Deuteronomy 1:21 “See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
The land promised to Israel was a gift from God. But rather than have it handed to them, they would have to go and fight for it. God would give them strategies, miracles, power, and advantage over the enemies, but they would still have to fight.
Principle: The outcome of your life work is guaranteed by God, but getting there can be hard work, discouraging and fearsome. But does not have to be that way.
It would be nice if business life were less stressful and more like a vacation time-share. It isn’t. It would be easier if God instilled in us fearlessness to pursue what we are doing. He doesn’t. It would be easier if He implanted all the information in our memory bank with instant recall for every career situation faced. He hasn’t. However, He has given us marching orders and told us not to fear or be discouraged. We should not. There is fulfillment, meaning and eternal purpose in the workplace, guaranteed!
I have gone through a period of my work life where things changed for the worse. The familiar was gone and the spiritual enemy was in front of me. My health disappeared but came back (thanks to God and modern medicine). At the same time, my best client quit. My income faded, reserves disappeared, and my debt increased. My self-confidence waned. The phone stopped ringing and prospects did not return my phone calls. My potential list of business possibilities got down to a handful. My home life continued to deteriorate. Three a.m., anxiety-ridden wakeups were as predictable as the tide.
I typed out a factual fear list. Weeks later, I typed out my “Do Not Fear” list. A month later, after no changes, I typed up my “Count Your Many Blessings” list. My moods were plunging and recovering like a yo-yo. I cleaned house. I prayed more. I quit wasteful things like television, computer solitaire, reading the newspaper, going to movies. I created a tough, hard-nose budget. I skimmed through some inspirational books. I backed off from being optimistic. I put my hand to new directions. I applied for work. Nothing.
Finally, I set aside my self-confidence. I committed it all to God. I surrendered. And I experienced God helping me conquer the land He had placed before me. He continues to be my help to this day.
Discussion:
1. What obstacles stand in the way of your company achieving what the Lord has for it? For you?
2. What is your response to those obstacles?
3. What do you need to surrender today?
