In our book, “God and the Bottom Line”, Doug Lee and I wrote concerning what we experienced, as Christians, to help us be better employees, leaders and managers at work and elsewhere.  Doug relates his experiences as a professional basketball player with the New Jersey Nets, the Sacramento Kings and in Italy.  He also writes about his opportunities as a CEO for an international public company.  I write about what I observed as a store manager for Montgomery Ward having worked in nine different stores with thousands of employees.  We both have been on secular and church boards.

John 14:15 – 17 – “If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Jesus tells us in these verses that Christians need an advocate and a helper because we cannot do many things on our own.  He tells us we have an advantage that the world does not have and that is the Holy Spirit.  If we have an advantage how do we apply it and how will the Holy Spirit make us any different at work, home, school or wherever?

Acts 1:4 – 8 tells us that once we receive the Holy Spirit we will receive power.  What is this power and how does the Spirit help us?

I was always aware of the Holy Spirit but never really understood how fully He worked in the life of a Christian.  God allowed me for nine years to be chairman of a relocation task force that opened my eyes.  We were responsible for purchasing 80 acres and overseeing the building of a 150,000 sq. ft. church.  Government red tape, impossible land problems and seeing supernatural acts of solving problems made me a believer that Christians, having the Holy Spirit, have an advantage.  You cannot imagine the number of doors that opened that we thought were locked shut forever.  Were it not for God’s intervention and the Holy Spirit I doubt if we could have been successful.  I saw a 470 church attendance grow to over 40,000 on special weekends.  Our vision and mission was changed to evangelize Las Vegas and beyond.  You have no idea the turmoil that it caused in a very traditional church in the very beginning and how we sensed Christ’s leading.

Doug and I have been members of a Men’s Bible study group meeting every Friday since 1999.  Doug would tell stories that he encountered on trips flying to Europe, Israel, China and situations at work.  A long time ago, we started calling an usual experience “A God Thing”.  Every day, my family and I look for situations that we believe we’re a result of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Talking to Christians over the years many do not recognize that it is the Holy Spirit that has made good things happened in their lives. Many believe they were just lucky or it was a coincident.  We consider every good thing that happens is a result of God’s goodness working through the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of our 249 page book is to make Christians aware of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in their lives.  We serve a good God and it is His desire to bless His children. He does it through the Holy Spirit.  He wants us to be confident, but humble, and to be content, filled with joy.  He wants us to recognize all of the good things He is doing for us.

The Holy Spirit is invisible and works behind the scenes to be our helper.  Do you believe that God would give us His Spirit and His power and then not do anything to help us?  How often when something good happens do you stop and thank God and the Holy Spirit?  May we assure you, the more you recognize the goodness of the Holy Spirit and thank Him, you will see more good things occur.

We try to share some of the supernatural events that have happened in our lives that we know was a result of the Holy Spirit.  It is our desire, in the book, to convince you that the Holy Spirit is looking out for you and will direct you in the direction God wants you to go.

If you will allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, He will help you to make right decisions, improve your productivity and improve your relationships with co-workers.  Let me share a previous writing: For those who are inclined to ask: “What good is an advantage that the Holy Spirit gives to Christians if it doesn’t translate into success every time?”  I offer the following rather homespun explanation.  The Christian who depends upon the Holy Spirit is sensitive to His leading and is like the athlete who listens to an experienced coach.  The coach can’t guarantee an athlete’s induction into the Hall of Fame, nor can he guarantee a gold medal for the athlete, but he can train him and teach him everything he knows, giving him every advantage, allowing him to consistently do his best.  The Christian advantage does not guarantee presidencies, chairmanships, wealth, achievement awards, fame or recognition, but it will lead the Christian into the direction that fulfills his God-given purpose.  What do you have to lose?  Instead of ignoring the Holy Spirit in your life allow Him to become your partner.

We have tried to give many reasons why God wants to help you be a more productive and a prosperous Christian.

Road rage is one example of one’s emotions out of control.  What triggers anger or a person with a short fuse?  Isn’t it an uncontrolled emotion?  Emotions out of control may cause dangerous responses.  If emotions are not controlled it may result in depression, phobias, anxiety or a lack of a good self-esteem.  Where did it all start?  God created us in His image with a spirit, the ability to reason, have feelings and emotions.  Ever since Adam and Eve, God has provided man with numerous ways to control one’s emotions and feelings.  Look around, have we?  Yet, God made it possible that we can control our actions.

History tells us that thousands of years ago people lived in tribes of a few hundred people or maybe less.  Anyone who was not a member of their tribe was their enemy.  It wasn’t unusual to attack, on sight, anyone they met from a different tribe.  Tribes often raided and killed other tribes for their possessions or just because they didn’t want them to exist.  It was a lawless society.  Live in most any large city today and gangs behave similar to early tribes.  People are often killed today for no apparent reason other than they don’t want someone to exist. Maybe it is out of jealousy or envy.   How far have we come?

God chose to intervene into a world whose emotions were out of control.  His plan was to choose Abraham and start a new way of life in order for the human race to live at peace with each other.  God then chose Moses to establish laws and started with the Ten Commandments.  The intent was to get the world’s emotions under control and stop wars between nations and the indiscriminate killing of people.  God then desired to establish within each person moral principles that would allow humans to change from their bad behavior.  God gives to every person a free-moral agency or the ability to choose evil or good.  He gave the same to the Jewish nation.  Too often, they became prideful and refused to share what God had given them and His message to the Gentiles.

God knew from the very beginning that laws could not create morality in a person’s heart.  His plan was to send His Son to prepare the world for the acceptance of God’s Spirit to reside in a person’s life to control what man was unable to control on his own.  God told us that if you want peace in your family, in your nation or in the world you must accept His Spirit to live within you.  He made one requirement and that was to accept Jesus Christ as His Son and Savior.  Otherwise you could not be redeemed or receive His Spirit.  Most of the world rejected God’s plan and chose to live on their own which God had given them the right to do.  Thus, we have the same situation that existed in early tribes.  People’s negative emotions and feelings resulted in bad behavior and out of control actions.

How we feel can trigger our emotions either positively or negatively.  We can react with love in our hearts for others or we can have hate.  Or we can commit the seven sins of lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy or pride.  All of which can lead to a moral breakdown of our society.  How many can live life on their own without breaking any of the seven sins?  Doesn’t a person have a better chance if they have the Holy Spirit and they are being guided to live without committing these sins?

Most of us know we must not let our emotions control who we are.  What causes you to become upset or angry?  How quickly and severely do you react?  How often are you frustrated?  If you are a Christian there are hundreds of Scriptures that tell us what we must do to control our emotions and our behavior.

I Peter 1:13 – 16  – “So prepare your minds for action. Control yourselves. Put your hope completely in the grace that will be given to you when Jesus Christ returns.  You should obey. You shouldn’t give in to evil longings. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. The one who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

If you are a person that deals with emotions that need more control realize the importance of living a holy life.  Holiness begins with the proper preparation of our minds.  Our minds must be holy if our behavior is to be holy.  “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

We are to live a life of hope.  We are not to be negative, pessimistic, judgmental or even fatalistic.  We must live as God intended: a life of joy and to the fullest in knowledge of Him.  We are to live a life of total obedience to God.  We must deny ourselves and follow Christ.  We are not to let our former desires control us.  We must know God, love Him and walk in fellowship with Him.  Christ’s holiness must replace our self-centered nature to overcome the evil desires of our flesh.  Have we not learned that we cannot easily control our emotions on our own?  Are you willing to ask for help?  Are you willing to surrender self and let the Holy Spirit council and guide you in controlling your emotions and actions?

According to Webster, HOPE means “The feeling that what is wanted can be had”.  A year ago I wrote this blog and it received more hits in a day than any I have written in the past two and a half years.  Since we have just gone through the tenth year of 9/11 I thought we needed to take another look at the importance of HOPE with an update of what was previously written.   This blog has nothing to do with 9/11 except for HOPE. 

All through the New Testament one word stands out and that is hope.  I wonder how many realize how great of a motivator that can be.  I have never watched a Reality TV show.  I have read material and heard reports on TV.  I believe people will do about anything for money, power or fame.  Ask professional athletes how hard they train in order to become their very best.  Many have goals to be the best, earn millions of dollars and enter the “Hall of Fame”.  One thing you will find common in each one of these individuals is their hope and confidence that they can be a winner.  Without confidence and hope they would not spend many hours each day training to perfect their abilities.

Having participated in sports in high school and college I have a very good idea what it takes to excel.  The majority of us were just not willing to pay the price necessary to become all-stars.  After so much practice training is no longer fun and enjoyable, just grueling to the point of exhaustion.  It takes a lot of hours, energy and determination.  Having coached in high school there were very few willing to put in the extra time and effort to get extremely better.  Most young athletes have no long-term plans or goals, just dreams requiring little effort.  They do not understand or are unwilling to train to become a professional.  There was no hope for greater athletic achievements.  Many lack confidence with little or no hope.  As a result they never reach their full potential.

What is it that 90% of Americans hope will happen to them eternally?  They hope they will end up in Heaven. Yet, most are not willing to sacrifice and train as previously discussed.  The apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9:25 – “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

As people worldwide are going through some very trying economical times the greatest problem that has become apparent is a lack of confidence and hope in government most everywhere.  Government over the past number of years has unconsciously substituted themselves for God.  Scripture says God will meet our need and governments say: “No, they will meet every ones need”.  What governments have promised in the past can no longer be fulfilled. Americans who used to depend on God were deceived into believing the government could do what God had promised.  Therefore, their dependence on God, they thought, was no longer necessary and the Bible, morality and respect became unimportant.  That’s when the morality of the American people slowly degenerated.

Previously people respected each other and their property, plus they had a respect for authority.  Most believed in God and lived understanding the importance of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  They lived helping each other with the hope that shortly things would become much better.  I remember what President Roosevelt said: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  And what I remember, most everyone depended upon each other.  They also knew that God was in control and their confidence and hope was in Him.  What’s different today is people’s hope turned to government and now they have become disillusioned.  My parents and others didn’t get any food stamps, government subsidized health insurance or unemployment compensation going through the 1930s.

I don’t remember how long I had been a Christian until I realized the importance of living with God and Jesus in eternity.  My hope was to be with Christ when He returns to rule the world for those 1000 years.  Another hope was to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life which assured I would be.  I then realized that the Bible teaches God’s grace is all it takes to be in that Book.  However, Scripture kept insisting that I needed more than just accepting.

I Timothy 4:7 – “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.”  II Timothy 3:16 & 17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I was to train myself to be dependent upon God and live a holy life. Being holy meant to be set apart by God doing His services and acting responsibly.  I was to treat people faultlessly and above reproach.  There would come a time I would be with Christ throughout eternity.  I could even receive a crown that would last forever.  Does that mean what I do on earth makes a difference when I get to heaven?  It doesn’t mean I am to work my way to heaven but I am to prepare myself for heaven.  Never did I believe that government had taken the place of God.

My one hope was to be prepared to excel at the next level (Heaven).  I realize that many people are not interested in playing sports regardless of age.  As long as they can sit in the grandstand and watch the players, that is good enough for them.  I want to be a player and a doer.  Then what does that entail?  First, you must learn the rules.  You must exercise and get physically and mentally fit.  In most games you must learn the plays and the game’s strategy.  How well you learn and prepare depends on whether you get cut from the team, sit on the bench or become a starter.  Have you ever watched a person play a game who didn’t know the rules?  I don’t need to be in God’s Hall of Fame but my hope is to make His team.

Why will some Christians become workaholics to earn a living, get a promotion or earn big bucks; yet, spend little time reading their Bibles, studying the Word and preparing themselves for the “next level”?  What is more important, 80 to 90 years on this earth or 1000 years with Christ and longer?  My greatest “hope” is to be able to spend those years with Christ prepared to accept whatever responsibility I am offered.  Apparently what I am willing to do while on this earth will make a differences later on.  At least that is how I interpret the Bible.

Hebrews 6:10 & 11 – “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.”

So where do you place your hope?  Do you worship government or God?  Who do you depend upon, government or God?  Do you live according to God’s rules or the laws and rules government provides?  Who do you think has kept their promises the best?  In the end, and you pass on, which one provides the best chances in eternity?  To date, how would you rate Satan’s job in deceiving people?

Ephesian 2:8 – 9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 11:6 – “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

Depending on where a person receives Christ as their Savior they may ask: “Now what must I do?”  The response may be: “I have this manual that will give you all of the do’s and don’ts of being a Christian”.  You may respond and say:  “I thought the only thing required was to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as yourself.”  “Oh no!  You now must work your way to heaven.”   It seems every religion, denomination or cult all have different manuals that must be followed.  Why is it the Baptists have a list, Methodists another, Jehovah Witnesses their own, Catholics a different one and the Mormon’s have another?

Martin Luther didn’t think the Catholics were teaching the correct theology and changed the requirements.  A Lutheran minister thought things were too traditional and made a list for Methodists.  A Methodist minister thought they were too liberal and made a Baptist list of requirements.  On and on it went until we have over a hundred different lists.   Whose list is the most correct and the one that should be followed?  Who is right?  If you are a member of a certain denomination you probably think your list of the things a Christian must do is the best one and the only one that will totally please God and assure your entrance into Heaven.

So the question is: “What must we do after salvation to become what Christ wants us to be”?  The Bible is very clear; salvation is a gift from God and has nothing to do with works.  Then why does most every belief indicate that you must fulfill certain requirements to get to Heaven?  When someone gives us a gift do we not feel obligated to give something in return?  Or, we must do something to earn God’s favor.  It seems if someone doesn’t set a standard for us to live by, we would live no differently than we lived as a sinner.

The Bible teaches that if we truly love God and others we will want to do good deeds and to serve Him and others. We may also do it to prove that we have repented and want to share our blessings with others.  We serve out of love and not because it is mandatory.

What Christ did on earth was to give us an example as how we are to live.  It is through the Holy Spirit that guides and encourages us to become more like Him.  When we accepted Christ, didn’t we make a commitment to Him saying I will allow Your Spirit to work through me?  Do you serve Him because you feel you must or are you following guidelines that someone has set as a standard for you?  Will you have the same passion in serving somewhere you are mandated to serve rather than if you were serving out of love and because you truly wanted to?  Would you prefer listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance or what the church’s manual tells you to do?

James 1:26 – 27 – “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This is one example of what we should do as Christians in loving others.  Christians are to practice God’s Words and share them with others.  What we say reveals what we have in our hearts.  Unless our hearts are changed through salvation what we say will not be any different from before.

No matter how zealous, legalistic or fanatical we may live our lives the only thing we will be judged on is how we treat others and how we serve God.  The plus, after accepting Christ as our Savior, all boils down to 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.’”  There is no other “plus”!  If we love God as commanded we will live to please Him as we strive to develop the mind of Christ.

This past weekend in Jud Wilhite’s message he reminded us of Billy Graham’s four universal needs.  Regardless of who you are or where you live in this world there will be a time when you will feel a spiritual emptiness, a sense of loneliness, a sense of guilt and a fear of death.  My reaction was that this is exactly why God sent His Son that through Him we might overcome these conditions.  Yet, many refuse to believe that they were created by God and that He, through Scripture, has given the answers to overcoming each of these human needs.

It seems we have a choice.  We can live a life complete with being content, having joy, peace of mind, love living somewhat fearlessly and happy as positive Christian people.  Or, we can live, to a degree, becoming paralyzed with anxiety and a sort of hopeless existence, fearing every painful existence that life has to offer.

The Bible teaches that we were created in the image of God.  We have a spirit, a conscience that distinguishes the difference between right and wrong and a mind capable of making decisions.  God gives us free moral agency with the ability to choose what is good or evil.  When we choose evil over good it can bring on guilt and numerous fears.  Studies show that the affects of guilt and fear can damage one’s emotions and may cause deteriorating physical conditions.

God loves each of us and wants us to have a happy and peaceful existence with all of our basic needs being met.  He sent Christ that He might teach us how to deal with each of these basic needs with which we struggle.  We are taught that our separation from God can be fulfilled by accepting Christ as our Savior and our mediator with God and encourages us to enter into God’s presence to worship Him.  For those of us who have accepted these terms realize that that spiritual void, the separation from God can and is made complete.  That spiritual emptiness can be overcome through Christ.

Can God actually forgive us our sins and take away our guilt?  How does one become convinced we can be forgiven?  It is by accepting God’s grace.  We must thoroughly understand the meaning of “grace” because it is major in comprehending what the New Testament is based upon and how God is different from the Old Testament.   It may take reaching a certain spiritual maturity.  But once we fathom the meaning of grace and can accept it, Christ then wants to show His unlimited power, through the Holy Spirit that can change our lives by meeting these needs.   One of the purposes of Christ’s forgiveness of  our sins was to eliminate our guilt and allow us to feel worthy as a child of God and our advantages and benefits as heirs.

We must realize we cannot rid guilt on our own.  So we may need to give up trying and allow the Holy Spirit to progressively help us accept grace, total forgiveness which can eradicate guilt and free us to live the life God had intended—to be healthy and positive.

But that can only be done by faith in Christ that God truly loves us regardless of our past, present or future or what we have done or will do.  However, our part is to become obedient and accountable to the teaching of the Gospel.    If we do not know what the Gospel teaches it makes it most difficult to feel accepted by God and feel worthy.  We do not earn being forgiven and worthy.  We are made worthy and guilt free by God’s grace through His Spirit.  It is His gift and it is “free” to us.  Do you have the faith to accept it?

Let me use these illustrations again.  My aunt, age 60, was a godly woman who was in a serious car accident.  She was hanging onto life.  Her son, a minister, told her that hundreds were praying for her.  She told her son to tell them that I am praying that God will take me home.  Her prayers were answered.  In 1984 I had heart bypass surgery.  In 2005 I had a massive heart attack and my family was told there was little hope.  Five years later I met the surgeon who did my last bypass.  I asked him if he was surprised to see me alive.  He said, to be truthful I am, you were in very bad shape.  At no time did I fear death.

Am I looking forward to heaven and eternal life?  Not really!  If I could I would like to live another 100 years.  Am I prepared to die—yes!  Hosea 4:6 – “my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.”  Isaiah 5:13a – “Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding;”   I have learned that my actions are a result of how I think.  How I think is based on my knowledge.  Scripture teaches that Christ came to teach us how we can overcome guilt and take away the fear of death.  What I think is based on my having studied the Bible, in depth.  If God says these needs can be met, accept His promise! Don’t let your mind put up with anything less.

Romans 8:6 – “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”  I Corinthians 15:55 – “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”   II Corinthians 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Biblical knowledge and its promises can give you hope; whereas, a lack of knowledge could cause despair and fear.   I live knowing that Heaven is my final home and for years I have lived preparing and anticipating what it might be like.  Let all of us hope we can put off death for a while longer yet we need not fear it.

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Matthew 24:30 – 35 – “’And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.   And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”   

 Matthew 25:31 – 33 – “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.   All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.   He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.”  Once they are separated, Matthew 25:26 tells us those on the left will go to eternal punishment but the righteous will go to eternal life. 

Revelation 20:6 – 8 – “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.    When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.”

Once the war of Armageddon is over and Satan is sent to the Abyss for 1000 years along with all others whose names were not in the Book of Life.  Jerusalem becomes the world capital.  Poverty is unknown and prosperity is evident everywhere.  Most people will have every need met.  There will be no prisons, no hospitals, no mental institutions and few graveyards for some may live to be as old as Methuselah.   The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God.  Jesus is Lord and rules with an iron rod.  His reign is righteous and the nations obey His directions. 

We believe generation after generation will be born and the earth flourishes as it did in the Garden of Eden before man’s sin.  To live longer lives we have been told we will have a new body.  A body that is not as lustful and carnal as our present ones.  We will have a different mind-set and most likely stress and fear may not be a factor.  If Christ chose one of us to do a job, would we question whether we could do it or not?  Would Christ ask us if He knew we couldn’t do it?  What would it be like with everyone having a positive attitude? 

God cursed creation because of the sins of Adam & Eve.  It is believed that once Christ returns the earth’s ecology and environment will be as it was prior to the flood.  No one knows how this will happen but the Apostle Peter said, “If God promised it, then He knows how to do it.”  

History tells us that the early church leaders believed without exception that Christ would return after the Tribulation to reign.  In A.D. 375 Augustine taught that the 1000 year Millennium began with the birth of Christ.  Many continue to believe that it is between the resurrection and when Christ returns the second time.  They believe the reign of Christ is in the hearts of Christians until Jesus’ return.  They also believe the Tribulation occurs throughout history and that we have been going through it since Christ’s death.  They do not believe that Christ will rule on this earth for 1000 years.  I continue to believe that when Christ returns believers will be raptured and those saved in the Tribulation period and the Old Testament saints will live to rule with Jesus.  

The Jews expected their Messiah would come as a world leader.  This is why they could not accept a spiritual Jesus as their Messiah.  Therefore, we believe the Old Testament and the New Testament agree that there will be 1000 years when Christ actually rules as a benevolent dictator on earth and it hasn’t happened yet. 

Once the 1000 years are over, Satan, non-believers and this earth will be destroyed by fire.  There then will be a new heaven and a new earth that we will live within, a paradise greater than anything man could ever imagine.  It will have the capacity to accommodate over one billion people.  What on this earth could be more important that living God’s ways planning for eternity?