Stand

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. Ephesians 6:13


Are you facing pressures that are seeking to push you back? Are you tempted to give up on the assignment the Lord has given you?

It is not uncommon for Biblical Entrepreneurs to face pressures that tempt them to want to give up or to question whether they should continue their business or the project they have undertaken. Success is never achieved without external resistance.

Do not assume that just because your cause is righteous, everything and everyone will cooperate with you; actually, sometimes the more righteous your cause, the greater the external pressures.

How then should you respond when those external pressures continue to beat on you like a bad tornado? Just stand. Yes, just continue to resist them by remaining firm in your posture and focused on your direction. To stand means to rise to an upright position on your feet or as specified {freedictionary.com}. The assumption here is that you are being attacked and pressured - not just because of what you are doing - but because of the righteous stands you are taking. Of course if you face pressure and do not have a righteous position, you will not be able to withstand the pressures because you do not have the strength of Christ on your side.

How do you stand in the midst of the pressures of business and ministry?

1. Rejoice in the Lord because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

2. Put on the whole armor of God - what is the armor?
a. Truth
b. Righteousness
c. Peace
d. Faith
e. Salvation
f. The Word of God
g. Prayer in the spirit

3. Know that you are in spiritual warfare

4. Boldly preach the Gospel

There will come a time of complete victory when you no longer feel the resistance - not because it does not exist - but because you have been so perfected by past pressures and your spiritual maturity is so great that you begin to view trials the way Apostle Paul viewed them.

Here is what Paul said about his trials:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" Romans 8:18.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

"Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecution, in distresses, for Christ's sake for when I am weak then I am strong" 2 Corinthians 12:10.

May the Lord Jesus Christ grant you the desires of your heart, not just to stand, but to overcome so that you may be able to share His goodness in your circle of influence in the marketplace.



Copyright © 2011 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

If the Lord Wills

"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that,'"
James 4:15.


Have you developed your plan for this year? What is your approach to planning? Imagine that you are about to invest in a business and you hear the business plan presentation which begins with if the Lord wills we will do such and such...?

Unfortunately as scriptural as this sounds, most of us will have reservations and doubt about the business because we will interpret that the presenter is uncertain about the future and possibly wants to use God as a copout. Yet this is the very approach that James suggests we use in planning our businesses.

In James 4:13-16, James contrasts the world's approach to planning with the kingdom approach. James suggests that the world's approach has the following characteristics:

1. Certainty of the future
2. Pride
3. Self-centeredness

While the kingdom approach should have the following characteristics:

1. Recognition of our limitations
2. Humility
3. Centered on God's will

What does "if the Lord wills" mean? It means "should God permit or allow". It is recognizing that no matter what our plans are, they are subject to God's ultimate purpose. It suggests that we are seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and as stated in the Lord's Prayer, we are inviting God's will into the situation (Matthew 6:10).

What are your plans for this year? Have you considered God's will for your life and your business? God's will protects you, provides for you and keeps you safe.

No matter your circumstances or the economy, the safest place to be is in the will of God. In the will of God there is provision, protection and safety. In the will of God we find peace in the midst of turmoil, in the will of God we find safety in the midst of uncertainty, in the will of God we find favor.
Whatever your plans are this year, make sure they keep you in the will of God. How do you find the will of God? Use the following guidelines to help you:

1. Pray and fast.

2. Study His word and look for guidelines and patterns within His word.

3. Reflect on your past experiences with God as a guide to where He is taking you.

4. Seek the council of others who are trustworthy and God-fearing.

5. Make sure you have peace about the direction you sense God is leading you in.

God's will is easy to find when we are willing to lay down our personal agendas.

God's will usually moves us toward an uncomfortable direction but one that will have the most spiritual and natural impact in the lives of others. God's will is that we trade our agendas for His agenda. If the Lord wills, what will you do this year?

Copyright © 2010 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.