God's Faithfulness

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
2 Timothy 2:13

Has anyone ever signed a contract with you and backed out? Have you ever been betrayed by a friend, a love one or business associate? Unfortunately, many of us have countless stories of how people have been unfaithful to us and if we are honest how we have been unfaithful to others. We make promises we do not keep, we take vows we back out of, and we sign contracts that we violate. Man is an unfaithful sinner and no matter how hard we try we find ourselves struggling to be faithful. I'm amazed at the fact that even the most devout believer struggles to be faithful though saved and sanctified. The only one whose faithfulness is unchanging, constant, irreversible and unquestionable is God's.

Faithfulness is an ongoing demonstration of commitment and allegiance to a person or cause. It is a time tested attribute. Faithfulness is not something that we were; it is something that we are. You cannot say I used to be faithful, because once you cease to be faithful you no longer can claim faithfulness as a character trait. If you have been married for 50 years and divorce out of unfaithfulness, that act of unfaithfulness eradicates all the 50 years of faithfulness you had put in. One act of unfaithfulness corrupts years of faithfulness. Faithfulness is never past tense it is always present tense. You can see how difficult it is for man to be faithful. Faithfulness requires endurance, perseverance and longsuffering. It is an unconditional act towards a changing person to remain committed no matter the circumstances. Though it is difficult for man to be faithful, there is one whose faithfulness is eternal, uncompromising and steadfast; our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. God's faithfulness is eternal and irrevocable.

How can God be so faithful though we struggle to maintain our own faithfulness? The secret to God's faithfulness is that it is not dependent upon us fulfilling our end of the bargain. God made a deal with Abraham and could not find anyone to swear by so he swore by himself, Hebrew 6:13-19. Imagine that, someone makes a deal with you and recognizing your limitations and frailty he signs both sides of the contract to ensure that the contract will be realized no matter what you do. God's faithfulness is independent of man; it is totally dependent on the very nature of who God is. That is why he says in II Timothy 2:13 that even when we (man) are faithless He (God) remains faithful because He (God) cannot deny himself or His very nature. God made a deal with himself concerning man that He will accomplish certain things through man regardless of man.

Many kingdom entrepreneurs struggle with condemnation and guilt because we are unable to carry out our end of the bargain regarding the covenant we made with God. We allow the devil to trick us into believing that we are not enjoying certain privileges or we are going through certain difficulties because somehow God is not pleased with us or God is dissatisfied with our performance. Here is the good news; relax and thank God for Jesus who paid a dear price for your freedom and to make you right with God. God's love towards you is not conditional to what you do for Him or to Him but it is solely dependent upon what His Son did on the Cross of Calvary. To make sure that we had no excuse He sent His Son to demonstrate faithfulness so we would not have to struggle with it but just walk in it by taking on His Son. Wow, what love.

Do you struggle with faithfulness? Do you struggle to keep the commitments you make towards God or others? Stop trying to keep them based on your own strength which leads to self condemnation. Recognize that you are limited and turn to Jesus Christ and take on His nature so He may show Himself faithful through you. Faithfulness cannot be accomplished outside of a devoted relationship with Christ. God's faithfulness towards us is able to bring us into His image and likeness which enables us to walk in His faithfulness.

Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

From Mission Impossible to Possible

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26.

Have you ever had an assignment or project that you felt in your heart there is no way I can do this? Is your business facing a challenge that seems impossible for you to overcome? The fact is most kingdom assignments are impossible for us to carry out in our own strength. They require supernatural intervention if we are going to be successful.

In Matthew 19:16-22, we learn of a rich young ruler who had obeyed the Ten Commandments from his youth but now desired to ensure that he can make claims to eternity. Jesus' response to him requires an act of compassion towards the poor and a commitment to follow Him forsaking all that is important to him. However, the rich young ruler did not value eternity enough to make the necessary sacrifice. For the rich young ruler this request of Jesus was an impossible mission.

In contrast, we find another rich young ruler in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis Chapter 12 called Abraham; God calls him to leave his father's house and his country and go to a land that He will show him. Forsake all that you know and follow me to a place that you do not know. This young ruler obeyed and God made him very wealthy and he became the father of many nations.

What impossible task has God ask you to carry out? Like the rich young ruler you may have faithfully obeyed God's word for years but yet God is requiring more from you. He is requiring you to do something that will require you to exercise another dimension of your faith. Kingdom assignments are never solely based on our own ability but based on God's ability. How do you turn an impossible mission into a possible mission?

The difference between the rich young ruler and Abraham was the following:

1. Abraham believed he had heard from God while the rich young ruler was uncertain of the deity of Jesus Christ;

• Make sure that your instructions are from God

2. Abraham believed God while the rich young ruler did not believe Jesus since he did not trust in His deity;

• Make sure you believe God, because the scripture says all things are possible to those who believe. Mark 9:23

3. Abraham trusted God while the rich young ruler put his faith in his riches;

• Make sure you put your trust not in what you have acquired or accomplished but in God and God alone

Operating a kingdom business is an impossible mission; it is impossible for man on his own to make decisions that risks his natural stability trusting heavenly stability. It is impossible for man to love his customer more than money. It is impossible for man to love his employees more than their productivity in the business. It is impossible for man to love and pray for his competitors. It is impossible for man to be more concerned about community transformation then business growth. It is impossible for man to conduct his business in an environment where bribery and corruption is the norm for business profitability. It is impossible for certain businesses to be profitable or even maintain positive cash flow in the current economic environment.

All these things are impossible with man, but with God all things are possible. Not just some things but all things that are according to His will. Whatever your situation, make sure your instructions are from God. Believe God and put your complete trust in Him, and not only will He turn your impossible mission into a possible mission, but he will reward your faithfulness in the process.

Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Biblical Ownership

"So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city" (Genesis 23: 17-18).


We all know that the earth is the Lord's and everything therein the world and they that dwell therein - Psalm 24:1. We are therefore mere stewards of God's resources and God is the true owner. As stewards, however, we must understand the value of legal ownership and its biblical implication. Legal ownership is not a new concept; it existed since the time of the patriarch Abraham.

In Genesis chapter 23 we find Abraham needing a burial place for his wife Sarah. Since he had not yet taken possession of the Land of Canaan and did not want to go back to the place the Lord instructed him to leave, he negotiates with the current occupiers of the territory, the sons of Heth (the Hittites), to purchase the land as a burial place for his wife and family. What is interesting about this interaction is that the people of the land wanted to give it to Abraham at no charge; "What is money among friends?" they said. However, Abraham insisted that he would purchase the land. They sold him the land for four hundred shekels of silver and the property was deeded to him.

Here is Abraham, a steward, holding the title to a piece of property that made him the official owner of that property. Does this mean that God was less the owner since the property was deeded to Abraham? Why did Abraham need to buy the property? How does ownership impact our stewardship? By purchasing the land Abraham ensured that the land remained under the control of his heir even beyond his lifetime. Had they given the land to Abraham it would have remained theirs and he could not transfer it to his heirs. Many believers have made the mistake of not ensuring proper legal ownership of things and lost the right to exercise authority over it.

The fact of the matter is that we cannot be proper stewards of something that we do not have legal ownership of or control over. The law of ownership gives the legal owner the authority to exercise control over the thing they own. And because we are Kingdom business stewards with legal ownership over our businesses we are, in fact, Biblical Owners. Biblical Ownership is taking legal hold of an idea, concept or thing and utilizing it for the benefit of God's kingdom. Biblical Ownership gives us the legal right to become stewards of the things of God.

If I were to visit your home and began to use your television to watch inappropriate movies, and you stood up and reminded me that the house was the house of the Lord consecrated for Holy purposes and asked me to stop the movie since it did not honor the Lord, and I refused and insisted on watching the movie, you would call the police. What do you suppose they would do once they arrived? Of course they would ask me to leave the house because you were the legal owner of the home with the legal right to determine what can and cannot be done in the house. However, if you visited my home and I was watching an inappropriate movie and you insisted that I stopped and called the police they would ask you to leave because you have no legal right in my home. Biblical Ownership does not just give us legal control of a property but it gives us the legal right to allow the will of God to done on the property.

God valued ownership so much that He protected the sanctity of property by prohibiting theft in the eighth commandment; Exodus 20:15.

What has God called you to own for His glory? Have you completely consecrated everything you own to Him? Remember the only value for legal ownership for believers is that it gives us the legal right to be stewards of God's resources on His behalf.
Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED      Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Another reason we need the Africa Initiative

(by Skye at RCE)

The folks at Wild Hope are doing amazing work. Every so often I get over to one of their blogs, especially Let's Put the Kettle On. (I guess I want to be like Lisa when I grow up.) :)

But this post, Watching Africa Blow Away,  really made my heart hurt for the people suffering, for so many different reasons. Hopefully our business development centers can make a difference for individuals, families, communities, and eventually, the nations, starting with Burundi and Rwanda.

Here's a taste of her post:

We drive across the East African plains and wonder at the moonscape they have become. Along the roadside, the trees stand brittle and covered in a heavy coat of dust. The faces of the little shacks along the way are the same. Fine, powdery dust has lifted easily in the dry wind and painted everything a lifeless brown. The monotony of color is strange and disturbing...



Africa, it seems, is blowing away.
 
Even the elephants are skinny...
 
Now, everyone knows that East Africa experiences cyclical droughts, but this is different. A combination of man-made and natural factors have collided to set up the perfect non-storm. No rain of significance over the last couple of years and 2 harvests in a row have failed now.



"And, what will happen?" I wonder to myself. Will East Africans stop felling the trees that draw their rains? Will the farmers finally learn to protect their topsoil by ploughing with the contour of the land instead of up and down the hillside? Will the pastoralists who have lost so much grazing land reduce their herds and stop stripping the fragile environment right down to bare earth?


And will the world notice?

(Keep reading...)

Blogger

I see blogger has a new text editor...
Just thought I'd try it out. But where's the cute little icon for a hyperlink? Now there's just the word 'link'...
Well, I guess it will probably still work just fine...

RCE homepage

Hmm, interesting...

Here's a picture of Tom Stansbury, who received an award last month from NPIM for his teaching of Biblical Entrepreneurship in Ukraine. Congratulations again, Tom!

Destined By Design

Another treasure!

Doug Chandler presents an insightful seminar on destiny, purpose and meaning. What is your purpose here in this world? Can you find meaning in the midst of trials, challenges, or even the daily grind?

Take a look!

http://www.regent.edu/admin/media/fms/butterfly/butterflyURL.cfm?address=5000057

Unconditional Obedience

"But Simon answered and said to Him Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down my net" (Luke 5:5)

Would you like to know the secrets to overwhelming blessing and favor beyond your wildest expectations? Of course we all would. The reality, however, is that this "secret" is not really a secret at all but a well-known principle that we know but struggle with its application. This principle is called unconditional obedience. We have all heard of obedience, which is defined as listening with a desire to act. True obedience is about submission; it is the act of completely yielding oneself to the person giving the instruction. It is about rejecting our will and embracing His will. Unconditional obedience takes it a step further; it is not just completely submitting our will to the will of God but it is doing so without reservations. Unconditional obedience is listening with the desire to act without reservations.

This principle is demonstrated in the first encounter between Peter and Jesus. After Peter allowed Jesus to use his boat to preach the Gospel, Jesus, in his desire to bless Peter, instructed him to "launch out his net in the deep". Peter, a professional fisherman, had been fishing all night without success but his response to Jesus was that at His Word he would let down his net.

Though Peter was not certain of the outcome of his action, he unconditionally obeyed the Master and as a result he was extremely blessed beyond measure. He caught so many fish that day that he needed help to pull the net out of the water and the net even broke. This demonstrates that Peter had never caught that many fish in his professional career and had not planned on it, because if he had, he would have had a stronger net to handle such a harvest.

How long have you been toiling without real success? Fortunately we are at a time when the fate of our economy has been removed and we are all facing the real consequences of our actions. Our disobedience and inefficiencies can no longer be hidden in the abundance of the economy because it has been exposed by the current crises.

Like Peter you have recognized Jesus as Savior of your life. However, it is time to recognize him as Lord. You trusted Him with a part of your assets but it is time to trust him with all of your assets, including your profit centers. It was easy for Peter to let Jesus use his boat since this act did not impact his profit center. Taking operational advice from Jesus would impact his profit center; it was recognizing Jesus' Lordship over everything he had. What does a rabbi know about fishing? What does the Bible really have to say about business?

Peter obeyed Jesus unconditionally even though he did not know what the outcome would be. Will you turn everything to him? Will you obey Him unconditionally? Will you allow your business, your life and everything you do to be guided by the Bible? Of course your outcome may not be like that of Peter where he experienced immediate blessings. It may be like Daniel's, where His unconditional obedience led him into the lion's den or like Joseph, where his unconditional obedience led him to prison. Whatever challenges you may face as a result of your unconditional obedience will be nothing compared to the surpassing weight of Glory that awaits you. So go ahead and obey Him unconditionally and watch Him perform a miracle in your life and in your business.

Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Life Balance, Overload and Renewal

Found a treasure!

Regent's Media Services just sent me some updated links from some recordings made a couple of years ago. This one, entitled Life Balance, Overload, and Renewal, drew my attention right away: who doesn't struggle with stress and balance in life, at least sometimes?

Here's the link from Fall 2006, I believe: http://www.regent.edu/admin/media/fms/butterfly/butterflyURL.cfm?address=5000052

Doug Chandler, who taught this course, is a good friend and was very much appreciated by students while he was teaching at Regent Universtiy.