A Common Purpose For Every Christian

Every person has a unique purpose in life. There is however, an element of our purpose that is the same for every Christian alive. That is, we are to OCCUPY the space wherein we exist…and we are to strive to expand the boundaries of the space we occupy!

Here is an important truth that we must understand: where God’s people occupy, goodness, blessings, peace, and joy prevail…and satan’s destructive work is thwarted or destroyed.

Stated in the inverse, where God’s people do not occupy…where God’s people fail to occupy…satan will infallibly move-in and set up his own evil occupation…and wickedness, evilness, loss, destruction, and death will soon prevail. Just as bad, God’s people will find themselves suffering and being persecuted as a result of not occupying their space with Godly force.

Really get this…when God’s people fail to occupy, they set themselves up for needless suffering and persecution that God never meant for them to suffer.

Whether you live in a governor’s mansion…whether you live in the middle classes of society…whether you are a homeless person living on the streets, your job as an ambassador of Jesus Christ in this present world is to occupy your space around you with leadership, influence, power, and solidity.

Now, in most developed countries, it is no longer effective to try to push or force the gospel onto people. To try to do that is to misrepresent Christ. To try to do that is to push people away from Christ rather than to draw them to Him.

But, what we can do is stand like a pillar…like a beacon…that is immovable…that is solid…that is consistent…that does not change…and that exerts a Godly force throughout the space we occupy…and be a strong resistance to anything that is ungodly or evil.

We can be that light that repels wickedness and evilness. John 3:20 tells us that, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Be that man or woman who occupies your space and reproves evil deeds. Let the sheer force of God’s Spirit abound in you.  Stand strong, vibrantly, effectively, powerfully, and influentially in your space. Be that pillar, that beacon, that light that repels wickedness and evilness out of your space.

Again, where God’s people occupy, goodness, blessings, peace, and joy prevail and satan’s destructive work is thwarted or destroyed.

Being a solid pillar that is a beacon of God’s Spirit in your space means you must carry God’s spiritual force and strength within you that people recognize, respect, and honor. This is one reason why being successful is so important. Even if you are currently a homeless person on the street, be the most successful homeless person on your street so that you carry the highest possible amount of influence and clout with those around you.

Likewise, be engaged and involved in the lives of people around you. The more connected you are with people around you, the more effective and powerful your influence upon them will be. In other words, occupy in the lives of people around you.

This is important! If we are the Spirit-Filled Christians that we are supposed to be, then our “presence” is a magnet that attracts goodness and Godliness…and repels evilness and ungodliness. Moreover, even if our “presence” does not draw people closer to the Lord, it can at least be a polar force-field that holds people from moving towards more evilness and ungodliness.

But, if we are not “occupying” the lives of the people around us…if we are checked out…disconnected…busy…and unavailable…then all we are doing is opening the door to satan. If we are not “occupying”, then we can count on the fact that satan will move in to “occupy” our space…satan WILL INFALLIBLY plant evil people who are an evil influence in the lives of the people around us.

Now, I am NOT suggesting that you should go around trying to control people…because that will never work…and besides, that is NOT God’s model. There will undoubtedly be people who turn to Christ as a result of the witness that your life is to them.  At the same time, it is unlikely that all of the people around you will live exactly as they should. However, your Godly presence can most definitely keep people in check. Your Godly presence can hold people back from going even farther away from God. This, combined with your good and Godly works, combined with the good and Godly works of other Christians, allows goodness and Godliness to prevail and evilness and ungodliness to be thwarted, minimized, or destroyed.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, LET US OCCUPY until our Lord’s return!  And, in whatever way you can, expand the space that you occupy…squeeze out the works of darkness even more.

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Christianity Is Not About A Big House And Three Cars

Most every time I send out an article, I get a passel of emails back from people who are essentially chiding me for being too materialistic and not spiritually-minded enough.  In general, these people hold to the belief that more or less goes along the lines of, “Godliness equals poverty and insignificance“…and so they feel the need to correct me…to point out that I am off-track and misguided.  Interestingly, pretty much all of these people are very open to and interested in “charity” from a wealthy person…they don’t mind receiving some “filthy lucre” from the kind of people they condemn as materialistic.

Now, anyone who knows me…or who has met me…knows that I am about the least materialistic person they know or have ever met.  Actually, I perceive that most people are kind of shocked when they first meet me…I get the sense that they have built up some kind of flamboyant Richy Rich picture of me in their own mind…and that is not the kind of person I am at all.

However, I AM very much a believer that God’s people should be successful and blessed…I AM very much a believer that God’s people should be wealthy and significant…I AM very much a believer that God’s people should OCCUPY our world until Christ returns.

How did I come to believe this?  Well, I…like most others from my generation…grew up under the teaching that “Godliness equals poverty and insignificance“…and LOOK WHERE THAT MODEL HAS BROUGHT OUR WORLD?

While God’s people have foolishly groveled along in poverty and insignificance, they have opened the door wide open to satan and his minions to take over every important part of our lives and world. 

This should have NEVER happened! 

If God’s people had of been doing all along what they SHOULD have been doing…if God’s people had of been doing what the Bible teaches in its entirety…our world would NOT be in the shape it is in today.

Thankfully, more and more of God’s people are waking up…especially after we got past the year 2000…and are realizing that yes, Christ is going to return for His Bride…and yes, His return is sooner than ever…but, until He returns, His words, “Occupy till I come” IS what we are supposed to be doing…because the more God’s people occupy, the more they squeeze out satan and his minions…the more God’s people occupy, the more God’s Kingdom is built up and satan’s kingdom is destroyed.

Anyway, in the interest of expanding people’s awareness…or at least giving people an alternate perspective to consider…I am going to share and respond to a comment sent to me:

Hi, I just read your letter “The Path To Success“. At times, I can see that God works like this. But, He knows our hearts and at other times he uses other people to test our walk and to find out where our heart truly is (He knows). If we are blessed by Him, and a Brother comes to us in need, and we can help him, but we don’t – He sees that (1 John 3:17). Our true heart is what matters, not just what we say. Sometimes it is God’s will for us to help someone come out of a snare the devil laid for him or her. We own nothing here. It all belongs to God. I do not put God in a box that He does things in one way only. Our understanding falls short of His. Words are words. In the Book of Acts, they helped each other and no one went without. That is how we are to still to be one to another. It is not about the money. It is about His people (how we treat the least of His). So, sometime it’s not about them. Rather, it is a test for us…to find out where we really put our trust. Christ did not die on that cross for us to have a big house and three cars. Your brother in the Lord.

I completely agree that God does not fit into the box of our understanding…and I completely agree that in most things, God has a multitude of ways in which He can do things. I also agree that God tests us to see where our love and loyalty lies (Jeremiah 17:10, Revelations 2:23). Next, I agree that if a brother or sister has been caught in a snare set by satan, then Galations 6:1 is God’s commandment to us. And, speaking for myself, I can CERTAINLY agree that my understanding falls way short of God’s understanding.

With regard to the rest of what you say, let’s explore. Based upon my understanding, experience, and view, the key phrase in your comment is: “at times”.

Let’s spell out the verse you mention in 1 John 3:17…”But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Similarly, James 2:15-16 tells us, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Without argument, these verses are a SLIVER of God’s word…and the Bible teaches us that we will be judged according to God’s word…and therefore, it IS important that we know and honor these verses wherever applicable.

However, Jesus ALSO made it clear to us that we are to live by EVERY word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). That means we are to have the wisdom and discretion to consider the big picture of what we are dealing with and do our best to match that up with the entirety of God’s word, nature, and will.

To clarify, let’s consider other SLIVERS of God’s word…

2 Thessalonians 3:10 tells us, “if any would not work, neither should he eat“.

Matthew 7:6 tells us, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I could go on…but these verses are enough to illustrate that it is our duty and obligation to consider WHY and HOW someone is in need, naked, or destitute…and to wisely respond accordingly.

As the Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 7:12, “wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” The reason MOST people have troubles and problems in life is because they have imprudently lived and operated without wisdom. And, it is important to understand that unless such people suffer from the consequences that correspond with their choices and actions, they will not learn to live and operate in wisdom.  They will simply continue to be a non-contributing drain on society as a result of their unwise choices and actions.

Now, let’s consider the example of a person who is drowning. Should you swim out and try to rescue them? Absolutely not! Does that mean you are a bad person? Nope! Again, wisdom giveth life to them that have it…and to swim out to a drowning person means that they are likely to drown you too. The point is, there is a wise and proper way to administer charity…and a LOT of unwise, foolish, and DESTRUCTIVE ways to administer charity.

There is another dimension that is particularly important for us to keep in mind as well…and this references right back to 1 John 3:17 and James 2:15-16. There are a LOT of people who “claim” they are Christians…there are a LOT of people who hang out in Christian circles to take advantage of Christian benefits and charity…but, the fact of the matter is that they are NOT a true Brother or Sister in Christ…they are NOT living according to the commandments and precepts God gives us…AND THAT IS WHAT THEIR “FRUIT” REVEALS (Matthew 7:16,20).

In your own life and experience, I challenge you to find a case where a true, Bible-honoring, Bible-living BROTHER or a SISTER is truly in need or destitute.

Assuming you live in a developed country (more on this later), I am confident you will find it VERY HARD to find such a person…because after all, as David said in Psalms 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I NOT seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Now, you will certainly find all kinds of NON-brothers and NON-sisters destitute and in need…as a result of their bad choices and bad actions…as a result of their non-learning and non-working.

You will certainly find people who go to church…who are poor and and in financial hardship…as a result of them having settled for living just a PORTION of what the Bible teaches…people who ignore scriptures like, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)

You will certainly find people in hardship sitting in a worn-out Lazy-Boy chair in a dumpy little house during the middle of the day watching their just-released, biggest-screen-ever TV and chatting on their brand-new iPhone or iPad…people who are not the least bit interested in hearing about scriptures like, “labour, it is the GIFT of God.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:13)

But, finding a true brother or sister…someone who lives and operates according to ALL of the principles the Bible teaches…someone who makes wise choices, acts wisely, and who pursues knowledge and wisdom as instructed in the Bible…and yet is still destitute and in need?

Hmmm…that doesn’t quite ring true, does it?  That seems to be an oxymoron, doesn’t it?

In fact, in my experience…certainly within the realm of a developed country…and often even in a less-developed country…the ONLY time you will find a true Brother or Sister struggling in hardship is during their short season of testing…their season of testing where God is proving them and determining where their love and loyalty lies…and that is a whole different matter…that is a matter between that person and God…and it is never wise to meddle or interfere with something going on between God and another person.

The FACT is, God’s Word that He purposely and specifically provided to us IS SOUND, WHOLE, AND COMPLETE!  Nothing is missing.  Everything we need to thrive and succeed on every level…both spiritually and in the natural…is included.  And, ANY person who studies, honors, obeys, and applies God’s Word to us cannot help but thrive and succeed…because God’s Word IS the very essence and nature of God articulated (John 1:1)…and the nature of God is unyielding, unstoppable, increase, expansion, riches, health, and so on…just read the Bible and you can see that it is so.

And so, IF there is a failure somewhere in our lives, it is because somewhere, we have failed to absorb, implement, and apply God’s Word in its entirety.

Now, let’s consider the incidence you mentioned in Acts chapter 2. This DEFINITELY falls under the umbrella of your phrase “at times”. Specifically, this was a time when there was extreme persecution from the Jews against Christians. As a result, the only way Christians could survive at that time…and simultaneously allow the brand-new gospel to be birthed, delivered, and established…was to band together and support each other. We can find other “special circumstances” in the Bible where “having all things in common” was the appropriate situation for survival. Moreover, there are cases in our world today…in certain nations and regions…where it is still the appropriate solution for Christians. And, I believe that as we continue into the unfolding of prophecy, there will be even more cases where it becomes necessary and appropriate.

However, when we take the Bible as a whole to determine how God wants things to be in “normal” circumstances, we very much find that the capitalistic, individualistic model is God’s model.  It is the model that made the United States of America so great…all the way up until they decided to forget God’s warning in Deuteronomy 8.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 is an excellent expression of God’s model…”every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour“.

As another example of what I am talking about, part of God’s aggravation with the Children of Israel when they wanted a King was that it would undermine the individualistic model that God had them operating successfully in.  You can read about that in 1 Samuel 8.

I could give other examples…but suffice it to say that what happened in Acts chapter 2 is NOT God’s model for “normal” life…and any open-minded review of the Bible will easily prove that.  What happened in Acts chapter 2 is a model that applies to exceptional and unusual circumstances.

Really, we need look no further than the 10 Commandments to know this: “Thou shalt not covet … any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

Plainly and directly, this scripture tells us that we are not to “want” anything that other people have learned for…worked for…and earned/deserved.  Instead, we are to learn for…work for…and earn/deserve our own good!

God has PLENTY of blessings and abundance for each and every one of us.  That is why there is no need for us to covet/want what someone else has…that is why there is no need for someone else to give to us what they have learned and worked for.  God has PLENTY for us…God is with us…and He is ready to give us all that we are willing to learn and work for.  We just have to be willing to do the learning and the work necessary for us to be able to provide value, benefit, and service.

Now, in everything I have said, I am not suggesting that charity, gifts, tithing, and ministry-support are wrong…because they certainly are not. Charity, gifts, tithing, and ministry-support are definitely a part of God’s model of living for us. And, what I have hopefully clarified above is that there is a very specific (narrow?) way in which these things are properly exercised and executed.

Through His people, God has many, many works and ministries going on that are legitimate, good, and worthy.  Being guided by God to be a participant of such works and ministries is always wise and appropriate.

But, outside of works and ministries that are clearly God-ordained and clearly creating greater-good, proceed at your own risk…knowing that most likely, the person wanting your Christian charity just wants you to make the sacrifices, do the learning and the work, earn the money, and then give it to them…after which they will turn around and CONTINUE rejecting Christ…CONTINUE making bad choices…CONTINUE acting in foolish ways…and CONTINUE to want other people to bail them out of their messes and consequences.

And again, yes…I believe there can be a few rare “times” when the Lord wants us to give to this kind of person…as a testimony against them on Judgement Day.  But, my advice is that you better make sure it is God moving on you because otherwise, you are merely “wasting your substance on riotous living” (Luke 15:13) and “casting your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6).

Now, I know this article has undoubtedly raised the hackles of some people…so I will close with this: before a person starts parroting and pushing popular opinions, beliefs, and dogmas about what “Christianity” is and what “Christians” do, they should read the Bible in its entirety…and they should read it again…and again…however many times they need to…until they start to develop an OVERALL understanding of God’s true nature, will, and intentions.

The reason that God proclaimed David to be a “man after mine own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) was because David’s understanding of God’s OVERALL nature surpassed that of everyone around him.  In fact, with the exception of Christ, we would be hard-pressed to find ANYONE in the Bible who better understood God’s OVERALL nature better than David did.

My point is this: compare the OVERALL nature of God as defined by the entirety of the Bible…and compare that to popular “Christian” opinions, beliefs, and dogmas…and you will inevitably find major holes and errors…or in some cases, you will even find that there is very little resemblance between the two.  The fact is, MOST “versions” of Christianity are derived from a very NARROW, distorted extraction of a few key verses drawn from the Bible and used inappropriately or given inappropriate significance…much like satan did when he tempted Christ in Matthew 4.

So, by all means, go to church…we are commanded to do so (Hebrews 10:25)…just find the church in your area that practices the greatest portion of the Bible…and make sure that you have worked out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12) with a full-featured study of the entire Bible mixed with prayer and fasting.  Otherwise, you will get to suffer…and any “witnessing” you do will merely mislead other people into suffering too.

NOTE: If you want to consider this topic of “money is evil” further, take a look at this article: Is Being Rich Bad?

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

How About A Prosperous Swing Upward?

Over and over in His Holy Word to us, God directs us to embrace one particular state of mind…

And yet, in our perverseness, imprudence, irrationality, silliness, and foolishness, we self-generate states of mind that are totally contrary to and opposite of what God tells us to have.

This is particularly odd considering that what we really want more than anything else is the same state of mind that God wants us to have.

When we embrace, have, and hold this God-ordained state of mind, everything in our life becomes well and promising. On the other hand, without this state of mind, we feel unsettled, disconcerted, flustered and our life becomes not-well and not-promising.

I am talking about peace!

Whether they realize it or not, what people are wanting is peace…because when people possess peace, they also have the things that go along with peace: happiness, hope, optimism, faith, courage, strength, joy, and so on.

When a person possesses peace, then no matter how bad their circumstances may actually be, they can move forward with calmness, serenity, tranquility, and optimism. Conversely, when a person does not possess peace, then no matter how good their circumstances may actually be, they stay stuck in agitation, anxiety, worry, fear, tension, distress, and frustration.

Experience and observation has proven to me that the more peace a person possesses, the more successful they will be…and that the less peace a person possesses, the less successful they will be.

Peace attracts!

NON-peace repels!

Now, I am not suggesting that peace is the only determinant of success…but I am saying that possessing peace IS a VERY important aspect of success.

But really, we sort of already knew this, didn’t we? We more or less knew this because every time we read the Gospels, it reverberates in the back of our mind that “peace” was a word that Christ used often. And now, effective immediately, let’s move the inactive concept of peace out of the back halls of our mind…let’s promote it to more than just a word that Christ stated frequently…and let’s make it a state of mind that we LIVE perpetually.

For many, this will probably be a challenge because they are IN THE HABIT of dwelling upon thoughts that produce NON-peace. Listen to people talk for a few minutes…or even a few seconds…and it becomes obvious what their underlying pattern of thought is. As some examples that I frequently hear:

  • I am all alone with nobody on my side.
  • I am not very good at [fill in the blank]. I never have been…I never will be…and that is why I cannot be successful.
  • I can never have my dream because I am unable to afford it.
  • I could never be successful like some people are.
  • I have a desperate need/problem…and nobody will take care of my need/problem for me.
  • I have a great calling for a great ministry…but nobody will give me what I need to establish it.
  • I have no way out of my troubles…and nobody to help me.
  • I just need a break…but nobody will give me a break.
  • I would like to shine for Christ…I would like to have a good ministry…but I have so many problems that are so big that I cannot even get started.

The question is, how much peace do you think a person looping and maximizing one of these thought-patterns is going to possess? The obvious answer is, little to none!

I have encountered many people who have BURIED their own self in a graveyard of THOUGHTS about what they do not have…what they cannot do…and what is wrong in their life. They are like Legion crying amongst the tombs (Mark 5, Luke 8)…they are people who have forsaken and rejected peace…the “way of peace have they not known” (Romans 3:17).

Now, I am absolutely talking about peace here…but I want to make a couple of important points relative to the above-listed thought-patterns.

The first point is this: people who think these non-Biblical kinds of thought-patterns are SENTENCING their own self to the very conditions and circumstances they do not want…confirmable by MANY, MANY scriptures including this one: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

These people are OBLIGATING God to give them what they do not want…they are OBLIGATING God to hold them in circumstances and conditions that they do not want.

Importantly, whether you realize it or not, you DO have a certain kind of faith…and YOUR faith IS PRODUCING after its kind. It is impossible to not-have faith. You DO have a faith of some kind…and that faith is RELIABLY PRODUCING in your life.

People frequently tell me that they just don’t have faith…but what they do not recognize or understand is that they have DEVOUT faith…ROCK-SOLID faith…POWERFULLY-PRODUCING faith. Lack of faith is NOT the problem. The problem is that they have the wrong kind of faith that IS producing what they do not want.

Over and over again I have encountered individuals whose belief/faith/thought-patterns was along the lines of: “I have a terrible problem…it is [fill in the blank]…and I cannot fix it.” And remarkably, these individuals had been able to support, hold on to, and maintain this same problem beyond anything that was humanly or naturally possible. In the natural, the problem would have LONG AGO dissipated or resolved itself…except these people’s faith was obligating God to hold the problem firmly in place…and yet, they were trying to convince me that they did not have any faith.

Again, the problem was NOT that they did not have faith. The problem was that they had TOO MUCH of the WRONG KIND of faith.

As it applies to you, what kind of faith is your faith?

You absolutely, infallibly have faith…it’s just a question of what TYPE of faith is it?

How are you using your faith?

What are you using your faith to produce in your life and in the lives of others?

Is your faith producing what you want?

Are you using your faith to hold on to problems…or, are you using your faith to see and manifest solutions and blessings?

As you consider these questions, is it perhaps time for you to upgrade and improve the kind of faith that you have and use…so that you can produce more desirable, more enjoyable things in your life and in the lives of others?

Okay…I am still talking about peace…and now, let’s delve into the second point I want to make…

In the list of thought-patterns above, notice how many of these people had FOOLISHLY placed the resolution of their problems, their well-being, and their success into the hands of “somebody else”. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to fix their problems. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to take care of their challenges and their issues for them. Notice how they FOOLISHLY wanted someone else to pick them up and set them onto the path of success.

But here is the thing: if these people do not care about their own problems enough to seriously get up and fix them, then why should anyone else care about them any more than they do? If a person does not care about their own issues enough to get up and constructively do something about them until they are conquered and resolved, then there is no reason for anyone else to care about that person’s issues either. The Bible certainly backs this up. For example, “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

More to the point, how much peace can a person have if they have abdicated responsibility for their own issues? How much peace can a person have if they placed their well-being into the hands of other people? How much peace can a person have if they are stuck waiting in dependency upon someone else? Well again, the obvious answer is little to none!

The Bible plainly tells us: “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:17). Bluntly, what that means is that IF a person is in a bad situation, then it is time for them to personally put learning, work, and perseverance into “departing” from the “evil” issues in their life.

If you want the same point in different terms, then consider this: “glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good” (Romans 2:10).

Now, we talk of “having” peace…but in reality, peace is NOT something you just “have”. In life, there are certain things that we “have”…and there are things we must “appropriate”. As I described above, faith is something you just “have”…and the only question is one of HOW you are using that faith…of whether you are using your faith for good, bad, or indifference. But, peace is different. Peace is one of those things that we must appropriate…meaning that peace is something we must consciously, purposely take, acquire, seize, and hold for our own use and benefit.

Of course, we sort of already know this because we are all familiar with the scripture that says: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Similarly, Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “Thou [God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

But, are we actively doing what we know to do?

Well, that leads us to this truth: each person HAS DECIDED whether he or she wants the joys and benefits of peace…or if he or she wants to take pleasure in NON-peace.

Huh? What’s that?

That’s right…I said exactly what I meant. There are people who take pleasure in NON-peace. They like the pleasure of attention that their focus on their problems brings them. They like the pleasure of pity directed at them as a result of their troubles. They like the pleasure of emotionally working themselves up into a negative frenzy. They like the pleasure of negative drama stewed up between their self and others.

These people say they want peace…but they are unwilling to let go of their NON-peace “pleasures”.

However, when we become ready for the far-superior pleasures and benefits of peace, we each possess the God-given power to CHANGE our decision and to possess peace instead of non-peace. It is simply a matter of whether we really want to or not.

My advice is choose peace. My advice is appropriate peace. My advice is develop the habit of living in a state of peace. My advice is that in all things…in every area of your life…go for peace…go to peace…go in peace…stay with peace.

Of course, this is the same advice that the Apostle Paul gave us a long time ago: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19).

My peace I give you“, Jesus tells us. He continues on to say, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Jesus GIVES us the opportunity and possibility of possessing His gift of peace. But, we are not required or forced to accept or receive His gift of peace. Again, it is our choice to make.

In order to possess peace, diligence and discipline are required: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)  Diligence and discipline are required…but the rewards and benefits are well worth it.

Again and again in the Gospels, we read that Jesus “held his peace“. This does NOT mean that He was sitting or standing in silence while negative thoughts ran through his mind. It means literally that He silently HELD his mind on God-thoughts…He HELD his mind on positive faith. Christ understood that He had a purpose and a direction…and He did not allow anything to sway Him from the state of mind that He needed to possess in order to fulfill his purpose and move forward in His direction.

Similarly, again and again, as we read of the miracles of Christ, we find that “peace” was a significant part of the equation. “Peace be still“, “go in peace“, and “peace be with you” were key decrees that corresponded with many miracles.

By appropriating peace…and by possessing peace as your dominant state of mind, you eliminate all possible failure from your life…and the ONLY remaining option is a prosperous swing upward. Sure, troubles and trials may arise…but with peace…you will come through those troubles and trials all the better off for having gone through them.

And, if you cannot seem to muster up the ability to appropriate and possess peace, then bluntly, that means you have given too much space within yourself to the “lusts of the flesh”…to the negative thoughts that produce negative emotions…all of which produces NON-action…and not enough space to proper, Biblically-based, Godly thoughts…which produce good-action. (Acts 10:36)

I’ll close with this…

LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” (Isaiah 26:12)

Isn’t that a marvelous, beautiful, encouraging verse?

The Lord HAS ordained peace for YOU!  God WANTS you to HAVE peace.  And, good works and good outcomes ARE within you…because God PUT them there!  That means no matter who you are…where you are at…or what you have or do not have…you DO have the ability to learn, work, create, produce, and deliver something that is good, beneficial, useful, helpful, and valuable…which means you have the ability to manifest the blessings and success in YOUR life that God has placed within you.

YOU are like the MIGHTY acorn…everything needed to become a great and MIGHTY oak tree is contained within that acorn…and everything needed to become a great and mighty person for God and for good is contained within you…and all you have to do is IMPLANT yourself with thoughts of peace…with thoughts of goodness and blessings…and start learning and working towards delivering something of value, benefit, or service to some person or group of people.

Of course, before that can happen, you will have to STOP looping NON-peaceful thoughts…you will have to let go of all your NON-peace “pleasures”.  But, the peace and blessings that start coming to you will be well worth stopping and letting go of NON-peace.  I promise you.  More importantly, God’s Word promises you!

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire

The Path To Success

The Bible is a God-given book that teaches us the way to salvation…we know that. But, it is also the greatest book ever written about success, happiness, peace, and well-being. Bizarrely, instead of being people’s most-read, first-accessed book, it is typically the book people read least and access last.

Experience and observation has proven to me that there is no faster way to improve one’s circumstances and conditions in life than to get into the Word of God and accept, absorb, embrace, and apply the truths, mindsets, strategies, tactics, beliefs, and perspectives that it reveals.

Between the things God has endowed us with innately…and His Holy Word the Bible…God has given us everything we need to succeed. And, this success…OUR success…is totally free.

In other words, God has ALREADY GIVEN success to us. All we have to do to PROGRESSIVELY RECEIVE this God-given success is study the Bible…grasp the instructions it contains…think, believe, accept, learn, and work in harmony with what it reveals…and incredible, uniquely-personalized success in every area of our life is infallibly ours…complements of God Himself.

Amazingly, too many individuals REJECT the success that God has for them. They snub, rebuff, disregard, “brush-off”, and “turn up their nose” at God’s path to success. They don’t want God’s success for them…they want SOMEONE ELSE to GIVE them success. So, these individuals go seek, push, plead, and beg for “gifts” from other people…thinking that IF they can just get a certain specific “gift” from other people, THEN they will finally be able to move into the success they want to enjoy.

But God…in His amazing love…even for individuals who reject His plan and path of success for them…will FOR A TIME actually BLOCK these individuals from receiving “gifts” from other people. These individuals seek, push, plead, and beg for “gifts” from other people…and in one way or another, God thwarts and prevents them from actually being able to receive those “gifts”. In other words, FOR A TIME, God will see to it that these individuals DO NOT get the very “gifts” they think they want…and that they are “praying” for.

Perhaps you have even experienced this yourself. Perhaps you have went asking for “gifts” from other people…all while “praying” that God would move these people to give you the “gifts” you wanted from them…but the gift never materialized. Well Hallelujah…you just got BLOCKED by God’s goodness and mercy TO YOU!

God does not want you seeking “gifts” from other people because THAT is NOT what is best for YOU! God does NOT want you seeking FALSE-SUCCESS from other people. God wants you to receive the TRUE-SUCCESS that He has for you.

Think about what I am saying to you in these terms…

Would you seek salvation from someone else…instead of from God through Jesus Christ?

Well, if you are a Christian, and if you know anything at all about God, your answer is, “Of course not!” You know that the first and greatest commandment is that you are to have no other gods before you (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 22:36-40). You know that there is no other source for salvation (Acts 4:12). You know that God wants you to work out your own salvation between you and Him (Philippians 2:12). In short, you know that God does not want you seeking salvation from anyone else except Him!

And GET THIS…it is exactly the same with your success. God does not want you seeking success and well-being from other people. God wants you seeking success and well-being from Him…namely, by being in right-relationship and by growing in right-operation with Him according to His laws, commandments, and principles.

As you move into right-relationship with God…and as you grow in right-operation with God…you will find that your success will invariably involve YOU providing certain value, benefit, and service TO OTHER people…as it naturally SHOULD…because this is God’s second great commandment (Mark 12:31) to us.

Now, why is that God specifically wants you seeking success only from Him? It is because success that has been worked out between you and God is REAL, ENDURING, SUSTAINABLE success. In contrast, false-success “gifts” received from other people merely put you in a slavish, weak, unpleasant, disagreeable position…and that is NOT the position that God wants you in. God does not want His people “being the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). God wants His people to “be the head” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

In Joshua chapter 9, we can read about a group of people (the Gibeonites) who sought their “success” from other people (the Israelites)…and verse 23 gives us the pronouncement that came as a result: “Now therefore, ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water“.

By seeking their success from other people instead of from God directly, these people cursed themselves to a menial life of misery…and this PRINCIPLE is just as true today as it was back in the time of Joshua.

This principle is expressed all through the Bible in a multitude of ways and through a multitude of stories. Perhaps the bluntest and plainest expression of it is where God says to us: “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5

The preceding verse logically takes us to this verse: “For such as be blessed of [God] shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalms 37:22

What does it mean to be “cut off”? Well, there are both spiritual and natural aspects…but with regard to the natural, it means, “thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore” (Deuteronomy 28:29).

If you want to further explore the principle of seeking success from God only, I particularly recommend that you take a look at Isaiah 30:1-3 and Isaiah 31:1-3.

Now, going back to the phrase, “for a time” that I emphasized above…an individual CAN persist in ignoring the principle…an individual CAN continue rejecting God’s model…an individual CAN push forward with what they personally want…until God acquiesces to their “stubbornness and hardness of heart” and releases them…and turns them over to the misery, loss, and destruction that lies at the end of what they think they want.

Take a closer look at any person who has spent years seeking false-success “gifts” from other people…and you will see exactly what I mean…you will see someone who is clearly “the tail”. It was NEVER what God wanted or intended for them…but it is what they have “insisted” upon for their own self.

The kind of individual I am talking about here is operating under the false-belief…the illusion…that IF someone would just give them a certain-sized “gift”, THEN everything would be okay…THEN life would be good for them…THEN they could “get on their feet”…THEN they could FINALLY enjoy life…THEN they could do some particular ministry.

But, what such a person has FAILED TO LEARN FROM THEIR OWN PRIOR EXPERIENCES is that false-success “gifts” do not EVER produce true-success.

Actually, it would not matter how big of a “gift” such an individual was given…they could be given a “gift” that was 10 times bigger than what they “thought” they needed/wanted…and in a very short time, they would be in a situation that was an even worse mess with even bigger problems…than the situation they were in before they received the “gift”.

As the Bible tells us, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalms 127:1). In other words, you cannot succeed by going down any other path except God’s path for you. To try to succeed on some other path that excludes God…or that is outside of God…is foolishness.  Any path except God’s path is one sure to lead to failure.

This brings us full-circle back to the importance of the Bible. Consider these prophetic words spoken by men who failed to understand their own words: “But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.” John 7:49

Let us make sure that we are regular partakers of God’s Word…let us make sure that we accept, absorb, embrace, and apply the truths, mindsets, strategies, tactics, beliefs, and perspectives that God specifically reveals to us in His Word…so that we can be blessed rather than cursed.

Also, remember that the enemy of your soul and your life is come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10)…so, IF satan can distract you from absorbing God’s Word to you in the Bible…IF he can convince you that the Bible is not important or relevant to you…or, IF he can get you to postpone embracing the Bible until a later time…then he has effectively defeated you and blocked you from the success that you want and that God wants you to have.

My advice is that you decide to succeed…by becoming a living expression of God’s spirit and God’s blessings…which is accomplished by you becoming a student and an implementer of God’s Word.

Also, remember that it does not matter if a person does not know the Word of God…or if they just ignore and reject it. Either way, a person gets to suffer the consequences of not receiving what is freely available to them. God’s Word is freely available to us…and therefore, we are not excused from the consequences of not living His Word. Whether there is an ignorance of God’s Word…or a rebellion against God’s Word…either way effectively produces failure spiritually and naturally.

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© 2014 – 2015, MillionairesForJesus.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Permission is granted to reprint this article ONLY if a link is included with it as follows:

URL: http://www.millionairesforjesus.com/

Link Text: Millionaires For Jesus – God’s Millionaires – Christian Millionaire