Faith Matters Podcast

Kingdom Entreprenuer; Day 2

A Kingdom-driven View on WealthI remember the day I met Ken Eldred, a Kingdom entrepreneur who built and later sold a $400 million revenue business and has since provided funding for a number of Kingdom advancing businesses. He made a powerful statement to me about entrepreneurship: “Profit is like oxygen. You absolutely need it to win the race. But that’s not the objective. The primary objective of business is serving others to the glory of God.” Getting and maintaining the proper perspective - the mind of Christ - concerning wealth is key as a Kingdom entrepreneur. Certainly you have a desire to generate strong profits and create wealth through your business endeavors, but if you want to experience God’s best, those profits will be the result of first seeking the Kingdom in your business. Your profit growth will be one of the things added unto you. The beauty of it all is that it is the blessing, or the empowerment of God, that will bring you wealth without sorrow and without anxious laboring!You don’t need to chase dollars. Serve faithfully and allow God to increase your business through godly knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Profits are a tool. When you humbly recognize God as the one who enables you to create wealth and rightfully recognize your role as the steward of the wealth that God owns, it’s easy to honor Him with your finances and embrace intentional radical generosity.Regardless of your current level of profitability, honoring God with your increase will make the economy of Heaven available to you.

Kingdom Entrepreneur; Day 1

Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are three of Heaven’s greatest assets available to you as you grow a Kingdom-driven business. Although many people use these terms interchangeably, they are different. Knowledge is information and facts; understanding is the ability to give meaning to that knowledge; wisdom is knowing what to do with (how to properly apply) the knowledge.In my own entrepreneurial journey, I have experienced the nuances of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. I’d heard and read the scripture Matthew 11:28-30 numerous times in my Christian life. I knew in my mind that Jesus’s yoke was easy and that his burden was light. It was a fact, but yet it had no true meaning to me. In my hunger to experience more of God in my work and truly live out the message of Kingdom-driven entrepreneurship that God called me to inspire, teach, and mentor others in, I experienced an illumination in my heart - a supernatural moment of insight - when hearing a different translation of the scripture in a sermon. It was The Message translation and it said:“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”Suddenly, the knowledge I had became understanding. The lights turned on! I knew in my heart that there was another way of doing business that was completely different from the world of “hustling and grinding” that I had grown so accustomed to, even as a believer who desired to impact lives for the Kingdom through the marketplace.Once I had understanding, God gave me wisdom over the next few years. It was God who walked with me and showed me how to practically apply the knowledge and understanding to my business. It changed everything! It also led to the writing and release of my book, Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t.It’s easy to fall into a trap of self-sufficiency due to your ability to thoroughly and independently perform research, and you may allow your own (or others’) experiences to shape your understanding. If you want to effectively do business in partnership with our awesome and limitless God and have a greater Kingdom impact in the marketplace, it begins with respect and adoration of who He is. It is acknowledging Him as the source of truth, the understanding of the truth, and the wisdom required to experience a godly kind of success in both the earthly and heavenly matters concerning your business.

Faith Matters; Book of Signs - Ch 17 Worship

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi HaleThe Book of Signs by Dr. David Jeremiah. This week we read Chapter 17 on worship.Revelation 4 and 5 provide a glimpse into heaven and the great worship service that will occur around the throne of God as the time comes for the unleashing of the final events in world history leading to the return of Christ. These chapters literally take us up to heaven and let us see celestial worship as it unfolds before the throne of God.One day, worshipper, you and I will be a part of that great multitude, that choir from all the nations. If that's where we are headed, we need to start rehearsing immediately, don't we? There's no guarantee how long we'll have to get ready. It's altogether possible that by the end of this day or by the end of this week, you or I will actually be part of the heavenly chorus.

An Unoffendable Heart; Day 5

Why Am I Irritable?A short time into my new marriage, I found myself irritated by something my husband had done “incorrectly.” At least in my opinion. I may have even rolled my eyes. I was irritated. My husband responded “Wow! After 28 years, I am so glad that you finally told me that I was doing it wrong.” I was humiliated at my behavior. There is more than one way to cut the apple. I was easily irritated by behaviors of others that did not match up to my expectations. What small thinking that the world revolved around my opinion of what was “right” and how it SHOULD be done. What arrogance!What do people do that makes you feel irritated? How about bad drivers or rude people? Does your response cause you to feel offended as well as irritated? How could you think differently to help you feel differently? Could you extend mercy wrapped in patience? Have you ever been rude? If I am offended or irritated, that is my chosen response, and that is on me. The behavior of others can’t be responsible for my reaction. What you feel and how you respond is based on what you think!!!!After being completely irritated by the behavior of my teenagers, my husband asked, “If they are always irritating you then why are you so irritable?” I was stunned by this question. I felt so immature. They were sucking me into their issues and I was buying it. When we complain about the behavior of others, it reveals our offendable heart. If I had chosen to focus on all that was praiseworthy about my children, about the blessings that they are, then just maybe I would be able to navigate those years a bit differently. They were hormonal and certainly needed some grace. My constant irritation with them gave me pause to consider my behavior and responses. I double-timed my prayers for grace, patience and understanding.An oyster takes what was at first an irritation and intrusion…a grain of sand, and uses it to enrich its value. With time, a beautiful pearl is formed. How can we reframe the irritants of life to allow growth, harvest beauty, and gain wisdom? We have to be willing to open our eyes and our hearts to see the opportunity for growth presented with every irritation. Can my irritant really be my blessing to a greater personal maturity and positivity?Since testing produces strength and perseverance (James 1:2-4), let the transforming work begin. Ask God to give you new eyes to see and a new strength to become the great pearl resulting from life’s irritations. And remember, “your life is too short and your calling too great to spend time offended.” Forgive, let go and move on to the greater glory at hand. Ponder: Am I easily irritated by others? Am I quick to give grace and forgiveness? What does it say about me when I am so easily irritated?Prayer:Lord, forgive me for being quick to judge another. Help my love to be longsuffering, patience and kind and full of grace. Final Note: Roxanne's passion is to speak life-giving truths into the hearts of others. She loves to speak at retreats and conventions. She hosts her own DEEPER Intensive and RISE UP coaching workshops and works with clients nationwide as a personal life coach. You can buy her new book and get more information at RoxanneParks.com

An Unoffendable Heart; Day 4

What Is Our Vantage Point?If you remember the movie “Vantage Point” from 2008, you’ll be familiar with the concept that we can’t assume to know reasons for other people’s actions. In the movie, during an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin’s bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? This movie portrays the story from the “Vantage Point” of each eye witness. Although each story has similar components, they differ from their “point of view.” This movie depicts how life can easily be seen from many points of view. There are many things out of our control. Such as who are our parents, what nation or decade we are born into, what our skin color is etc. We all have a mother and a father. We all have a story. We all have unique personal experiences, strengths, weaknesses, personalities, core values etc. So, our perspective can be wildly different from one another. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (by Stephen Covey), habit #5 is “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Empathetic listening to others compels them to reciprocate that listening model. This leads to greater understanding and communication. It is easier to give grace to others when we understand their point of view, whether we agree with it or not.The other day I was standing behind a lady in the Walmart line that was so angry about not being able to find her credit card that she took it out on me as well as the cashier. Her cuss words made the cashier super responsive and angry (an easily offendable heart). Her cuss words to me made me wonder what her background story had been, what had been troubling her that day, what else was going on inside of her. I wanted to give her a big hug. I felt so sorry for her as I understood her frustration and embarrassment. I haven’t been able to locate my credit card before. But that was no reason for offense. I sought to understand her predicament. I was grateful for my journey with an unoffendable heart.God is the only one with a pure and true vantage point. His is an eternal purpose-filled vantage point! We cannot know the heart of another. We probably don’t know their story or the pains that drive their behaviors. But we can be slow to anger and quick to forgive even when we don’t understand. We can live from a heart of compassion versus a heart that simply chooses offense.May we all consider the vantage point that we are all a work in progress, that we all need love, grace and mercy from others. Let it start with me.Ponder:Consider the fact that an irritating person might be so because of something in their background that you don’t understand. Consider that others are a work-in-progress just like you.Prayer:Lord, help me seek first to understand before being understood. Help me to see through Your eyes of mercy, grace and a patient love.

An Unoffendable Heart; Day 3

Why We Need to Give GraceYears ago, I made a decision to give others the benefit of the doubt, to believe the best in them before assuming the worst. That decision brings a lot of freedom to relationships. It was a choice to wrap my heart around the child-like faith that people aren’t trying to behave poorly, trying to get it wrong or making stupid mistakes on purpose. Here are some definitions for “benefit of the doubt”: 1) The state of accepting something/someone as honest or deserving of trust even though there are doubts2) To default to a belief that another person’s intentions are honest, and not assume malice when there is uncertainty or doubt surrounding the circumstances.3) To decide that you will believe someone, even though you are not sure that what the person is saying is true.: 4) The withholding of judgment so as to retain a favorable or at least neutral opinion of someone or something when the full information about the subject is not yet available.5) A favorable judgment granted in the absence of full evidence.I choose to believe that people can be fragile and that they are trying their best as I know that I try my best. I never intentionally choose poor behavior. Why would I assume that others were? When you give people the benefit of the doubt over and over again it allows you to see the best in others and it brings out the best in yourself. It is living life with a grace and a hope for things to be better. When we live from grace, we make allowances for any of us to have bad days that can lead to bad moments. Life is not perfect, and none of us are either.Giving people the benefit of the doubt can help offset our offendable hearts. It takes us out of the center of our small story and everything being about us. It is a way that we can honor others, even when they may not deserve it. I am simply giving away the gift of grace that God has given to me. And we cannot out-give the Gift-Giver. Do I really think that a friend running late, someone cancelling plans, my husband not emptying the dishwasher, another spouting a short hurtful comment or having a bad mood or a host of many other things, is really some plan against me? Come on. That is completely irrational thinking. The truth is that all of their behaviors are for reasons other than me. It really isn’t a plot against me to irritate my heart. None of us are perfect and we want others to give us the benefit of the doubt as well.If we are to obey the Lord and love the way that scripture tells us to, then we are to never give up hope that we are all learning and becoming better. We can always give the benefit of the doubt. The Lord loves us unconditionally and is so patient with us. He sees our sinful nature and still chooses to extend us grace and new mercies every morning. Don’t you think it’s time we gave each other a break and cut some slack? Imagine the peace if we all started extending the benefit of the doubt? Our offendable heart is a tool of the enemy to rob us of better, more fulfilling relationships. Let go of the offense!Ponder:Do I allow the poor behavior of others to produce an offensive poor response from me? I should consider if they are having a bad day and quickly extend grace.Prayer:Lord, help me to honor others with the same patience and love that You have so generously given to me. Help me extend grace and give others the benefit of the doubt as I am not to judge their behavior because I have been known to behave poorly myself.