by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Free by Chris Anderson is about the future of radical price. Freeconomics is being driven by underlying technologies of the digital age. One of the biggest economic trends is using free as part of a business model. Anderson points out that free is not a marketing gimmick, but an economic force businesses today need to contrive to be in business tomorrow.
What does free mean? Free is any product that entices you to pay for something else.
Providing content, services, software free. The producer has ad space and provides free content. The consumer buys from the ads. The three-party market.
Freemium is a free version that has a premium version. The premium market is the subsidy which pays for the free market.
Giving some things away you don't expect any form of payment back... gifts.
Free is a good idea because we live in abundance. So free is good economically. Here's how free works.
1. Build a community around free information and advice on a particular topic.
2. With the community's help, design some products that people want, and return the favor by making the products free in raw form.
3. Let those with more money than they may have time, skill, or risk-tolerance buy the more polished product.
4. Do it again and build in a 40% profit margin so you can pay the bills.
Ideas are the ultimate abundance commodity, which propagates at zero marginal cost. Information is how money flows. Money is just bits and with technology most information can be free.
Information begs to be free. Value is in scarce information.... that we pay for.
What has contributed to the end of paid content?
1. Supply and demand. The supply of content has grown by factors of millions.
2. Loss of physical form. We pay for atoms, not bits.
3. Ease of access. It's easier to download than buy in a store.
4. Shift to ad-supported content. If it's free on-line, we expect it else where.
5. The computer industry wants content to be free.
6. Generation free.
The technology generation thinks differently and they don't see why content can be copyrighted.
How big is the free economy?
We need to define economy. It is relational and reputational. One example is Facebook friends, a classic unit of reputational currency. The more friends you have, the more influence you have in the Facebook world, the more social capital you spend. The greater your value as you give attention and build your reputation, the more you influence. So currency value is formed from these components.
The new math taken from Facebook, for example, is that you have 100 Facebook friends, who have a bunch of friends. If they can use your product or service, then your value is the price of your product or service times the number in your network... play with the math and this can be very big.
Apply this free in market scenarios of the three-party market, freemium, gift market above, and freeconomics emerges.
The Free Ride is not new. It is how the new economy will get to flourish again. Free
rides which lead to other rides is the road to currency today. What free rides can you create which then take on a ride to create currency.
How to treat attention and reputation as quantitatively as we do money. Anderson explains how to convert attention to reputation to economic return. To consider is that doing things without pay often makes us happier than the work we do for salary. A market of free exchange arrived on the internet. The free economy has its economy wrapped in that.
Anderson points out that waste can sometimes be good. We can put more capacity in our computers. So we then never really waste its space. Thinking in terms of wasted space has created a scarcity mentality. The best way to exploit abundance is to relinquish control. Scarcity thinking is a twentieth century organizational model. We need to get good at abundance thinking.
Abundance views... rules as "Everything is permitted unless forbidden," ...social model as "you know what's best," ...profit plan as "we'll figure it out," ...decision making as "bottom up," and management style as "out of control."
Imagine abundance and if you are having trouble here and now, consider imagining Heaven. It has no limit to anything. Even the span of life is considered without limit, it's eternal.
Beware of heeding to the objections to free. Here's a few:
"There ain't no free lunch."
"Free always has hidden costs; free is a trick."
"Free means more ads and that means less privacy."
"No cost, no value."
"Free undermines innovation."
"Free is building a generation that doesn't value anything."
"I gave my stuff away and didn't make much money."
"Free drives out professionals in favor of amateurs, at a cost of quality."
To conclude, the ten principles of Abundance Thinking.
1. If it's digital, sooner or later it's going to be free.
2. Atoms would like to be free, too, but they're not so pushy about it.
3. You can't stop Free.
4. You can make money from Free.
5. Redefine your market.
6. Round down.
7. Sooner or later you will compete with Free.
8. Embrace waste.
9. Free makes other things more valuable.
10. Manage for abundance, not scarcity.
Some free ways to doing things. Like 30 days free, then pay; basic version free; use it up to this many free....
More Free ideas at Chris' blog:
http://www.longtail.com/the_long_tail/free/
Jesus said, Freely you have received, so Freely give.
We as believers are to be proactive in our faith.The more we give, do good, actively, the more we defeat evil and evil can't get a grip on us. Evil comes from being self absorbed. Good is thinking of others as more important and occupying our time and mind energies to help and contribute to others. When we focus on and help others, it keeps growing. Good grows and expands and will eventually take over.
We replace evil and defeat evil by aggressively doing good and giving of good things freely, generously.
Freely giving cures so much of what could hurt us. Obviously, what can hurt us is greed and selfishness, which causes depression, loss of a sense of value and self worth. Addictions can be cured as we actively do good. Addictions grip us when we stop moving forward in doing good. A mind fixed on doing good is not overcome by things that tie us down, that bind us up. Whether it's alcohol, sex, or sports, any addiction is thwarted with an active mind and Spirit about doing good. We defeat evil as we are constantly finding things to do good. This is why the law of giving is so powerful. It has endless supply.
Abundances of good come about from actions of doing good. It's known as the law of reciprocity... what we do is returned many times what was originally given. By doing good we do the same. We enact this law and evil cannot get a foothold on us. In life and in business, proactive behavior in doing good, will reproduce in having more coming back in the same way we gave it out. So evil is over come by doing good, and staying active in doing good. There are plenty of good things we can be doing, and when we do good, more is created for us to do good. There is an abundance of God to go around.
What is the good we are to do? Jesus defined it.
“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work." (John 4:34)
The Apostle Paul warns us not to be idol. Then evil will overtake us. But by doing Good, doing the work God has gifted us to do, we will defeat evil. "Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." (Romans 12:21)
"Freely you have received, so freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
These words of Jesus were a bold promise. ... to give freely gives great returns. He added to this, that whatever you give will be multiplied many times over and given back so you can give even more (Luke 6:8).
And those who have, will even be given more. There is a case for abundance in Spirit. His Spirit continues to create more and more when we walk and live in a demonstration of abundance, faith in Him, and continuously doing His Business. In nature, one seed planned grows into a vine producing many tomatoes, ears of corn, green beans. Each act we give freely, can reproduce to many more.
What Jesus promised His disciples is a continuous flow of resources ...and these were powerful such as the power to heal, cast out evil spirits from people. This is tied to God's power that has no limits.
This is the same power that created all things in the universe. Jesus promised this for His disciples to do good, and help free people from their disease, illnesses, and personal addictions. It starts by giving and doing good... and then more is given freely, and generously by the Spirit.
The wise person said to do good every where, because we don't know from where more will come back to us. Good multiplies back to us. "Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you." (Eccel. 11:1)
To solve any problem is to be generous in giving in doing good. Something that will make man and the world around us a better place ...and what is most important is building the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
Paul the Apostle goes on to say that he shared the gospel free of charge (2 Corinthians 11:7).
He provided content free. He shared good news and dramatic life-changing news "free." What did he have? He had abundance in his life because he freely shared all good things with all people. Freely giving produces more, multiplied and coming back with more and more to share even more.
Again, those who are given much are even given more. "For those who have will be given more, and they will have an abundance." Jesus declared this. (Matthew 25:29)
And we are made to do good. We have a special gift just from God to do good for His Kingdom, earmarked specifically with our name on it. "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us new in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
One thing more... beyond giving freely, sharing what we know freely, and doing good that over comes evil reproducing more good things in the world, the rewards increase.
"Come!" Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life."( Revelations 22:17)
This free gift of God comes to us, we are to share it with others, and we all will live in an never ending stream of full life forever. The end has the even bigger reward for us who choose to give freely... to give what we know, to give our gifts, to give good things to all mankind in all places.
Give freely, do good, constantly be thinking of more good things you can do, then give it freely and never cease doing good. Evil will be defeated, our life will be full of love, joy, happiness, and the essence of God's presence... forever.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
e-Riches 2.0... Laser Fast Spiritual Response
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
e-Riches 2.0 by Scott Fox is an update of his best seller, Internet Riches. Fox wants to help you learn how to use the tools now part of Web 2.0.The Internet has produced new techniques, has much greater reach, with a change of expectations of those who use it and do business with each other.
To attract more customers, Fox has nine commands he says to follow to attract the maximum amount of customers.
E-Riches Commandment 1: Don't worry about this technology. These are tools that can empower you more, so focus on the results they can bring, not so much how they work.
E-Riches Commandment 2: Heed the interactive imperative. Use the interactive qualities of the internet for forming relationships and draw customers into a closer relationship with you.
E-Riches Commandment 3. Build customer relationships, don't just chase customers. Your goal is not to close sales quickly but engaging customers in long-term direct relationships.
E-Riches Commandment 4. Listen up! The "participation nation" requires it. They want to give feedback to your products and share with others what they think.
E-Riches Commandment 5. Your profit potential depends on being more personal. Be more natural in how you talk to customers that is genuine, authentic and personal like chatting with the person next door. Rid the image of anonymity and replace with a real person and personality.
E-Riches Commandment 6. Grow beyond your website to a multichannel online "product presence." Use e-mailed newsletters, blogs, social pages like Facebook, LinkedIn to build friends, followers, show videos you made, and use your smart phones to keep in touch. Many are on line with no particular destination in mind.
E-Riches Commandment 7. Graduate from destination marketing to distribution marketing. Customize your messages to meet the needs of those wherever they are likely to be found online. Reach them without them having to visit your website.
E-Riches Commandment 8. Nurture your brand's reputation cloud. Your reputation cloud includes the customer-initiated interactions, reactions, response to your marketing. What are they saying in their blogs, You Tube, Twitter chat, and other internet interactions.
E-Riches Commandment 9. Publish or perish. Your published content will attract your customers into interaction. Congratulations you are now in the publishing business whether you like it or not.
Graduate to distributed engagement with consistent online content, getting involved in social networks, blog worthwhile information, be the press release, give away as much as you can, use online broadcast, utilize search technique, gather data,and differentiate.
Then Fox explains how each works, you can get going on them and making them a business growth vehicle. He details how to make this technology to work within depth focus on using email, and email newsletters, RSS feeds, social networkmarketing using Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn. Then Fox goes on to teach how to social bookmark and be a news breaker, using blog and microblogging to draw a crowd, along with the power of video and audio online.
Here's a few Fox suggestions in a few of the areas.
Email is still a winner.
Always collect email addresses, decide who to write and what to write them, write it well, and start publishing regularly. One of the greatest email weaknesses is poor copywriting.
Here's ten steps to better email copywriting.
1. Focus on the subject line, which is the hook to get them to read on.
2. Personalize as much as you can.
3. Pull them in by educating, being outrageous, entertaining, inspiring.
4. Don't bury your lead. Make sure they see it and understand it readily.
5. Promote benefits of what you are sharing more than features of what it is.
6. Be specific.
7. Offer incentives.
8. Have a clear call to action.
9. Be short, or very long if detail is needed and they need the detail.
10. Use the p.s. at the end. This can have the greatest impact. It's the second most read part of a letter.
To succeed in Social Networking like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. here's some steps to begin.
1. Invite a half dozen of your friends to get your network started.
2. Start engaging, publishing, and interacting.
3. Be authentic. Real and personal is the social persona of the Internet.
4. Only try to connect with those you feel you have a common ground with.
5. Ask for help on how to make it more worthwhile.
6. Use the feeds available to keep up with your friends and broadcast your own.
7. If you blog, link your posts into your profile page.
8. Join some groups and learn the lingo.
9. Be a good citizen by respecting others and adding value.
10. Create your own group.
Dangers of social networks are they can suck your time, have unbecoming conduct, can have overdisclosure, too many friends for real relationships, and don't spam your network.
Blogging is good for solving problems, encouraging interaction, being proactive, not wasting someone's time by providing the most pertinent information, sharing the load. Winning blog content strategies are helping someone take action, including information that is immediately useful, having a pertinent interest to the reader, inspiring, entertaining, or titillating. Produce good content.
Blogging is like hosting a party and inviting your friends into some fun, thought provoking, meaningful discussion.
The public relations door is opened up by the internet. The recommendation by Fox is to get in where you fit in. It is easier to get publicity by helping reporters find the right expert sources to validate their preexisting arguments. Set up a press room on your website. Sign up for news services.
You can become a TV and radio broadcasting hub. Add video to your website, and audio podcasts. You Tube is quite useful to use and link to your website or blog. How to do it is again a part of e-Riches 2.0. Fox wraps up with search engine optimizing, affiliate program advertising and differentiating.
Differentiate your strategy. Analyze your competition and create a marketing strategy that could be a combination of email marketing, blog, a Facebook, Twitter, You Tube with news release campaigns originating from your website. It's a mix that fits you and a different look, method than others but is you and is like the ones you are wanting to be your customers.
e-Riches 2.0 is very good, detailed reference manual on marketing on the Internet.
More on Scott Fox athttp://www.scottfox.com/
When thinking of prayer I had this mental image come to me. It was when I prayed, I saw this prayer, like a laser beam, shoot up to this Satellite in the Heavens. And then as this laser hit the satellite, laser beams began shooting out of the Satellite back to earth going all different directions. It was sending out multiple, many, maybe thousands laser type beams to the earth.
What did this represent?
The Laser that shot up from me was my prayer. The satellite was God's Spirit, a Spiritual gathering hub for prayers. The beams that shot down were the commands of His Spirit going into all parts of the earth. These Spirit laser beams were powerful, with commanding authority. Whatever it hit lit up, was urgently moved to what it was commanding. This to me was what prayer really is doing. All this was happening at starlight speed.
In micro-seconds, the prayers were entering the Satellite of Spirit and being sent, many places simultaneously. It was like in an instant, multiple, inter-relating strategic actions were occurring in responding to the prayer.
Prayer is powerful, fast, and effective in what it accomplishes. It, in faith, will accomplish much more than we can do in the natural.
The Spiritual dynamics of prayer moves faster than an internet search engine. If the solution is not naturally available, prayer goes out and creates a solution for us. And I do feel prayer is creative. It does create from nothing, if no answer currently exists in the material world. That's what makes it so phenomenal.
Prayer creates. In faith, prayer creates a positive mental picture of what God can do. And believing like a child would believe that it will happen, we create the image of what we pray for. If we can only go back to pure faith. But if we believe past disappointments and become convinced by what has happened to us, or what we see in our material world that some things just can't happen.... we lack faith. But with faith, belief in our minds eye, it is possible; then it can happen, and will, when we prayer like this.
God is a Spiritual connection. Spirit created and still creates matter. Look at physics. Hydrogen, a gas, plus oxygen, a gas, when mixed properly, H2O, create a physical matter, water. We do the same in prayer. A mind with Belief, a positive vision of the outcome, mixed with strong confidence in God's Power, it will happen. Along with an almost adventurous anticipation, makes what we see materialize.
The Bible also says to Ask and keep Asking. We many times may need to prevail in prayer. When we prevail in prayer we keep the lasers of Spirit coming, shooting Spiritual actions to earth. We create a mass attack on what we pray for.
Charles Finney says that God has set forth conditions for answering prayers. We sometimes must prevail in prayer. In my mind, those many lasers going out may be creating a strategic path for a sequence of events within a timeline before the prayer is completely answered.
Here's Finney's thoughts on prevailing prayer...The conditions of prevailing prayer.
1. Have faith in God to the answer to prayer.
2. Ask God to show you His will.
3. Check your motives to make sure it is an unselfish request.
4. If you have an offense with someone else, clear it up, and stay in tune with the commandments as John said in 1 John.
5. Have a pure heart.
6. Confession of sins to God and one another.
7. Having clean hands and a pure heart as in Psalm 26:6.
8. Settle disputes and animosities between others.
9. A humble spirit and heart.
10. Remove stumbling blocks and have a forgiving, and truthful spirit.
11. Praying in Jesus' Name and being led by the Spirit in Prayer.
12. Being fervent in your prayer, and persevering through to the answer of the prayer.
13. Travail of the soul in your prayer.
14. Use the means around you for the answer to prayer.
15. Be specific and mean what you say.
16. Have faith in God's promises when you pray.
17. Be steady as you watch in Spirit for your answer to prayer.
Read Finney's complete text on this athttp://www.ccel.org/ccel/finney/power.vii.html
And while at Christian Classic Ethereal Library (ccel) online take a look at all these other Saints. I have been fascinated to read the writings on prayer by the saints of the past. To read the classic writings of Torrey, Bounds, Finney, Spurgeon, Watchman Nee, Murray, Chambers, Moody, Guyon and many more on prayer is so rich.
Prayer is powerful. As you shoot up words, your heart in prayer, God's Spirit is shooting answers to the earth in rapid fire, materializing the answer.
4spirit@gmail.com
e-Riches 2.0 by Scott Fox is an update of his best seller, Internet Riches. Fox wants to help you learn how to use the tools now part of Web 2.0.The Internet has produced new techniques, has much greater reach, with a change of expectations of those who use it and do business with each other.
To attract more customers, Fox has nine commands he says to follow to attract the maximum amount of customers.
E-Riches Commandment 1: Don't worry about this technology. These are tools that can empower you more, so focus on the results they can bring, not so much how they work.
E-Riches Commandment 2: Heed the interactive imperative. Use the interactive qualities of the internet for forming relationships and draw customers into a closer relationship with you.
E-Riches Commandment 3. Build customer relationships, don't just chase customers. Your goal is not to close sales quickly but engaging customers in long-term direct relationships.
E-Riches Commandment 4. Listen up! The "participation nation" requires it. They want to give feedback to your products and share with others what they think.
E-Riches Commandment 5. Your profit potential depends on being more personal. Be more natural in how you talk to customers that is genuine, authentic and personal like chatting with the person next door. Rid the image of anonymity and replace with a real person and personality.
E-Riches Commandment 6. Grow beyond your website to a multichannel online "product presence." Use e-mailed newsletters, blogs, social pages like Facebook, LinkedIn to build friends, followers, show videos you made, and use your smart phones to keep in touch. Many are on line with no particular destination in mind.
E-Riches Commandment 7. Graduate from destination marketing to distribution marketing. Customize your messages to meet the needs of those wherever they are likely to be found online. Reach them without them having to visit your website.
E-Riches Commandment 8. Nurture your brand's reputation cloud. Your reputation cloud includes the customer-initiated interactions, reactions, response to your marketing. What are they saying in their blogs, You Tube, Twitter chat, and other internet interactions.
E-Riches Commandment 9. Publish or perish. Your published content will attract your customers into interaction. Congratulations you are now in the publishing business whether you like it or not.
Graduate to distributed engagement with consistent online content, getting involved in social networks, blog worthwhile information, be the press release, give away as much as you can, use online broadcast, utilize search technique, gather data,and differentiate.
Then Fox explains how each works, you can get going on them and making them a business growth vehicle. He details how to make this technology to work within depth focus on using email, and email newsletters, RSS feeds, social networkmarketing using Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn. Then Fox goes on to teach how to social bookmark and be a news breaker, using blog and microblogging to draw a crowd, along with the power of video and audio online.
Here's a few Fox suggestions in a few of the areas.
Email is still a winner.
Always collect email addresses, decide who to write and what to write them, write it well, and start publishing regularly. One of the greatest email weaknesses is poor copywriting.
Here's ten steps to better email copywriting.
1. Focus on the subject line, which is the hook to get them to read on.
2. Personalize as much as you can.
3. Pull them in by educating, being outrageous, entertaining, inspiring.
4. Don't bury your lead. Make sure they see it and understand it readily.
5. Promote benefits of what you are sharing more than features of what it is.
6. Be specific.
7. Offer incentives.
8. Have a clear call to action.
9. Be short, or very long if detail is needed and they need the detail.
10. Use the p.s. at the end. This can have the greatest impact. It's the second most read part of a letter.
To succeed in Social Networking like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. here's some steps to begin.
1. Invite a half dozen of your friends to get your network started.
2. Start engaging, publishing, and interacting.
3. Be authentic. Real and personal is the social persona of the Internet.
4. Only try to connect with those you feel you have a common ground with.
5. Ask for help on how to make it more worthwhile.
6. Use the feeds available to keep up with your friends and broadcast your own.
7. If you blog, link your posts into your profile page.
8. Join some groups and learn the lingo.
9. Be a good citizen by respecting others and adding value.
10. Create your own group.
Dangers of social networks are they can suck your time, have unbecoming conduct, can have overdisclosure, too many friends for real relationships, and don't spam your network.
Blogging is good for solving problems, encouraging interaction, being proactive, not wasting someone's time by providing the most pertinent information, sharing the load. Winning blog content strategies are helping someone take action, including information that is immediately useful, having a pertinent interest to the reader, inspiring, entertaining, or titillating. Produce good content.
Blogging is like hosting a party and inviting your friends into some fun, thought provoking, meaningful discussion.
The public relations door is opened up by the internet. The recommendation by Fox is to get in where you fit in. It is easier to get publicity by helping reporters find the right expert sources to validate their preexisting arguments. Set up a press room on your website. Sign up for news services.
You can become a TV and radio broadcasting hub. Add video to your website, and audio podcasts. You Tube is quite useful to use and link to your website or blog. How to do it is again a part of e-Riches 2.0. Fox wraps up with search engine optimizing, affiliate program advertising and differentiating.
Differentiate your strategy. Analyze your competition and create a marketing strategy that could be a combination of email marketing, blog, a Facebook, Twitter, You Tube with news release campaigns originating from your website. It's a mix that fits you and a different look, method than others but is you and is like the ones you are wanting to be your customers.
e-Riches 2.0 is very good, detailed reference manual on marketing on the Internet.
More on Scott Fox athttp://www.scottfox.com/
When thinking of prayer I had this mental image come to me. It was when I prayed, I saw this prayer, like a laser beam, shoot up to this Satellite in the Heavens. And then as this laser hit the satellite, laser beams began shooting out of the Satellite back to earth going all different directions. It was sending out multiple, many, maybe thousands laser type beams to the earth.
What did this represent?
The Laser that shot up from me was my prayer. The satellite was God's Spirit, a Spiritual gathering hub for prayers. The beams that shot down were the commands of His Spirit going into all parts of the earth. These Spirit laser beams were powerful, with commanding authority. Whatever it hit lit up, was urgently moved to what it was commanding. This to me was what prayer really is doing. All this was happening at starlight speed.
In micro-seconds, the prayers were entering the Satellite of Spirit and being sent, many places simultaneously. It was like in an instant, multiple, inter-relating strategic actions were occurring in responding to the prayer.
Prayer is powerful, fast, and effective in what it accomplishes. It, in faith, will accomplish much more than we can do in the natural.
The Spiritual dynamics of prayer moves faster than an internet search engine. If the solution is not naturally available, prayer goes out and creates a solution for us. And I do feel prayer is creative. It does create from nothing, if no answer currently exists in the material world. That's what makes it so phenomenal.
Prayer creates. In faith, prayer creates a positive mental picture of what God can do. And believing like a child would believe that it will happen, we create the image of what we pray for. If we can only go back to pure faith. But if we believe past disappointments and become convinced by what has happened to us, or what we see in our material world that some things just can't happen.... we lack faith. But with faith, belief in our minds eye, it is possible; then it can happen, and will, when we prayer like this.
God is a Spiritual connection. Spirit created and still creates matter. Look at physics. Hydrogen, a gas, plus oxygen, a gas, when mixed properly, H2O, create a physical matter, water. We do the same in prayer. A mind with Belief, a positive vision of the outcome, mixed with strong confidence in God's Power, it will happen. Along with an almost adventurous anticipation, makes what we see materialize.
The Bible also says to Ask and keep Asking. We many times may need to prevail in prayer. When we prevail in prayer we keep the lasers of Spirit coming, shooting Spiritual actions to earth. We create a mass attack on what we pray for.
Charles Finney says that God has set forth conditions for answering prayers. We sometimes must prevail in prayer. In my mind, those many lasers going out may be creating a strategic path for a sequence of events within a timeline before the prayer is completely answered.
Here's Finney's thoughts on prevailing prayer...The conditions of prevailing prayer.
1. Have faith in God to the answer to prayer.
2. Ask God to show you His will.
3. Check your motives to make sure it is an unselfish request.
4. If you have an offense with someone else, clear it up, and stay in tune with the commandments as John said in 1 John.
5. Have a pure heart.
6. Confession of sins to God and one another.
7. Having clean hands and a pure heart as in Psalm 26:6.
8. Settle disputes and animosities between others.
9. A humble spirit and heart.
10. Remove stumbling blocks and have a forgiving, and truthful spirit.
11. Praying in Jesus' Name and being led by the Spirit in Prayer.
12. Being fervent in your prayer, and persevering through to the answer of the prayer.
13. Travail of the soul in your prayer.
14. Use the means around you for the answer to prayer.
15. Be specific and mean what you say.
16. Have faith in God's promises when you pray.
17. Be steady as you watch in Spirit for your answer to prayer.
Read Finney's complete text on this athttp://www.ccel.org/ccel/finney/power.vii.html
And while at Christian Classic Ethereal Library (ccel) online take a look at all these other Saints. I have been fascinated to read the writings on prayer by the saints of the past. To read the classic writings of Torrey, Bounds, Finney, Spurgeon, Watchman Nee, Murray, Chambers, Moody, Guyon and many more on prayer is so rich.
Prayer is powerful. As you shoot up words, your heart in prayer, God's Spirit is shooting answers to the earth in rapid fire, materializing the answer.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Twitter Power... power of the Word
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Twitter Power by Joel Comm was written so you could get the most out of Twitter and make microblogging work in your business. Comm shows how it works and where its super power is. From making the best decisions on setting up your profile and how to build a following... the most important part. The goal of using Twitter is to build relationships, especially relationships that can benefit your company. Your Twitter can expand by its benefits in problem solving, winning referrals, supplying support, building your team. Then expanding your brand, tying people into your blog posts. Comm concludes with a 30 day step-by-step plan for dominating with your newly established social network.
With Twitter you create a flow of comments back and forth. The top ten percent of Twitterers have 80 followings. Comm leads you to being in the top ten percent.
What distinguishes Twitter is its simplicity and brevity. All messages are limited to 140 characters. Secondly, Twitter has reached critical mass quickly. So with more than 3 million members it has hit critical mass. Twitter is a broadcasting station. Your Tweets are going out to followers immediately. It's mobile and can function from mobile phones. Feedback is immediate. Twitter lets everyone know what you are doing now, relevant to them, and can get answers to questions immediately from your followers. You build relationships through many seeing the inside of what you do and help you, right then, if needed.
Start by following others. Find out what they do that you like and can do too. It's very easy to do it yourself and use the built in features to create the image of profile you want.
To produce your following, produce content that's interesting, fun and valuable. Find key Twitters on your topic and get them to follow you. So your creativity and interest in content are crucial. Gain their friendship and respect and give back more than you take.
Seven killer strategies to reach critical mass starts with that you first must become a follower and join in the conversation. Look for people you already know; tweet your blog; pay your followers; respond to requests; mobilize your social network; put your Twitter name in your signatures; run a contest.
Identify problems. Give your followers a sneak preview and ask for their advice or ideas. Find your top fans, promoters, and evangelists.
Twitter's power has several applications to benefit a business. It can build team members communication. It can become the new "gather at the water foundation"chat of information. Team members can see what others are doing and be in process with them as they do it. This not only builds critical relationships but increases the quality of work and activity in progress. Use Twitter to troubleshoot problems, request help, provide on-the-fly updates. You can broadcast important information others can use, while keeping in touch which bonds relationships.
As you build your brand, Twitter is invaluable to keep your clients and customers informed on what you are doing, why and how it contributes to them. Staying in touch as you improve what you do, make it better, offer better services with new and better products, sharing how you do it better, and so forth, all along keeping your customer in your loop.
Create interesting stories with ongoing episodes. Engage your customer in the excitement of all you do. Include those nuggets of relevant background that a person would not get unless they were in flow with your conversation. Informal and friendly works great. It's personal, connecting, interesting and vitally helpful to them. Categories of your tweet talk can be company news, customer support, feedback, and special offers. Keep them updated on your new blog posts and excite them to your website for new and better things. And then, random thoughts from time to time keep you human and engage their curiosity. Repetition of who you are and why you do things as you do keeps your brand clear in their minds.
Tweets are a process. The tweet may be a random thought, a question, action, action, random thought, new idea, question... Random thoughts on popular topics hold the attention of your followers while at the water foundation with you.
Be nice, contributing and insightful. Create content that entices and keeps one wanting to come back for more. Make their day, so your tweets are music to their ears.
Joel Comm's best part is the 30-day plan for dominating Twitter. This action plan is a great guide to make the first 30 days on Twitter a strong platform for letting people know what you are doing, who would want to know. And getting help when you need it. Comm has a Twittering action for you each day of the 30, what to do, with his book backing you up on how to do it. More at... www.joelcomm.com
Ken Blanchard, in Lead Like Jesus, has an excellent section on making the Bible a walking part of your life. He calls the Bible... Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The way to make the Bible work for you is to consider his recommendations.
(Note the Lead like Jesus website for more...)
http://www.leadlikejesus.com/
There is great power in the Word, the Word of God, when we make the Scriptures part of us... both by taking it in and speaking it to others. To equip us to be effective in God's power, Blanchard makes these recommendations on how to use the Bible. This is the key to make the Spirit of God work in our lives to the level and magnitude we all hope for.
1. Hear it
2. Read the Bible
3. Study the Bible
4. Memorize Scriptures
5. Meditate on Scriptures
Hear it
Listen to sermons at church, radio, CD's, MP3, Internet.
Listen to the Bible on audio sources like above.
Watch the Bible on DVD, Internet and movies based on Scripture like the Gospel of John.
Attend a Bible study group and listen to each other.
Read the Bible
Allow enough time to read reflectively.
Do not read too much Scripture at a time.
Balance your reading of the Word.
Apply the Scriptures to your life each day.
Study the Bible.
Romans 12 admonishes us to renew our minds, be transformed in our thinking and not follow the patterns of this world. To successfully do this, taking time to study the Bible is crucial, or absolutely a must do. Use a good study Bible or Internet sites which feature a variety of Bible translations and study tools like keyword search, Bible dictionaries and Bible commentaries. Bible study is taking an indepth look at Scriptures to discover more than just a simple overview or devotional reading.
Study involves comparing what the Bible says in one passage to another passage throughout the Bible. By reading commentaries and author background, the setting, culture and timelines, we get better insight to its true meaning.
Memorizing Scripture
By memorizing Scripture we get it past our minds and into our hearts... to realize the Spirit of the Word. In times of need or difficulties, we recall faster a truth that will strengthen our spirit.
Memorizing takes some efforts, but the rewards it brings will never fail you in times of urgency. Here's some tips for memorization:
--Select a verse that hits home with you.
--Read it in context and different translations.
--Commit to memorize it in your favorite translation.
--Use memory aids like recording it and playing it back to you.
--Underline the verse in your Bible.
--Write it on a notecard or mobile phone.
--Place verse in a prominent place that you see frequently.
--Say it over and over and each time emphasize different words.
--Review it several times a day, recite it to a friend, make it fun for you.
Meditate on Scripture
Here's tips on how to meditate on a verse to drive it into your spirit and soul.
--Read the verse, write and read it again.
--Write the verse in your own words.
--Read it over and over again emphasizing different words.
--State the opposite meaning of the verse.
--Personalize the verse and allow the Holy Spirit to apply it to your immediate needs.
--Pray the verse with a personalized application.
--Write a way you can use the verse to help another person.
The best way to use these suggestions is to pick one of the five above at a time and work on it. Then, when you have that one in motion, add another one on top of it.
When reading 2 Timothy 2 note:"Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth." (Amplified)
We will live out the infinite joys of being of God's Spirit as we dwell upon His living Word, the Bible. It is indeed the best book for fulfillment and life satisfaction. Go get a study Bible you can enjoy, and find more joy in His Spirit everyday.
4spirit@gmail.com
Twitter Power by Joel Comm was written so you could get the most out of Twitter and make microblogging work in your business. Comm shows how it works and where its super power is. From making the best decisions on setting up your profile and how to build a following... the most important part. The goal of using Twitter is to build relationships, especially relationships that can benefit your company. Your Twitter can expand by its benefits in problem solving, winning referrals, supplying support, building your team. Then expanding your brand, tying people into your blog posts. Comm concludes with a 30 day step-by-step plan for dominating with your newly established social network.
With Twitter you create a flow of comments back and forth. The top ten percent of Twitterers have 80 followings. Comm leads you to being in the top ten percent.
What distinguishes Twitter is its simplicity and brevity. All messages are limited to 140 characters. Secondly, Twitter has reached critical mass quickly. So with more than 3 million members it has hit critical mass. Twitter is a broadcasting station. Your Tweets are going out to followers immediately. It's mobile and can function from mobile phones. Feedback is immediate. Twitter lets everyone know what you are doing now, relevant to them, and can get answers to questions immediately from your followers. You build relationships through many seeing the inside of what you do and help you, right then, if needed.
Start by following others. Find out what they do that you like and can do too. It's very easy to do it yourself and use the built in features to create the image of profile you want.
To produce your following, produce content that's interesting, fun and valuable. Find key Twitters on your topic and get them to follow you. So your creativity and interest in content are crucial. Gain their friendship and respect and give back more than you take.
Seven killer strategies to reach critical mass starts with that you first must become a follower and join in the conversation. Look for people you already know; tweet your blog; pay your followers; respond to requests; mobilize your social network; put your Twitter name in your signatures; run a contest.
Identify problems. Give your followers a sneak preview and ask for their advice or ideas. Find your top fans, promoters, and evangelists.
Twitter's power has several applications to benefit a business. It can build team members communication. It can become the new "gather at the water foundation"chat of information. Team members can see what others are doing and be in process with them as they do it. This not only builds critical relationships but increases the quality of work and activity in progress. Use Twitter to troubleshoot problems, request help, provide on-the-fly updates. You can broadcast important information others can use, while keeping in touch which bonds relationships.
As you build your brand, Twitter is invaluable to keep your clients and customers informed on what you are doing, why and how it contributes to them. Staying in touch as you improve what you do, make it better, offer better services with new and better products, sharing how you do it better, and so forth, all along keeping your customer in your loop.
Create interesting stories with ongoing episodes. Engage your customer in the excitement of all you do. Include those nuggets of relevant background that a person would not get unless they were in flow with your conversation. Informal and friendly works great. It's personal, connecting, interesting and vitally helpful to them. Categories of your tweet talk can be company news, customer support, feedback, and special offers. Keep them updated on your new blog posts and excite them to your website for new and better things. And then, random thoughts from time to time keep you human and engage their curiosity. Repetition of who you are and why you do things as you do keeps your brand clear in their minds.
Tweets are a process. The tweet may be a random thought, a question, action, action, random thought, new idea, question... Random thoughts on popular topics hold the attention of your followers while at the water foundation with you.
Be nice, contributing and insightful. Create content that entices and keeps one wanting to come back for more. Make their day, so your tweets are music to their ears.
Joel Comm's best part is the 30-day plan for dominating Twitter. This action plan is a great guide to make the first 30 days on Twitter a strong platform for letting people know what you are doing, who would want to know. And getting help when you need it. Comm has a Twittering action for you each day of the 30, what to do, with his book backing you up on how to do it. More at... www.joelcomm.com
Ken Blanchard, in Lead Like Jesus, has an excellent section on making the Bible a walking part of your life. He calls the Bible... Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The way to make the Bible work for you is to consider his recommendations.
(Note the Lead like Jesus website for more...)
http://www.leadlikejesus.com/
There is great power in the Word, the Word of God, when we make the Scriptures part of us... both by taking it in and speaking it to others. To equip us to be effective in God's power, Blanchard makes these recommendations on how to use the Bible. This is the key to make the Spirit of God work in our lives to the level and magnitude we all hope for.
1. Hear it
2. Read the Bible
3. Study the Bible
4. Memorize Scriptures
5. Meditate on Scriptures
Hear it
Listen to sermons at church, radio, CD's, MP3, Internet.
Listen to the Bible on audio sources like above.
Watch the Bible on DVD, Internet and movies based on Scripture like the Gospel of John.
Attend a Bible study group and listen to each other.
Read the Bible
Allow enough time to read reflectively.
Do not read too much Scripture at a time.
Balance your reading of the Word.
Apply the Scriptures to your life each day.
Study the Bible.
Romans 12 admonishes us to renew our minds, be transformed in our thinking and not follow the patterns of this world. To successfully do this, taking time to study the Bible is crucial, or absolutely a must do. Use a good study Bible or Internet sites which feature a variety of Bible translations and study tools like keyword search, Bible dictionaries and Bible commentaries. Bible study is taking an indepth look at Scriptures to discover more than just a simple overview or devotional reading.
Study involves comparing what the Bible says in one passage to another passage throughout the Bible. By reading commentaries and author background, the setting, culture and timelines, we get better insight to its true meaning.
Memorizing Scripture
By memorizing Scripture we get it past our minds and into our hearts... to realize the Spirit of the Word. In times of need or difficulties, we recall faster a truth that will strengthen our spirit.
Memorizing takes some efforts, but the rewards it brings will never fail you in times of urgency. Here's some tips for memorization:
--Select a verse that hits home with you.
--Read it in context and different translations.
--Commit to memorize it in your favorite translation.
--Use memory aids like recording it and playing it back to you.
--Underline the verse in your Bible.
--Write it on a notecard or mobile phone.
--Place verse in a prominent place that you see frequently.
--Say it over and over and each time emphasize different words.
--Review it several times a day, recite it to a friend, make it fun for you.
Meditate on Scripture
Here's tips on how to meditate on a verse to drive it into your spirit and soul.
--Read the verse, write and read it again.
--Write the verse in your own words.
--Read it over and over again emphasizing different words.
--State the opposite meaning of the verse.
--Personalize the verse and allow the Holy Spirit to apply it to your immediate needs.
--Pray the verse with a personalized application.
--Write a way you can use the verse to help another person.
The best way to use these suggestions is to pick one of the five above at a time and work on it. Then, when you have that one in motion, add another one on top of it.
When reading 2 Timothy 2 note:"Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth." (Amplified)
We will live out the infinite joys of being of God's Spirit as we dwell upon His living Word, the Bible. It is indeed the best book for fulfillment and life satisfaction. Go get a study Bible you can enjoy, and find more joy in His Spirit everyday.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Who's Got Your Back... Creating Spiritual Power Connections
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Who's Got Your Back by Keith Ferrazzi is about creating lifeline relationships. Lifeline relationships are your inner circle of trusted advisers, mentors and colleagues. It's those you can really open up to, share your fears, failures, goals, dreams and ask for help. They will give you the insight, feedback on your career and life you need to hear. They know your professional goals, so they are the best ones you can ask for help. We need advice and feedback from people we can trust. It's not about changing who you are, but enlisting advice of others to help you become the best who you can be. Ferrazzi shows us how to get this support in our lives.
The four mind-sets for building lifeline relationships:
Generosity: building mutual support and helping others succeed.
Vulnerability: letting your guard down so you have mutual understanding.
Candor: being totally honest with who you confide in.
Accountability: following through with the promises you have made.
Eight steps to Instant Intimacy (from Vulnerability above)
1. Create an authentic environment around you. Let others see who you are and what you have to offer.
2. Suspend your prejudices. Let people see the why behind your passion.
3. Project the positive. Think positive and project positive and others will too.
4. Share your passions. Tell people your story.
5. Talk about goals and dreams. What really gets you going, and gets you excited.
6. Revisit your past. What in your past has contributed to your behavior today.
7. What's keeping you up at night. What's bothering you right now.
8. Future fears. What of the unknown ahead makes us afraid.
To make candor a big part of your life...
1. Find people you respect.
2. Create opportunity.
3. Make it clear any feedback you get is a gift.
4. Acknowledge your faults.
5. Tell others what you plan to do with their advice.
6. Don't tell them what you want to hear.
7. Ask specific questions.
8. Take it or leave it.
9. Pay them back. Be a straight shooter but never shoot from anger.
Ferrazzi has nine steps to building your dream team of lifeline relationships... those
close to you who will give the support and advice you need.
Step One: Articulate your vision.
What are your talents and abilities and how do you plan to use them to make a difference in the future.
Step Two: Find Your Lifeline Relationships.
You should look for commitment; comprehension which is a practical knowledge of your areas of concern; chemistry and curiosity which is they like you and admire you; diversity which is a balance of diverse backgrounds of value to you.
Step Three: Practice the Art of the Long Slow Dinner.
Find a safe environment where you can be relaxed, not hurried so you can chat; a place to be there for each other so the four mindsets of candor, vulnerability, accountability and generosity come into play.
Step Four: Broaden your Goal-setting Strategy.
Set both performance and learning goals. They are specific goals you want to achieve as well as skills you want to improve. Sharing these goals with others helps you in bringing clarity to your vision.
Step Five: Create Your personal Success Wheel.
Prioritize what is important in life like Spirituality, intellectual stimulation, physical wellness, financial success, professional growth, deep relationships, giving back and then blend them. They actually overlap each other so strategically blend them. In your goal-setting process work on preventing mission creep (that's losing focus), the belief gap (belief you will accomplish what you want), the skills gap (acquiring skills you need), third inning slump (not losing motivation).
Step Six: Learn to Fight.
A give and take of your ideas with your trusted support partners.
Step Seven: Diagnose your weaknesses.
Turn the mirror on yourself; try to learn lessons from your role models; ask other people.
Step Eight: Commit to Improvement.
Before you commit to others make sure you have committed to yourself. When you express it outloud it is liberating, there's no turning back, you build intimacy with others.
Step Nine: Fake it Till You Make It... then Make it Stick.
Commit to small steps, take action, discuss your feelings of success, do it again. Collaborate, don't compromise. Work to bring ideas together, combing them to make them better.
Ferrazzi concludes with how to actually make it your life which includes tactics, strategies, and structures. A self-developed support group has these benefits that go with it.
1. Momentum. Once started it creates a life of its own.
2. Structure. It makes commitments more concrete with increasing chances of genuine growth.
3. Peer pressure. This is the good kind that makes you not want to disappoint and get the applause of your peers.
4. Self-selection. You pick and include the right people for you.
5. Diversity. Differences in experiences and ways of looking at things only strengthen the dynamic of the group.
You can do it yourself and Ferrazzi shows you how to conduct and effectively run a meeting. Plus he gives you tips on how to recruit, apply the rules of engagement, resolve conflicts.... But he says... Get started and have some fun.
Relationships are fundamentally critical to business success. Learn more at
http://www.keithferrazzi.com/WGYB/
Create a web of Spiritual Power Connections.
Spiritual connection is when people living in context of "Jesus living in them" connect with others who live the same way. When one's own life is aligned with the Spiritual Principles of Spirit as Jesus defined them and they then connect with others, tremendous power is released through their interactions. Here's the process....
First, take responsibility for your own time in God's Presence. Jesus went off often to pray the New Testament says. During these times, one record said Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. It was at these times Jesus was both empowered to a Supernatural level and He had clear direction on what to do.
Keep a log of what you hear, thoughts you get, senses you have when off alone. Blogs are a good place to keep these things that come to mind as you have a record and your friends can see them too. On Twitter you can post ongoing insights.
Second, find a person who is doing the same and share with them what you are thinking and sensing from these times alone. This sharing and combined faith and hope for each other is very critical. This process of shared hope, belief and faith for the other, begins a dynamic, strategic release of Spiritual power on your behalf. Jesus said if just two come together and are in agreement (in heart, with love and compassion for the other) He will personally see to it that what you agree on will be done. You have just made a contract, in essence, with Jesus Himself who will personally represent you to God, whose Spirit creates all things. now creates on your behalf.
Third, both a Spiritual and reality factor go to work here. You naturally think of what you can do to be part of the answer to this person's prayer, desire in life. Some answers are right within our abilities... if so, we should respond accordingly. In some cases, we get ideas from each other and from those ideas, the answer begins to form. At this point have faith that the power of God is going to work on this matter.
Jesus said whatever you ask and believe in His Power for the answer it will be done for you. This is such an awesome thing to think about. Jesus Himself is going to work for us as He inspires us to use our gifts, talents. We stay involved in the process. We have hope and belief to do things above and beyond we ever could have imagined possible. It is amazing when we are convinced we can do things above and beyond what we have ever done before, we then literally rise to another level.
Fourth, stay in touch with the person you have Connected with in Spirit.. With smart phones, the Internet we can stay in touch better than ever. It is good to meet in person if possible from time to time, and continue to connect in prayer. When we do that His Presence joins us.
Fifth, continue to connect with others and do the same thing. If you know someone else you care for and trust do the same with them. The exciting thing is if everyone keeps connecting with others, it keeps expanding into a prayer network. Before you know it you have quite a Spiritually empowered web of people connecting with each other.
Two by two by two begins to create an ever expanding network of Spiritual Power Connections, a Spiritual network of Power.
It just takes two... it's in the relationship quality where true Spiritual Qualities and Power exist. A husband and wife can be a core, or two close friends, business associates, etc. From this core connection continue to expand to form other prayer connections.
This is also where the supernatural Power exhibited by Jesus is tapped. It can intertwine among relatives, friends, through business, groups, etc. Its application crosses all paths of life.
It's simple... but a person must just do it and see what begins to happen. All the Supernatural Power of Jesus is with you as you Spiritually connect with Him, while making Connections with others who live in God's Spirit.
4spirit@gmail.com
Who's Got Your Back by Keith Ferrazzi is about creating lifeline relationships. Lifeline relationships are your inner circle of trusted advisers, mentors and colleagues. It's those you can really open up to, share your fears, failures, goals, dreams and ask for help. They will give you the insight, feedback on your career and life you need to hear. They know your professional goals, so they are the best ones you can ask for help. We need advice and feedback from people we can trust. It's not about changing who you are, but enlisting advice of others to help you become the best who you can be. Ferrazzi shows us how to get this support in our lives.
The four mind-sets for building lifeline relationships:
Generosity: building mutual support and helping others succeed.
Vulnerability: letting your guard down so you have mutual understanding.
Candor: being totally honest with who you confide in.
Accountability: following through with the promises you have made.
Eight steps to Instant Intimacy (from Vulnerability above)
1. Create an authentic environment around you. Let others see who you are and what you have to offer.
2. Suspend your prejudices. Let people see the why behind your passion.
3. Project the positive. Think positive and project positive and others will too.
4. Share your passions. Tell people your story.
5. Talk about goals and dreams. What really gets you going, and gets you excited.
6. Revisit your past. What in your past has contributed to your behavior today.
7. What's keeping you up at night. What's bothering you right now.
8. Future fears. What of the unknown ahead makes us afraid.
To make candor a big part of your life...
1. Find people you respect.
2. Create opportunity.
3. Make it clear any feedback you get is a gift.
4. Acknowledge your faults.
5. Tell others what you plan to do with their advice.
6. Don't tell them what you want to hear.
7. Ask specific questions.
8. Take it or leave it.
9. Pay them back. Be a straight shooter but never shoot from anger.
Ferrazzi has nine steps to building your dream team of lifeline relationships... those
close to you who will give the support and advice you need.
Step One: Articulate your vision.
What are your talents and abilities and how do you plan to use them to make a difference in the future.
Step Two: Find Your Lifeline Relationships.
You should look for commitment; comprehension which is a practical knowledge of your areas of concern; chemistry and curiosity which is they like you and admire you; diversity which is a balance of diverse backgrounds of value to you.
Step Three: Practice the Art of the Long Slow Dinner.
Find a safe environment where you can be relaxed, not hurried so you can chat; a place to be there for each other so the four mindsets of candor, vulnerability, accountability and generosity come into play.
Step Four: Broaden your Goal-setting Strategy.
Set both performance and learning goals. They are specific goals you want to achieve as well as skills you want to improve. Sharing these goals with others helps you in bringing clarity to your vision.
Step Five: Create Your personal Success Wheel.
Prioritize what is important in life like Spirituality, intellectual stimulation, physical wellness, financial success, professional growth, deep relationships, giving back and then blend them. They actually overlap each other so strategically blend them. In your goal-setting process work on preventing mission creep (that's losing focus), the belief gap (belief you will accomplish what you want), the skills gap (acquiring skills you need), third inning slump (not losing motivation).
Step Six: Learn to Fight.
A give and take of your ideas with your trusted support partners.
Step Seven: Diagnose your weaknesses.
Turn the mirror on yourself; try to learn lessons from your role models; ask other people.
Step Eight: Commit to Improvement.
Before you commit to others make sure you have committed to yourself. When you express it outloud it is liberating, there's no turning back, you build intimacy with others.
Step Nine: Fake it Till You Make It... then Make it Stick.
Commit to small steps, take action, discuss your feelings of success, do it again. Collaborate, don't compromise. Work to bring ideas together, combing them to make them better.
Ferrazzi concludes with how to actually make it your life which includes tactics, strategies, and structures. A self-developed support group has these benefits that go with it.
1. Momentum. Once started it creates a life of its own.
2. Structure. It makes commitments more concrete with increasing chances of genuine growth.
3. Peer pressure. This is the good kind that makes you not want to disappoint and get the applause of your peers.
4. Self-selection. You pick and include the right people for you.
5. Diversity. Differences in experiences and ways of looking at things only strengthen the dynamic of the group.
You can do it yourself and Ferrazzi shows you how to conduct and effectively run a meeting. Plus he gives you tips on how to recruit, apply the rules of engagement, resolve conflicts.... But he says... Get started and have some fun.
Relationships are fundamentally critical to business success. Learn more at
http://www.keithferrazzi.com/WGYB/
Create a web of Spiritual Power Connections.
Spiritual connection is when people living in context of "Jesus living in them" connect with others who live the same way. When one's own life is aligned with the Spiritual Principles of Spirit as Jesus defined them and they then connect with others, tremendous power is released through their interactions. Here's the process....
First, take responsibility for your own time in God's Presence. Jesus went off often to pray the New Testament says. During these times, one record said Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. It was at these times Jesus was both empowered to a Supernatural level and He had clear direction on what to do.
Keep a log of what you hear, thoughts you get, senses you have when off alone. Blogs are a good place to keep these things that come to mind as you have a record and your friends can see them too. On Twitter you can post ongoing insights.
Second, find a person who is doing the same and share with them what you are thinking and sensing from these times alone. This sharing and combined faith and hope for each other is very critical. This process of shared hope, belief and faith for the other, begins a dynamic, strategic release of Spiritual power on your behalf. Jesus said if just two come together and are in agreement (in heart, with love and compassion for the other) He will personally see to it that what you agree on will be done. You have just made a contract, in essence, with Jesus Himself who will personally represent you to God, whose Spirit creates all things. now creates on your behalf.
Third, both a Spiritual and reality factor go to work here. You naturally think of what you can do to be part of the answer to this person's prayer, desire in life. Some answers are right within our abilities... if so, we should respond accordingly. In some cases, we get ideas from each other and from those ideas, the answer begins to form. At this point have faith that the power of God is going to work on this matter.
Jesus said whatever you ask and believe in His Power for the answer it will be done for you. This is such an awesome thing to think about. Jesus Himself is going to work for us as He inspires us to use our gifts, talents. We stay involved in the process. We have hope and belief to do things above and beyond we ever could have imagined possible. It is amazing when we are convinced we can do things above and beyond what we have ever done before, we then literally rise to another level.
Fourth, stay in touch with the person you have Connected with in Spirit.. With smart phones, the Internet we can stay in touch better than ever. It is good to meet in person if possible from time to time, and continue to connect in prayer. When we do that His Presence joins us.
Fifth, continue to connect with others and do the same thing. If you know someone else you care for and trust do the same with them. The exciting thing is if everyone keeps connecting with others, it keeps expanding into a prayer network. Before you know it you have quite a Spiritually empowered web of people connecting with each other.
Two by two by two begins to create an ever expanding network of Spiritual Power Connections, a Spiritual network of Power.
It just takes two... it's in the relationship quality where true Spiritual Qualities and Power exist. A husband and wife can be a core, or two close friends, business associates, etc. From this core connection continue to expand to form other prayer connections.
This is also where the supernatural Power exhibited by Jesus is tapped. It can intertwine among relatives, friends, through business, groups, etc. Its application crosses all paths of life.
It's simple... but a person must just do it and see what begins to happen. All the Supernatural Power of Jesus is with you as you Spiritually connect with Him, while making Connections with others who live in God's Spirit.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
How the Mighty Fall... instead Lead like Jesus
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
How the Mighty Fall and why some companies never give in is Jim Collins next great work since Good to Great. Collins felt we need a more nuanced understanding of how decline happens, which led to his uncovering of the five stages of decline of a business. Every institution is vulnerable no matter how great, how much you achieved, how far you have come. Anyone can fall and eventually most do. Here's the trail they follow.
Stage 1: Hubris born of success.
Hubris is defined as excessive pride that brings down a hero.
The markers of stage 1 are success entitlement, arrogance. Success is viewed as deserved and people believe that success will continue no matter what they do. The primary flywheel (see Good to Great) is neglected as new adventures, opportunities grab their attention. The "what" replaces the "why." They see their success due to "what" they do, instead of the"why" behind it. "Why" do we do these things. Learning declines. When their desire to keep learning slips from the steep interest they once had, the decline is on the way. And instead of recognizing that success has a lot to do with fortuitous events, leaders think it has to be due to their superior qualities as leaders.
Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more.
We anticipated that most companies fall because of complacency... failure to innovate and ignite change. Overreaching was more common. Growth becomes an obsession, and undisciplined pursuit of more with actions inconsistent with their core values. The Packard Law locks in... a company is more likely to die from indigestion (eating more than you can digest) than starving from too little. Problems in transfer of power added to the decline.
Getting people in the right seats is harder when having too much growth or too much diversity, when cash is too easy to get it erodes cost discipline, when people think in terms of jobs versus responsibilities, and when personal interests are placed above organizational interest... all these fuel the decline.
Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril.
The company makes big bets in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. They underrate conflicting data. In the face of ambiguity ask three questions:
1. What's the upside, if events turn out well?
2. What's the downside, if events go very badly?
3. Can you live with the downside? Truly?
Team dynamics erode, more blame is placed on external factors, and the company becomes obsessed with reorganization. Those in power become more detached and plush perks appear around them.
Stage 4: Grasping for salvation.
The grasping for salvation begins. Companies do desperate things because they now know they are dying.The hunt begins for the silver bullet. When one silver bullet fails another is sought. Silver bullets come in new programs, new breakthroughs, new acquisitions and new saviors. The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change, but chronic inconsistency. When calm deliberate action is needed, fear and a lurching, reactive behavior take over.
A new charismatic leader may be sought. A lot of energy is spent to motivate and buzz words inundate the vocabulary. The vision is hyped as they try to sell a future to eclipse the slide... with over promising and under delivering. There may be an initial burst of positive results, but hope is soon dashed.
Core values erode and people lose sight of what they stand for. Distrust looms and visions and value proclamations are seen as merely PR and rhetoric. Cash flow and liquidity declines, options narrow, multiple restructurings don't hold.
Stage 5. Capitulation (surrender) to irrelevance or death.
Cash dries up. Hope is gone, as the leaders see no resources they can get to continue the fight. What is the result of ceasing to exist... if it has too much negative impact on too many, leaders renew hope to find a path out of the darkness.
Well-Founded Hope
If you can find enough resources to get out of the grasping, you can reverse the course. You can rebuild again one step at a time. Great companies can decline and recover. Recover your values, renew aspirations to foster proactive behavior, and restate a state of mind of a constitutional resistance to capitulate.
Consider the challenge of Winston Churchill when Great Britain was doomed to be taken over by the Nazis in World War II.
"Never give in, never give in, never,never, never, never. Never give in to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force or the seemingly overwhelming might of the enemy."
Take the next step, get up one more time, and keep doing just that.
Go back to Good to Great principles and begin the next step at
http://www.jimcollins.com/
Business Week featured numerous resources about How the Mighty Fall,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/09_21/B4132jim_collins.htm
Lead Like Jesus is by Ken Blanchard, best known for his management classic, One Minute Manager.
Lead Like Jesus is an updated work which surpasses popular management thought. It is a radical, transformational theme that will revolutionize any business today.
It’s theme line “Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of all Time” makes a bold claim. And in all things considered, it is a very appropriate claim. Jesus had to be the greatest leadership role model. He is the one connected to the Spirit of the Universe which created everything, and still recreates… through you.
According to Blanchard, Lead Like Jesus involves the alignment of
4 leadership domains:
Heart (our motivation): our first choice in leading is whether we are motivated by self-interest or for the benefit of those we are leading.
Head: examines your beliefs and theories about leading and motivating people.
Hands: others see where your heart and head is when your motivations and beliefs affect your actions. You become a performance coach, setting clear goals, observing performance, praising progress and redirection of appropriate behavior.
Habits: how you review your daily commitment as leader to serve rather than be served.
Blanchard goes on to state that “the term leader is mentioned only 6 times in the King James Version of the Bible, while the term servant is mentioned more than 900 times.”
So as a leader we cultivate The Heart of a Servant.
Which leads to two questions we most ask ourselves:
Am I a servant leader?
Or am I a self-serving leader?
This reflects your heart's EGO.
Am I Edging God Out;
or am I Exalting God Only?
When we edge God out, we reflect pride and self-promotion in our actions. This is motivated by fear and protecting self. Pride creates separation from God and others, making comparisons and distorting truth.
Exalting God Only shows a Jesus Spirit of Humility and Spirit of confidence
which leads through forgiveness and grace… forgive to the same level God has forgiven you.
To lead like Jesus, we must become like Jesus.
How can we “Become” like Jesus?
In college, I studied drama. When portraying a character, we learned what is called the art of characterization... this is learning how to become the very person we are portraying. The characterization process is very extensive. The goal is to “become” the person you represent as an actor.
Study the life of Jesus with this goal in mind.... to be Jesus. To be Jesus’ thoughts, manner, ideology, understanding why He did what He did. Beyond that remember what Jesus said, “I will be in you, live in you.”
The Spirit of Jesus lives in you. Allow His Spirit to dominate you, guide and direct all you do. In prayer, like in characterization meditation, reprogram yourself to be the person of Jesus. The Spirit helps us when in prayer. Use prayer as your preparation time to be resurrected into Jesus and Jesus Spirit totally immersed into you. Through Spirit, you have “the mind of Christ.” (I Corinthians 2:16)
His Spirit implants His Laws in your mind, and in your hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)
This goes beyond the "what would Jesus do" slogan we hear. This goes into “Being Jesus.”
... Jesus lives in you!
His Spirit rebirths “Jesus” in you; old patterns die. His Spirit takes over.
You will “Be” like Him. You allow all of Him to “Be” in you.
Then in all things you will respond naturally, as Jesus.
Be Jesus....and in Jesus Spirit you are.
4spirit@gmail.com
How the Mighty Fall and why some companies never give in is Jim Collins next great work since Good to Great. Collins felt we need a more nuanced understanding of how decline happens, which led to his uncovering of the five stages of decline of a business. Every institution is vulnerable no matter how great, how much you achieved, how far you have come. Anyone can fall and eventually most do. Here's the trail they follow.
Stage 1: Hubris born of success.
Hubris is defined as excessive pride that brings down a hero.
The markers of stage 1 are success entitlement, arrogance. Success is viewed as deserved and people believe that success will continue no matter what they do. The primary flywheel (see Good to Great) is neglected as new adventures, opportunities grab their attention. The "what" replaces the "why." They see their success due to "what" they do, instead of the"why" behind it. "Why" do we do these things. Learning declines. When their desire to keep learning slips from the steep interest they once had, the decline is on the way. And instead of recognizing that success has a lot to do with fortuitous events, leaders think it has to be due to their superior qualities as leaders.
Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more.
We anticipated that most companies fall because of complacency... failure to innovate and ignite change. Overreaching was more common. Growth becomes an obsession, and undisciplined pursuit of more with actions inconsistent with their core values. The Packard Law locks in... a company is more likely to die from indigestion (eating more than you can digest) than starving from too little. Problems in transfer of power added to the decline.
Getting people in the right seats is harder when having too much growth or too much diversity, when cash is too easy to get it erodes cost discipline, when people think in terms of jobs versus responsibilities, and when personal interests are placed above organizational interest... all these fuel the decline.
Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril.
The company makes big bets in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. They underrate conflicting data. In the face of ambiguity ask three questions:
1. What's the upside, if events turn out well?
2. What's the downside, if events go very badly?
3. Can you live with the downside? Truly?
Team dynamics erode, more blame is placed on external factors, and the company becomes obsessed with reorganization. Those in power become more detached and plush perks appear around them.
Stage 4: Grasping for salvation.
The grasping for salvation begins. Companies do desperate things because they now know they are dying.The hunt begins for the silver bullet. When one silver bullet fails another is sought. Silver bullets come in new programs, new breakthroughs, new acquisitions and new saviors. The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change, but chronic inconsistency. When calm deliberate action is needed, fear and a lurching, reactive behavior take over.
A new charismatic leader may be sought. A lot of energy is spent to motivate and buzz words inundate the vocabulary. The vision is hyped as they try to sell a future to eclipse the slide... with over promising and under delivering. There may be an initial burst of positive results, but hope is soon dashed.
Core values erode and people lose sight of what they stand for. Distrust looms and visions and value proclamations are seen as merely PR and rhetoric. Cash flow and liquidity declines, options narrow, multiple restructurings don't hold.
Stage 5. Capitulation (surrender) to irrelevance or death.
Cash dries up. Hope is gone, as the leaders see no resources they can get to continue the fight. What is the result of ceasing to exist... if it has too much negative impact on too many, leaders renew hope to find a path out of the darkness.
Well-Founded Hope
If you can find enough resources to get out of the grasping, you can reverse the course. You can rebuild again one step at a time. Great companies can decline and recover. Recover your values, renew aspirations to foster proactive behavior, and restate a state of mind of a constitutional resistance to capitulate.
Consider the challenge of Winston Churchill when Great Britain was doomed to be taken over by the Nazis in World War II.
"Never give in, never give in, never,never, never, never. Never give in to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force or the seemingly overwhelming might of the enemy."
Take the next step, get up one more time, and keep doing just that.
Go back to Good to Great principles and begin the next step at
http://www.jimcollins.com/
Business Week featured numerous resources about How the Mighty Fall,
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/09_21/B4132jim_collins.htm
Lead Like Jesus is by Ken Blanchard, best known for his management classic, One Minute Manager.
Lead Like Jesus is an updated work which surpasses popular management thought. It is a radical, transformational theme that will revolutionize any business today.
It’s theme line “Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of all Time” makes a bold claim. And in all things considered, it is a very appropriate claim. Jesus had to be the greatest leadership role model. He is the one connected to the Spirit of the Universe which created everything, and still recreates… through you.
According to Blanchard, Lead Like Jesus involves the alignment of
4 leadership domains:
Heart (our motivation): our first choice in leading is whether we are motivated by self-interest or for the benefit of those we are leading.
Head: examines your beliefs and theories about leading and motivating people.
Hands: others see where your heart and head is when your motivations and beliefs affect your actions. You become a performance coach, setting clear goals, observing performance, praising progress and redirection of appropriate behavior.
Habits: how you review your daily commitment as leader to serve rather than be served.
Blanchard goes on to state that “the term leader is mentioned only 6 times in the King James Version of the Bible, while the term servant is mentioned more than 900 times.”
So as a leader we cultivate The Heart of a Servant.
Which leads to two questions we most ask ourselves:
Am I a servant leader?
Or am I a self-serving leader?
This reflects your heart's EGO.
Am I Edging God Out;
or am I Exalting God Only?
When we edge God out, we reflect pride and self-promotion in our actions. This is motivated by fear and protecting self. Pride creates separation from God and others, making comparisons and distorting truth.
Exalting God Only shows a Jesus Spirit of Humility and Spirit of confidence
which leads through forgiveness and grace… forgive to the same level God has forgiven you.
To lead like Jesus, we must become like Jesus.
How can we “Become” like Jesus?
In college, I studied drama. When portraying a character, we learned what is called the art of characterization... this is learning how to become the very person we are portraying. The characterization process is very extensive. The goal is to “become” the person you represent as an actor.
Study the life of Jesus with this goal in mind.... to be Jesus. To be Jesus’ thoughts, manner, ideology, understanding why He did what He did. Beyond that remember what Jesus said, “I will be in you, live in you.”
The Spirit of Jesus lives in you. Allow His Spirit to dominate you, guide and direct all you do. In prayer, like in characterization meditation, reprogram yourself to be the person of Jesus. The Spirit helps us when in prayer. Use prayer as your preparation time to be resurrected into Jesus and Jesus Spirit totally immersed into you. Through Spirit, you have “the mind of Christ.” (I Corinthians 2:16)
His Spirit implants His Laws in your mind, and in your hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)
This goes beyond the "what would Jesus do" slogan we hear. This goes into “Being Jesus.”
... Jesus lives in you!
His Spirit rebirths “Jesus” in you; old patterns die. His Spirit takes over.
You will “Be” like Him. You allow all of Him to “Be” in you.
Then in all things you will respond naturally, as Jesus.
Be Jesus....and in Jesus Spirit you are.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Put Your Dream to the Test... kept by God's Power
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Put your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell is about asking the right questions so you will pass the test to achieve your dream. "I believe that if you know the right questions to ask, and if you can answer these questions in an affirmative way, you will have an excellent chance of being able to achieve your dreams." From all the people Maxwell has studied, one common definition of a dream that can be put to the test is: "a dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it."
The Dream Test has 10 questions. Here's the right questions. When you maneuver through each of these questions, you have put your dream to the test, and passed the dream test to reach your dream. Maxwell has many delightful true stories for each question that will inspire and give you direction on grabbing your dream to see it through.
The Ownership Question:
Is my dream really my Dream? Take ownership of the dream by being willing to bet on yourself, lead your life instead of just accepting it, love what you do and do what you love, don't compare yourself (or dream) to others, believe in your vision even when others don't understand you. What are your gifts; what do you like about yourself; what makes you feel special, what are the memorable triumphs in your life?
The Clarity Question:
Do I clearly see my dream? A clear dream makes a general idea very specific, becomes clear with effort, affirms your purpose, determines your priorities, gives direction and motivates your team. Seize your dream, see it and share, so others can see it too.
The Reality Question:
Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dreams? Believe in cause and effect. Building on your strengths activates the law of least effort, it enables consistently good results, and gives you the highest returns. Work from your highest potential and make your reality your ally.
Then Maxwell leads you through a critical exercise to put this first part in motion. After reflection and some periods of introspection, write down your answers to these questions.
1. What is my dream?
2. What is my starting point? How can begin from where I am now?
3. What are my strengths and weaknesses? Describe at least 5 abilities.
4. What are my current positive and negative habits? Habits that contribute, habits I will need to change.
5. How long must I practice these habits to reach my potential.
The Passion Question:
Does my dream compel me to follow it? Your passion is your driving enthusiasm that gives you ongoing energy and a continued focus. It does three significant things: Passion pulls us up, enabling us to overcome adversity. Passion pushes us out, giving us initiative. Passion positions us well, giving us the greatest odds for success.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Stoke your passion meter and keep it running hot. Consider your temperament, what's important to you, and overcome the fear of being different from others... you're never too old or too young.
To review again quickly, ask if it is your dream, do you see it clearly, does it match your talents and temperament, and are you stifled by the fear of being different?
The Pathway Question:
Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
SECURE your dream.
State your position. Where are you right now, what will your dream look like in the future.
Examine all your actions. Do something. Do something today, every day, that relates to your dream tomorrow.
Consider all your options. What must you alter to move forward?
Utilize your resources. What do you have at your disposal right now?
Remove all your nonessentials. What is taking your time not related to reaching your dream?
Embrace your challenges. What problems, obstacles or failures may you face in your dream journey. How can you prepare yourself to meet these challenges. From these write out daily disciplines, monthly goals, a long term plan.
The People Question:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream? DREAM TEAM members should dare to focus on your significance, not simply on your success. Your dream team will respond to your ideas with respect, not disgust or contempt. Expect the best of you. Affirm your talents and abilities. Maximize learning and growth opportunities to improve the dream and the dreamer.
Your dream team will also take time to give honest feedback. Encourage you unconditionally and nonjudgmentally to help you persevere. They will accept only excellence, since mediocrity kills dreams. And help you make the most of your mistakes and failures. Your dream team will inspire you, be honest with you, have skills that complement you.
The Cost Question:
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream? The dream is free, but the journey isn't. The price must be paid sooner than you think. The price will be higher than you expect. The price must be paid more than once. It is possible to pay too much for your dream.
Three things you must pay to succeed:
Pay the price of dealing with criticism.
Pay the price of overcoming your fears.
Pay the price of hard work.
The bigger the dream the higher the cost. If you are not willing to pay the price, you need to change the dream.
The Tenacity Question:
Am I moving closer to my dream? To achieve a dream it takes the willingness to take one more step, when you are convinced you can't take another step. To nourish your dream you need to keep working, keep striving, keep moving closer to your dream. To do that it is vital to recognize that quitting is more about who you are than where you are. Improve your vocabulary by using "can do" words. Waiting for everything to be right is wrong as conditions will never be perfect. Be committed to action, keep thinking on what more you can accomplish, recognize that the resources for your dream stop the moment you do (vision doesn't follow resources; it's the other way around).
Practice the rule of five which is doing five specific things each day that will move you closer to your dream, and remember when you have exhausted all possibilities, you haven't. Every day keep moving closer to your dream even if just an inch at a time. So change your thinking, change your perspective and change your work habits.
The Fulfillment Question:
Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction? Dreaming is about what you become in the process, so the process is the joy of the dream. Is the process fulfilling and a growing experience for you? Is it fulfilling or frustrating? Fulfillment people understand the difference between the dream and it's realization which is enjoying the journey there. The size of the dream determines the size of the gap of your reality today and the reality of the dream.
Fulfilled people keep dreaming while making the journey, appreciate each step forward in the journey. The power of fulfillment is you make new discoveries while living in the gap as you build a new person. Fulfilled people buy in to the natural law of balance and that life is both good and bad. Love the journey and knowing that no matter what you are living toward your dream.
The Significance Question:
Does my dream benefit others? Change your game plan from success to significance.Your dream is unselfishly living beyond yourself and committing to benefit others. Maxwell concludes with three statements about significance in his own life. "I want to do something significant for myself. I want to do something significant for others. I want to do something significant with others." A dream is not worth it if it doesn't benefit others.
As Florence Littauer said, "dare to dream, prepare to dream, wear the dream, repair the dream, share the dream." At what stage are you now? Surviving, already achieving your dream or striving for significance.
John Maxwell provides more at
http://www.giantimpact.com/
and Thomas Nelson has an interactive companion to Put Your Dream to the Test,
My Dream Map
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/
In Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray says that we obtain the full blessing of God by absolute surrender of all into His hands. Here are some power excerpts from the chapter,
"Kept by the Power of God."
"We are kept here on earth by the power of God. There is an inheritance waiting for me in Heaven. God keeps me for the inheritance. He knows you are not able to keep yourself. But God says: “My child, there is no work you are to do, and no business in which you are engaged, and not a cent which you are to spend, but I, your Father, will take that up into my keeping.” God will care for you there. The keeping of God includes all.
What is Almighty God not going to do for the child that trusts Him? The Bible says: “Above all that we can ask or think”. It is Omnipotence you must learn to know and trust, and then you will live as a Christian ought to live. How little we have learned to study God, and to understand that a godly life is a life full of God, a life that loves God and waits on Him, and trusts Him, and allows Him to bless it! We cannot do the will of God except by the power of God. God gives us the first experience of His power to prepare us to long for more, and to come and claim all that He can do. God help us to trust Him every day.
This keeping is not only all-inclusive and omnipotent, but also continuous and unbroken. Our whole spiritual life is to be God’s doing. “It is God that works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.” When once we get faith to expect that from God, God will do all for us. The keeping is to be continuous. Every morning God will meet you as you wake. If you trust your waking to God, God will meet you in the morning as you wake with His divine sunshine and love, and He will give you the consciousness that through the day you have got God to take charge of you continuously with His almighty power. “Lord, I am going to expect Thee to do Thy utmost, and I am going to trust Thee day by day to keep me absolutely,” your faith will grow stronger and stronger, and you will know the keeping power of God in unbrokenness.
This faith means utter impotence and helplessness before God. In most cases it is utter helplessness; another must do it for me. And that is the secret of the spiritual life. It is possible that you might exalt yourself, and therefore I have sent you this trial to keep you weak and humble. It is when we sink down in utter helplessness that the everlasting God will reveal Himself in His power, and that our hearts will learn to trust God alone. But how am I to get that trust?”
“By the death of self. The great hindrance to trust is self-effort. So long as you have got your own wisdom and thoughts and strength, you cannot fully trust God. But when God breaks you down, when everything begins to grow dim before your eyes, and you see that you understand nothing, then God is coming near, and if you will bow down in nothingness and wait upon God, He will become all.” As long as we are something, God cannot be all, and His omnipotence cannot do its full work. That is the beginning of faith... utter despair of self, a ceasing from man and everything on earth, and finding our hope in God alone.
Faith is rest.
Faith has not attained its strength. But when faith in its struggling gets to the end of itself, and just throws itself upon God and rests on Him, then comes joy and victory. When God comes to me with the promise of His keeping, and I have nothing on earth to trust in, I say to God: “Thy word is enough; kept by the power of God.” That is faith, that is rest. It is a great thing when a man comes to rest on God’s almighty power for every moment of his life. It is a great thing in prospect of these to enter into a covenant with the omnipotent Jehovah, not on account of anything that any man says, or of anything that my heart feels, but on the strength of the Word of God:
“Kept by the power of God through faith.”
My God, let my life be a proof of what the omnipotent God can do. Let these be the two dispositions of our souls every day... deep helplessness, and simple, childlike rest. If you want to get into this life of godliness, you must take time to fellowship with God.
Leave your heart, and look into the face of Christ, and listen to what He tells you about how He will keep you. Look up into the face of your loving Father, and take time every day with Him, and begin a new life with the deep emptiness and poverty of a man who has got nothing, and who wants to get everything from Him... with the deep restfulness of a man who rests on the living God, the omnipotent Jehovah ...and try God, and prove Him if He will not open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room to receive it.
But in great restfulness place ourselves in His hands. God takes care that it shines upon you. And God will take care that His own divine light shines upon you, and that you shall abide in that light, if you will only trust Him for it. Let us trust God to do that with a great and entire trust.
Here is the omnipotence of God,
and here is faith reaching out to the measure of that omnipotence. Shall we not say: “All that that omnipotence can do, I am going to trust my God for?" Are not the two sides of this heavenly life wonderful? God’s omnipotence covers me, and my will in its littleness rests in that omnipotence, and rejoices in it!
The full text of Absolute Surrender is on line at
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/surrender.html
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library has hundreds of the Christian classic authors and their works directly on line.For more check out the Christian Classic Ethereal Library.
4spirit@gmail.com
Put your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell is about asking the right questions so you will pass the test to achieve your dream. "I believe that if you know the right questions to ask, and if you can answer these questions in an affirmative way, you will have an excellent chance of being able to achieve your dreams." From all the people Maxwell has studied, one common definition of a dream that can be put to the test is: "a dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it."
The Dream Test has 10 questions. Here's the right questions. When you maneuver through each of these questions, you have put your dream to the test, and passed the dream test to reach your dream. Maxwell has many delightful true stories for each question that will inspire and give you direction on grabbing your dream to see it through.
The Ownership Question:
Is my dream really my Dream? Take ownership of the dream by being willing to bet on yourself, lead your life instead of just accepting it, love what you do and do what you love, don't compare yourself (or dream) to others, believe in your vision even when others don't understand you. What are your gifts; what do you like about yourself; what makes you feel special, what are the memorable triumphs in your life?
The Clarity Question:
Do I clearly see my dream? A clear dream makes a general idea very specific, becomes clear with effort, affirms your purpose, determines your priorities, gives direction and motivates your team. Seize your dream, see it and share, so others can see it too.
The Reality Question:
Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dreams? Believe in cause and effect. Building on your strengths activates the law of least effort, it enables consistently good results, and gives you the highest returns. Work from your highest potential and make your reality your ally.
Then Maxwell leads you through a critical exercise to put this first part in motion. After reflection and some periods of introspection, write down your answers to these questions.
1. What is my dream?
2. What is my starting point? How can begin from where I am now?
3. What are my strengths and weaknesses? Describe at least 5 abilities.
4. What are my current positive and negative habits? Habits that contribute, habits I will need to change.
5. How long must I practice these habits to reach my potential.
The Passion Question:
Does my dream compel me to follow it? Your passion is your driving enthusiasm that gives you ongoing energy and a continued focus. It does three significant things: Passion pulls us up, enabling us to overcome adversity. Passion pushes us out, giving us initiative. Passion positions us well, giving us the greatest odds for success.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Stoke your passion meter and keep it running hot. Consider your temperament, what's important to you, and overcome the fear of being different from others... you're never too old or too young.
To review again quickly, ask if it is your dream, do you see it clearly, does it match your talents and temperament, and are you stifled by the fear of being different?
The Pathway Question:
Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
SECURE your dream.
State your position. Where are you right now, what will your dream look like in the future.
Examine all your actions. Do something. Do something today, every day, that relates to your dream tomorrow.
Consider all your options. What must you alter to move forward?
Utilize your resources. What do you have at your disposal right now?
Remove all your nonessentials. What is taking your time not related to reaching your dream?
Embrace your challenges. What problems, obstacles or failures may you face in your dream journey. How can you prepare yourself to meet these challenges. From these write out daily disciplines, monthly goals, a long term plan.
The People Question:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream? DREAM TEAM members should dare to focus on your significance, not simply on your success. Your dream team will respond to your ideas with respect, not disgust or contempt. Expect the best of you. Affirm your talents and abilities. Maximize learning and growth opportunities to improve the dream and the dreamer.
Your dream team will also take time to give honest feedback. Encourage you unconditionally and nonjudgmentally to help you persevere. They will accept only excellence, since mediocrity kills dreams. And help you make the most of your mistakes and failures. Your dream team will inspire you, be honest with you, have skills that complement you.
The Cost Question:
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream? The dream is free, but the journey isn't. The price must be paid sooner than you think. The price will be higher than you expect. The price must be paid more than once. It is possible to pay too much for your dream.
Three things you must pay to succeed:
Pay the price of dealing with criticism.
Pay the price of overcoming your fears.
Pay the price of hard work.
The bigger the dream the higher the cost. If you are not willing to pay the price, you need to change the dream.
The Tenacity Question:
Am I moving closer to my dream? To achieve a dream it takes the willingness to take one more step, when you are convinced you can't take another step. To nourish your dream you need to keep working, keep striving, keep moving closer to your dream. To do that it is vital to recognize that quitting is more about who you are than where you are. Improve your vocabulary by using "can do" words. Waiting for everything to be right is wrong as conditions will never be perfect. Be committed to action, keep thinking on what more you can accomplish, recognize that the resources for your dream stop the moment you do (vision doesn't follow resources; it's the other way around).
Practice the rule of five which is doing five specific things each day that will move you closer to your dream, and remember when you have exhausted all possibilities, you haven't. Every day keep moving closer to your dream even if just an inch at a time. So change your thinking, change your perspective and change your work habits.
The Fulfillment Question:
Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction? Dreaming is about what you become in the process, so the process is the joy of the dream. Is the process fulfilling and a growing experience for you? Is it fulfilling or frustrating? Fulfillment people understand the difference between the dream and it's realization which is enjoying the journey there. The size of the dream determines the size of the gap of your reality today and the reality of the dream.
Fulfilled people keep dreaming while making the journey, appreciate each step forward in the journey. The power of fulfillment is you make new discoveries while living in the gap as you build a new person. Fulfilled people buy in to the natural law of balance and that life is both good and bad. Love the journey and knowing that no matter what you are living toward your dream.
The Significance Question:
Does my dream benefit others? Change your game plan from success to significance.Your dream is unselfishly living beyond yourself and committing to benefit others. Maxwell concludes with three statements about significance in his own life. "I want to do something significant for myself. I want to do something significant for others. I want to do something significant with others." A dream is not worth it if it doesn't benefit others.
As Florence Littauer said, "dare to dream, prepare to dream, wear the dream, repair the dream, share the dream." At what stage are you now? Surviving, already achieving your dream or striving for significance.
John Maxwell provides more at
http://www.giantimpact.com/
and Thomas Nelson has an interactive companion to Put Your Dream to the Test,
My Dream Map
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/
In Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray says that we obtain the full blessing of God by absolute surrender of all into His hands. Here are some power excerpts from the chapter,
"Kept by the Power of God."
"We are kept here on earth by the power of God. There is an inheritance waiting for me in Heaven. God keeps me for the inheritance. He knows you are not able to keep yourself. But God says: “My child, there is no work you are to do, and no business in which you are engaged, and not a cent which you are to spend, but I, your Father, will take that up into my keeping.” God will care for you there. The keeping of God includes all.
What is Almighty God not going to do for the child that trusts Him? The Bible says: “Above all that we can ask or think”. It is Omnipotence you must learn to know and trust, and then you will live as a Christian ought to live. How little we have learned to study God, and to understand that a godly life is a life full of God, a life that loves God and waits on Him, and trusts Him, and allows Him to bless it! We cannot do the will of God except by the power of God. God gives us the first experience of His power to prepare us to long for more, and to come and claim all that He can do. God help us to trust Him every day.
This keeping is not only all-inclusive and omnipotent, but also continuous and unbroken. Our whole spiritual life is to be God’s doing. “It is God that works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.” When once we get faith to expect that from God, God will do all for us. The keeping is to be continuous. Every morning God will meet you as you wake. If you trust your waking to God, God will meet you in the morning as you wake with His divine sunshine and love, and He will give you the consciousness that through the day you have got God to take charge of you continuously with His almighty power. “Lord, I am going to expect Thee to do Thy utmost, and I am going to trust Thee day by day to keep me absolutely,” your faith will grow stronger and stronger, and you will know the keeping power of God in unbrokenness.
This faith means utter impotence and helplessness before God. In most cases it is utter helplessness; another must do it for me. And that is the secret of the spiritual life. It is possible that you might exalt yourself, and therefore I have sent you this trial to keep you weak and humble. It is when we sink down in utter helplessness that the everlasting God will reveal Himself in His power, and that our hearts will learn to trust God alone. But how am I to get that trust?”
“By the death of self. The great hindrance to trust is self-effort. So long as you have got your own wisdom and thoughts and strength, you cannot fully trust God. But when God breaks you down, when everything begins to grow dim before your eyes, and you see that you understand nothing, then God is coming near, and if you will bow down in nothingness and wait upon God, He will become all.” As long as we are something, God cannot be all, and His omnipotence cannot do its full work. That is the beginning of faith... utter despair of self, a ceasing from man and everything on earth, and finding our hope in God alone.
Faith is rest.
Faith has not attained its strength. But when faith in its struggling gets to the end of itself, and just throws itself upon God and rests on Him, then comes joy and victory. When God comes to me with the promise of His keeping, and I have nothing on earth to trust in, I say to God: “Thy word is enough; kept by the power of God.” That is faith, that is rest. It is a great thing when a man comes to rest on God’s almighty power for every moment of his life. It is a great thing in prospect of these to enter into a covenant with the omnipotent Jehovah, not on account of anything that any man says, or of anything that my heart feels, but on the strength of the Word of God:
“Kept by the power of God through faith.”
My God, let my life be a proof of what the omnipotent God can do. Let these be the two dispositions of our souls every day... deep helplessness, and simple, childlike rest. If you want to get into this life of godliness, you must take time to fellowship with God.
Leave your heart, and look into the face of Christ, and listen to what He tells you about how He will keep you. Look up into the face of your loving Father, and take time every day with Him, and begin a new life with the deep emptiness and poverty of a man who has got nothing, and who wants to get everything from Him... with the deep restfulness of a man who rests on the living God, the omnipotent Jehovah ...and try God, and prove Him if He will not open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room to receive it.
But in great restfulness place ourselves in His hands. God takes care that it shines upon you. And God will take care that His own divine light shines upon you, and that you shall abide in that light, if you will only trust Him for it. Let us trust God to do that with a great and entire trust.
Here is the omnipotence of God,
and here is faith reaching out to the measure of that omnipotence. Shall we not say: “All that that omnipotence can do, I am going to trust my God for?" Are not the two sides of this heavenly life wonderful? God’s omnipotence covers me, and my will in its littleness rests in that omnipotence, and rejoices in it!
The full text of Absolute Surrender is on line at
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/surrender.html
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library has hundreds of the Christian classic authors and their works directly on line.For more check out the Christian Classic Ethereal Library.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Bible, #1 Business Book... The Body of Christ, Here, Now, How! (11)
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
The greatest book ever written is the Bible.
It has been reported that the Bible is the most quoted book by CEO's when giving speeches.
In a survey, managers were asked which current business book was one they most often gave to their staff. The survey had the Bible as #4 on the list... especially the New Living Translation.The Bible is full of Spiritual and predictive intelligence, wisdom, human relationship principles, faith to overcome challenges and encouragement for all people in every situation. It is one of the Best resources to go to when needing encouragement to over come insurmountable challenges in life. Needless to say, to be able to live with God's Supernatural Creative power with you is an awesome way to live.
A great new Bible is the New Living Study Bible. It is easy to read, accurate and a good in-your-business reference Bible. For those in Bible study groups, or wanting to get more out of devotions, this lends relevant insights nicely presented.
http://www.nltstudybible.com/
The Bible has God's Very Precepts shared through the ages at different times, in different events. It gives us invaluable resources for Greatness in life, business and relationships. Isaiah, a prophet from the Old Testament in the Bible, said...
"Search the book of the LORD, and see what he will do. He will not miss a single detail... His Spirit will make it all come true." (Isaiah 34:16)
The Old Testament was written to show this to be true. Everything it forecast about Jesus coming to earth as God Himself did came true. Its information has proven to be the most reliable in holding up throughout history. I see it as the manufacturing guide book on how to run this human life more effectively, how to run a business venture... to code as prescribed by our Maker. And the most exciting part is a life after this life that's so ecstatic, we can't even comprehend it.
It's great for short-term intelligence and long-term irrevocable benefits. It's not a book of theories, but life power principles to accomplish what's naturally unattainable, to overcome the insurmountable, to create lifestyle satisfaction indescribable. The Spirit (that Isaiah mentioned) that makes forecasts come true is the same Spirit we have access to... we get Divine impressions from reading, pondering a Scripture in the Bible, giving us supernatural abilities and intelligence. They are custom designed specific premonitions just for us. These impressions we get many times come about, when inspired to us while reflecting as we read the Bible. Spirit creating matter becomes our reality.
Here are some great Bible translations to consider. The New Living Translation (NLT) has inspiration with a vocal flow in the words and phrases, considered to be a highly reliable translation.
The New American Standard (NASB) is another one to use along side the NLT. It is not as easy to follow its reading style but has excellent literacy accuracy, considered the most accurate of modern translations.
The New International Version (NIV) is very popular too. It has a good reading flow with acute accuracy in translation.
The English Standard Version (ESV) is considered to also be a superb word for word translation.
The Message is an excellent paraphrase with an emphasis on getting the intended message using analogies related to today. It is not considered to be a translation.
Of course there are many others.The following website features the whole Bible, with many translations, on the Internet... including devotionals, dictionaries and commentaries.
http://biblegateway.org
It features several Bible translations with a great keyword search feature.
The Body of Christ by Dr. J. Robert Ashcroft concludes with Here, Now and How!. It is not good for man to be alone. Bird watchers note that birds find a mate, court, nest and raise offspring. The son of Man, Jesus, said that even birds had a place to nest but the Son of Man had no place to lay His head. He was building a family connection so large that no one would be alone without close significant relationships.The Spirit unites, while Satan comes to divide. The Spirit bonds us to many believers. This bonding is more intense and secure than the bond of family relationships. Jesus himself indicated that man would leave father and mother and become followers of Christ. Jesus said, "Who is my mother and brothers. Whomever does the will of the Father is my brother, my sister, my mother." (Mark 3:33,35)
Being united to Christ we become united to each other. Everyone needs companionship. Each of us needs a support system. It is more than a need. It is a Divine challenge to creativity and productivity. Do we try to reach our full potential alone? When we do we limit our success. God has ordained that the greatest power available to His Children will be manifested when they have the spiritual unity of which He spoke in Matthew (18:19) that when touching anything, the two or three in agreement, will be done by all the powers of our Father in Heaven.
Note that earth and Heaven are linked together when we are united. This unity is a Spiritual law. This law is equally binding in the Spirit as natural laws are binding in nature... physics, biology, etc.In knowing this, we know we can feed ourselves by sowing and reaping. When we sow Spirit, we reap Spirit. So unity in our relationships work the same way. When family units of husband-wife, parent-child, brothers-sisters are united it creates a family power. The union of husband and wife is such a meaningful life that Paul uses the relationship to explain the union between Christ and the Body of Christ. Just marriage is not enough.
There is social marriage, legal marriage, biological marriage. Then there is Spiritual marriage. The oneness of this kind of relationship goes beyond procreation. It deals with matters of the Spirit. Here, with this close intimate relationship, we win against all forces. The Holy Spirit becomes our ally in spiritual warfare.The most practical place for this unity of an intense level is with husband and wife. When two become one, all the powers of God's universe beckon to our commands.
With the potential to change our universe through this relationship so strong, Satan's focus has been very much to divide families, put husband against wife, and children against parents. This takes the power right out of the home. Although, a husband and wife and family who prays together and forms close bonding relationships has exceptional power of Spirit at work in their times together. If married, your spouse is your greatest potential for a prayer partner. Some things to keep in mind to take advantage of this potential is to agree on a time to come together for devotions, and establish a pattern of worship.
This may include reading the Scriptures or a devotional together, singing praise songs, including your children to read or sing, pray for each other, share what God is impressing on you for each other, do as you felt led as one unit. All major decisions would be better served after this experience to reassure it is God's guidance with you within the decision. Once Jesus took three of His disciples with Him when He prayed,
Establish prayer partnerships in addition to your family. Or if we don't have this potential in your family, find two or three as prayer partners. We can see great power coming in our lives. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. In a business or an individual finding someone like minded in Spirit to become partners in prayer and in mission support, will highly affect all your efforts. (Dr. Ashcroft suggests everyone in the Body of Christ is called to minister or be a ministry of some kind.)
What we are called to do in God's will is a ministry for the Kingdom of God. So prayer partners and prayer groups will enlarge your function of life in Spirit. This is the key to true Spiritual empowerment. It is critical to form these relationships and allow the Holy Spirit to bond them for His power.
Note that as the number of people increases it increases the difficulty of having the quality of agreement. Agreement diminishes. The critical factor is unity. So being small with greater unity is better than large and lesser unity. When we look at the phrase "agree together" it comes from the same root word that means harmony. Like a piano that strikes one string, all the strings that are sympathetic to that note will vibrate also. They are in synchronization with one another. Where there is agape love of God, and we are in love with Jesus and man, it is possible that we function in synchronization with one another. This unity is not possible by human means. Each person involved must be totally in love with Jesus Christ.
When He is Lord of the lives of each person in the group, such love is possible. And where there is love, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifest. Obviously, where His love is there is healing of every kind. What is needed for prayer groups to be highly successful, with all the Creative Powers of God's Spirit to be at work, is compassionate and sharing love. That's agape love, the love of Christ at the cross. This is a sacrificial sharing love. It is the true meaning of fellowship. It carries the true meaning of the Early Church and intentions of our relationships as One in Spirit.
It is so close in relationship that they shared their possessions as their needs became known. It takes a Special grace for this ministry, for the actual manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit to meet the needs of the Body of Christ. Bible study groups conducted formally and informally are great places for group prayer to be part of it. Leadership and training are most important forces in sustaining the effectiveness of prayer groups. It is important to remember that the unity of the believers, the flow of compassion as we serve one another in love makes the Body of Christ a conquering force.
Teaching is not learning. Somethings can be taught but not learned. It needs to be part of our behavior. Change must take place that is self evident and motivates a new desire. To achieve the highest level of discipleship it is necessary to train. This includes teaching, getting information, and training, making it work effectively in daily applications. Intercessory prayer, the kind that gets individuals involved with the subject of one's prayers is a most critical factor in successful praying. Prayer includes that we obey the directions we get from prayer.
Too many times we only take time to tell God what is needed and fail to get His strategies for getting the answer. He gives Spiritual intelligence... Divine Strategies for accomplishing things Supernaturally. The ability and comfort to pray with others out loud is a valuable part of prayer training. Each of us must find a way to join with another believer (or other believers) to touch the lives of those around us.
Missions are as much across the street as they are around the world. The hurting or hungry family may be your next door neighbor, or the business just next to you. Take note, and always be available to pray for and help where you can.The reality of the Body of Christ is that it reaches out to a perplexed and wandering world.
Our groups should welcome as many as we can into the fellowship, koinonia, and experience as a group the love and practical caring we give to each other. That people find a place to find gifts and abilities, cultivate Spiritual gifts, and become empowered so strongly that others notice and want to be part of it too.
This is our challenge in becoming one with God and One with each other.
4spirit@gmail.com
The greatest book ever written is the Bible.
It has been reported that the Bible is the most quoted book by CEO's when giving speeches.
In a survey, managers were asked which current business book was one they most often gave to their staff. The survey had the Bible as #4 on the list... especially the New Living Translation.The Bible is full of Spiritual and predictive intelligence, wisdom, human relationship principles, faith to overcome challenges and encouragement for all people in every situation. It is one of the Best resources to go to when needing encouragement to over come insurmountable challenges in life. Needless to say, to be able to live with God's Supernatural Creative power with you is an awesome way to live.
A great new Bible is the New Living Study Bible. It is easy to read, accurate and a good in-your-business reference Bible. For those in Bible study groups, or wanting to get more out of devotions, this lends relevant insights nicely presented.
http://www.nltstudybible.com/
The Bible has God's Very Precepts shared through the ages at different times, in different events. It gives us invaluable resources for Greatness in life, business and relationships. Isaiah, a prophet from the Old Testament in the Bible, said...
"Search the book of the LORD, and see what he will do. He will not miss a single detail... His Spirit will make it all come true." (Isaiah 34:16)
The Old Testament was written to show this to be true. Everything it forecast about Jesus coming to earth as God Himself did came true. Its information has proven to be the most reliable in holding up throughout history. I see it as the manufacturing guide book on how to run this human life more effectively, how to run a business venture... to code as prescribed by our Maker. And the most exciting part is a life after this life that's so ecstatic, we can't even comprehend it.
It's great for short-term intelligence and long-term irrevocable benefits. It's not a book of theories, but life power principles to accomplish what's naturally unattainable, to overcome the insurmountable, to create lifestyle satisfaction indescribable. The Spirit (that Isaiah mentioned) that makes forecasts come true is the same Spirit we have access to... we get Divine impressions from reading, pondering a Scripture in the Bible, giving us supernatural abilities and intelligence. They are custom designed specific premonitions just for us. These impressions we get many times come about, when inspired to us while reflecting as we read the Bible. Spirit creating matter becomes our reality.
Here are some great Bible translations to consider. The New Living Translation (NLT) has inspiration with a vocal flow in the words and phrases, considered to be a highly reliable translation.
The New American Standard (NASB) is another one to use along side the NLT. It is not as easy to follow its reading style but has excellent literacy accuracy, considered the most accurate of modern translations.
The New International Version (NIV) is very popular too. It has a good reading flow with acute accuracy in translation.
The English Standard Version (ESV) is considered to also be a superb word for word translation.
The Message is an excellent paraphrase with an emphasis on getting the intended message using analogies related to today. It is not considered to be a translation.
Of course there are many others.The following website features the whole Bible, with many translations, on the Internet... including devotionals, dictionaries and commentaries.
http://biblegateway.org
It features several Bible translations with a great keyword search feature.
The Body of Christ by Dr. J. Robert Ashcroft concludes with Here, Now and How!. It is not good for man to be alone. Bird watchers note that birds find a mate, court, nest and raise offspring. The son of Man, Jesus, said that even birds had a place to nest but the Son of Man had no place to lay His head. He was building a family connection so large that no one would be alone without close significant relationships.The Spirit unites, while Satan comes to divide. The Spirit bonds us to many believers. This bonding is more intense and secure than the bond of family relationships. Jesus himself indicated that man would leave father and mother and become followers of Christ. Jesus said, "Who is my mother and brothers. Whomever does the will of the Father is my brother, my sister, my mother." (Mark 3:33,35)
Being united to Christ we become united to each other. Everyone needs companionship. Each of us needs a support system. It is more than a need. It is a Divine challenge to creativity and productivity. Do we try to reach our full potential alone? When we do we limit our success. God has ordained that the greatest power available to His Children will be manifested when they have the spiritual unity of which He spoke in Matthew (18:19) that when touching anything, the two or three in agreement, will be done by all the powers of our Father in Heaven.
Note that earth and Heaven are linked together when we are united. This unity is a Spiritual law. This law is equally binding in the Spirit as natural laws are binding in nature... physics, biology, etc.In knowing this, we know we can feed ourselves by sowing and reaping. When we sow Spirit, we reap Spirit. So unity in our relationships work the same way. When family units of husband-wife, parent-child, brothers-sisters are united it creates a family power. The union of husband and wife is such a meaningful life that Paul uses the relationship to explain the union between Christ and the Body of Christ. Just marriage is not enough.
There is social marriage, legal marriage, biological marriage. Then there is Spiritual marriage. The oneness of this kind of relationship goes beyond procreation. It deals with matters of the Spirit. Here, with this close intimate relationship, we win against all forces. The Holy Spirit becomes our ally in spiritual warfare.The most practical place for this unity of an intense level is with husband and wife. When two become one, all the powers of God's universe beckon to our commands.
With the potential to change our universe through this relationship so strong, Satan's focus has been very much to divide families, put husband against wife, and children against parents. This takes the power right out of the home. Although, a husband and wife and family who prays together and forms close bonding relationships has exceptional power of Spirit at work in their times together. If married, your spouse is your greatest potential for a prayer partner. Some things to keep in mind to take advantage of this potential is to agree on a time to come together for devotions, and establish a pattern of worship.
This may include reading the Scriptures or a devotional together, singing praise songs, including your children to read or sing, pray for each other, share what God is impressing on you for each other, do as you felt led as one unit. All major decisions would be better served after this experience to reassure it is God's guidance with you within the decision. Once Jesus took three of His disciples with Him when He prayed,
Establish prayer partnerships in addition to your family. Or if we don't have this potential in your family, find two or three as prayer partners. We can see great power coming in our lives. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. In a business or an individual finding someone like minded in Spirit to become partners in prayer and in mission support, will highly affect all your efforts. (Dr. Ashcroft suggests everyone in the Body of Christ is called to minister or be a ministry of some kind.)
What we are called to do in God's will is a ministry for the Kingdom of God. So prayer partners and prayer groups will enlarge your function of life in Spirit. This is the key to true Spiritual empowerment. It is critical to form these relationships and allow the Holy Spirit to bond them for His power.
Note that as the number of people increases it increases the difficulty of having the quality of agreement. Agreement diminishes. The critical factor is unity. So being small with greater unity is better than large and lesser unity. When we look at the phrase "agree together" it comes from the same root word that means harmony. Like a piano that strikes one string, all the strings that are sympathetic to that note will vibrate also. They are in synchronization with one another. Where there is agape love of God, and we are in love with Jesus and man, it is possible that we function in synchronization with one another. This unity is not possible by human means. Each person involved must be totally in love with Jesus Christ.
When He is Lord of the lives of each person in the group, such love is possible. And where there is love, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifest. Obviously, where His love is there is healing of every kind. What is needed for prayer groups to be highly successful, with all the Creative Powers of God's Spirit to be at work, is compassionate and sharing love. That's agape love, the love of Christ at the cross. This is a sacrificial sharing love. It is the true meaning of fellowship. It carries the true meaning of the Early Church and intentions of our relationships as One in Spirit.
It is so close in relationship that they shared their possessions as their needs became known. It takes a Special grace for this ministry, for the actual manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit to meet the needs of the Body of Christ. Bible study groups conducted formally and informally are great places for group prayer to be part of it. Leadership and training are most important forces in sustaining the effectiveness of prayer groups. It is important to remember that the unity of the believers, the flow of compassion as we serve one another in love makes the Body of Christ a conquering force.
Teaching is not learning. Somethings can be taught but not learned. It needs to be part of our behavior. Change must take place that is self evident and motivates a new desire. To achieve the highest level of discipleship it is necessary to train. This includes teaching, getting information, and training, making it work effectively in daily applications. Intercessory prayer, the kind that gets individuals involved with the subject of one's prayers is a most critical factor in successful praying. Prayer includes that we obey the directions we get from prayer.
Too many times we only take time to tell God what is needed and fail to get His strategies for getting the answer. He gives Spiritual intelligence... Divine Strategies for accomplishing things Supernaturally. The ability and comfort to pray with others out loud is a valuable part of prayer training. Each of us must find a way to join with another believer (or other believers) to touch the lives of those around us.
Missions are as much across the street as they are around the world. The hurting or hungry family may be your next door neighbor, or the business just next to you. Take note, and always be available to pray for and help where you can.The reality of the Body of Christ is that it reaches out to a perplexed and wandering world.
Our groups should welcome as many as we can into the fellowship, koinonia, and experience as a group the love and practical caring we give to each other. That people find a place to find gifts and abilities, cultivate Spiritual gifts, and become empowered so strongly that others notice and want to be part of it too.
This is our challenge in becoming one with God and One with each other.
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