iWork4Him PowerThought

When you woke up today did you find yourself celebrating the first day of the work week or did you find yourself dreading it? It seems that most of us suffer from TGIF syndrome instead of adopting the TGIM revolution. We need to start Thanking God its Monday. You see, God designed our work to have purpose and fulfillment. He also designed it so that He could work alongside us, bringing us His wisdom along the way. What is it going to take for you to switch from dreading Monday to celebrating it? If you are like me, it is going to take a Romans 12:2 Paradigm Shift. We have to stop copying the Behavior and Customs of this world and allow ourselves to be transformed and allow God to change the way we think. Every Day your work matters to God. Let's start celebrating Mondays.

In 2006 I started a new job commuting 90 miles each way to work. I made a commitment to not turn on the radio on my way into work. I wanted to dedicate that time to pray for my family, my bosses and their families, my co-workers, and my employees. I learned to be quiet and I learned to make notes when I heard things from the Lord in my prayer time. I like to say that it Changed my life. Over the 4 years of this commute, I watched one of my Bosses come to be a Jesus follower and one rededicate his life to Christ. I was able to pray many times with my employees and I was able to demonstrate through service and friendship that my life was changed by Jesus. iWork4Him was launched through this prayer time and the iWork4Him Nation Covenant was birthed out of the process God took me through.

Do you want to see your workplace as a place to live out your faith? Your work is a place where you finally get that chance to be involved in fulltime ministry. Then do these things. 1st Start praying for those you work around, by name every day. 2nd look for ways to serve those same people over and above what your job requires you to do. 3rd look for ways to build a friendship with those you work with, outside of work, where real relationships can develop. 4th Look for ways to pray with people when you see them having a rough day. And 5th, all along be a person of excellence, in your work. Do these things and you will see your workplace transformed by God right before your eyes. We call this the iWork4Him Nation Covenant.

I can't stand getting up any earlier than 6am. Who are these people who love to get up at 4:30am and work out? I find myself resenting them. I have never had the motivation to do anything before 6am, but I do try to make the most of the time from 6am to 7am. This is my quiet time, the time I use to center myself on God by praying for others, studying my bible, and writing in my prayer journal. The days I start with God, are the best days of the week. The days I sleep in and rush into my home office, never go as well. God wants our first hour of the day to remind us of His love for us and to remind us that He wants to be present in our work. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace". If you find your morning anything but peaceful, include God in your routine. Just not before 6am.

Do you sit all day long like I do? I find that somedays, the only exercise I get is walking to the mailbox or the kitchen. I sit in front of this computer and I work. I have come to realize that my body craves exercise. IT craves moving around and getting outside, and when I give my body this activity, my mind seems to settle in, and my work seems to flow easier. My soul needs exercise too. When I exercise my soul through prayer, bible reading and journaling, that exercise prepares me for my workday. God designed our bodies for exercise, Physical movement for our joints, muscles and ligaments and spiritual movement of our heart's minds soul and strength. Proverbs 31:17 says, "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Are you working out your body or your mind? Take time in your morning prep for some spiritual exercise too.

What is the first thing you do in the morning when you get up? Do you look at your phone and check emails before you get out of bed? I find that my best mornings start when I ignore my phone and pop open my bible and my journal instead. Since we really don't know what is ahead in our work today, its important that we spend time with the One who knows what is ahead. When my mind is racing, thinking of my full calendar and the emails I need to return, I find that I push my Father aside. I say I will get back to Him when I have gotten my day in order, but I never do. Psalm 127: 1 says "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." I think that House is you. Start building your days with Him as your foundation and see the difference it makes as you walk together with God in your work.

Did you wake up tired today or press that snooze bar? Did you find yourself scrambling to get ready for that first zoom call of the day? Life and work can be exhausting. What is the best way to prepare your heart for what God has in store for you today at work? I don't think rushing around and running late is helping prepare your heart. For me, it's the still, quiet time, that feeds my soul and prepares me for the unknown ahead in my day. My best days start with quiet time, reading my bible, a devotional and writing in my prayer journal. Mark 1:35 says … "Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer." Jesus made prayer a priority and so should we. Tomorrow, lets get up a few minutes earlier and spend our first moments with Him and feel the difference it makes as we prepare for work.

1 week of PowerThoughts: Topic Preparing your Head, Heart, Mind, Soul and Mouth for Work

Preparing to go to work these days looks and feels different. What does that look like for you? Is it showering and getting dressed or throwing on a robe? Maybe, for you, it's having that first shot of caffeine or perhaps its eating that healthy meal or drinking a vitamin filled smoothie. Maybe it involves getting your kids ready or helping your live-in parent get their day started. Whatever your routine, it's that routine that prepares you for your work. As you prep for your day, where does God fit in? You may look good on the outside, and be well fed, but is your soul well fed and prepared. Psalm 5:3 says "Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart." If you missed God in your prep this morning, stop right now and invite Him into your day because He loves you and wants you to be prepared for your work.

What do you do when you're faced with a problem at work? If you're like me, you probably go about trying to find a solution, usually starting with Google! We met and interviewed a remarkable woman named Susan. She went to God first, not google. She asked HIM for the answer to the problem. And kept praying in earnest expectation until He answered. She said to us "God has the answer to every problem, if we'd just ask Him." So, how about you? Are you depending on yourself, Google or asking others first? Or are you praying to the one who has ALL the answers? We invite you, the very next time you're faced with a work challenge, to stop, pray and ask God to give you the answer.

Are you unemployable? The other Day we were talking with Tom and Julie. They own a commercial cleaning franchise. Tom said he is unemployable, so he has to work for himself. Julie said it was true. Some of us are just wired to work in our own business and some of us are built to support those who run their own business. Either way its probably how you were wired. So how about you? Do you celebrate the differences between yourself and the others around you? Some own businesses and some don't. Doesn't make it wrong just different. God has designed us all with our unique set of Gifts Talents and Abilities. All to be used by Him for His glory in our Work. Don't wish you were someone else, celebrate who God made you to be, just like Tom.