Tuesday, May 20, 2008

One Minute Entrepreneur... an entrepreneur of Spirit

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Why the One Minute Entrepreneur by Ken Blanchard and Don Hutson?...
"The best advice we ever received was given in less than a minute."

Three keys to entrepreneur success:
Finances; knowing how to manage them.
Your people; empower others to become like owners.
Taking care of customers; it's beyond being the best at what you do, but also taking care of the customers.

There are twenty attributes of successful entrepreneurs.
Find them at:
www.estrengths.com

Each chapter concludes with the outline of principles the chapter features.The chapter itself is a story, or parable, of potential real world situations which explain the principles. For now, here are the principles, although the story is worth reading for application and insight.

Build the Foundation
Associate with people you admire and can learn from. Keep a notebook of wisdom you read, hear, learn. Build on strong values... integrity, love, honesty. You never need to cheat; what is right is more important than who is right.

Grow in knowledge
...through people you meet and books you read. Help others get what they want to get what you want. Success comes when opportunity and preparation meet.

Learn the Craft
Humility opens you to learn and grow, master the basics. Visualize your outcome.

Gain a Vital team
People come into your life for a reason. Build a great marriage. You and your spouse are a team.

Doors Open
Create a big dream and seize opportunity knocking. Never let expenses outstrip revenue. Collect timely from customers; they pay the bills. Nurture your people.

Launch the Company
Find new sources of revenue. Seek advice when going to new levels. Always be making a profit.

Financial Growing Pains
Generate cash, cash, cash. Good cash management is imperative. Profit comes when there's good customer care; a motivating environment.

Create Legendary Services
Create the experience you want them to have. Listen to your customers. Let your people soar like eagles
.
Help People Soar like Eagles
Work in partnership with your people. Encourage everyone to be leaders. Coach day by day. It's about everyone getting A's.

Ego Issues
It's more than numbers. Work and home relationships need nourished. Keep priorities in order and seek advice from mentors.

Turn Things Around
Patiently implement a good biz plan than recklessly pushing for growth. Wrong leaders will send you wrong places. Right leaders can steer you the right direction.

Putting it All Together
Live happy, fulfilled, be generous. Giving is as rewarding as receiving. Be intentional about leaving legacies. Helping and forgiving reap good returns.

There's more including the top 20 attributes of entrepreneurs at their website. Take their test and find yours.
www.estrengths.com

D. L. Moody may be one Gifted as an entrepreneur of Spirit for building the kingdom of God. This article by R. A. Torrey, a close associate of Moody's, provides insight to why he was so gifted. Here's the link to the complete article, below is a version I abbreviated for you.
http://www.freewebs.com/ratorrey/Why%20God%20Used%20D%20L%20%20Moody%20.htm

Why God Used D. L. Moody
By R. A. Torrey

Close associate and friend of D. L. Moody
But how was it that D. L. Moody had that power of God so wonderfully manifested in his life? Pondering this question, it seemed to me that there were seven things in the life of D. L. Moody that accounted for God's using him so largely as He did.

(1) A Fully Surrendered Man
The first thing that accounts for God's using D. L. Moody so mightily was that he was a fully surrendered man. Every ounce of that two-hundred-and-eighty-pound body of his belonged to God; everything he was and everything he had, belonged wholly to God. Now, I am not saying that Mr. Moody was perfect; he was not.

I presume I knew whatever defects there were in his character as well as anybody. But while I recognized such flaws, nevertheless, I know that he was a man who belonged wholly to God.
But Mr. Moody did not stop short of absolute surrender to God; he was a wholly surrendered man, and if you and I are to be used, you and I must be wholly surrendered men and women.


(2) A Man of Prayer
The second secret of the great power exhibited in Mr. Moody's life was that Mr. Moody was in the deepest and most meaningful sense a man of prayer.Time and time again, he was confronted by obstacles that seemed insurmountable, but he always knew the way to surmount and to overcome all difficulties. He knew the way to bring to pass anything that needed to be brought to pass. He knew and believed in the deepest depths of his soul that "nothing was too hard for the Lord" and that prayer could do anything that God could do.

Often we were gathered in the lecture room far into the night -- sometimes till one, two, three, four or even five o'clock in the morning, crying to God, just because Mr. Moody urged us to wait upon God until we received His blessing. How many men and women I have known whose lives and characters have been transformed by those nights of prayer and who have wrought mighty things in many lands because of those nights of prayer!

He was a man who met every difficulty that stood in his way -- by prayer. Everything he undertook was backed up by prayer, and in everything, his ultimate dependence was upon God.

(3) A Deep and Practical Student of the Bible
The third secret of Mr. Moody's power, or the third reason why God used D. L. Moody, was because he was a deep and practical student of the Word of God. Every day of his life, I have reason for believing, he arose very early in the morning to study the Word of God, way down to the close of his life. Mr. Moody used to rise about four o'clock in the morning to study the Bible. He would say to me: "If I am going to get in any study, I have got to get up before the other folks get up"; and he would shut himself up in a remote room in his house, alone with his God and his Bible.

STUDY the one Book, and preach, preach, PREACH the one Book, and teach, teach, TEACH the one Book, the Bible, the only Book that is God's Word, and the only Book that has power to gather and hold and bless the crowds for any great length of time.

(4) A Humble Man
The fourth reason why God continuously, through so many years, used D. L. Moody was because he was a humble man. I think D. L. Moody was the humblest man I ever knew in all my life. He loved to quote the words of another; "Faith gets the most; love works the most; but humility keeps the most. "

He himself had the humility that keeps everything it gets. As I have already said, he was the most humble man I ever knew, i.e., the most humble man when we bear in mind the great things that he did, and the praise that was lavished upon him. Oh, how he loved to put himself in the background and put other men in the foreground. How often he would stand on a platform with some of us little fellows seated behind him and as he spoke, he would say: "There are better men coming after me." As he said it, he would point back over his shoulder with his thumb to the "little fellows. " I do not know how he could believe it, but he really did believe that the others that were coming after him were really better than he was. He made no pretense to a humility he did not possess.

In his heart of hearts, he constantly underestimated himself, and overestimated others.The entire shore of the history of Christian workers is strewn with the wrecks of gallant vessels that were full of promise a few years ago, but these men became puffed up and were driven on the rocks by the wild winds of their own raging self-esteem.

(5) His Entire Freedom from the Love of Money
The fifth secret of D. L. Moody's continual power and usefulness was his entire freedom from the love of money. Mr. Moody might have been a wealthy man, but money had no charms for him. He loved to gather money for God's work; he refused to accumulate money for himself. He told me during the World's Fair that if he had taken, for himself, the royalties on the hymnbooks which he had published, they would have amounted, at that time, to a million dollars.

But Mr. Moody refused to touch the money. He had a perfect right to take it, for he was responsible for the publication of the books and it was his money that went into the publication of the first of them.

(6) His Consuming Passion for the Salvation of the Lost
The sixth reason why God used D. L. Moody was because of his consuming passion for the salvation of the lost. Mr. Moody made the resolution, shortly after he himself was saved, that he would never let twenty-four hours pass over his head without speaking to at least one person about his soul. His was a very busy life, and sometimes he would forget his resolution until the last hour, and sometimes he would get out of bed, dress, go out and talk to someone about his soul in order that he might not let one day pass without having definitely told at least one of his fellow-mortals about his need and the Savior who could meet it.

D. L. Moody's consuming passion for souls was not for the souls of those who would be helpful to him in building up his work here or elsewhere; his love for souls knew no class limitations. He was no respecter of persons; it might be an earl or a duke or it might be an ignorant colored boy on the street; it was all the same to him; there was a soul to save and he did what lay in his power to save that soul.

Oh, young men and women and all Christian workers, if you and I were on fire for souls like that, how long would it be before we had a revival? Suppose that tonight the fire of God falls and fills our hearts, a burning fire that will send us out all over the country, and across the water to China, Japan, India and Africa, to tell lost souls the way of salvation!

(7) Definitely Endued with Power from on High
The seventh thing that was the secret of why God used D. L. Moody was that he had a very definite enduement with power from on High, a very clear and definite baptism with the Holy Ghost. Moody knew he had "the baptism with the Holy Ghost"; he had no doubt about it. In his early days he was a great hustler; he had a tremendous desire to do something, but he had no real power. He worked very largely in the energy of the flesh.

Time and again, when a call came to me to go off to some church, he would come up to me and say: "Now, Torrey, be sure and preach on the baptism with the Holy Ghost." I do not know how many times he said that to me. Once I asked him: "Mr. Moody, don't you think I have any sermons but those two: 'Ten Reasons Why I Believe the Bible to Be the Word of God' and 'The Baptism With the Holy Ghost'?" "Never mind that," he replied, "you give them those two sermons.

"Young men, I can't see any reason why we shouldn't kneel down here right now and ask God that the Holy Ghost may fall upon us just as definitely as He fell upon the apostles on the Day of Pentecost. Let us pray." ...and as we began to pray, our prayers seemed to pierce that cloud and the Holy Ghost fell upon us.

Men and women, that is what we all need:
the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Rich Idiots... transfer of wealth

Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

How Come that Idiot's Rich and I'm Not? by Robert Shemin. The Rich Idiot is Robert. In school he never amounted to much, but after school he learned the secrets to making money. Ironically, even though he wasn't a premier student he was an avid reader. He learned early on that reading was necessary for what he wanted.

He quickly realized "the power of self-belief always trumps the power of what others believe about you." Although he caused his parents and teachers a lot of heartaches, he adds Rich Idiots take responsibility for their actions.

Rich Idiots love wealth, team, and put their money to work.
His plan to create wealth you desire:
1. Turn your own thinking upside down;
2. Create your wealth wish list;
3. Get a wealth talisman or wealth charm (a constant companion to remind you of your wealth goals).

Rich is upside down.
Then there are the RUBs. They are Right side Up...and Broke. They're smart, get along with all the teachers, follow the rules, but don't take on the challenge to take charge of their life.

Secret no. 2 is to follow Spiritual laws of wealth. Learning to believe upside down there are physical laws of money and there are Spiritual laws of money. There are laws that govern wealth, and there is enough to go around.
The Rich Idiots follow two steps-- forgive and commit.
Lack of forgiveness is a Spiritual condition that holds you back. The two Spiritual Laws of wealth are that you must get before you can give. The Rich Idiots are givers, but they know to give you must first get. Then giving opens more doors to give more. What can you always give? You can always give a smile, a thank you, a hand, a hug, an hour. Giving then continues a flow for what you get. Balance the law of getting and the law of giving for great wealth.

Secret no. 3 is the power of one. They focus on "one" goal every day... to become a Rich Idiot. Three things to goal success:
1. Decide how much money will make you a Rich Idiot.
2. Choose the path you're going to take to reach your Rich Idiot goal.
3. Pick activities every day to take you to your goal.
Now take these steps.
1. Write yourself a Rich Idiot wealth check. Date it, make it to you, sign it.
2. Write your Rich Idiot Mission Statement. Include 3 key sentences....my value sentence, my passion sentence, my action sentence. What is that...how I want to be remembered, what I am really good at that excites me, and what I will do every day to make it happen.

Secret no. 4. Live Rich Today. Don't wait, plan, over analyze how to get rich. Live rich today, start now. Do rich things today, think rich things today, imagine rich things with a wall of Rich pictures around you. Rich begins right now.

Learn to get more for less, i.e., your house, car, insurance, food and clothing, travel entertainment, savings, charity.

Secret no 5. Rich Idiots don't get rich alone. OP power separate the RUBs form the Rich Idiots. OPs are other people. Get rid of OPs who want you to remain a RUB. Find OPs who want you to be Rich Idiots and build your Rich Idiot team. These are enablers who have experience (to be mentors), have ideas to share, will assist you with their time. They put up money to make things happen.

When building your OP Dream Team use referrals, don't be cheap, make sure they're experts, and connect with associations. But look for those with experience, ideas, time, money.

Into Secret no. 6, Robert directs you to take aim. Build assets. An asset has value, you own and control them. They provide future benefits (aka, money). A liability is something that holds you back and handicaps you. Assets bring you money, liabilities cost you money. RUBs go for cars, furniture, clothes, trips. Rich Idiots acquire cash, real estate, stock portfolio, businesses. Your two biggest assets are you and your time. Killers to assets are divorce, disability, death, the government.

Still Secret no. 6 is get into debt. There's good debt and bad debt. Bad debt is credit cards, loans for cars, boats, toys, loans for anything not making money. Save, payoff credit cards, or pay full amount at the month's end. Credit cards are good when you barrow for no interest during the month and then pay off at the end of the month, and accumulate credit points to planes, hotels, etc.

Still Secret no. 6 is real estate assets. Own your own home, add income property, add another income property. Robert reveals additional real estate strategies.
Still Secret no. 6 is build assets in stocks. Let the pros help you create your portfolio, don't invest what you can't afford to lose, be conservative, be patient.
Still Secret no. 6 is to start your own business to build assets. Create a one page business plan to include your mission statement, time commitment, goal, activities to reach goal, schedule to do it. Always review activity and its return. Ask yourself if this activity is making you money or will it make you money. Ask do I enjoy doing it, or should I get someone else. Keep the focus, do I love it, make sure revenues lead expenses, work so you can also enjoy life.

Act. Take care of yourself first. Start at the end. What results do you want? Is it possible? How badly do I want it? Let passion, faith, desire, drive your actions.

Don't wait. Act now. Be grateful for what you do have, move toward what you really want.
More about being a Rich Idiot at:
http://www.getrichwithrobert.com/

Foolish people seek after things that will perish, but the wise seek for riches that last forever. What is the Spiritual purpose of riches? How are riches released to those with noble purposes for their wealth? Spirit creates the material.

Jeff Ahern, Sozo Services, has a vision for what the business community can be as God's Community. He has quite a stirring vision for wealth in business that will challenge your heart, mind and soul. Here's an article he shared with me which I share below in its full context. And be sure to check out his website to learn more about Sozo Services for the Spiritually committed business leader.
http://www.sozoservices.com/

The Transfer of Wealth through Business Intercessors
by Jeff Ahern

A favorite scripture of almost every born-again believer, and especially business leaders and entrepreneurs, is "The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just" (Prov. 13:22). If you are a business leader or entrepreneur, you are probably anxiously looking forward to the day when that will happen. You may even have found yourself with outstretched hands, looking up to heaven, waiting for it to rain down. Don't laugh! We've all done it at one time or another. But, has the transference of wealth started to happen yet for you and your business?

If not, then this article might shed some light on why you might still be waiting, and how you can accelerate the transference of wealth using the biblical concept of business prayer intercessors. In fact, you'll see that the transference of wealth constitutes spiritual warfare, and as Jesus said, "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matt.17:21) In Ezekiel 28:13, we see an allegorical picture of Satan.

The Scriptures says that when God created Satan, he was clothed in gold, diamonds and every precious stone. In otherwords, he was clothed in wealth. After the fall in the garden, the dominion over everything that was given to Adam and Eve, including the wealth of the earth, was transferred to Satan. Now he had his covering returned and dominion over that wealth. Even Jesus did not contest this statement during his trial in the wilderness (Luke 4:6). When you engage in business and Kingdom wealth building, you are essentially attempting to remove Satan's clothing of wealth right from his back! That's why it can seem like such a struggle to succeed in business, even though you are living righteously and standing in faith for all of the promises of God.

Now, all power and dominion has been given to Jesus and the body of Christ, but we apprehend these blessings by faith and spiritual warfare. The fact that we've been given the promises of blessings is not enough. We have to take back the occupied territories from Satan so that the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ (Rev. 11:15).

One good example of receiving a promise of God through spiritual warfare is found in the Israelites struggle to enter the Promised Land. God had already promised them that He would lead them to, and give them the Promised Land (Gen 12:7, Exodus 3:8). However, during the journey there, the Amalekites came out to fight them. While Joshua fought the battle on the field, Moses, Aaron and Hur fought a spiritual battle. Whenever the intercessors succeeded, the army of the Israelites prevailed. When the intercessors rested, the Israelite army was overpowered by the enemy (Ex 17:11). Notice that the victory always happens in the spiritual realm before it happens in the natural (or business) realm.

It wasn't enough that God promised that He would give them the Promised Land, or the promise that he would wipe out the Amalekites from the face of the earth. There was still a spiritual and natural battle that needed to take place before the Israelites could walk in the blessings that God promised. Many Christians are standing on the promises of God with outstretched hands, waiting for Him to deliver. However, just as the Israelites found out when they came to the Promised Land, the land was already occupied by an enemy that was bigger and stronger. Although God "gave it to them," He expected them to receive it through warfare. As Jesus said, "…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force" (Matt 11:12).

Daniel was a type of business intercessor for a king. He was considered a "wise man" and had an excellent spirit in him. Daniel was seeking revelation from God on an end-time vision that he had received. The enemy tried to prevent Daniel from receiving his answer. There was a spiritual battle in the heavens for 21 days; during which time Daniel fasted and prayed. At the end of the 21 days, there was breakthrough in the spirit realm, and after that, there was a breakthrough in the natural realm (Dan. 10:12-13). Note in verse 12 that God had granted him his request on day one, but it took 21 days of spiritual battle before he could see a manifestation of results in the natural realm.The battle is always won in the spirit realm before the victory (or wealth) manifests in the natural realm.

The enemy of our souls is a seasoned General with an army of warriors(demons), and he has no intention of giving up what he perceives to be his wealth, without a fight. One of our missions is to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth by taking possession and dominion of the occupied territories that are currently controlled by the enemy. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, and take dominion and subdue it (Gen 1:8).

That command in the church age hasn't changed. We're called to go into the Promised
Land and take dominion away from the enemy so that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of our Lord Jesus. Some business battles cannot be won without combining fasting with prayer. Most business leaders have neither the time or experience to spend days or even weeks fasting and praying for a breakthrough. Dedicated business intercessors can help fight this battle in the spiritual realm, while the business leaders fight the battle on the field (or in the boardroom).

During one fiscal quarter in 2007, three of the largest financial institutions in this country reported quarterly losses of $2 Billion, $1.6 Billion, and $1.3 Billion dollars. If each of these companies had hired several full-time prayer intercessors, could they have avoided such huge loses? Considering that their losses were in the billions, even if no benefit resulted from these intercessors, how much would the expense of intercessor salaries have increased their losses? At the same time, how much could they have profited from the employment of these business intercessors? The U.S. automotive and airline industries would love to have one quarter when they break even, never mind producing a profit!

So how does one find and select these business prayer intercessors? From experience, here is a list of qualifications that you need to look for when hiring intercessors for your company.
Born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit – they must be Spirit filled in order to be Spirit led.
Operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and prophecy – they must be able to hear God's strategies for your battle and victory, as well as to minister to the people they serve.
Integrity – they must walk in complete obedience to God and in intimacy with Him. No unrepentant sin in their life. Compromise in this area will only allow an open door for the enemy into your business.
Business acumen – the more they understand about business in general and your business, the easier it will be to understand what God is telling them concerning your business.
Ability to pray for hours – very few people can pray for several hours at a stretch.There is a special grace to be able to pray in the Spirit for hours and not grow weary.
Ability to fast for days and even weeks when necessarysome strongholds cannot be broken without some serious fasting. Corporate fasting is also important for achieving breakthroughs.
Knowledgeable about Spiritual Warfare – intercession is not just praying for someone or a circumstance. They must understand binding and loosing, prophetic declarations, praying in tongues, repentance, prayer of agreement, etc.
Intercessors with a calling, not just looking for a job – people called and anointed to minister in the business market place, who see their role as an assignment from God and not just a job.

Does that sound like a fairly high bar on qualifications? It is! Therefore, when you find these gifted people, you need to make sure that you hold onto them. Yes, God has promised that there will be a transference of wealth in these last days from the wicked unto the just. But just as the Israelites found out, the wealth is already possessed by someone bigger and stronger than us, and he has no intention of letting it go without a fight. But thanks be to God, through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the victory that overcomes the world – our faith (1John 5:4).

Remember, victory always takes place in the spiritual realm, before it happens in the natural realm. Business prayer intercessors can help you win the transference of wealth battle. The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent business leaders take it by force!