Jesus Apprentice

Pray For What?

Dr. Mike Bible Life Questions, Jesus Apprentice, Journey in Christ, Life in Christ
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Mt. 6:7 ESV.

heart

“The best prayers are short and to the point.” Those are the words from one of my early mentors. Somewhere between then and a few years later, that advice was forgotten. I came to the point where I would pray, and pray, and pray, and pray heaping empty phrases on top of one another. Then one day a revelation.

God knows what we need before I even made the request. So why do we think with many more words we can manipulate God to grant us our wishes?

Don’t even go there.

Instead, pray like Jesus did. Pray for the Father’s heart.

God can do more and better than you and I anyway. When we realize that Jesus is our intercessor (Heb. 7:25) and perfects our prayers to our Heavenly Father, why heap more and more empty words on top of the other. Instead, ask your Heavenly Father in your own simple words. Jesus will improve them. And the Holy Spirit will likewise share in the process to make them more effective.

Remember, it is not about you or me. It is about the Triune God. Pray seeking His heart in all matters. In the process you will come to know God more abundantly, and you will experience his Will; which is even better than what you asked in the first place.

So what to pray for? How about His Heart on the matter.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Find a Mentor

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Jesus Apprentice , , ,
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8 ESV

mentorship 2

In a conversation with several business men and women, the question was asked “what is the one thing you would do differently if you could relive life over again in the business world?”   My reply startled some of the them and made others quickly reevaluate their situation. For my answer was simple; “to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in all my business undertakings.”

Even though I surrendered to Lord Jesus at 17 years of age, my understanding of how business, ministry, and faith integrated was almost non-existent.  I did not understand how my “business life” could be a ministry that glorifies God and serves others for the common good. At the time church pastors were not teaching about it and there were very few resources that addressed the idea. It has taken many years, much prayer, and sacrificial work searching to discover how this integration works. I often consider that if I had a mentor, how different things might have been.

That is why I now encourage men and women today to diligently seek-out spiritual business mentors willing to coach them on how to fully integrate all aspects of life that leads to the most adventurous journey rooted in Jesus Christ. Ask your pastor to refer someone. Ask someone in your congregation that you know is both success in business and has a heart for God. There are many who talk about faith in business, but there are few in comparison who “walk the talk.”

When you find that mentor, you will find an advisor and a spiritual guide who will assist you through the many challenges and opportunities that will come before you. They are not to make your decisions for you. They are there as a sounding board because they have already gone through the battlefield of spiritual warfare in the marketplace. You will find a mentor will increase your learning curve and move you faster toward achieving your dreams while staying true to God’s purpose for your life.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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YOU, Inc

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Jesus Apprentice , , ,

 

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.” Proverbs 2: 9:15 ESV

you inc 1

Everyone of us can be viewed as an incorporated entity: a YOU, Inc. As the CEO of YOU, Inc. you have talents, abilities, and skills that you market and operate with each day. Your impact toward those around you is a direct correlation between how well you exercise your God-given attributes to solve the problems of those you serve.

One of the primary function of every CEO of YOU, Inc. is to make decisions. Your ability to make wise judgments that impact your future and the future of those around you separates the mature adult from the immature child.

Since we are apprentices of Jesus, we are likewise being prepared for leadership in the world tomorrow (Rev. 5:10, 20:6). The one function of all leaders is to make godly decisions. The Bible even states when the righteous are in positions of leadership, good happens. (Proverbs 2) When decisions are based on eternal values, the people rejoice. When decisions are made like Solomon (1 Kings 3:16:28), people nod their heads in approval. When decisions are based on reality that includes the heavenly and earthly, even the angels rejoice (Luke 15:10).

We are all being trained to make wise decisions. One discipline that is practiced by many apprentices is through the continual reading of Scripture. For example, some read the Book of Proverbs on a monthly cycle; one chapter for each day of a 31 day month. Others make it a habit to read the entire Bible each year via a different translation. Then others study the interaction
of people within scriptures to better understand the problem, the solution implemented, and the outcome.

When one has a clear focus of God’s domain, a deep commitment for the Divine life, and abide heavily in Christ, one learns good from evil. One learns Godly values that produce fruitful results. One learns to view life through the eyes of the God of the universe.

Bottom-line: If you want to learn the art of making better choices, exercise your prerogative of learning from the best teacher of decision making: Jesus Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Founder & Executive Director
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!