iWork4Him PowerThought

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.

There is a great deal we do not, and will not understand about our Triune God, until we go to heaven. For now, we have the greatest partner in our work, we could ever imagine. The Holy Spirit. He is our counselor, He is our helper, the spirit of truth and wisdom. What if we invited him into our work every day? .... What if every time we walked in our workplace, we asked "Holy Spirit, What do you want me to know as I begin work today?" .... What if today, we worked as if the living God and His wisdom were inside us? (which it is) Would we think higher, grander thoughts? Would we expect the biggest and best results? Surpass our client's expectations? Our God is SO BIG, he spoke our universe into existence. So, let's invite that God into our work and workplace every morning, and expect God-size results

How hard is it for most of us to evangelize at work? How and when is it OK? We make it so much harder than it has to be, though. For years now, I have been using a tool called the pocket testament. It's a small pamphlet of the gospel of John. What I love about this tool is, it is so easy to share. You store them in your desk at work, in your car, in your pocket or purse. And then pray every day for God to show you who to give it to, and when the opportunity presents itself, you give it to them in response to a question they ask, or a need they have. God does the rest. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 tells us: For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. What are you doing today, with that trust to evangelize?

I recently interviewed an air conditioning company that employs two previous "pastors" that are now professionals in the company. Interesting shift in vocation…Someone once cleverly said of us working Christians "I am a minister, disguised as: a plumber, a professor, an executive, a teacher"….fill in the blank with your title. We are ALL in ministry. We are ALL pastors whether we want to be or not, this is part of the package when the Lord died for us. And wherever HE places us, is where we are to till the soil, and plant the seed. And then water them, which looks like: caring, listening, praying with and just simply loving on our colleagues. How faithful and obedient are YOU BEING, where YOU have been planted?

One of the things I enjoy most as I watch the next generation is how equality-minded they are. Seems like the younger generations have less gender-bias. We asked an owner of a Christian commercial cleaning company "What was the biggest adjustment you and your husband had to make when you bought the business?" She said "well my husband is the leader at home, but I am the leader in the business." What finesse it must take for each of them to walk that line at work and then switch hats when they get home. What a challenging partnership, that would fail in the flesh, but is possible only with the Holy Spirit's guidance. It's a great example of Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. How well are YOU DOING letting the Holy Spirit lead YOUR business relationships today?

Our mouth. It can be a weapon or a blessing. .... As a Christ follower, we know that our mouths speak what is in our heart. But I think sometimes as Christians we might keep our mouth shut TOO MUCH. In other words, when we hear something that doesn't line up with our faith, we think the best thing to do is keep the peace, by keeping quiet. Discernment from the Holy Spirit will enable us to know, when to keep quiet and when to speak. D.L. Moody said: I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit constantly, because I leak! When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will give us the wisdom to know what to say, and when, in a way that is winsome and engaging vs. condemning. How will YOU open your mouth for Christ in the workplace today, when you are led to?

It's a fact that love is spelled T.I.M.E. .... In today's workplace, we can get so caught up in the fast pace that we forget that as Christ followers, we're to be mindful and intentional with every task, and every person. How DO you slow down during the workday? One good way is to STOP multitasking and focus your FULL attention on each task and conversation at a time. Another great way is to use a Prayer Prompter app on your phone that can remind you to: pray, give thanks, to ask for wisdom and discernment, and to be AWARE of the needs around you. We are called to LOVE our neighbors (which are our co-workers). How well are YOU showing love to YOUR co-workers with YOUR TIME?

I heard an outrageous comment from a partner of a Christian farm equipment company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He said "Common sense has NO PLACE in the life of a spirit-led follower of Christ." Here's what I think he meant. When we are attuned to the Holy Spirit, what He guides us to do in the moment often seems contrary to what we think of as "logical", And that reminded me that Christ's actions were "counter-cultural" meaning: a set of attitudes opposed to the prevailing social norm. And if Christ is counter-cultural, then we should be too. We should look different, .... smell different ...., think different, .... act different. .... 2 How will YOU be a counter-cultural spirit-led follower of Christ in YOUR WORKPLACE today?

You know, it's time. It's time for all of us Christ followers to take on another word to describe who we are. That word is MISSIONARY. WHAT? "I'm a lawyer, a receptionist, a plumber, a CPA." So listen to the definition and see if it fits: a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country. You ARE a person on a mission, if you are a Christ follower (per the Great Commission) ….and your foreign country is YOUR WORKPLACE! …. Would our Lord agree? Would He want YOU to be this with each person you work with? Matthew 28:19 says it all. 9 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, [a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Will YOU, starting today, add the label missionary onto YOUR professional title?

James 4:17 says Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. This is so important, let's hear it again. Remember, it is a sin to know WHAT you ought to do and then NOT DO IT. When you are MOVED at work during the day, by hearing about or seeing an injustice, do you pray and ask the Lord what He would have you do? .... Or do you just shrug it off and ignore it? The only way we, the body of Christ, will win people for Christ is for each of us to respond and DO our part. And that includes standing against injustice EVERYWHERE we are, including our workplace. .... What will YOU do today, when you see an injustice at work?