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Your High Position IN Business

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As business leaders, I am certain you are not unfamiliar with humble circumstances. The book of James tells us that we are to take pride in this “high” position. However, most of us would not consider humble circumstances a high position. Success in business after all means, being on top, being wealthy, attaining favour and status or having the power to influence.

 

“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.” – James 1:9

 

However, Jesus influenced not from power, but from humility.

The success story of  J C Penney is synonymous with humble beginnings. He first launched his chain of ‘The Golden Rule’ stores in 1907. In 1910 his first wife died. Three years later he incorporated the J.C. Penney company. In 1923 his second wife died giving birth to his son. In 1929 the stock market crashed during the great depression and he lost $40 million.

By 1932, he had to sell out to satisfy…creditors. This left [Penney] virtually broke. Crushed in spirit from his loss with his health suddenly failing, he found himself one morning, hearing the distant singing of employees who gathered to start the day with God: “Be not dismayed, whate’er betide, God will take care of you…” was the morning song of thanksgiving and praise.

Penney followed the music to its source and slipped into a back row. The more he listened, the more God touched him. He left a short time later a changed man. His health and spirit renewed – ready to start the long climb back at age 56. By 1951 there was a J C Penney store in every state, and for the first time sales surpassed $1 billion a year.

The success of J C Penney can be traced to God’s mercy in his life to bring him out of his humble circumstances.

Do you find yourself in humble circumstances? God is the only One who can help you see your humble circumstances from His viewpoint as a high position. The place of strength, shaping, revealing and alignment.

It is a high position because of what God is able to teach you in this place. He does not intend you to stay there. It is merely a temporary stopping place to learn something eternally important that you would not learn otherwise.

Press into God and trust Him for the outcome of your circumstances!

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7 Sacred Minutes with God

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Business leaders and pastors alike all share one thing in common, days that are “loaded,” with activities.

 

Without exception no matter how dedicated you are to God, you will soon discover a flaw in your spiritual armour -a small crack which if not soon occluded, would bring disaster.

 

The morning prayer watch can seal the crack. Spending the first minutes of a new day alone with God, praying and reading the Bible, hallows a truth so often forgotten by the pressure of our endless business that it needs daily rediscovery:

To know God is to Spend Time with God.

 

The intimacy of communion with Christ must be recaptured in the morning quiet time. “My first Seven Sacred Minutes with God” -these holy minutes, at the start of each day, explain the inner secret and power of the Christian life. It’s the golden thread that ties every great man of God together-from Abraham to Malachi, the businessmen, politician, educator, entertainer, sportsman, celebrity and military personnel. Every man who ever became somebody for God has this at the core of his priorities: Time alone with God!

 

Psalm 57:7 says, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” A fixed and established heart produces stability in life. Few Christians in; ministry or business have this heart and life. One of the missing links has been a workable plan on how to begin and maintain a morning prayer watch.

I’d like to suggest to get you along the way, start with seven minutes. Five minutes may be too short, and 10 minutes may be too long initially. Pray to God and ask Him to help you: “Lord, I want to meet You, the first thing I wish to do each morning for at least seven minutes. Tomorrow when the alarm clock goes off at 6:00 a.m., I have a meeting with You.”

Your prayer might be,  “Morning by morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation” (Psalm 5:3).

 

THE ANATOMY OF THE FIRST SACRED SEVEN MINUTES WITH GOD

 

How do you invest these seven minutes with God?

After getting out of bed, first, take care of your personal needs. Then find a quiet place your “chapel,” and therewith your Bible enjoy the solitude of seven minutes with God.

 

THE FIRST THIRTY SECONDS

Invest the first 30 seconds sincerely adoring your Father God for who He is. Meditate on His nature, attributes and begin to praise God accordingly.

“Dear heavenly Father, the fruit of my lips this morning is give you praise and honour. You are full of compassion and a gracious God, who is slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

Then you can prepare your heart for the reading of His Word by saying,

“Lord, cleanse my heart so You can speak to me through the Scriptures. Open my heart. Fill my heart. Make my mind alert, my soul active, and my heart responsive. Lord, surround me with Your presence during this time. Amen.”

 

THE NEXT FOUR MINUTES

Read your Bible, for the next four minutes. Your greatest need is to “hear” some Word from God. His Word is “alive” and anointed. Allow the Word to strike fire in your heart.  Meet the Author! Do not become devoted to the habit, but to the Savior.

The Gospels is a good place to begin reading. Start with the Book of John.
Read consecutively-verse after verse, chapter after chapter. Don’t race, avoid stopping, to do a Bible study on some word, thought, or theological concern which presents itself. Read for the pure joy of reading and allowing God to speak-perhaps just 20 verses, or maybe a complete chapter.

When you have finished John, start the book of Acts. Soon you’ll want to go ahead and read the entire New Testament.

 

THE LAST TWO AND HALF MINUTES

After God has spoken through His Word, then speak to Him in prayer. You now have two and a half minutes left for sweet meaning fellowship with Him in four areas of prayer that you can remember by the word: ACTS.

A-Adoration.

This is the purest kind of prayer because it’s all for God -there’s nothing in it for you.

You don’t barge into the presence of royalty.

You begin with the proper salutation.

So worship Him.

Tell the Lord that you love Him.

Reflect on His greatness, His power, His majesty, and sovereignty!

C-Confession follows.

Having seen Him you now want to be sure every sin is cleansed.

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18.)

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14.)

Confession also means “to agree together with.”

Agree with God concerning His promises for your life. Declare and speak favour and blessings over your day.

 

T-Thanksgiving.

Express your gratitude to God. Think of several specific things to thank Him for: your family, your business, your church and ministry responsibilities “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18).

Think of several specific things to thank Him for: your family, your business, your church and ministry responsibilities “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18).

Think of several specific things to thank Him for: your family, your business, your church and ministry responsibilities.

Even during the difficult times, give God thanks not for it but in it.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18).

 

S-Supplication.

This means to “ask for, earnestly and humbly.” This is the part or your prayer life where you make your petitions known to Him.

This is the part or your prayer life where you make your petitions known to Him.

Ask for others, (your family, your Pastor’s and his family, your friends,)  than for yourself.
Pray for other people around the world, such as missionaries, friends in distant places, and above all the people all over the world who have yet to hear about Jesus Christ.

 

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

 

30 Sec: Prayer for Adoration (Psalm 143:8)

4 Min: Reading the Bible (Psalm 119:18)

2.5 Min: Prayer

Adoration (1 Chronicles 29:11),
Confession (1 John 1:9),
Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20),
Supplication (Matthew 7:7)

 

This is simply a guide to meaning devotional life.  You will discover very soon that it is impossible to spend only seven minutes with the LORD.

 

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