(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

Have you ever found it difficult to forgive someone? I’m guessing the answer is, “yes.” The ability to forgive, especially when you have been betrayed, mistreated, or are the victim of a heinous act can seem impossible at times. Forgiving someone when you have been deeply hurt takes courage. Courage is, “The ability to face and overcome fear while prioritizing a greater objective. It is not the absence of fear but rather the determination to act despite its presence, guided by a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to achieving a higher good.”

So, what does overcoming fear have to do with forgiveness? When someone has caused harm or hurt in our lives, we may find forgiveness difficult because we fear if we forgive them that person will in some way be off the hook for their actions. Or perhaps if we forgive, we fear that will invalidate the unsubstantiated pain someone has caused us. But when you have the courage to forgive, you are overcoming that fear for a greater objective and the greater objective is to refuse to allow unforgiveness to cause bitterness and to extend the same grace to others as Jesus extends to you for your misgivings. I know that can be hard to hear but it’s the Gospel.

I was listening to a book on forgiveness the other day and it was convicting. I squirmed a bit but also concurred with what the author was saying, even though it was hard. The author talked about how forgiveness is the absence of self-righteousness. That we tend to have no objectivity for ourselves in our own misgivings and when we see ourselves as we really are, we will realize that we are just as capable of committing any sin that others commit. I don’t want to believe that, but I will sit with it long enough to see what truth God wants to reveal to me and I invite you to do the same.

The truth is, we are saved only by God's intervening grace. When we choose to have the courage to forgive, we don't exact payment from other people because God didn't exact payment from us. He gave his one and only Son to die on the cross and take on the penalty for our sins. Jesus’ ultimate forgiveness is an example for us.

When I think of an astounding example of forgiveness I think of Joseph whose brothers, out of extreme jealousy and animosity towards him, plotted to kill him in the wilderness. Ultimately Joseph’s life was spared, but he did end up getting sold into slavery in Egypt. While Joseph was eventually named supervisor of the high-ranking Egyptian Potiphar’s household, Joseph's life was not smooth sailing. Over the course of the months ahead, he would be falsely accused of seducing Potiphar’s wife and thrown in jail and forgotten about for years until he was released and restored to a position of authority over Egypt.

He endured a lot of pain and hardship but ultimately Joseph forgives his brothers for their evil doings and all of the distress it caused him. In Genesis 50:19-21 he says, “But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”

Joseph was clearly guided by a commitment to achieve a higher good, demonstrating the ultimate courage to forgive. Who is God calling you to courageously forgive? Ask him to show you and help you. Submit your hurt to him and thank him for the grace he extends to you.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

When you are facing a difficult situation and you don’t know what to do, who or what do you turn to? Is your first instinct to cry out to God? Do you attempt to figure things out on your own? Or perhaps you turn to a friend, relying on their advice? For the record, seeking the advice of wise friends is a sound thing to do as Proverbs 12:15 reminds us, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” The thing to consider is, do you run to people before turning to God? I know I can be tempted to seek counsel from friends before sitting with the Lord. After all, it takes patience and courage to cry out to God and trust that he will hear and that his Holy Spirit will be your guide.

When I am facing uncertainty in life, one of my favorite verses to meditate on is 2 Chronicles 20:12. Here we find the story of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, facing war being waged against him by the Ammonites and Moabites--Judah’s enemies. In the midst of a vast army coming against him, we read that Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord before seeking the counsel of men.

““Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’…For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:6-9, 12).

In the midst of uncertainty, Jehoshaphat acknowledges God’s power and authority and recalls his faithfulness as he courageously cries out, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

When you face uncertainty, how do you make God your first go-to? First, be in the Word of God daily so that you are more and more convinced of the truth of God and his character. We tend to seek advice from people we trust. Do you trust the Lord? That can be a tough question. Maybe your trust wavers. If that is the case, you are not alone. That’s part of being human as you seek to grow more in your knowledge of God and encounters with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But before you seek counsel from friends, discipline yourself to sit before God. Talk to him. Cry out. Be vulnerable and mirror the words of Jehoshaphat. “Jesus, I don’t know what to do but my eyes are on you.” As James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Seeking counsel from godly people in your life is wise. Just be mindful that you are not cutting God out of the equation. Have the courage to go to him first. He is the one who sees all, knows all, and whose counsel you can always trust in.

(Presented by Lisa Bishop)

What do you do in the face of failure?

All of us will face varying degrees of failure throughout our lifetime and when we do, it takes courage to get up and go again; to give something another shot, and as the saying goes “if at first you don’t succeed, ….to try, try, again.” When you experience failure, how do you respond? Do you give up and throw in the towel? Maybe you're tempted not to even take on that daunting challenge because the fear of disappointing, not measuring up, being made fun of, or looking like a fool, holds you back.

Whether it’s speaking up in a meeting, going for that promotion, or pursuing the dream God put on your heart, fear can stop you dead in your tracks. So in the face of fear, what you need is courage. I recently heard a definition of courage that resonated with me.

“Courage is the ability to face and overcome fear while prioritizing a greater objective. It is not the absence of fear but rather the determination to act despite its presence, guided by a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to achieving a higher good.”

Courage is the determination to act in spite of fear because there is something greater at stake.

It reminds me of the well-known story of Peter in Matthew 14:22-31. It’s the scene where Jesus walks on water as he makes his way towards the disciples who are in a boat a considerably far distance from land. The waves are crashing, the wind is blowing furiously, and the disciples, thinking they are seeing a ghost, cry out in terror and fear.

“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:27-31).

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. Fear will try to sink you. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from stepping out of the boat. When you hear that voice telling you to back off and shrink back, be determined to act anyway. And when you find yourself failing at something (because you will) your first instinct may be to give up but resist the urge and instead press on! Push through the fear for the greater objective. Don’t let fear define you. You may fail from time to time but you are not a failure.

Is there something you have been avoiding doing up until now because of fear? What fear is gripping and controlling your decision making? Instead of letting fear pin you down, take that first step, press on, persevere, and learn to put fear in its proper place. And if you fumble, get back up and try again. Jesus will reach out his hand and help you get up and go again.

Mary Lowman and Lisa Bishop have a conversations about how one holds fast to their faith in today's workplace. They offer practical advice and encouragement to walk out your faith in love in a "defensive" environment.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 13 that we are to submit to and respect those who are in authority, because authority is God's order and plan. But how do you respect and submit to someone in authority who is incompetent?

Smart employees understand that their job description includes making your boss look good. First Corinthians 13 describes the kind of love we are to develop in our lives, a love that is like God's love. And that kind of love "does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

As Christians we should try to make our bosses look good because God's love motivates us to protect others from bad exposure, to delight in the good things they do, not the bad things, to try to cover up their mistakes whenever we can.

Proverbs 17:9 says, "Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” It's likely if you work for a truly incompetent boss that everyone else feels the same way you do, and therefore, at lunch and on breaks that's what you talk about. Instead of covering up the offense, you repeat the matter and make the situation much worse.

If you work for an incompetent boss, stop talking about him or her to other people. Pray for that boss; talk to the Lord; get counsel from respected Christians outside the company. But don't be a part of the office gossip and character assassination which usually happens when you have this type of boss.

Should we ever confront an incompetent boss or take any steps to try to correct this kind of situation? Yes, if that person's incompetence is affecting the customers, or causing unfair treatment for employees, or doing things that are contrary to your organization's stated standards and policies. If you're convinced there is a larger picture, then confrontation may be advisable. But, again, this must be done with great respect for their authority.

This kind of situation is simply not easy, I know, but the good news is, it should cause you to pray more and depend upon God more to get you through your days and respond appropriately. The good news is, because of Jesus you have the power to be victorious, even when you work for a difficult boss.

If you've been in the business world very long, it's likely you've run into a manager who just wasn't doing the job right. We need to know biblical principles in dealing with incompetent or unethical bosses.

Someone once told me that you can learn as much from an incompetent or bad manager as you can from a good one, and I think that's probably true. But the learning is more difficult and painful! I’ve heard many sad stories of trying to work for a boss who is either lazy, disorganized, inexperienced, or unqualified for the job or who cuts too many corners.

The first biblical principle we need to consider is our attitude toward those in authority. While we recognize that level or position does not make anyone better than anyone else, Romans 13 gives us clear teaching on authority.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2).

God has established authority as the order for the universe. If it were not for the principle of authority, we would have nothing but chaos. The same is true in our business world. Authority is essential.

Therefore, the people in positions of authority are part of God's plan for authority. And as Christians, we are directed to submit ourselves to those people who have risen to those authority positions.

But we see so much evidence that many people in authority are neither godly nor competent. Can their authority be God-given? Yes, even though they may not use their position well or appropriately, their authority is nonetheless from God, and as Christians we are to respect it. To rebel against that is to rebel against God's order, and, Paul said, it will bring judgment on us.

Obviously, we're going to need special grace and strength to be able to submit to and respect incompetent management.

I wonder if you have ever been confronted with unethical practices by your employer? That’s a tough spot to be in. What should you do?

Well, let's begin by saying that if the product or service your organization is engaged in is not contributing to the good of society by providing a worthwhile end product, you need to question seriously if God wants you in that company. As Christ-followers, we are called to be in this world, but not of it. For example, being employed by the lottery commission or a sleazy magazine would place you in the position of helping a product that brings destruction and grief into our society.

I can't believe that Jesus would want us to expend our time and gain our financial support from such goods or services. They may not be illegal, but certainly they are not edifying or positive forces in our communities. There are any number of these kinds of industries that we should avoid, and the criteria is simply to determine if the company provides a product or service that helps rather than harms.

Now, suppose you work for a firm that is providing a good service, but you are aware of unethical practices that are allowed or encouraged. Maybe hours are billed to the client which were not actually worked and expenses are charged which were not incurred. As a Christian, what action should you take?

Well, if you were asked to exaggerate your hours or expenses, your response is clear-cut. A Christian should never be part of lying or deception of any kind. You have to draw clear black and white lines in your behavior in situations like this.

Of course, when you take these difficult stands, you want to do it with as little fanfare as possible, and as gently as you can. If you don't have to say anything at all, that is best. Just do what is right and let it go. But if you're told to do something unethical, or asked why you didn't, that's when you must be willing to say that you have done what you believe is right and accurate and you're not willing to falsify a report of any type.

A friend of mine lost his job once because he refused to falsify a government report for his employer. He was unemployed for a few months, and it looked dim. But the Lord blessed him, and he eventually found a much better job in a firm that was very ethical.

Recently someone asked me how to deal with a boss who uses belittling and humiliating tactics. You may have found yourself in that type of situation. As Christians, we need careful thought and guidance to act and react according to biblical principles.

Remember to make this person an object of concentrated, daily prayer and see how prayer changes your perspective and your attitude. Now, it may be that the changes in your attitude, brought about by prayer, will actually cause the other person's attitude and tactics to change. If you're resenting the treatment, feeling misused and abused, chances are your reactions to this person are making the problem worse. Once you get out of that chain of thinking and begin focusing on God's purpose in the situation, it may so change your behavior, that it will affect the other person as well.

However, let me hasten to say that it may not, and you may be faced with a situation where confrontation is called for. However, before you confront, be certain that you check out your motives carefully. Are you simply trying to be vindictive? Are you reacting out of self-pity? Are you fighting for your rights? Those are not biblically-based motivations. Jesus frequently confronted people, but he always did it for their own good, not to vindicate himself.

That confrontation will have to be bathed in prayer and God's wisdom, done at the right time in the right way. Please don't over-react, and don't confront when you're emotionally upset.

You may start with something like: "I wonder if I could ask a consideration of you. You're probably not aware of it, but it seems that often you choose to give me criticism and negative feedback when it is the most embarrassing. I know that I need feedback, but could I ask you to do it privately?” Be prepared to cite dates and situations, for most people will deny that it is happening.

And remember that biblical principles teach us to go the extra mile, to endure unfair and unkind treatment much longer than others would. I would refer you to Matthew 5 to see what Jesus had to say about taking unfair treatment.

You know, God may have good purposes for leaving you in that unfair situation for a period of time. Perhaps others are watching you and if you respond in a Christ-like way, that could be a very effective witness. God has a right to use us in these ways, and we must be willing to allow him to do so.

What you do when your boss is wrong? Because managers and employers are people, like you and me, sometimes they are wrong. They may be wrong in their attitudes, wrong in their management techniques, wrong in their tactics, wrong occasionally, wrong all the time–but it happens! What do you do when your boss is wrong?

For example, how should a Christian respond in a situation when a boss belittles you? Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurrence in our business worlds, where a boss gives negative feedback in front of other people or makes fun of you in some way. Or there’s the boss who always manages to find something wrong in everything you do, and he or she tells you about it in a meeting, or loudly standing at your desk. It's humiliating and belittling.

Our first human reaction in cases like this is usually either to resist and strike back, or to be intimidated and retreat or run away. Neither reaction is proper. When any person tends to belittle other people frequently, we should understand that it is a symptom of insecurity. Underneath the intimidating facade is a person who can only feel good about himself or herself by making someone else look small.

A Christian needs to learn to move from the self-focused reaction which is typical in these situations–"Oh, poor me, this is not fair to me"–to a God-focused reaction, understanding how God sees this person. And that comes only through prayer. Start praying for that boss.

Now, I don't mean that you pray for lightning to strike your boss, but pray that God will give you his perspective of this person. Pray that God will help you see beneath the facade and get a glimpse of why he or she is like that. Pray that in spite of the unfair treatment, you will be able to respond in Christ-like ways, and ask God for his wisdom.

You know, every person in your life is there through God's permissive will, and that means that God can turn the tough situation into an avenue of growth and learning for you, even if the other person never changes.

So, my first advice is to pray for that boss every day before you leave for work. And pray for wisdom. James tells us that God will give wisdom to us liberally, and in a situation like this, you need a lot of godly wisdom. So, pray for wisdom—and expect God to give you the wisdom you need.

You will be amazed to see what happens when you start to pray for that difficult manager.

Courage comes in different forms. There is physical courage where you are willing to do something physical that could cause you harm. Like jumping into a pool to save a little child who can’t swim or putting yourself in harm’s way to protect someone else. Then there’s emotional courage which means you face your emotions head on without running away or using some addiction to kill the pain. Social courage is the strength to stand up for what you believe, for your principles, and to stand up for others even when it is risky.

There are three women in the New Testament who were very courageous. We don’t know a lot about them, but I sense these were very usual women who were willing to take risks. We first read about them in Luke 8:

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means (Luke 8:1 – 3).

The three names we are given are Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. These women—along with many others—were devoted followers of Jesus Christ. And no wonder! Jesus had cured them of evil spirits and diseases. They knew he was worthy of their devotion because of what he had done for them. And so, in a world that was misogynistic, strongly prejudiced against women, and where women had very little rights and certainly little influence, these women decided to follow Jesus and there was no turning back.

Consider Mary Magdalene. We know she had been delivered from seven demons. It’s not easy for us today to understand what that was like, but no doubt Mary Magdalene had lived a life of torment. Who knows what things she had to suffer while possessed by seven demons?

Further in Luke 8  we are told of a man named Legion who was possessed by even more demons, and his behavior gives us some insight into the life of a demon-possessed person in that day (Luke 8: 26-39). He was driven to the outskirts of the city where he would have episodes of rage, and no one could stop him. They forced him to live in caves and chained him down, but nothing worked. Everyone had given up on him and no one came near. Then Jesus delivered him from those horrific demons and turned this demon-possessed man into a disciple—an evangelist.

For Mary Magdalene, no doubt she was isolated, even feared because of her unusual behavior. We don’t know how long she lived like this but try to imagine living under the control of demons, causing you to do and say things that were terrible, scary, resulting in no friends, no support group, no help and no hope. Tormented by demons, looked down upon by society, she was a true outcast.

But Jesus. Oh, if those aren’t two of the most powerful words when put together. But Jesus. Jesus set her free and totally changed her world. She followed Jesus, literally, walking behind him and the twelve disciples as they made their way through the land. I’m certain she shared her story with any who would listen, telling how Jesus had delivered her. She had the courage to face the gossip, the skepticism, the derision of others who knew her before, and stand up for who she was now.

Maybe you can relate to that. You may not have had seven demons, but you had besetting sin. You may have struggled and suffered, but the grace of our Lord finally broke in. He saved you, just as he is saving all those who follow him. Do you have the courage to share your story? Have you made it known that you are following Jesus, no turning back? That takes courage but if you have a story of redemption to tell, believe me there are many people all around you who need to hear it.