life in christ

Helmets, Seat Belts, Armor

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , , , , ,
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV

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A strong defense wins championships.

This statement has been repeated constantly by sport teams over the years. Yet how does that apply to everyday life?

This past week, I had a bicycle accident. The bike tires hit what this northern transfer calls “rubber ice.” For those outside the state of Florida, rubber ice is a byproduct of rubber mats placed on sidewalk corners. Their purpose is to prevent people from slipping on the pavement. However, the problem occurs after a rain shower when the rubber mat becomes wet. When bicycling, one must approach these mats directly head-on or risk having the tires spin out of control.

The later is what happened when I quickly turned onto the sidewalk at an angle. The tires didn’t hold and the bike went into a slide. When everything stopped, I was a pretzel caught under the bike with my cheek rubbing the cement ground. Thankfully, I was wearing a helmet which took most of the blow to the head. I was fortunate to walk away with only minor scrapes and bruises.

I recall in those early years once driving my auto on the service drive of a freeway when another car ran a stop sign and broadsided me. The impact knocked my car off the road toward the freeway which laid approximately 30 feet below. The impact knocked me from the driver side to an upside down position on the passenger side. When the car came to a stop, my head was on the passenger floor mat and my feet upright hitting the ceiling. My right hand though hung onto the steering wheel keeping the car from toppling off the service ramp into the traffic below.

Again, I was fortunate to walk away with bruises and minor cuts. This was before the law of the land required seat-belt usage. Anyway, after that ordeal wearing a seat belt became my standard before it was even a legal requirement.

Today, wisdom recognizes the safety importance of wearing helmets when cycling and seat belts when driving cars. One never knows when outside circumstances could cause a damaging accident with crippling human results.

The apostle Paul outlines in the book of Ephesians the defensive measures that a Christ-follower wears to prevent catastrophe against the devil’s ploy. He described it as the whole armor of God. It includes Truth, Righteousness, The Gospel, Faith, Salvation, Word of God, and Prayer.

If you want to have a strong defense, than it is recommended that one learns, understands, and integrates each of these tools into your life. The world’s circumstances will test you through unexpected battles. To survive and endure to the end requires putting on the defensive gear before an unplanned accident occurs. With the proper equipment, one has a better chance of walking away with only minor bruises and small cuts.

Those who aren’t wearing any protective gear though will experience the full impact of an accident’s fury. Whether bicycling, driving, or moving through life’s jungle, one needs to be prepared for the unexpected. The armor of God helps you to manage the risk of the unexpected.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
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

Financially Interdependent

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , ,
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” 1 Peter 4:10 ESV

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One of the most challenging business decisions to make is accepting God’s offer of joining Him in his work. Until then, we operate under the illusion of self-sufficiency. Especially those of us who are wired with specific talents and abilities to capture the economic opportunities in the marketplace.

This is generally why a person is not satisfied with his first million or billion; or the person seeking intimacy through more sexual conquests; or the parent that feeds their internal self-image through the accomplishments of their children manipulating them for his or her personal desires rather than what is best for them.

Generally because of an internal motivation usually caused by some traumatic event early in life, we are driven to pursue a course thinking that the outcome will satisfy our inner hunger. However after we arrive, we find our self still hungry or hurting. Then in our blindness we continue for more, thinking it is because we don’t have enough that we still hunger and hurt.

Only after a person comes to the realization that God owns it all and only lends us resources for our good AND for the good of others, will we appreciate the vastness of His domain and influence in our life. The Bible reiterates that God owns it all. That as children working in the family business under His domain, we acknowledge his authority in our life. We gladly provide the hands and feet in joint partnership with his resources to serve, to grow, and to flourish with others under the domain that he has given us.

That domain may just be one person. Or that domain may be a family; or an organization, community, or national chair. No matter the size of our responsibility, when the realization we are in a joint venture working with the King of Kings to restore this planet to His original intent, accountability takes on a greater meaning than just satisfying ourselves.

When money comes before God, Houston has a problem (as NASA would state). When God is there only to serve your money dilemmas, Houston has a problem. However, when we accept our role in the Kingdom of God as a bond-servant to the Lord, we are glad to offer our services to further His purposes. We are thankful for the opportunity to express the talents and abilities He has bestowed upon us for His glory.

At the end of day, we acknowledge that all the wealth, treasures, and bank accounts are his. We are only his stewards. We provide the hands and feet, he provides the resources. Together we share a life experience. We of course get the best side of the deal as He gladly bestows His grace upon us for his namesake.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
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

Selfishness or Self-Interest?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ , ,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31 ESV

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Somewhere we may have forgotten the difference between selfishness and self-interest.

Jesus stated that we are to love our neighbors as our selves. Yet we are told not to be self-centered. How can one be interested in the self without being self-centered?

Simply defined: self-interest is recognizing that the self is a person, made in the image of God, and is important in God’s domain.

Selfishness on the other hand, is when we only recognize our own personal desires and needs without taking into account the interest of others.

Without the protection of self-interest, we become pawns manipulated by others. Even Jesus said that we are to be harmless as doves but as wise as serpents when dealing with the world.

Without the Spirit of God, a person generally behaves with their personal agenda the center of life. With the Spirit of God one begins to view life from the others perspective. That includes God’s view and the people around us.

We begin to realize that all have been justified through the life and death of Jesus. That we can be a witness for others. We can work with the Spirit for the sake of others as they learn to accept Jesus as their Boss. Until then and thereafter, we are to be concern with our brothers and sisters. We are to take care of them as we want others to take care of us.

As children of God’s Kingdom, we are to follow the lead of the Spirit in our life. We are to include God and others in our decisions. And when push comes to shove, we deny ourselves for God’s glory and for the sake of others. It is not all about me. It is about God, others, and me.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
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