the job you were hired to do with excellence unto the Lord. Excellence is Jesus' standard. If it is impossible for you to meet the company's standards, pray and perhaps speak to your boss about improving the processes that affect you or ask her/him to reassign you to an area where your strengths can shine. Ask God to make you aware when your job assignment is complete and finish well. How you finish is how you will enter into your next job assignment. And remember, God may give you a season of rest before your next assignment. So follow His lead. 

Do not allow yourself to be provoked by your boss or co-workers. Those of us who have high callings on our lives will be perpetually tested on this until we overcome this issue, the purpose being to mature us to a level where we can stand among multitudes and glorify God with our thoughts, speech, attitude and actions no matter what offense is hurled at us. Jesus did. Whoever is provoking you is God's instrument in this regard, so count it as joy (James 1:2). Remember, God is sovereign, and no one can do anything short of God's permissive will. As Christians, we are to respond from the Holy Spirit, not react from offense. If you find that someone gets under your skin frequently, it could be that God is trying to get your attention to turn to Him to learn how to become "unprovokable. " You are in training for eternity! Ask God to help you, and listen to what He reveals to you. He knows just how to get you there!

(This devotional will continue as Part II next week.)

[Judy Harder]

Enduring Grace @ Work – Part II
by Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of July 15, 2012

"'For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"  -Jeremiah 29:11

Let Go of False Responsibility– Matthew 11:30 tells us God's "burden is light." You are not a pack mule! Your responsibility is not to fix your boss. Pray, yes; fix, no. If you have tried to fix your boss, repent of self righteousness and self idolatry. Stay out of God's way, and let the Holy Spirit do His job. You're not God. Only God sees the whole heart of your boss and knows just what she/he needs. You don't. Even prophets only see in part. If you will release your difficult boss to God—fully letting her/him go—God will pick up the task, and you will soon see a tangible shift of some type: Either God will change the boss, change you, relocate her/him or relocate you.

Guard against the temptation of gossip. It's better to ask someone you can trust to pray for you than to uncover others' sins at work. Often—but not always—your best prayer partner is someone outside of your workplace. Consult God on this.

Also, be careful to not project your own wounds, fears, pains and inadequacies onto your boss or others. Your perspective is a filter that is based on your beliefs, experiences, etc. Only God sees and knows the ultimate, whole, unfiltered truth. So choose to sync up your vision with His. Tell Him you want to see as He sees, love as He loves and do as He does. Ask God to help you love your boss and difficult co-workers as He does. God's love is far greater than their issues. Asking for God's help honors Him and humbles us. And He will be faithful to answer your prayers.

When your boss (or anyone else) offends you, discipline yourself to process through the offense and hurt QUICKLY so bitterness doesn't take root. Choose to not be controlled by emotional or spiritual immaturity, but by the Holy Spirit, who desires to mature you. Remember, you are a work in progress, and God loves you too much to leave you where you are:

Confess the offense as though you committed it(because Romans 2:1 affirms you did). This biblical principle is very humbling, and it gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to convict you about a sin that has blinded you in your past. It also positions you to extend compassion and grace to your boss. In this way, God may actually use your boss as a catalyst—or a mirror—to do a work in you, freeing you and causing you to come up to higher holiness. Be careful to not get stuck in pride by not confessing someone else's sin as your own. Asking the Holy Spirit to reveal your secret (unknown to you) sins for the purpose of confession and repentance, is always wise and can be done privately on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit is your helper and will show you things you may not see otherwise. It's better to be confessed privately than to be revealed publicly.
Choose to forgive your boss and yourself(no matter what). Forgiveness does not condone a sin; it simply hands over the issue and person to God, entrusting Him to handle it for you. After all, the battle is the Lord's, and He can do vengeance better than you or anyone else! (1 Samuel 17:47). Unless God instructs you otherwise, it does not mean that you are to go to your boss and tell her/him that you forgive her/him. Doing so can come off as arrogant, and you will risk offending your boss, which is not a wise move. Simply pray it through privately with the Lord.
Be healed! Ask God to bind every wound and heal every injury in your heart and mind. Speak a command to both to be made whole and renewed in the name of Jesus.
Ask God to convict your boss and to get your boss where He wants her/him to be. Speak a blessing over your boss (Matthew 5:44).
Release your boss to God.In your heart, lay your boss and the offense at the foot of the cross, affirming that you choose to trust Jesus to take care of the situation better than you. Commit to not picking it back up by thinking about it, talking about it or reacting to it.
Thank Godfor His victory, mercy and grace, for loving you so much that you can trust Him to move on your behalf! And thank God that whatever the enemy meant for bad, God will use for your good and the good of others to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Thank God that you are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and that, because of this blood covenant, Father God sees your sins no more!
Reset your focus on God by finding a quiet, alone place and praising God sacrificially until your emotions feel better (which won't take long) and your joy (your strength) is restored. King David did this several times a day! Where else would a king (or queen) go?
Wield Your Spiritual Power Tool: Sacrificial Praise– Sacrificial praise is a discipline of praising God when you don't feel like it. God already knows you don't feel like it, so when you do it, it greatly honors Him. Sacrificial praise is the power tool that can help you break free from the pit and refocus your soul and spirit on God's awesome love and beauty. Sacrificial praise is also a serious power tool in the enemy's face. Staying "down" in a pit of despair, self-pity and worry does not honor God. Remaining in a "pit" experience is actually an ungodly form of control—even idolatry—that overburdens us, adversely affects others and causes us to walk in disobedience and limit God's intervention on our behalf. You can intentionally discipline yourself to sacrificially praise God until it becomes second nature. You will be amazed at its effects! Not only will you feel better, it will greatly move God's heart on your behalf!

Finish Well!– The climate in which you depart your last job assignment will determine how you enter into your next job assignment. If you left your last job in conflict, that unresolved conflict will await you, just behind the door of your next new job. Why? Because strife is at the root of disorder. And because God desires to give you another opportunity to resolve the unrest. Strife will continue to follow you until you process through it to completion God's way. God loves you too much to let you remain immature and underdeveloped. He is for you, and He has a plan to prosper you, to grow you. He desires for you to "get it" once and for all time.

Get Help– If you are so emotionally and/or physically exhausted or distressed that you cannot perform excellently at work, you may need a respite or professional help or both. You may want to investigate various leave options available to you through your human resources department. Seek God to lead you in choosing healthcare professionals and/or counselors to help you get restored to wholeness, if necessary.

Deuteronomy 30:19 instructs us to choose life, not death; blessings, not curses. Everything we do and not do is a seed sown that will produce a harvest. It's important that we survey ourselves and intentionally decide where we want to be spiritually, which master we will serve. I pray that your choices lead you to receive God's best at work and beyond every day for all eternity (Joshua 24:15).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.





 
             
   

[Judy Harder]

Enduring Grace @ Work – Part II
by Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of July 15, 2012

"'For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"  -Jeremiah 29:11

Let Go of False Responsibility– Matthew 11:30 tells us God's "burden is light." You are not a pack mule! Your responsibility is not to fix your boss. Pray, yes; fix, no. If you have tried to fix your boss, repent of self righteousness and self idolatry. Stay out of God's way, and let the Holy Spirit do His job. You're not God. Only God sees the whole heart of your boss and knows just what she/he needs. You don't. Even prophets only see in part. If you will release your difficult boss to God—fully letting her/him go—God will pick up the task, and you will soon see a tangible shift of some type: Either God will change the boss, change you, relocate her/him or relocate you.

Guard against the temptation of gossip. It's better to ask someone you can trust to pray for you than to uncover others' sins at work. Often—but not always—your best prayer partner is someone outside of your workplace. Consult God on this.

Also, be careful to not project your own wounds, fears, pains and inadequacies onto your boss or others. Your perspective is a filter that is based on your beliefs, experiences, etc. Only God sees and knows the ultimate, whole, unfiltered truth. So choose to sync up your vision with His. Tell Him you want to see as He sees, love as He loves and do as He does. Ask God to help you love your boss and difficult co-workers as He does. God's love is far greater than their issues. Asking for God's help honors Him and humbles us. And He will be faithful to answer your prayers.

When your boss (or anyone else) offends you, discipline yourself to process through the offense and hurt QUICKLY so bitterness doesn't take root. Choose to not be controlled by emotional or spiritual immaturity, but by the Holy Spirit, who desires to mature you. Remember, you are a work in progress, and God loves you too much to leave you where you are:

Confess the offense as though you committed it(because Romans 2:1 affirms you did). This biblical principle is very humbling, and it gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to convict you about a sin that has blinded you in your past. It also positions you to extend compassion and grace to your boss. In this way, God may actually use your boss as a catalyst—or a mirror—to do a work in you, freeing you and causing you to come up to higher holiness. Be careful to not get stuck in pride by not confessing someone else's sin as your own. Asking the Holy Spirit to reveal your secret (unknown to you) sins for the purpose of confession and repentance, is always wise and can be done privately on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit is your helper and will show you things you may not see otherwise. It's better to be confessed privately than to be revealed publicly.
Choose to forgive your boss and yourself(no matter what). Forgiveness does not condone a sin; it simply hands over the issue and person to God, entrusting Him to handle it for you. After all, the battle is the Lord's, and He can do vengeance better than you or anyone else! (1 Samuel 17:47). Unless God instructs you otherwise, it does not mean that you are to go to your boss and tell her/him that you forgive her/him. Doing so can come off as arrogant, and you will risk offending your boss, which is not a wise move. Simply pray it through privately with the Lord.
Be healed! Ask God to bind every wound and heal every injury in your heart and mind. Speak a command to both to be made whole and renewed in the name of Jesus.
Ask God to convict your bossand to get your boss where He wants her/him to be. Speak a blessing over your boss (Matthew 5:44).
Release your boss to God.In your heart, lay your boss and the offense at the foot of the cross, affirming that you choose to trust Jesus to take care of the situation better than you. Commit to not picking it back up by thinking about it, talking about it or reacting to it.
Thank Godfor His victory, mercy and grace, for loving you so much that you can trust Him to move on your behalf! And thank God that whatever the enemy meant for bad, God will use for your good and the good of others to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Thank God that you are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and that, because of this blood covenant, Father God sees your sins no more!
Reset your focus on Godby finding a quiet, alone place and praising God sacrificially until your emotions feel better (which won't take long) and your joy (your strength) is restored. King David did this several times a day! Where else would a king (or queen) go?
Wield Your Spiritual Power Tool: Sacrificial Praise– Sacrificial praise is a discipline of praising God when you don't feel like it. God already knows you don't feel like it, so when you do it, it greatly honors Him. Sacrificial praise is the power tool that can help you break free from the pit and refocus your soul and spirit on God's awesome love and beauty. Sacrificial praise is also a serious power tool in the enemy's face. Staying "down" in a pit of despair, self-pity and worry does not honor God. Remaining in a "pit" experience is actually an ungodly form of control—even idolatry—that overburdens us, adversely affects others and causes us to walk in disobedience and limit God's intervention on our behalf. You can intentionally discipline yourself to sacrificially praise God until it becomes second nature. You will be amazed at its effects! Not only will you feel better, it will greatly move God's heart on your behalf!

Finish Well!– The climate in which you depart your last job assignment will determine how you enter into your next job assignment. If you left your last job in conflict, that unresolved conflict will await you, just behind the door of your next new job. Why? Because strife is at the root of disorder. And because God desires to give you another opportunity to resolve the unrest. Strife will continue to follow you until you process through it to completion God's way. God loves you too much to let you remain immature and underdeveloped. He is for you, and He has a plan to prosper you, to grow you. He desires for you to "get it" once and for all time.

Get Help– If you are so emotionally and/or physically exhausted or distressed that you cannot perform excellently at work, you may need a respite or professional help or both. You may want to investigate various leave options available to you through your human resources department. Seek God to lead you in choosing healthcare professionals and/or counselors to help you get restored to wholeness, if necessary.

Deuteronomy 30:19 instructs us to choose life, not death; blessings, not curses. Everything we do and not do is a seed sown that will produce a harvest. It's important that we survey ourselves and intentionally decide where we want to be spiritually, which master we will serve. I pray that your choices lead you to receive God's best at work and beyond every day for all eternity (Joshua 24:15).

[Judy Harder]

Worship

by Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of July 29, 2012

"And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "'Let all God's angels worship him.'" -  Hebrews 1:6

Everyone searches for significance. If we are not taught any better, our priorities get out of alignment with God's will as we affix ourselves to sex, money, power, spouses, children, angels, etc. But all is fleeting except the one true God. Children grow up. Spouses pass on. But God is the only person who is constantly with us. He goes before us, never leaves us and doesn't forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:. 

Who (or what) is your God?

Both Moses and Joshua had to ask this rhetorical question to the Israelites. "But if you refuse to serve the LORD," Joshua asks, "then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."

Who (or what) is your God?

Some people choose angels. But Matthew Henry's Commentary tells us, "The most exalted angels are but ministering spirits, mere servants of Christ, to execute His commands. The saints, at present, are heirs, not yet come into possession. The angels minister to them in opposing the malice and power of evil spirits, in protecting and keeping their bodies, instructing and comforting their souls, under Christ and the Holy Ghost." Angels are not to be worshipped. Although powerful and divinely appointed, they are not even redeemed when they sin. Rather, they fall into the enemy's camp and serve the evil one.

So who (or what) is your God?

It is important to let go of everything that is not of the Lord. Survey your heart; then ask the Holy Spirit to survey your heart. Choose to release everything that has been holding you back from serving Him fully. Lay it all at the foot of the cross, and choose to trust Almighty God to take care of those things (and people) for you. Do you trust Him enough to fully surrender what you value most to Him? Do you believe that He is for you, that He has your back, that He loves you beyond measure, that He has a plan for you, that He sees and knows all things?

What (or who) do you wrap your life around?

If we hold onto unforgiveness or other sins, we choose, by default, to limit God in our lives and make that unforgivensss or sin a god.

Worship involves the attitude of the heart. Praise involves the action of a worshipful heart. The two work in tandem. Whatever is inside will pour out. Gratitude, thanksgiving, joy, even longing for more of God are facets of a worshipful heart. When you love God, you can't help but worship Him, and corresponding praises will come out in many forms, not just singing. David danced. What has God done for you lately that would cause you to do a happy dance? I know of a woman who arranges flowers beautifully. She believes this expression of her gift to be an act of praise unto the Lord. What are your gifts? Do you use them to honor the Lord? Even work is a form of worship when we work unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."

Worship doesn't have to end on Sunday morning. Carry it with you to work and watch the atmosphere of your workplace change. And at the end of the day, the best way I know to transition from work to home is to praise God on the drive home. By the time you arrive, the issues of the day will seem much smaller, and your evenings will be more peaceful.

Putting God first in every area of our lives honors Him and blesses us. I encourage you to keep Jesus the Lord of every area of your life. Do it joyfully. Ask Him to renew your heart and mind. Ask Him to show you new ways to worship and praise Him. You'll be glad you did.