discipleship

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

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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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Stop It!

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , ,
“O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.” Jeremiah 5:3 ESV.

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Mr. Bob Newhart is a standup comedian and actor noted for his deadpan delivery. One memorable,  humorous routine involved him playing a psychologist providing services for $5 a session. His one-line response after listening to the patient’s problem was always the same: “stop it.” No matter the problem, the solution was simply for you to stop doing it. A simple reply that in many ways is funny because we humans like to make our personal problems seem larger and more difficult than the challenges of others.

Yet Bob Newhart’s response is actually the best advice we can implement. (This of course does not apply to conditions caused by physical or mental structural damages.) When the problem is caused by harmful behavioral or attitudinal responses, something needs to change. As long as we continue to respond in the same routine fashion, how do we realistically expect the results to be any different?

The challenging circumstances we face each day is the opportunity to lean more on the Triune God. As we lean more on God, we witness his grace in action. The process slowly changes our heart as we develop a trust walk with the Almighty. This change of heart the Bible denotes as repentance. It is changing how we think and respond to the world around us. Instead of centering the pain on our shoulders, or throwing the pain in the face of others, we learn to give the pain over to Jesus who helps carry us through the ordeal via the Holy Spirit.

So the next time to find yourself experiencing a negative outcome, review the process that got you there, and ask God for the strength to change it. In other words, stop responding in your old way and ask God to show you how you can respond differently. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask Him for more love and patience. Ask Him for whatever you need. Like a caring Father, He will gladly provide you with the help you need. Otherwise, if you don’t change, who are you going to become?

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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Hope

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,
” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 ESV

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When times get challenging, when you are not sure which way to go, and you feel alone and misunderstood, praise God. You have come to the crossroads of hope.

Without pain, suffering, and misfortune, hope would only be a word. An illusion for the helpless. A battle cry for the defeated. Yet Paul writes that hope is the means of surviving the battlefields of life.

He points us to read Scripture for encouragement. To read how God intervenes in the lives of other believers. To discover the precepts and principles when applied opens the door of opportunity. For when we place our hope in Him, we discover the true meaning of love and faith.

He is faithful and demonstrates how every day. He also expresses love deeper than any person you and I will ever meet. When we place our hope in him, he opens his heart with us. He shares his abundance with us. He also disciplines us for our good. His behavior is a byproduct of his inherent love and faithfulness.

So when times get tough, don’t hope in solutions, money, or people. Instead, place your hope in him. To know him is more than knowing his hands and feet that provide for us. To hope in him is to know him; to know him is to hope in him. In Christ we have real, true hope (Hebrews 3:6).

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!