Year: 2017

Building Trust

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20 ESV.

Trust is a two way street. You may want to trust the other person, but can they trust you? Former President Ronald Reagan loved to quote the expression “trust and verify.” In my experience with others, this simple advice truly works in today’s culture.

If you are having a trust issue with another person, you may want to use this approach. Don’t trust them with everything at one time. Instead, build trust one promise at a time.

Likewise if you want to be considered a trustful person, behave as one. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Instead, when you make a promise, keep it. Live your life with “yes” or “no” as your promise. You will find over time that when people trust your words, your character and ability, your influence for God’s Kingdom will be more quickly accepted because of your proven actions in the past.

Doesn’t God behave the same way with us? When he personally makes a promise to us, doesn’t he keep it? It may not be on our schedule (isn’t God always late in our human opinion), but in hindsight we will see how everything works out better than we could ever expect. Even when God put Abraham to the test in potentially sacrificing his own son, He was building a trustful relationship one act at a time. God knew Abraham’s heart; afterward Abraham knew his heart and God’s heart – leading to mutually trust which builds a stronger relationship.

We can do likewise. First become a person who can be trusted. Then work to build trust with others. And always lean on building trust with our Lord in everything you do.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

Let God Change Your World

Dr. Mike Think About That...
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new. Revelations 21:5 ESV.

Ever great change begins when one person decides to make a difference in the life of another. Every movement begins when one person serves another. Any one act, any one word, and any one thought has the potential to change your world.

Yet potential changes nothing but the fantasy of mere dreams. Real change occurs only when work becomes focus on a specific outcome.  When your chosen work aligns with your God-given gifts, and most importantly, when the Triune God champions your endeavor, then you know only time will separate your work from final completion.

James writes that faith apart from works is dead (James 2:17). That one needs to act out ones belief for faith to turn into positive results. However, those beliefs need to be grounded in the reality of  Jesus Christ. Otherwise we may be guilty of stealing from Him, plagiarizing him, or even working against him.

Faith also teaches us to rely on Christ for leadership. Instead of seeking God to bless our endeavors, we seek out what God is already doing and ask if we can join Him. Most often, He will gladly share the spotlight with you. Sometimes though He has other plans and you may have to pass on the adventure. Either way, when you rely on directions from your Heavenly Father, you can be assured His Will is already accomplished. You just have to ride the wave toward the shore.

So when you live each day realizing that our Lord may give you one moment, one word, or one act which may positively influence a person’s life or even the course of human history, doesn’t that make your time and life more meaningful in your relationships and pursuits? Think about that…

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

Designed To Be Like God

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Your Identity
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27

Imagine a dog behaving like a cat. Or a lion acting like a monkey. Or an elephant like a snake. We would be concern that there was something mentally wrong with the animal. Yet when people behave ungodly, we have come to accept it as normal.

When we fail to pursue holiness, purity, or honesty, are we not being misdirected from our original design? God created humankind after His image; for God is love, full of joy and abundant in goodness. When we fail to live up to God’s design, aren’t we losing out on God’s best? Satan knows.

Adam and Eve had the opportunity to be more like God. But instead of trusting their Lord, they bit into Satan’s temptation that they may have it all now by taking things into their own hands.

Likewise Jesus knew his purpose and design. So did Satan. In the wilderness after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led him into the desert to face the enemy (Luke 4). Satan made three offers to Jesus. Each was God’s destiny for Jesus. But Satan tempted Jesus to accept his destiny by disobeying His Father’s Will and take it all now. We know the event, Jesus resisted the tempter and continued to place His trust in His Father to bring about His divine purpose.

We are no different. God has made many promises for us; including to fulfill the purpose for what you were designed to be. But we must patiently wait on Him and resist the temptation to manipulate circumstances and situations as we believe they need to be.

Yes you are uniquely designed. You have a purpose. It may not be what you think it is. But when you lean on our heavenly Triune God, He will direct your steps toward its fulfillment.  In the late season of your life, in retrospect, you will recognize God’s hand in many of your life’s decisions. But meanwhile, while living through them now, you may question, doubt, and worry. Yet as you lean on Him, He will always be at your side reassuring you, coaching you, and creating His masterpiece in you after His image. For remember, ultimately in this life, it is your purpose to be molded and shaped into the image of Jesus Christ; to be His witness now and in preparation for eternity. Everything else is extra.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!