How do you answer a criticism without sounding defensive? I’m talking about how to handle criticism, both on the receiving and the giving end. I want to enumerate four practical steps to take to help you deal effectively in the...

One thing that is tough for me to handle is criticism. How about you? But it is a necessary part of life if we're to grow and learn. I'm going to talk about criticism and how to handle it—whether you’re giving it or receiving it.

As I was putting the finishing touches on one of my Bible studies, I asked several people to critique it for me. I knew that I needed input from others if I really wanted that Bible study to be as good as it could be. But frankly, I didn't want to hear the criticisms I had solicited. And I had to fight with everything in me to keep from being defensive, as suggestions were made to improve the study.

Now, if I feel that way about solicited criticisms, you can imagine how I react to unsolicited criticisms. I can relate with Job who said, as found in the sixth chapter: "Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. How painful are honest words” (6:24).

Criticism can be either true or false, but even when we receive a true criticism, given in the right spirit, the words are honest but they are still painful. Let’s face it, our first reaction to a criticism is usually a negative reaction, right? It feels negative regardless of how it is intended. So, our first challenge is to teach ourselves how to react to criticism.

Have you been on the receiving end of some criticism lately? Maybe there’s a certain person in your life who continually criticizes you—your boss, your mother, a friend. I have to believe that your first reaction is a great deal like mine: you get defensive. It’s a normal human instinct. But when we become defensive, we usually respond in the most ineffective way.

I’ll give you some very practical ways to help you react appropriately to a criticism that comes your way, whether it was given in the right spirit or not. I have a gift I’d like to give you. We have put together a small booklet entitled “Giving and Receiving Criticism,” and it could be very helpful in learning how to understand and deal with criticism, as well as how to give it appropriately. To get your copy of this booklet, contact us through our website, or print it out from our website – or call us.

One thing that is tough for me to handle is criticism. How about you? But it is a necessary part of life if we’re to grow and learn. I’m going to talk about criticism and how to handle it—whether you’re...

I recently shared with you about an article I read in a Christian magazine on Three Marketplace Worldviews: The secular marketplace view, the non-biblical compromised Christian view, and the biblical marketplace view. This article really caught my attention, and I want to share with you some further good information in it. If you did not catch part one, you’ll want to get a copy from our website in order to get the full picture of this topic.

A worldview is simply the way we look at things, the paradigm through which we see our world. A marketplace view is the way you look at your job, your career, your business. It’s part of your worldview, but it could be very different from other parts of your worldview. Basically, your marketplace view is the way you think about the whole issue of work and careers and your particular job. The Bible tells us that as we think in our hearts, so we are, so your marketplace view has a very strong influence on why you get up and go to work each day, how you perform once you get there, and what you hope to achieve as a result.

Let’s look at some further differences between these three marketplace views. How does a secular marketplace view understand the moral foundation and guidelines for business? Well, that view says that “The ends justify the means.” A secular view rejects the Bible as truth and considers it irrelevant to business. They would consider anyone with a biblical marketplace view as a bit weird, certainly radical.

You’ll find a wide variance of behavior among those who hold a secular marketplace view. Many are just out for themselves, using whatever means necessary to achieve their aims. They are into the office politics, the underhanded deals, the deceitful sales pitches, the tweaking of the numbers—whatever it takes to reach their goals of more money, more success, more promotions, whatever.

Others, on the other hand, will recognize that there is merit in being honest and helpful. You know, people who are not believers in Jesus Christ can still benefit greatly when they choose to live by biblical principles. I know people who would never call themselves Christians, but who also would never be dishonest in their business dealings. I read an article about a man who got a tax refund that was grossly in error. Instead of a small amount, the check was for over two million dollars. Knowing he had no right to that money, even though he had the check in his hands, he returned it because it was the right thing to do. Even a non-believer can operate out of right principles, but they still hold a secular marketplace view and are in the job to get the most they can for themselves.

Well, what is the non-biblical compromised Christian view of the moral foundation and guidelines for business? That person thinks, “God is more concerned about our church than my job or my business.” That person is not really sure the Bible has much to say about how to do business. After all, it was written too long ago. That person may think it impossible to live by Christian principles on the job because nobody else does, and it’s a dog-eat-dog world. They see their work as a separate part of their life from their walk with God.

Why is it that far-too-many Christians have this compromised view of their jobs—this unbiblical attitude toward work? Because they don’t know the Bible well-enough; because they don’t spend time truly searching God’s Word and applying it to their lives. Because they’ve never heard a message like this, challenging them to have a biblical view of their work. Because they so easily fall into the world’s mold and are not willing to pay the price of living for Jesus on their jobs. There are many reasons.

We have an enemy of our soul who is going to use every tactic possible to keep Christians from being effective witnesses for Jesus Christ, and this is certainly one weapon he uses.

I recently shared with you about an article I read in a Christian magazine on Three Marketplace Worldviews: The secular marketplace view, the non-biblical compromised Christian view, and the biblical marketplace view. This article really caught my attention, and I...

Do you ever feel like saying, “God, I can’t hear you”? I’ve been talking about the barriers we allow to come between us and God so that we can’t hear what he wants to say to us.

If you really want to hear God speak to you, you have to know how God speaks and you must have ears that listen—a heart that really wants to hear. God speaks through his Word primarily, but also through our minds, when they are Spirit-controlled. God also speaks to us through other people.

We are admonished in Scripture to seek godly counsel, and there are times when we really need to hear someone else’s perspective, perhaps an older person, or a person who has walked with God for many years. Many years ago I became aware that a woman in my church had a wrong attitude toward some people and treated them unkindly. So, I decided it was my job to set her straight, and I told my good friend that I fully intended to confront her and get this situation fixed, if you know what I mean.

But thankfully, my friend stopped me. She said, “Mary, don’t do that. Just role model for her how a Christian woman should behave.” She told me how God had used a woman in her life when she was a new Christian to change some of her bad habits, but it came simply by watching her live a godly life. I listened to my good friend; God used her to speak to me and keep me from doing and saying something that would probably have done much harm. It’s amazing, but now, without any help from me, God is transforming that woman I was concerned about into a much more compassionate person who is more and more like Jesus.

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

Do you ever consciously listen to the voice of Jesus? I hope you will become intentional about hearing God speak to you, because I’m absolutely certain he wants to speak to you—words of encouragement, words of peace, words of correction and conviction, but all words that are filled with his great love for you. So, ask God for ears to hear, and ask him to give you the strength and power to remove the barriers that you’ve allowed to come between you and God.

If you would like to read the entire week’s message, click here to view/download the PDF.

Do you ever feel like saying, “God, I can’t hear you”? I’ve been talking about the barriers we allow to come between us and God so that we can’t hear what he wants to say to us. If you really...

My question for you is this: “If God wanted to speak to you today, what barrier would he have to overcome?” We’ve looked at three barriers: busyness, self-absorption, and not knowing how to listen to God. God mostly speaks to us through his written Word, so if we can’t hear God, it could be because we simply aren’t spending enough time in the Word, reading it and meditating on it.

God also speaks through our thoughts, if our thoughts are controlled by his Spirit. The good news is that when we are born from above and have been given new life in Christ, the Bible says we have the Spirit of God alive in our very bodies. With his Spirit living in us, Paul writes that we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). That means that I can think thoughts that are governed by God’s Spirit. He can guide me into thinking that is biblically true, and right thinking is another way God speaks to us.

For years I have prayed James 1:5, which 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.” I lack wisdom; I need wisdom; on my own I can make really foolish decisions. So, after praying this consistently for years, I remember one day making a decision about a matter that suddenly arose, and afterwards I thought, “That was smart; that was a good decision.” It dawned on me—well, yeah—you’ve been praying for wisdom and God gave you wisdom when you needed it.

How did I make a good decision? God spoke to me through my thoughts, which were—at least at that moment—controlled by his Spirit.

If you have trouble hearing God speak to you directly, could it be because your mind is so cluttered with the junk of the world, that your thoughts are not Spirit-controlled? We think about what we put into our minds, and often we treat our minds like they are garbage cans. We listen to any kind of trash that comes over the television or on the internet, or we read stuff that isn’t uplifting or helpful. So, when we want to hear God speak to us, he has to get through all that clutter which we’ve collected in our minds. It becomes a serious barrier between us and God.

If you want to hear God speak to you, I strongly encourage you to get serious about bringing every thought into captivity and making it obedient in Christ, as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:5.

My question for you is this: “If God wanted to speak to you today, what barrier would he have to overcome?” We’ve looked at three barriers: busyness, self-absorption, and not knowing how to listen to God. God mostly speaks to...

I’ve often spoken about how to develop good listening skills, because they are essential for our success in every area of our lives..

For years I’ve been consciously working at becoming a better listener, because I’m not a naturally good listener—I’m a talker!  But by putting some simple disciplines in place, I’m a better listener than I used to be. There are simple things we can all do to become better listeners, and believe me, you will reap wonderful benefits from that. People love people who listen.

But how about listening to God? Do you ever think about what you need to do to hear God’s voice? If you feel like, “God, I can’t hear you,” maybe it’s because you haven’t learned how to listen to God. In Psalm 81:13-14 we read:

If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! 

In Psalm 85:8 the Psalmist says, “I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.”

So, listening to God is first of all a choice we make. The Psalmist said, “I will listen to what God the Lord will say.” God doesn’t usually speak to us until we have ears to hear. But how does God speak to us?

Hebrews 1:1-2: In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

2 Timothy 3:16 – 17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Mostly God speaks to us through the written Word. That means we have to make time in our lives to read the Word for the sole purpose of hearing God speak to us personally. Sometimes I find myself reading the Bible just because I’m supposed to. That doesn’t do much good. But if you read it for the sole purpose of hearing God speak to you, God will speak to you through his Word.