Working

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Working for the Unsaved

1 Kings 18:3

"And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:"

One thing most people cannot get out of is working for people who are unsaved. For most, working with the unsaved is difficult because of the atmosphere in which they must work. Obadiah could certainly understand the difficulties of working with the unsaved. Obadiah's boss was Ahab. According to the Scriptures, no king worked more wickedness than Ahab. Yet, in God's commentary about Obadiah He said, "Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:..." Though Obadiah worked for an evil man, he still kept his walk with the LORD in tact. His testimony was the key to getting God's attention. Let me show you a few ways to keep your testimony as you work for the unsaved.

First, be dependable. Obadiah must have been a dependable man for Ahab to give him a job that only he and Ahab could do. When working for the unsaved, you must do your best to be dependable. Be dependable by being at work every day. Though you may not always feel like going to work, you should be sure to be there unless your health would be harmed or others would be harmed by you being there. Just because you have sick days to use does not give you the right to take off. Being at your place of work day in and day out will help your unsaved boss to depend on you.

Second, be trustworthy. Ahab had to trust Obadiah in order to give him a position of governor. You won't give somebody a high position who is not trustworthy. You need to be sure to be a trustworthy person on the job. Be careful not to steal minutes from your boss. What I mean by this statement is you should not take extra minutes during your break time. If your boss gives you a ten minute break, then only take ten minutes. Likewise, don't take materials from the job site without first asking your boss. Taking for granted that it will be fine to take materials is nothing more than stealing. It does not matter that everyone else may do it, be trustworthy and ask before you take materials.

Third, work hard. When Obadiah was given the job of finding grass for the cattle, he immediately went and started searching. The best way to build a testimony with an unsaved boss is to be the hardest worker where you work. Though we are not in competition with the unsaved, there should never be an unsaved person who works harder than a saved person. You represent Christ on the job, and He would want you to be a hard worker.

Fourth, don't participate in the ungodly practices of those with whom you work. When Jezebel killed the prophets of God, Obadiah did right and hid as many prophets as he could. Often in the workplace there are sinful things that take place. Be sure that you don't participate in these practices. If they go and party; don't go to the parties. Your testimony is more important than trying to appease their criticisms of you.

Most Christians will have to work for the unsaved. One of the best ways to win them to Christ is to build a testimony of being the best employee in the workplace. When you keep your Christian testimony by doing right and working hard, then they will turn to you when they need someone to help them.

Success


The Key to Punishment's Success

1 Kings 11:39

"And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever."

Punishment will either drive you further away from right or closer to that which you ought to be doing. The key to whether punishment succeeds or fails is found in the verse above. Because Solomon sinned against God, judgment had been pronounced against the seed of David. However, though God was going to punish his seed, He said that He would not punish it "for ever." God was wisely giving hope to the seed of David that punishment would not last forever in the hope of letting punishment bring them back to Him.

When authority punishes wrong, they must be careful with the administration of punishment. If they leave no hope when the punishment is administered, then they will drive the one who is receiving the punishment away from right. Leaving someone with dignity and hope during the punishment is the key to punishment's success.

When administering punishment, always give hope that the punishment will end. When there is no hope that punishment will end, then there is no reason for the one being punished to do right. This is why you must be careful about holding the past against someone who has done wrong. Punishment must end at some point if you want the one being punished to do right.

Moreover, be sure to give hope that restoration is possible. Here is an important key to someone getting right. Though someone may get punished for doing wrong, if they know that there is hope for them to be completely restored, then they will take the punishment correctly. You will often see people who rebel against punishment because they don't believe that they have any hope of being restored. Yes, there are consequences to sin, but there must be hope that restoration is possible.

Furthermore, when administering punishment, give hope that one can be used again. Restoration is important, but having a hope that they can be useful after the punishment will seal that hope in their heart. You will notice that God always left the door open for people to be used again after punishment. The Scriptures are filled with people who were used again after they were punished, and we should follow that example and do the same.

Finally, be sure to give hope that the relationship is not severed. You must make it very clear that your love for the one being punished is not on trial. Be sure they understand that you love them, not for what they do, but for who they are. When the one receiving the punishment knows that you love them unconditionally, then they will be willing to allow you to help them through the restoration process.

Whatever you do, don't remove hope when administering punishment. When hope is removed then you will institutionalize a person. What I mean by this is that they will feel they might as well continue to do wrong for their is no hope. The key to punishment's success is leaving hope during the punishment. When you leave them with hope, then you will leave them with their dignity and a desire to do right.

Leaders

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Great Leaders Have This Characteristic

1 Samuel 18:4

"And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands."

Leaders are a dime a dozen, but great leaders are hard to find. David was certainly a great leader whose life and leadership skills should be studied. I fear too often we study the leadership skills of the heathen and try to copy their characteristics in the Christian world. However, following godly leadership characteristics will allow you to help those whom you lead in a greater way.

One of the great characteristics of David's leadership was that he was not afraid to listen to the people. The verse above shows that David listened to and followed the advice of the people concerning the war with Absalom. David was ready to go to war with the people against Absalom, but the people asked David to stay back and let them fight this war for the LORD. David was secure enough in the skin of his leadership that he was not intimidated by following his follower's advice.

Great leaders will learn to listen to their followers. Listening to those whom you lead is not a sign of weakness, on the contrary it is actually a sign of strength. There are many leaders who never listen to those whom they lead to their own detriment. If leaders would listen to their followers, they would find that their followers would be more apt to listen to and follow their leadership. However, when leaders never listen to their followers, then eventually the followers will stop listening to their leaders.

One sign of weak leadership is a leader who thinks they know everything. Let me make this clear, no leader knows everything. The leader who thinks they know everything is a leader who is insecure. The leader who thinks he knows everything is the leader who is filled with pride. Leaders must realize that those who follow them have wisdom that could help them. If you think you know everything and will never listen to your followers, then you will end up hurting your ability to lead. Nobody wants to follow a know-it-all.

Most followers want success as much as their leader. For some reason there are some leaders who think that their followers don't want as much success as they do. This simply is not true! Most church members want their church to succeed. Most employees want their company to succeed. Most citizens want their country to succeed. Most family members want their family to succeed. Yes, there are some followers who would delight in the failure of their organization, but those followers are few and far between. The followers who are loyal to leadership want success as much as the leader does. This is why leadership would be wise to listen to those whom they lead.

In whatever area you lead, learn to listen to those you are leading. Realize that they have good ideas and wisdom that could help you to lead them in a better way. As a bonus, if you will listen to them and follow their ideas when appropriate, then you will further win their heart, allowing you to do greater things. Great leaders are great listeners, and great leaders will listen to those whom they lead. They may not always do what their followers want, but they will listen and give serious consideration to the suggestions of their followers.

It Came to Pass

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It Came to Pass in an Eveningtide

2 Samuel 11:2

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon."

One of the times that you need to guard the most is the night time. People get themselves into trouble at night more than any other time of the day. Proverbs 7 warns us about the dangers of the night when it tells us about a young man who was aimlessly walking the streets at night. God said about the night in John 3:19, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

David did not heed the warnings of the dangers of the night. When you study David's life, you will see that it was evening when David committed his great sin with Bathsheba. David did not understand the power of the night and the precautions he needed to make to avoid its pitfalls. Because of his lack of caution, sin overtook him and he paid a dear price for the rest of his life. Look at the four things that destroyed his life at night.

First, he didn't fill his time during the night. 2 Samuel 11:1 says, "But David tarried still at Jerusalem." Instead of doing nothing, David should have filled his evenings with work to keep him from doing things he would regret later in life. Christian, keep your evenings filled when you are alone at night. When you have nothing to do at night, your mind will find something to do, and most likely what it finds to do will not be good.

Second, he allowed himself to see the wrong things. Notice it says about David in the verse above, "...he saw a woman washing herself;..." When you don't fill your time with things to do, then you will start looking at things you should not look at. If you travel a lot and stay in hotels alone, I would advise you to keep your evenings filled, and be careful about what you watch on the TV. Many good people have filled their minds with wrong things by watching the wrong programs on the television. If you will keep your evenings filled with work or spiritual activity, then you will find it hard to look at the wrong things.

Third, he enquired about the wrong. 2 Samuel 11:3 says, "And David sent and enquired after the woman..." David was justifying in his mind that he was doing no wrong by simply enquiring about this woman whom he saw. Simply enquiring about sin means that you have already considered doing it in your mind. When you start enquiring about sin, then you are one step away from doing it. You don't need to know about sin. Don't ask about it at all. Don't investigate it in your private time. Stay away from the enquiry of sin.

Last, he thought no one would find out. David thought this act would be a one-night fling that nobody would ever know about. However, there is always a price to sin, and God warns us in Numbers 32:23 that sin will be found out. You may think that nobody will ever know what you are doing in private, but sin has a way of making its way into the public eye. Christian, you cannot get away with sin. God knows what you are doing, and He will hold you accountable for your sin.

I encourage you to be careful about the night time. Many people have ruined their lives in the "eveningtide." You are no different from David. Sin will catch you just like it did him. Ask God for His protection over your life during the night, and keep yourself from actions that will ruin your life.

11=40

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How Eleven Days Equals Forty Years

Deuteronomy 1:2

"(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)"

One phrase in the verse above shows how much time the children of Israel wasted in the wilderness. The verse says, "There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir..." That means the children of Israel could have been in the Promised Land in eleven days if they would have trusted God's Word. However, one act of doubt at Kadesh-barnea caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. What was supposed to be eleven days became forty years. Imagine what could have been accomplished in these forty years. Imagine what God could have done through Israel in those forty years if they would have trusted His Word. Instead, forty years were wasted because of one act of unbelief.

However, I find Christians regularly make the same mistake that the children of Israel did in this story. There are Christians throughout the world who are wasting years that could be productive because they are not doing what God commanded them to do. Oh, don't get me wrong, they are probably being productive in what they are doing, but they are not accomplishing near the productivity that God intended for them because they have disobeyed God's will for their life. Let me explain.

There are many Christians who are wasting years of productivity because they won't follow God's will for their life. What I mean by this statement is that God called them to go into full-time service, and instead they sit in a church and waste years that they could be doing God's will for their life. Yes, these same people may actually be working on a church staff or in some ministry of their church, but they are not doing what they know God called them to do. People that do this are wasting years when God could be working through them. Imagine how many people are going to Hell because someone rejects the will of God for their life. Because of their unbelief that God has the power to work through them, they waste years that could be used to do God's work in the center of His will.

There are other Christians who are wasting years of productivity because of sin. The sin of disobeying the voice of God caused Israel to turn eleven days into forty years. Christian, sin always delays God's will in your life. Yes, you may eventually get to God's will for your life, but imagine how many years you wasted because you didn't trust God's Word regarding sin's consequences. Churches are filled with people who waste years of productivity because of sin.

One other area where Christians are wasting years of productivity is in the area of obeying God's Word. For instance, God commands you to tithe, and you won't tithe. God commands you to be a soul winner, and you won't go soul winning. Better yet, God commands you to witness to someone, and you won't witness to them. Yes, that person may get saved later on in life, but because of your disobedience to the voice of God you waste many years that God could have worked through that person if you would have listened to Him.

Don't allow unbelief in one area of your life to turn eleven days into forty years. One act of unbelief in any area of your life may turn days into years. Don't let that be your story. If you find yourself wasting years right now, then immediately start listening to the voice of God so you don't waste any more time. Moreover, whenever God speaks to you about doing something, trust Him and act immediately so days don't turn into years. The quicker you obey God's voice the quicker God can do through you what He intends. Be careful about wasting years when God could be working through you.

Overcoming

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Overcoming Sin's Grip

Numbers 31:2

"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people."

Those who have ever had a besetting sin know that overcoming it is no easy task. Many find their besetting sin will haunt them until the day they die. However, we must realize that God provides a way through the Scriptures to overcome the grip that sin has on our life.

The children of Israel had an association that seemed to grip them. It was their association with the Midianites. It was this association that caused them to face God's judgment a few chapters earlier. In this chapter, God showed the Israelites how to overcome the grip of the Midianites. The same way they had to overcome the Midianites grip is the same way that any Christian must overcome their besetting sin.

First, realize that the battle over sin is a holy war. Verse 6 says that God told them to go to war with the Midianites. You must get God's help if you are going to overcome the grip of sin. Christian, make no mistake about it, it is a war! It is a war between the flesh and the spirit. Until you declare war on your besetting sin, you will never overcome its grip.

Second, get rid of the core of your sin problem. Verse 8 tells us that they slew the kings of Midian. The kings were the core of the whole problem. With the kings gone, they had a better chance of overcoming the Midianites. Likewise, you must identify the core of your sin and remove it. 1 John 1:9 tells us to confess the sin to God so that we can overcome it.

Third, avoid places of temptation. Verse 10 tells us that they had to burn the cities. The cities represent the places of temptation. There are temptations that you face that cause you to continually go back to the sin that grips your life. Whatever the things or places are that tempt you to do wrong, you must completely avoid them if you plan to overcome sin's grip.

Fourth, destroy any and all ties to your sin. God told the Israelites in verse 17 to destroy all that they got from Midian. Any tie that you have with your sin must be destroyed. Too many times we keep the ties of sin around just in case we want to go back to them. You cannot do this if you want to overcome sin's grip. Anything that has to do with your sin must be removed from your life.

Last, purge your sin through God's Word. God told Israel in verse 23 to purify everything with water. God's Word is symbolized by water. To overcome the grip of sin, you must spend a lot of time in the Word of God. Memorize Its pages to purge your mind from sin. Read It's words so that It will go into your heart and clean you from the grip of sin.

Sin is never easy to overcome. However, through these steps you will find the grip of sin weakened and eventually removed from your life. Don't let your sin get victory over you, but with God's help and through the principles of His Word you can get the victory you have longed for over sin.