If you knew the rapture, meeting Christ in the air, would happen in months, would it change your plans? Have you ever heard that a Jewish Rabbi, Judah ben Samuel, who lived from 1140 to 1217 predicted the future? They asked him where he received his information and he said the Prophet Elijah, who will precede the return of the Messiah gave it to him. (Don’t stop here, read a little further!)

He predicted that the Ottoman’s (Turks) would take control of Jerusalem in 1517 and control it for 400 years. Afterwards, Jerusalem for fifty years would become a desolate area. After those fifty years it would go back to the Jews which would be 1967. Both of these prophecies happened as predicted. If you will remember in 1967 Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Republic and a Six Day War allowed Israel to take over all of Jerusalem as foretold. He then says fifty years later, the year of Jubilee, the Messiah will return and fifty years is another year of Jubilee and 2017.

Leviticus 25:8 – 12 – “‘Count off seven Sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.”

I have been writing about the four blood moons with number three occurring on this past Easter and Passover, Saturday April 4th 2015. Read my last blog: Christian alert world tragedy possible. The next blood moon to occur will be September 28, 2015. This could be a sign that the rapture is coming, it could be a sign that the disastrous Tribulation is nearing. The Tribulation will be a seven year peace made with Israel by a man-of-peace, known as the Antichrist. You can tell our present administration in Washington hasn’t read the Bible or they would realize they will not be able to make a peace treaty with Israel and Palestine.

Can’t you see that God is transforming our world? Is America different than what it was six years ago? For those of us who are older, we saw a change taking place in the 1960s. There are a group of leaders who took the Bible and prayer out of our schools and public places. The Supreme Court said abortion was a woman’s choice. Gay rights and same-sex marriages were reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. We have a president and administration that are anti-Jewish. This is a different nation than what I grew up knowing.

II Corinthians 4:4 – indicates Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

If you believe history and the story told of Rabbi Judah ben Samuel don’t you think it is time to talk to unsaved spouses, children, friends and neighbors about Christ and salvation? The purpose of this blog is not to frighten you but to urge you to become a better witness for Christ.
Mark 16:15 – “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

If the above prophecy is possible, we should be prepared for a tremendous spiritual revival. If people believed that Christ would return by 2017, we could see churches filled to over capacity.

I bring only what research tells me and what most of you have never heard. We have had three of the four blood moons in the past 500 years. The four blood moons, falling on Jewish religious holidays, is a sign of a major event occurring. WHAT WILL IT BE? There are no further four blood moons falling on Jewish religious days scheduled to occur according to NASA. Do we need future signs if Christ begins ruling as the Bible promises?

God uses the sun, the moon and stars as a sign from heaven. He used a star at the birth of Christ. He used the sun to prove to the Israelites that He was God. He has used blood moons to designate a drastic change is coming. I am not a prophet but Scripture tells us to read the signs. If I am reading the signs correctly, it is very possible a world event will take place that could be tragic, if we are not prepared.

Many of you have told me that you believed President Obama was Muslin and not a Christian. Once I heard his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast and how he has been handling the situation with Israel verses Iran, I must admit, he sounds more pro Muslim than he does pro Christian or Israel. Then I wonder why God would allow Obama to be president at this particular time, if we are not getting close to the beginning of the 1000 years Christ will rule on earth. Coming is seven years of Tribulation and a one-world government led by the anti-Christ. For this to happen America needed to change.

As you read this, keep in mind the following Scripture: Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God must keep His promise. If He says He will curse a nation that curses Israel, it will be done. Up until recently, God has been blessing America to be the most prosperous nation ever. If God has cause to curse America, what could actually happen?

Joel 2:30 – 31 – “I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”

Acts 2:20 – “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”

On April 15, 2014 there was a blood moon or a lunar eclipse at midnight PDT. This occurred on Passover. Another blood moon appeared on October 8, 2014 on Feast of the Tabernacles. Then again a blood moon will happen on April 4, 2015 on Passover and again on September 28, 2015 on Feast of the Tabernacles. Anytime there have been four lunar eclipses in a row, where the moon turns blood red, each appearing on a Jewish holiday, a major event has occurred.

In 1492 during four blood moons the Spanish inquisition of Jews occurred. All Jews were told to convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Many of those who stayed were killed. That same year an Italian Jew, Columbus, who was mostly financially supported by Jewish investors, set sail and discovered the American continent at San Salvador. Some believe many Jews from the lost tribes of Israel migrated to England. From England they came to help settle America. America may have been created partly to protect Jewish citizens from the lost tribes, as well as militarily protection for Israel.

In 1948, the next time that there were four blood red moons falling on Jewish religious holidays, Israel on May 14, 1948 became a homeland to the Israelites and an official country. God began calling Jews from all over the world to return to their God-given covenant land as previously prophesied.

The next time this lunar eclipse phenomenon occurred was in 1967. Israel was attacked by Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon and they repelled their enemies. The war lasted six days and Israel captured Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They were able to unify control over Jerusalem their covenant land. The Soviet Union supplied most of their enemies’ military equipment and economic assistance. President Lyndon Johnson rallied to assist Israel. During this war there were a number of supernatural events that happened and the Jews believed it was because God was on their side.

Some believe by September, this year, when we again have the forth blood moon and a lunar eclipse falling on a Jewish holiday, some major event will likely occur. NASA indicates there are no more predicted in the future when they fall on Jewish holidays. Since Christ’s birth, there have been seven times these red blood eclipses have happened and only three times in the last 500 years. Will God wait another 100 years before a world disaster occurs?

When the House of Representatives invited Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to congress, President Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu. It is another indication that our president is more pro-Muslim than pro-Israel. With the forth blood moon coming this September and if God decides to punish America as He said He would to any nation that cursed Israel as in Gen. 12:3 what could happen in the near future? Many Christians believe America was founded and prospered in order to protect Israel from her enemies. This is the first president whose actions cause one to believe he would never protect Israel. Are his present actions a form of cursing Israel?

I am surprised at the number of Jewish politicians and wealthy Jews who are anti-Israel as is our president. A number of Democratic house and senate members did not attend Netanyahu’s speech. A recent poll worldwide of over four million people showed that 26% of those polled were anti-Jews. This is why we are seeing an unusual amount of Jews returning from all over the world to Israel to live as predicted by the Bible.

In the past, four blood moons were a sign to Israel. However, this time America can witness the blood moons and they will not be seen in Israel except for the September 28, 2015 one. Are these blood moons a sign for America only? If so, what message could God be sending if it is not to alert Christians to be prepared and ready for whatever may happen this year. For those of you who may be risk takers and believe that you have time to develop a relationship with God later and be ready for eternity, may want to reconsider how you have been living. There is nothing in this world that will ever compare to what God has planned for those who will live with Him in eternity.

I recently watched CNN present a program why many previous Christians were becoming atheists. It seemed like the nation I grew up in has changed from being spiritual to being humanistic.

As I was reading the Bible I noted John 12:37 – 41 – “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.”

I wondered, has God done the same thing to many Americans today? They were blinded and their hearts were hardened prior to Jesus being crucified. Is the same thing occurring prior to His second coming to meet the church in the air? Why are so many refusing to believe that Christ is the Messiah?

Isaiah 6:10 – “Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Are we to believe that man’s unbelief was an action of God? Did God want some people to believe and some people not to believe? We can’t believe that the God that Christ described would ordain that some people were not allowed to believe. Isaiah prophesize it would happen that people would not listen to what he was predicting. John then says that what Isaiah wrote was being fulfilled.

It was a belief by the Jews that God was responsible for everything that happened. They did not believe anything could happen outside the purpose of God. There were no coincidences. This is not true as we know God is not responsible for those who steal, cheat or murder. If what they believed was true, then it would be unfair to put anyone in jail if they did it, because they were only doing what God wanted.

What we believe this Scripture means is that people will not accept Christ because of their unbelief and God is using it for His purpose. We read in the Bible, as the end times are nearing, Christians will fall away. Is this another sign that Jesus is getting ready to return? There are a number of signs that indicate this might happen just as there were many signs that Jesus would be crucified. A number of preachers are giving sermons stating that God uses signs in the sky to warn people something is to take place. They refer to the star that directed the Magi to the birth of Christ. God caused the sun to stop and not go down for a period so they would believe. He has used the four blood moon solar eclipses falling on Jewish holidays that something would happen. Saturday April 4th a blood moon will occur and the final one on September 28, 2015. NASA does not foresee another four blood moons in the future. More information will be given in future blogs.

I cannot believe we would ever have an American president that would be anti-Semitic. If he has read the Bible, how could he not realize that God blesses those that bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel? Has he not read history concerning nations that have cursed the Israelites and that they received God’s punishment? What I am seeing is another sign coming from Washington, D.C. that we are entering the end times and the beginning of the Tribulation period. God knew the kind of President Obama would be and this would be what was needed if the end times are nearing.

Joel 3:2 – “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”

No one has the right to ask Israel to give up land that God has given to them as an inheritance. I have read a number of reasons why Israel should make a peace agreement. However, the Bible says that will not happen until the agreement is made with the help of the antichrist. Bush forty-one also wanted Israel to give up land and as a result he almost lost his home at Kennebunkport, Maine during the perfect storm on October of 1991 that 30 feet waves practically washed it down. I wish our politicians studied the Bible and made their decisions based on God’s ways and commands. There are so many proofs that disasters have stricken America when Israel was mistreated.

Why are Christians being persecuted? Why do Christians seem to have continual problems? There could be a number of reasons why. The first thing we are to learn is that God does not always intervene instantly to eliminate the problem. We are told as we approach the end times there will be much persecution of Christians. The Bible tells us that God allows problems to teach us something or He may be building our faith or character. God will often test our faith for us to see how much faith we have. We know we cannot please God without faith. Therefore, when all problems and persecutions occur do we get angry, frustrated or just give up? We must remember that being tested allows us to know who we are and how spiritually mature we have become.

Let us assume a crisis occurs in your life; how do you handle it? If you are a Christian, realize that the Holy Spirit either allows it or causes it to happen. God knows everything about us and He has a plan and purpose for our lives. He knows exactly what we need to endure to build our faith, make us more Christ-life or prepare us for His future plan.

Problems can be personal, such as addiction, abuse, fear, anxiety or depression. They can be dreaded or approached with a positive attitude. Some will try to ignore problems, run from them, take drugs or let them fester inside. There are individuals who try to carry the world on their shoulders. They worry about the problems in the Middle-East, North Africa and radioactivity coming from Japan. They are concerned that the stock market is going to crash; that banks are going to fail and they hide money under their mattress. They fret about global warming and the protection of insects. Bring it on—so I have something to worry about!

People often deal with problems differently. Problems may be opportunities to some and challenges to others. The way we approach and handle problems can affect us physically. God created us with certain chemicals in our system. How we see life and how we deal with problems could affect our body’s cells and our potential health. We can react positively, maintaining peace and joy in our hearts or negatively and get a migraine headache.

God has often intervened in my life when I am faced with a problem. I think the most important reaction is to realize that I am having a divine intervention. When the problem is solved I immediately thank God and tell how much I appreciate having the Holy Spirit in my life for protection and guidance. I call these times “God things” and share them with my family.

When a negative situation occurs, my reaction is to pray for God to provide heavenly wisdom so the problem can be solved. This is why it is so important to have a personal relationship with our Lord. If you had a partner that every time you had a problem they bailed you out, would you not be appreciative? God’s love for us is better than any human partner we could have. He is there to help us but, He also wants what is best for us. Problems handled correctly make us better people. Experience is a great teacher.

Since God knows everything prior to it happening, we need to continually pray for wisdom that we too can foresee potential problems before they occur. We also know that God can stop anything before it happens if it is not His will for our lives. We must never ask: “God why did you allow this to happen”? There are no coincidences; there is a purpose for everything.

Romans 8:27 – 28 – “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
We know that God loves us and He will never give us more than we can handle. He says He will never leave us and will be with us no matter what we are going through. Do you have the faith to believe this?

One thing that I have learned studying the Old Testament is that God does not like it when we are disobedient. Often temptations are allowed to test whether we will be obedient. This is why I believe this could be the number one sin against God. The Israelites were continually being punished for their disobediences to rejecting God’s commands and His ways. How many of your problems or persecutions may be a result of your disobedience?

The Bible say we must know our purpose in life.

Scripture tells us that we were created with a purpose and talents to excel in certain situations. Many struggle with what is their purpose in life and what has God planned for us. Those who understand their God-given purpose and find careers that fulfill what they believe is making a difference that is beneficial to society, feel achievement and happiness. A person, who becomes conscious of their need to serve others or solve problems and know why they exist, will be able to handle almost any circumstance. Achievement and success normally promotes happiness.

As we search for meaning in our lives, we must realize that we were created in the image of God and Christ. We were told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. We were to rule over every living thing that moves on the earth. Our purpose was to live a holy life as Christ demonstrated and become a member of God’s family. This requires a personal relationship with God and Christ.

I heard an illustration that may help understand what is required. A lion was born in a zoo and lived in a cage for a number of years. They fed him and took care of every need. He had certain instincts that he could not use while in captivity, that often kept him frustrated. If one day, he was released and placed in a jungle would he know what to do to survive? He had never hunted, never had to defend himself against an attack, didn’t have the confidence to do what lions are suppose to do.

Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and sinned. They were placed in a cage filled with sin and did not know how to live outside the garden. No matter what they did, sin continually consumed them. They no longer had a relationship with God; they did not know how to live a holy life and had no real purpose or meaning of life. They had children engulfed in sin. The older brother killed the younger brother because of anger resulting from sin.

Man is born and placed in a zoo, living in a cage filled with sin. He lives as he sees the world living. There was no way to be released from that sinful cage until Christ died for our sins and provided a way for redemption. That would release a person from sin’s hold and provide a person to live and obtain the image God created us to have. The one requirement was to accept Christ as one’s Lord and Savior. When that occurred, God gave man His Spirit to help us become the person that God had intended with a meaning for life and life’s purpose.

For us to be ready to live with God in eternity requires preparation. I have a friend who played professional basketball for a number of years. From an early age he prepared by shooting hundreds of baskets every day. The training and preparation professional athletes endure is tedious. Yet, many new converts do not believe to live a holy life requires preparation. If God created us in His own image how do we reach that goal and live a mature spiritual life? Can we become Christ-life without preparation? We are not turned loose in the jungle like the lion, we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. If we spent the amount of time preparing as a professional athlete has, how much time would we spend reading the Bible and praying, developing a relationship with God and Christ? How much time have you spent preparing for your career?

We are told to pray without ceasing. Do we pray for heavenly wisdom and for God’s purpose for our lives? We are told that Christ came to free us from sin and give us an abundant life. Do you have a joyful, calm and peaceful life? We are told, if we develop a relationship with God and Christ we can have that kind of life.

Has the past life of living in sin, made it it difficult to walk out of the sin-cage that captivated you? Have fear, unworthiness and a lack of confidence kept you from becoming what you were created to be? Have you committed to being obedient to God’s ways or do you still feel comfortable living as the world lives.

Do you love God with all of your heart, all your soul and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself? Do you know God’s promises and do you trust Him completely? Psalms 112:1 tells us that happy is the person who delights in doing God’s commands.

My more than fifty years as a Christian, praying and reading my Bible daily and preparing for eternity, I have experience that God meets our every need and Christ gives us an abundant life like He says He will. It is fantastic to live outside of the sin-cage and have freedom.

Having worked with thousands of people, it isn’t too difficult to see their gifts and talents. It doesn’t take long to recognize that some are not salespeople but they may be great in accounting type areas. However, it may be harder for individuals to recognize their own God given talents or gifts.

To help me understand talents and gifts in others, I read where Hippocrates over 2400 years ago divided people into four basic categories which he named Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic. Each temperament has both strengths and weaknesses. They become a part of our nature throughout life. Even though each individual temperament includes both strengths and weaknesses they are not always evenly balanced. It is quite possible for two people with identical temperaments to be as dissimilar as a banana and an onion if one of them possesses the strengths of this temperament and the other has its weaknesses. Negative or positive traits are often developed in childhood where one child grows up in a positive environment where parents are encouragers and another child grows up in a negative environment where parents are criticizers.

The Bible tells us that God created us with certain gifts and talents, physically and mentally. It also states that once God gives you a gift He doesn’t change His mind and take it away. Yet, most waste and squander what has been given to them. Do you have special gifts that you never use? Do you have temperaments that stress your weaknesses more than their strengths?

How many of us have gifts that we have never used because we didn’t know we had them? I have seen people with gifts and talents that they were unwilling to take the risk in using them. Could you have the gifts, talents and temperaments to become a millionaire and yet have financial problems throughout life?

I never had the slightest thought that I had the ability to write. In school when term papers and essays were required, I was close to being a total failure. A few years ago, a close friend suggested that I write a book on things I learned as a Christian in managing people. He helped me write and we put a book together. Our publisher stated that I needed to write Christian blogs. Five years ago, I started writing two blogs a week and have written 620 that have been read over 61,000 times. Most of them will show up on Google, BING or Yahoo. Had someone not encouraged me, I would never have realized that God had given me that gift, that was dormant for years, and that the Holy Spirit would inspire and show me where to find the material to write.

Remember, when God gives you a spiritual gift, He also gives you the power of the Holy Spirit as you use that gift for His ministry. Regardless, evil spirits will continually try to deceive you: you really don’t have that gift; you don’t have the knowledge or the ability to use that gift. To whose voice do we listen? This is why it is so important to be knowledgeable of God’s promises. Every time we use our God given gift for Him, He will bless us. How? Possibly: good feelings, satisfaction, a passion and excitement, sensing the Holy Spirit is helping us know God is pleased, feeling a part of God’s family, etc. This I had to learn!

Some of us need to be challenged and encouraged to do things we do not believe we can do. We will never know what our gifts and talents are if we are unwilling to risk doing different things. We often let our environment determine what we can or cannot do. We struggle with all kinds of emotional hang-ups. Determine what some of the obstacles are that keep you from trying new things? Most of us see ourselves as just average people. That doesn’t mean that in some things we may be extremely capable.

We must realize that God has a plan for our lives. This plan can be determined through heavenly wisdom. We are to live wisely lives according to Scripture. We must see things through God’s perspective. My experience was that I continually prayed that God would give me wisdom and guide me to fulfill the plan I believed He created me to do. I was offered jobs to become a high school coach, to be a production foreman and then a store manager. Due to circumstances; I believe I was called to become a financial advisor. Some 27 years ago, I started my own business and have been able to help a number of people financially. I thought of it as my ministry to serve and help others.

Proverbs 2:1 – 7 – “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright; he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,”

The Bible continually tells us the importance of faith and confidence to fulfill our life’s purpose by using the gifts and talents we have been given. If we have a passion for doing something, chances are we can do it exceedingly well. Have you ever done something that you wanted to do continually? Ask yourself: “Are you doing what God designed you to do?” If you are, there will be a feeling of achievement and success. Money is not what determines success. Millionaires can sometimes be the most unhappy people.

I Peter 4:10 – “ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
God had given us gifts often to serve others. Every Christian has been given a spiritual gift. Some more than one, but everyone has a gift. The gift is not to make us better than others or to draw attention to ourselves. God has given us a gift that we might use it to serve the body of believers. The gifts that God gives, does not give us the right to use them as we please. When we use our gifts helping others, they will see Jesus in us and praise Him for the help they have received. (Matthew 5:16) “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Romans 14:12 – “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

When I meet God to give an account of my life on earth I do not want to hear: “Don, why didn’t you use the gifts that I gave you?” I don’t want to hear that I could have done so-and-so or could have been someone else. Wouldn’t it be nice just to hear that we were a good faithful servant?

The American workplace is changing: Management styles, markets, individual qualifications, and what it takes to succeed. If you can’t keep up, you will be left behind.

Successful businesses focus on efficiency and improved productivity and quality. To meet these goals, managers have learned the value of treating employees with a measure of respect: listening to suggestions, heeding criticisms, and promoting teamwork. However, many of these same managers privately view their employees as expendable as Pentium 1 processors. Job security, even in management, is a thing of the past.

Marketplace factors, not human factors control the marketplace. Managers hire, promote, and pay employees based on the company’s need and the employee’s ability to produce. And they are fired if they are unable to produce efficiently.

The new climate in America’s workplace is insensitive, even brutal, and it is not likely to change any time soon. Today’s successful business/people must make objective decisions. Only the bottom line warrants consideration. The workplace has no room for sentimentality.

This new objectivity has opened doors for those who are professionally qualified regardless of race, gender, or social position. Success, in terms of money and prestige, is based upon merit rather than on social or economic background.

Prestigious universities are still important, yet employers now place more emphasis on what workers have learned rather than where they learned it. Although some obvious pluses accompany this new objectivity, is it truly the best way to conduct business?

Unfortunately, many Christians jump into the workplace with little forethought as to how they intend to meet workplace challenges, gain and keep respect, or increase their income. They don’t consider that the workplace is a microcosm of the culture. Pitfalls that exist in the neighborhood, city, state, and country will also be in the workplace. Like anyone else, Christians can be solely driven to make the bottom line black and fat, but they do not always understand that they have access to an advantage that transcends the bottom line.

Thirty-plus years in management have taught me that the most successful people consistently buck popular trends. They have learned to understand the trends and know which ones to buck and when to buck them. In today’s workplace, Christians have an inside track on both “what” and “when,” yet they frequently fail to act on it.

I have been a business and management consultant. I confess to often scratching my head and wondering why Christian clients fail to see or acknowledge their tremendous advantage in the workplace. They don’t seem to understand what it is much less what to do with it.

This book is about just that—the Christian’s advantage in the workplace, what it is and how to use it. Those who have received Christ as Savior and invited the Holy Spirit’s guidance into their lives will learn how to make the connection between their spiritual lives and their careers, prepare for the tasks at hand, make wise business decisions, submit to chains of command, and develop healthy coworker relationships.

Everything in this book is based upon what the authors have learned in the workplace and/or in the Bible. The message is directed primarily to people who often wonder how God fits in the workplace and desire careers in leadership, entrepreneurship, or management; therefore, we have included a number of biblical references and encourage you to study them. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, “Basics,” lays a foundation for the Christian advantage; Part 2, “Working,” explores surviving and thriving in the workplace; and Part 3, “Managing,” addresses several issues every manager faces at one time or another. At the end of each chapter is a summary of the main points and questions for you to consider and answer. This book can be used by individuals or in a group study.

The Bible is many things; it includes a manual for living. God told the Israelites how to live a healthy and prosperous life. He taught them sanitation, what to eat, how to raise their crops and animals, how to live a life of purity, and how to be prosperous. “He who trusts in the LORD will prosper” (Prov. 28:25). When I was younger, this didn’t mean a whole lot to me, because in the world’s eyes, I had not prospered, nor did I believe I needed to know how to live in this world.

I have since learned that every Christian can become prosperous. It starts with Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” The world says that everyone can have anything they want. All they have to do is to buy on credit. Many Americans believe it is their right to have a home, a new car, and the latest fads and gadgets. They are entitled to eating out and keeping up with the latest fashions. But what happens in volatile economic times when the credit stops flowing and we have declining housing prices? A believer who heeds the verse that says “Let no debt remain outstanding” (Rom. 13:8a) will not live like the world lives, but rather as God intended, mostly debt free and with adequate savings.

In Matthew 25:14–30, Christ tells the parable of the talents. A master gives one servant five talents (for example $50,000), to another two talents ($20,000), and to a third, one talent ($10,000). All were given according to their ability. Two went to work and doubled their master’s money. The one-talent man took the money and buried it. When the master returned and saw that the two servants had doubled his money, he said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The servant who had received the one talent and had buried it was told: “You wicked, lazy servant.” The master took the talent from him and gave it to the one who had been given five talents.

What kind of stewards are we? As believers are we serving God as the two servants did, or are we living self-serving lives as the one-talent man did? We must first understand that as believers we have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and does many things. First, He becomes our partner and helps us to mature in Christ. And second, he aids us in living righteous lives: making good and ethical decisions and assisting us in changing how we think. We then live as God intends and not as the world dictates, which can get us into all kinds of problems, particularly financial ones.

It is my belief that too many Christians have accepted Christ as their Savior but fail to live by the guidelines given in the Bible. It is difficult to give up the ways of the world. From birth, we lived as the world lives. Once saved, many Christians continue living just as they always have. They experience little or no change in their lifestyles. They buy homes they cannot afford, purchase cars that are too expensive, and run up credit card debt with monthly payments too difficult to meet. Too often pride overcomes heavenly wisdom. We then pray to God to get us out of our financial disaster.

The book was written to share with Christians that they have a unique advantage, having the Holy Spirit to guide them in making decisions, in leading and having a servant’s heart. God has not planned that Christians fail. If we fail it is because we have not followed Biblical guide lines. If we do follow the Bible and fail, it is to build our faith and strengthen us for a better future. God will use adversity to change our direction. The Holy Spirit is the best guide for life we can use. We must not ignore God’s Spirit.

If a church is not growing it may not have the right vision. Today, there may be more churches losing members than gaining new converts. The Bible says that in the later days there will be a falling away of the saints. We read in the Bible that people can be religious and lost. In the last days, people will only love themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God. We are seeing the beginning of a massive rebellion against God. We are seeing it in our schools, our government and society in general. We are seeing it in churches where people are abandoning God or giving up one’s faith.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 – 3 – “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,”

Matthew 24:9 – 12 – “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”

The purpose of the church is to worship God, partake of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to help each other and to evangelize the world. Due to my career and many transfers I have been a member of eleven churches. In most, the membership is less today than a few years ago. However, our family has belonged, over 30 years, to a church that has grown from 470 to over 70,000, which includes churches and satellites we have started, on special weekends.

However, traditional churches are struggling to maintain their growth, while evangelic churches are growing. It makes a difference as to who the church is targeting. Some traditional churches are preaching to those who have been Christians for years. They use terminology that is not meaningful to those visiting. To young people and many visitors, the music and messages are boring and not fulfilling.

Our membership growth did not actually happen until we changed our vision to making a difference in our community and beyond. Many of our senior members disliked the more fast paced music and sermons that were meaningful to unchurched visitors and younger adults. We believed that we had to change our services to the culture within which we lived. Many churches were losing young people and we believed God wanted us to concentrate more on what it would take to change their lives.

There are more than 30% of American adults, 30 years old and younger, that have no religious affiliation. This trend started in the early 1990s. We wanted to change our approach to bring the gospel message to this group as well. In Las Vegas, there may be a higher number of unchurched adults than elsewhere. It appeared some churches were losing their passion for the ministry. Their traditions were not meaningful to these unchurched folks. We had to ask the question: “Were we being affective?” Were there too many rituals and ceremonies? We had to address the culture of our metro area. It seemed we needed to develop more modern means of reaching those who were not going to any church and were unaware that they needed to find Christ.

We believe God called our church to spread the gospel as stated in Mark 16:15 & 16 – “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

That required a drastic change. We were preaching to the choir, those who had been Christians most of their lives. When we accepted our call to reach out to the community, we saw an immediate and rapid growth in attendance. In fact, it was just a matter of time and our facilities were not adequate to support the number attending. Yes, it required millions to relocate and build to provide for the growth. However, we believe it was God’s will that we changed our purpose for the church.

The church has a specific purpose. We are told to reach out to all creation. However, a major problem is that people detest change. They are mostly unwilling to change for those who are not even Christians. Had we continued to be a true traditional church preaching doctrinal sermons and our Sunday service traditions, we may still be that small church of less than 500. Thank the Lord that we received a new vision that helped more than 50,000 receive salvation and have a changed life.

The world does not believe the church demonstrates the kind of love Jesus taught. It is the kind of love that has no limit. How do we test this love? We test it by our relationship with God and examine how much we love Him and others.

We must not confuse the definition of love:
EROS is a physical and sexual attraction. It is instinctive and natural.
STORGE is a family affection or love. It is often called brotherly love.
PHILIA is a warm personal friendship and it is an affection between two individuals.
AGAPE is a unique love in that you love without expecting love or anything in return. It is an unconditional love. It is called a Christian love. This love is not easy to define but it can be demonstrated and this is the love the world expects from Christian. It is a forgiving love without demanding any return. It is a divine love that is a gift from the Holy Spirit.

What is a Christian told to do? Mark 12:30 – 31 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Christian love can create circumstances in which conflicts can be solved. The gospel message is that love corrects man’s selfishness and perverted love. God’s love, as we know, is unconditional, unlimited and impartial. This love is not automatic or mechanical. It is this love that changes a person’s life. This is the kind of love Christ wants us to accept and practice. The more people that practice this type of love the more peaceful the world would become. Love is the one thing that can change everything!

The moment one is saved from our sins, our goal is described in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians verses 2 to 8 – “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

The Bible tells us to live a holy life. Living a holy life is not possible without love. Love only exists when a person feels free. You cannot force someone to love.

Romans 13:8 – 10 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love fulfills the law.”

How can we learn to love others as ourselves if we first do not love ourselves? It is a Christian’s obligation to love others. To a degree, it is our responsibility to help others that are unable to help themselves. We need to be aware and actively engaged to see that their needs are met. Whenever love demands, we are to do to others as Jesus would certainly do for us. This used to be something that we did for others. Now we are asking the government to release us from this responsibility. However, God hasn’t!

Paul wrote that God is love. It is God’s nature to love and man’s carnal nature is to serve self. Christian love is neither weak nor spineless. Love comes from courage. Strength comes from a pure heart. God’s love allows for a difference of opinion, others to be free and creative in voicing their beliefs. This love does not destroy indifference or isolationism.

A Christian can love their neighbor, with a universal love, not confined to just certain people. It is not restrained to those who agree with him or her on opinion or in having different forms of worship. We are not to love only those who love us or those we are intimately acquainted with.

Christ says we can know who His disciples are by how they love God and how they love others. This love that God asks us to have is not easily defined but it can be demonstrated. It is a love that is not partial and it is a love that is forgiving. Someday, we will live with people all having an unconditional love. There will be nothing on this earth to be feared. Animals, snakes and nature will all be under control of God and will be compatible with each other as described in Isaiah 11:6 – 9 – “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together;and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

This is the kind of love the world expects from Christians and I believe it is the kind of love God also expects from us. How can you be a true Christian and not make love a number one priority? If you are struggling loving others you may want to examine your spiritual health. This will be the number one requirement in eternity.

God Expects Our Obedience

Disobedience is not necessarily a sin if one refuses the command of a supervisor to do that which is not moral. If we are disobedient to God or the Holy Spirit’s command or God’s ways, we sin. God’s Word tells us what is sinful and what the consequence of sin was.

To understand how disobedience to the Holy Spirit is; man’s sin starts in the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve with a ‘free will’ to be either obedient or disobedient. Disobedience is a form of rebellion.

The first to rebel was Lucifer who was created holy and pure. His pride made him want to be like God. His sin separated him from God and he was placed on earth.

Genesis 2:15 – 17 – “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

They were warned of death but Satan deceived them into believing they would not die but they would become like God and know the difference between good and evil. God was not stating immediate physical death but immediate spiritual death. Adam lived more than 900 years. However, he and Eve died spiritually and immediately. The resulting consequence was guilt, fear and separation from God. They were no longer holy and innocent because of their rebellion and they received their sinful nature. From then on their conscience knew the difference between good and evil. From these two, everyone born received their sinful nature guaranteed to be forever separated from God, once they received the age of accountability, unless they accepted Christ as their Savior.

Ephesians 2:1 – 5 – “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

As Gentiles we were full of ourselves and disobedient to God. Our sins made us dead men as we lived as the world lives. We were controlled by Satan as everyone is who is not a believer in Christ and we were under the control of Satan’s evil ways. As a result, we would not only die physically and lost but be dead spiritually. Being spiritually dead meant separated from God forever.

The air is filled with demons and evil spirits and they are at work in those who are disobedient to God. The Bible says we are sons of Satan and have his nature and his character that prompts us to rebel and disobey God unless we have been forgiven and accepted into God’s family.

As born sinners, we were disobedient and had to be taught to have self-control and obedience. God provided a way that we could overcome this disobedient spirit that we had inherited. His plan was for everyone who would accept Christ as His Son and Savior for all mankind, could learn, by copying the life that Christ lived, we could become obedient. That does not mean we would no longer have a desire to be rebellious and a tendency to be willing to allow the devil to deceive us in ways and be tempted to accept and sin. We do not lose our natural desires and lusts. We learn to practice that self-control and refuse to be tempted.

It has been sin that has kept us from knowing and understanding God. We had no idea how angry God was of disobedient sins. Before salvation we were without God, the Holy Spirit, Christ and hope. But thanks for God’s grace and mercy. We are told that God’s great love was able to forgive us of sins of the flesh, body impurities and excess in things such as envy, uncontrolled rage, pride and selfish ambitions.

As God raised Christ from the dead, He will raise us from the death that resulted from sin and will bring us into His family and we will live with them through eternity.