iWork4Him PowerThought

Do you want God to unlock His purpose for you in your work? As you execute the first 4 steps of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant: Praying for, serving, befriending, and praying with others, remember your work behavior is important. The final step of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is to be someone of excellence in your work. Be the best and brightest example of a worker in your workplace position. Excellence makes your behavior believable and your faith real. Excellence gives you a platform for sharing your faith. As a Jesus Follower, everything about us should be changing, and everyone around you should be benefiting from your faith, whether they believe in Jesus yet, or not. Colossians 3:23 says, "23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."

Does God care for the people you work with? Of course, He does. In step 4 of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant, look for opportunities to pray with others. When you continually work alongside the same people, you know their typical manners and facial expressions. When you notice someone having an off day, ask them, "How are you doing?" when they say "I'm Fine," keep asking, " No really, how are you doing? I noticed you looked a little down today" then wait and be QUIET. When they have shared what is on their heart, ask, "Can I pray with you about that, right now?" I have never had someone say "No" when I followed these steps. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." When you pray, you are opening the door for them to meet your savior.

Do you want to see your workplace as a mission field? In step 3 of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant, we encourage you to befriend your co-workers or employees outside of the office. Why? Our work relationships are work focused and can be shallow. When you build friendships on your own turf, outside of work, real relationships develop. When you let someone into your world, it breaks down walls. Breaking down walls builds trust. Eventually, they will trust you when you share your Jesus story, the work He has done in your life. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble"….Be a real friend to someone today.

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? Step two of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant helps transform your workplace mindset into a mission-focused workplace ministry mindset. Start looking for ways to serve your co-workers, bosses, and/or employees outside your job requirements. Why? Anyone can do a job that meets expectations, but how many people help others meet or exceed expectations? When you go out of the way to help others at work with a stressful project or a mundane responsibility, you open up a door of ministry opportunity. Galatians 5:13-14 says For you have been called to live in freedom… use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? I thought so. Step one of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is the most powerful step you can take at work to transform your workplace and your heart. Prayer - Start praying for those you work alongside every day. Pray for your co-workers, bosses, and employees by name. You can even pray for their spouses and kids. After you have done this for a few months, have a conversation like this "Hey, I have been praying for you, is there anything I can pray about specifically?" 1 Timothy 2:1 says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. " Start Praying today and watch the transformation begin.

There's a war going on. Carmen LaBerge recently said: The current culture war is actually being waged in all of our hearts and minds. Until all of us Christ followers allow our hearts and minds to be transformed, we cannot represent Christ in today's culture. That means in all conversations, all day long at work, we're to bring Christ, as His ambassador, into our daily interactions. So how about you? .... Are you bringing a transformed heart and mind into YOUR work every day? Is the source of the words coming out of your mouth a renewed heart? Bringing God's perspective to ALL conversations, whatever the topic? Romans 12:2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think

Heard this the other day: The principles never change, but the methods always do. What a solid management philosophy this makes for us Christ followers. Principles are defined as: fundamental truths that serve as the foundation for a system of beliefs. Our biblical core beliefs are the basis of who we are and what we do. And that applies to how we work, lead and manage. But the methods, those change, based on the circumstances, and the people involved. So we need to be flexible, not rigid. Deeply rooted, but like the branches of a tree, sway with the wind. So how about you? Are your principles well rooted but flexible enough for change?

Is God leading your work? How do you get the point where you can say YES, He is. Here're a couple of ideas to get you started. First, read a book or listen to faith at work podcasts that introduce you to the concept of working for the Lord. Second, pray and ask God to show you how and where He is at work in your work today. Three, take a faith at work devotional and put it on your desk. Before you turn on your PC, read the devotional and pray that God lead you in your work. This might take some consistent practice, like changing a habit, to shift your mindset. So how about you? Colossians 3:23 is a GREAT verse to put on your desk, so it reminds you WHO you work for: 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people

If you are a local church pastor then you have a pretty tough work environment. You work all week but you only hear from your boss on Sunday. So how do you deal with the stress of your work? I think we all have stress but very few jobs have the stress of the pastor in the pulpit with the 400 of us bosses in the pews every Sunday. I think we deal with the stress, the way we deal with everything else having to do with work. We come to the realization that we work for God ultimately and He is the boss we are trying to impress. IF that is our focus, then our work is bound to be excellent. In case you haven't done this lately, let your pastor know how much you appreciate them this week. How about you? does your work reflect the fact that your ultimate boss is God?

If you're someone who watches or reads the news, then you know that there are a lot of bad things going on in the world today. From pandemics and civil wars to inflation and genocides, there is no shortage of darkness in the twenty-first century. How does all this sorrow and hardship affect your life? How about your work? Do you take it with you to the office? Do you chat with your co-workers about it? Do you live in fear or frustration? Bad news was going on during Jesus's day as well, but the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:8, "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Today, I invite you to fix your mind on what is GOOD and then speak about it to your co-workers, who desperately need the hope of Christ.