Being a Christian in the Workplace - Daniel Series Part 1

Daniel 1:8 - 9
Daniel resolved to not defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel...

For those that may not know the story; Daniel, along with a few of his royal Jewish friends, had been drafted into Babylonian royal service after Nebuchadnezzar had defeated and captured Israel.  These Jewish royals were destined to become great advisers and leaders in Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar had great plans for them.  As those of elite Israeli nobility, they were seen as assets to Babylon, and thus trained as such.

These jewish nobles didn't have a problem with that.  They did as they were told and submitted to the requirements placed on them by the Babylonian rulers.  As long as these requirements didn't compromise their faith in the one True God.  He was their number one priority, always.

When the Babylonian requirements conflicted with their Godly standards, they stood their ground.

Friends, I want to encourage you today, and with this series study through Daniel, that it is possible to work in and for a secular environment and yet still honour God.  And when you do, Grace will flow beyond what you thought was possible.

Christians face this challenge daily.  Trying one's best to remain faithful to the call of God all the while living in a secular world filled with dishonouring decisions and selfish choices.  It's not an easy challenge to overcome, but necessary if we are to fulfill our commission...  to make disciples of all nations.

In order to make disciples of all nations, we must impact all areas of society.  In order to impact all areas of society, we must immerse ourselves in those areas, get to know the leaders within them, and hopefully ourselves become the leaders within them in order to pioneer the way of God's design; a culture of honour and love.  Establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth.

The key to successfully overcoming this challenge is to keep God as first priority in our lives.
(It may sound a bit legalistic to you, but trust me, when you realise how good God is, and let His Love into your life, it is easier than you think!  Not to mention His Power that will flow through you!)

If, like Daniel, God is first priority in your life, you will find yourself standing your ground where others around you are succumbing to dishonouring choices.  And when you make those "quality decisions", the favour of God, already there because of Jesus, will be activated in your life.

For example, just by making the decision that you want to honour God with your finances will activate the favour of God!  You will attract God's favour to take you further than you ever imagined!  You will find yourself with better business deals than before, you will find yourself promoted to better positions, you will get meetings you wouldn't normally get.  All while your colleagues and competitors look on in bewilderment.  All because your choices and actions reflected that of what you believe.

Friends, when you act on your faith, that God is the one who looks after you, provides for you and promotes you, you will be raised up into positions of influence you never before imagined!

Rise up!  Take your place as princes and princesses of the Most High God!  And invade Babylon like Kingdom covert agents.

God Will Never Rebuke You Again!

Isaiah 54:9

To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.  So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

Do you feel like you have disappointed God?  Do you feel like there may have been things you should have done but you didn't, and thus you've created room for God to be unhappy with you in some way?  Maybe you made a mistake that you deeply regret, and you feel like God has every right to be angry with you.  You feel like you've rebelled against God.

My friend, if you ever feel that way, stop it!  Get that out of your thinking and renew your mind to the Truth of the Gospel!  The Gospel announces God's anger has been consumed at the Cross!

The Scripture tells us that His anger lasts for a moment but His Love endures a lifetime.  This verse clearly reveals that God will never be angry with us again, and neither will He ever rebuke us.  This sheds some clear light on the topic of God disciplining His children.  If He is never going to rebuke us again, His discipline cannot be a rebuke!

Friends, God can and will never be angry with you again!  He rebuked sin, its effects, and evil in the Body of Jesus Christ.  His anger was consumed and absorbed in the Body of Jesus, and because of that God is in such a good mood it is stunning!

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes and other such disasters are not God's anger being expended on mankind, but the groanings of a fallen planet longing for redemption.  God is in love with the world.  He so loved the world that He sent Jesus to save them.  God is not angry with them!  And neither is God angry with you!  God is happy with you!  God is deeply in love with you!  And the more you realize His Love for you, the more you will be transformed into His image.

Stop hiding from God today because you think He is angry with you, turn to Him, and allow His Love to transform you from the inside out.  He's not angry with you.  He Loves you.

How To Grow Your Faith

Romans 10:17
"Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

We have been seeing lately that in order to walk in our inheritance as Christians and enter into everything God has for us, we need to do so by faith.  Without faith, not only is it "impossible to please God", but it is also impossible to step into the inheritance God has for us.

That may sound a bit harsh.  But before dropping your head and feeling like you're not worthy enough (please no!), remember that we have each already been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).  So it's not like you have no faith!  The point is to grow the portion of faith we have within our hearts.

Before I get into "how to grow your faith", let me answer some of you questioning "why it is impossible to step into our inheritance without faith".  Well, if you don't have some small ounce of belief that what you are about to do might just work, then you will never do it.  Every person who prays for a sick person has at least a tiny ounce of belief that the person might just get healed.  Every person who takes a risk on a business idea they believe God is leading them into does so because they believe, even slightly, that the idea really was from God and it might really just take off.  This is what faith is all about.  Our challenge is often countering unbelief, it is not necessarily that we don't have enough faith, it is that we have too much unbelief counteracting our faith.  But that is another topic.  Hopefully this paragraph has helped some of you shed some light on what faith actually is.

The topic I am addressing here is how to grow your faith.  Well, it is simple:  It is clearly laid out for us in this verse of Romans 10:17.  It comes by hearing the message of Christ.

Firstly, note that the verse says the Word of "Christ", not the "Word of God".  While I agree that the Word of God is our sustenance, I can also tell you many people who think they are preaching the "word of God" are actually preaching a legalistic message of condemnation.  This is where and why I am glad the Scripture differentiates it with the "Word of Christ".  Because the term points toward a hearing a message about our Saviour and what He has done for us.  The Good News.

My friend, if you want faith to go out and pray for the sick, to take business opportunities, to sow financially, etc...  Get your hands on Gospel-based materials!  Read brief encouragements like this, download Mp3 sermons from Gospel-centered churches, read books magnifying the Work of Jesus, read/listen to testimonies of what God has done for other people, watch DVDs or YouTube videos of Gospel-centered sermons and preachers.

Fill your life with the Word of Christ!  For It is our daily bread.  He is our daily bread.  When we consume Him, our faith cannot help but grow.  And when our faith grows, we will truly shine among the nations!