Sure, there are times for waiting on God, but that cliche is so misused that it ruins millions of dreams for Christians.

Most people need to QUIT WAITING and get moving!

For example, I have a friend who has the dream of owning a ranch to help children.

Yet, she does nothing to move toward her goal.  She is just “waiting” for God to do something.  She doesn’t study the subject.  She doesn’t look for jobs in that field.  She doesn’t even put together any type of plan for it.  She’s waiting…and waiting…and will likely continue waiting.

People do the same thing in ministry.  They say God called them to ministry and they start waiting for doors to open up.  There is a street corner open already just over there they can get started on.  And their church is likely asking for help in the children’s ministry.  But they’re waiting…

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”
Eccl 9:10, NKJV

People do the same thing in business.  They’ll say, “Maybe God wants me to start a business.  If so it will happen some day.”

No, it won’t if you refuse to participate in it.

I love Paul the apostle’s attitude which we can see here…

“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them”
Acts 16:6-7, NKJV

The fire in Paul led him to constantly GO.  In fact, God had to tell him when to stop.  He wasn’t sitting around waiting to figure where he should go.  He was already going.  He just needed to be set in the right direction.

Most Christians today are waiting for a sign from heaven to get moving.  Instead get moving, and pay attention if God tells you to stop or change course.

I’ve heard people say that 2/3rds of GOD is GO.  Get moving.  Get actively going after the dreams God has put in your heart.

What is the first step you need to accomplish on the way to your dreams?  Do it today.

While many of us are waiting on God, HE has been waiting on us to get in gear.

It seems like most people don’t want to be led.  They want to dragged kicking and screaming all the way to their goals.

To be led means you have to be willing to move.

What little step did you take toward the goals and dreams God has put in your heart this week?

What will you do next week?

And what’s holding you back from accomplishing what He has put in your heart?

We’ve all made mistakes.  We’ve all had failures.  And we’ve all sinned.

So join the club with the rest of us.

You can’t allow your past to hold your future hostage.

For example, some people have trouble understanding God’s forgiveness because of what they have in their past.  It’s tough to get over whatever they’ve done.  In those cases, you need to look at those in the Bible.  Paul was called Saul before he came to Christ and he was the one hunting down and putting Christians to death.

But he never allowed his past to hold his future hostage.  He preached the Gospel everywhere he went and wrote 2/3rds of the New Testament after his conversion.

God will forgive you of anything in your past.  All you have to do is ask, repent, and then forgive yourself.  Forgiving yourself is the hardest step there is.

This applies to your failures as well.

Perhaps you tried to start a business a few years ago.  You lost both time and money.  Perhaps you even ended up in debt from it.

I know the feeling.  I failed at multiple different businesses before I discovered the Internet.  It seemed like I was a failure going somewhere to happen.

But I didn’t quit.  I didn’t allow those failures to hold me back from the future.  Sure, it was tough to get over them in the beginning.  It was hard to believe I could succeed when all my previous experience was failure.

I moved forward anyway.  Learn from your past mistakes, but don’t let them hold you back.

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Phil 3:13-14, NKJV

What is your past is holding you back today?  What is weighing you down?

When I went to motorcycle safety class years ago, one of the toughest things for me to practice was turning my head fully as you go into a turn.

On a motorcycle you’re turn your head toward the direction you want to go.  Focus on where you want to end up.  In other words, look into the corner instead of staring at the pavement you’re trying to avoid!

If you’re constantly looking at your past, you’re sabotaging your future.

This is true in your spiritual walk, your relationships, your health, and your career/business.

All of the entrepreneurs I’ve spoken to have their “failure” story.  It sometimes seems that failure in business is almost a prerequisite to long-term success.  Some succeed right out of the gate and then find a way to run their business into the ground later.

If you’ve lost money in business previously, then you’ve already overcome one of the major hurdles we’ve all gone through.

Here’s where we need some reader participation.

How have you gotten over failures in your past and put them completely behind you?

If your goal is to be a Christian entrepreneur, then you’re going to have to live a life of faith to go with it.

Why?

Because you don’t see an immediate return on most of the actions you take.

It’s not an easy trade of time for dollars.  If you’re working a job and you work for 40 hours, then you’re paid for 40 hours (at least areas of the world you are).

As an entrepreneur you could work 60 hours next week and not see a single penny back immediately.

You may see a return 2 weeks later…or a year down the road…or not at all.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1

Your paycheck may not be seen for quite a while!

And many people give up before they get their return.

You’re investing in the future.  You’re building something that can’t fully see yet.

In fact I always tell people to think about the lifestyle they want to design from day one.  What is it you’re building?  What will your business look like when it’s fully grown?

Some are after a small business that maybe is part-time for the owner with a few outsourced workers.  Others have a goal of a large company, full staffing, and busy office.  That’s their goal.

What’s your goal?  There’s no right or wrong answer because no one else knows what God has put in your heart.

Keep that vision and that goal in your mind.  Write it down on paper.  And keep moving towards it on step at a time.

You will have trials and tribulations before you get to the goal.

You will have opportunities to give up and quit.

The question is how you react to them.

I often joke that when I first came online, I systematically discovered everything that didn’t work first.

Eventually by testing enough different ways to build an online business, I stumbled upon what worked for me.

You don’t have to go through that much, but you will have failures.  You will have projects that just seem to go in circles.  And you will have websites that simply don’t work because they didn’t fit what the prospects were willing to spend their money on.

Are you willing and able to overcome these problems?

Let’s say you put together your first web project.  You come up with a unique idea for a product.  You do the work to put it together.  You get a nice website designed for it.  You buy an ad and send traffic there.

Nothing happens.  All you here is silence.

How do you respond?

After you go beat your head against the wall for a few minutes, you then pray.

And you try something else.  Maybe you modify the web page.  You try a different ad.  You get some feedback from others.

But you do what it takes to get the project to work.  And even through all of that you’re still going to have some projects that aren’t big winners.  They just kind of limp along and do OK.

Do you have faith enough in God’s plan for you to TRY AGAIN?

Are you willing to keep going even when things don’t look like they’re working.

Some scriptures are hard to swallow.  How about this one?

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
James 1:2-3, NKJV

Count it joy when you face trials!  It’s a whole lot easier to count it joy when everything is working well.

But you end up learning more when you have to overcome some difficulties…when things don’t go as planned…and it’s more difficult than you expected it to be.

I think that’s a general rule for most people who start their first business.  They didn’t expect it to be this difficult.

All they heard was everyone talking about how easy it was.  The reality is it’s easier to just let the general negative current of the world float you down river.  It’s easier to just coast.

Working against the current is hard.  You find out if you have faith in God’s plan for you when the going gets tough.

And if you’re going to be a Christian entrepreneur, you’re going to have to learn how to overcome challenges.  That’s what you do as an entrepeneur.

You help others overcome problems. And you will experience many problems of your own along the way.

But you can and will overcome them…

Remember, really there is no such thing as a Christian business.

There are simply Christians who are in business.  They work for a business.  They run the business. Or they’re building the business.

And we sometimes have to make tough choices in our businesses.

As Christians, we rely on the Bible first to guide us, but it doesn’t always give perfectly clear direction for every situation.  That’s where prayer and wisdom comes in.

We’re to deal fairly in our judgments (Proverbs 16:11).

We’re to tell the truth (Proverbs 14:5).

We know we’re to love even our enemies (Luke 6:27).

The Sermon on the Mount definitely gives us a lot to process on this subject!

In the business world, it always seems like we’re being pulled away from this path.

It could be a business partner who suggests you cut a few corners.

Or let’s say you hire a copywriter to write a new ad for your website.

A great way to increase conversion is to tell an authentic story about background, how the product was created, or the benefits in action for a customer.

All of that is good.

But what about when your copywriter decides to add a few more interesting details to your story…details that aren’t accurate?

The correct response is to tell them to fix it. The story should truly be authentic and what happened.

Or let’s give another scenario that has happened multiple times.

Another business owner promotes you to their list.  Sales are made and you give them the share you promised.

Now they ask you to promote for them.  What happens if you SUSPECT their ad may be exaggerated?

I hope you notice I said “suspect,” not that you know it to be true.

Obviously you need to ask them.  But what if they say it’s all accurate?  And you still get that little feeling that something is wrong…

And how do you know your feeling is right?  That’s when it isn’t always easy.

Let’s take another situation.  There is a common saying, “The customer is always right.”

But what about when the customer is wrong?  What about when they’re rude, disrespectful, and demanding?

Let’s take the scenario an extra step. Let’s say the customer is rude, disrespectful, and demanding to such an extent that your employee starts to cry.

What about now?  Is the customer still right?

Sorry…in my opinion, no they’re not.

I’ve always had a policy in my business that we try to make you happy but there are about 1% of people out there you can’t make happy no matter what.

Perhaps that’s too high as it is more like 1 in a 1,000.  In general most people can be reasonable.

The only thing that can be done with the others is refund them and suggest they do business elsewhere.

I’ve worked with Christian ministries that sure seemed nice on the outside.

But if you spoke to their staff…it was horrible how they were treated.  The Christian walk was only extended to people who attended the church, gave donations, and the outside world.  All the employees for the ministry were always considered in the wrong.

And a lot of that was caused by them having the feeling they needed to always love those they were serving.  Their own staff got left out in the cold during the process.

As I said, it isn’t always easy.

That’s why we need to get around other Christians.  And it doesn’t mean we always agree.  But we need to be willing to ask the hard questions.

As a business owner, it’s too easy to become isolated.  Find a local Christian business group.  Make contact with other Christians online.

Form your own little Mastermind group where you have similar goals and commit to help each other.

A public forum like this is good for sharing, but you can’t share all the details of your situation and businesses in it.  It just doesn’t fit.  That’s where you need to associate with others on the same wavelength in a closed setting.

Let me end with this question…

How do you stay focused and connect with other Christian business owners?

Once I got behind on paying all the credit card payments, the collections companies started calling.

I grew to hate the phone.  They made threats.  They broke laws.  They even found my father’s number one time and called him telling him if I didn’t pay them within days they’d have me thrown in jails.

It was a painful experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Yet, people experience every day…including good, honest Christians who simply get behind for whatever reason.

For me, a lot of those debts came from failed business opportunities.  Others came from living expenses when I was out of work.  And a portion came from the big mistake we made of buying a brand new vehicle (interesting enough, the vehicle loan company was the most understanding in the whole process and never sent us to a collection agency).

It was during this period that I started praying for wisdom instead of money.  Our income increased as I discovered the internet.

And I also followed a rather unusual method for paying back the debts.

If you go to any financial counselor they’re likely to lay out a very logical plan.  You pay extra on the highest interest debt.  It’s costing you the most to hold that debt so you pay it first.

But that’s not the plan that worked for me.

Instead we collected and analyzed all the debts we had.  And we paid extra on the smallest debt without considering the interest rate.  This was one credit card we had used very little and only had a couple of hundred on it. It was paid off first.

Then we celebrated.  A no expense celebration, but it was still a celebration to eliminate one of the bills.  Then we took care of the next smallest debt.

We went down the line paying off each of the debts in order of their size.

Why?

This isn’t logical.  It’s logical to pay off the most expensive, highest interest debt first.  It would save you money.

But the problem is we are not “just logical” creatures.  We have emotions.  Once you eliminate one of the debts, one of the responsibilities, you can feel it lift from you.  It’s like your first step into freedom.

You can feel that freedom…even if it’s only one piece in a much bigger puzzle.

Then you eliminate the second smallest debt, and you can feel it again.  It’s like you can take a breath after being underwater for years.

If you only focused on the biggest debt or the highest interest rate, it could take you much longer to reach those first experiences.  And you’d wear out.  It would be tough to keep going.

This way success builds on itself.  You get more excited as each debt disappears.

That’s why I’d suggest you to do the same.  Remember you’re not just a logical creature that makes all your decisions based on clear mathematical numbers.  You’re a person with emotions.  And that feeling of freedom you build can continue to grow.

These early experiences produced a hatred for debt in me.  We paid off all those debts over a couple of years.  It took some sacrifice and the elimination of a lot of expenses during the time, but it was worth it.

A few year later when we purchased our first house, I felt that “pressure” of being in debt again.  So even though we had more money we actually went into debt elimination mode again where we didn’t make almost any additional purchases (although not as strict as the original credit card escape plan).  And we paid off that house in close to a year.

I do have credit cards today as it’s tough to do business online without one, but they’re paid off almost every week.  I still have that hatred of debt.    Too many people feel “OK” about debt in my opinion.  When we look in the Bible, we see God often has quite a bit to say about debts as well.   It definitely doesn’t sound like something we should feel comfortable about continually using…

“The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Prov 22:7, NKJV

“Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.  Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
Rom 13:7-8, NKJV

“For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.”
Deut 15:6, NKJV

I’ll likely do another post coming up soon about debt and what these scriptures say about debt.    What we can see from these is debt is not something you should take likely.  God wants to bless us so we can lend to others…and He wants us to pay what we owe.

This is important, because I’ve seen so many Christians lose their money when it comes to business opportunities.

It seems even more prevalent for us than for the average person out there.  We have faith in the blessings of God, we hear the success stories where the person gives glory to God, and we know God wants to give us the same blessings.

And many of the “Christian” business opportunities are focused on doing good work and sharing a good message with others.

The problem is the mindset itself.

There is no foolproof business.  It doesn’t exist.  In fact, when it comes to the Internet there isn’t even a one-size-fits-all system of promotion.

Instead business is all about finding your advantages…and capitalizing on those.

That’s why my last few posts have been about finding God’s plan for you and your unique skills.

You have advantages both given by God and from experiences you’ve had in your life.

If you’re going to succeed online or in any type of business, you must apply those skills to what you’re doing.

Back before the Internet, I failed with at least half a dozen network marketing and business opps.   All of them were based on in-person or over the phone selling.  That didn’t fit my personality or skillset at all.

I’m an introvert.  My strongest skills revolve around writing and then masterminding.  In fact, my favorite position in business is being behind the scenes and seeing the macro viewpoint…how everything fits and works together.

That’s why I work as an internet business coach.  My clients come to me and I help them see how all the pieces fit together in their overall plan.

It’s the perfect match for my skills and now my experience as well (online business for 16 years now).

Any “daily routine” activity bores me to tears.  I’ve organized my business around macro business planning for clients and writing.  That’s what I do well.

That’s why packaged businesses never fit me.  It was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It doesn’t fit no matter how hard you push it.

I’ll bet you’ve had the same feeling if you’ve tried other people’s programs.   They didn’t quite fit.  Something was off.  It didn’t feel right.

You’ve got to find your purpose and your skillset.  What have you been created to do?  What are you unique gifts and talents?

During the industrial revolution in the US, there was a trend to make everyone the same.  Educate all the children to become good factory workers.  But what about all those who this doesn’t fit for?  Too bad.  If you stand out and are different, then you’re told there must be something wrong with you.

As Christians, we need to glory in the diversity that God has given us.  We’re each a unique snowflake.  And we all demonstrate a wonderful God with so many possibilities.

This is where my caution comes in.  Don’t just any business and expect to do it exactly like everyone else.  Instead find your talents and use them.

Whatever you do, do it with the breath and ability God has blessed you with.

Phrases like “foolproof” and “turn-key” shouldn’t exist when it comes to internet business.  Those words are catch phrases for another me-too business that is just like all the competition.

And what makes a business stand out and succeed is the same thing that makes you succeed…it’s finding your unique advantages.

You can find a good Christian business to go after, but make sure not to fall into the “opportunity” mindset.  Real businesses take time to build.  They require hard work.  And they require you to find and promote your advantages in the marketplace.

Are you listening?

There is an old saying that many people live lives of quiet desperation.

In the Christian world, we can add to that a life of being a pew warmer.  They’re like sports players who never get off the bench…and into the game.

Instead year after year they’re on the bench.  They show up.   They go home and live their life.

But they never really become an influence.

And they don’t seek God for what BIG IDEA He has prepared for them.

It’s interesting.  Since I wrote the book Financial Freedom, I’ve had people email me and ask me if I knew what direction God wanted to take them.  Did I know what He had for them personally?

Nope.  I don’t have a clue where God wants you.  I don’t know what wonderful things He has created you for.  That’s between you and Him.

What I do know is that He never reveals the whole plan at once…or you’d likely be scared out of your wits!

If you’ve been to a fast food restaurant you know what supersize is.  Well it seems like God’s plans only come in Godsize…or at least they seem that way to you.

No one can give you full direction for your life, but there are a few little hints…

#1 – What are you already naturally gifted for?

God created you for a purpose.  You have gifts and talents given to you.  And you can be expected to use those gifts in whatever you do.

A lot of readers will respond that they’re not gifted for anything.  Quit your lying! Especially to yourself.

If you don’t know what your gifts are, then ask those around you who care about you.  Send an email to friends, family, and co-workers asking them what they rely on you for…or what they feel seems to come naturally to you.

It’s often much easier for those around you to see your gifts shining through even when you’re totally blind to them.

#2 – What are you passionate about?

What gets you most excited or righteously angry?  Who does your heart seem to go out to even more than those around you?

What problems and situations others are experiencing that are tough for you to ignore?

Since God leads by love, who do you feel the greatest LOVE for…and a desire to help?

#3 – What are you curious about?

What grabs your interest and makes you want to know more?

I’ve found curiosity is a strong motivation and driver of action.  Where does your curiosity pique and continue growing?

What could you spend all your time studying and discussing…and still be excited to keep going?

#4 – Who are you…really?

Here’s one of the most important elements.  When you find your purpose, you’re free to be who you were created to be.

If we took off all the “expectations” everyone else has for you, who would you choose to be?

What would you choose to do?

And how would you choose to bring value to others?

You become free to be who God created you to be.

Importance of Finding Your BIG IDEA and God’s Plan For You

Go look at the book of Esther, and specifically this verse:

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Est 4:14 KJV

Who knows whether you’re come to kingdom for such a time as this?

You are here for a reason in this time where you are at.  There are people you can help.  There are those you can reach.

Will you fulfill everything God has for you?

As Christians we could answer that we’re here to seek God, worship Him, share Him with others, and experience everything He has freely given to us.

But this is also a blog about Christian business and for Christian entrepreneurs.

He also wants to give you a plan and specific purpose only you can accomplish.

You are called to be a leader wherever you are.

In some Christian circles, they only recognize people who are called to a full-time ministry position or missionary ministry.

In their minds, you’re not working for God if it doesn’t take place in a church.

This has held MILLIONS of Christians back from being what God has created them to be.

If you’re reading this, then God has likely called you be an entrepreneur.

It’s a high calling and one you should appreciate and respect.  You’re no less called than someone who serves in a church ministry setting.

You can be a light set on a hill that cannot be hid.

When you go through the book of Acts you’ll see the majority of ministry didn’t occur in separate building. It took place in the marketplace.

You can change our world.

What if every Christian accepted their calling…and really began to work in the positions God has set them?

We’d live in a very different world.

“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”
1 Cor 12:18-21, KJV

Whether you’re called by God to be a pastor, to work in a factory, or to run your own business, you’re still called to influence those around you.

And NONE of us should look down on others for the position we’re called to.

I hate to say this, but back when I attended Bible College there was a serious attitude that there were levels of calling.  Sure everyone had a purpose, but some people’s purpose was much more important than others.

I even heard this exact line, “If someone isn’t in full-time ministry, then their calling isn’t worth much.”

By their standard, even Paul the Apostle’s calling wasn’t worth much since he was also a tentmaker who supported himself.

Anytime we get into comparing ourselves with each other, we’re going to miss it.

You are here for a purpose.

No one else is like you.

No one else can influence who you can influence.

And you’re so valuable that Jesus would have suffered in your place…even if you were the only one.

Don’t you owe it to yourself and to Him to take your place and become who you are called to be.

Because of the purpose of this blog, many of you are called to be entrepreneurs.

You’re called to go out in the marketplace and change things.

You’re called to be a light in this dark world.

And no matter what difficulties come…and what stands in your way…you need to keep moving forward.

I don’t know what God has planned for you, but here’s a little hint.  It’s bigger than you can ever accomplish on your own.

Why would God ever give you a plan for your life that you could do without him?

It’s too big for you alone.  You’ll have to call on Him and have help from others to accomplish it.

We’re commanded not to worry, but instead to take everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving.

I’ll be the first to admit that’s tough to do sometimes.

It seems like worry is one of the toughest habits to break.  Even when everything is going “perfect” according to plan, it’s easy to think up a few things to worry about.

But what about when it’s not you who is worrying?  What if it is someone else close to you?

What do you do in this situation?

Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out the right words to say.

In this situation though, God gives us a basic script to follow…

“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.”
Isa 35:4, KJV

It says “SAY TO THEM…” It’s our responsibility to say this to people who are fearful.

“Be strong and fear not, because God will come and save you.”

I’m doing what we’ve been told to do here.

If you’re worried about the situations in your life, be strong.  Fear not.  God will come and save you.

If you’re worried about your business and the economy, be strong.  Don’t act out of fear.  Rely on God and the direction he has sent you.

I was reading Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week last week again, and couldn’t help laughing when he talks about some of the outsourcing he did with his virtual assistant over in India.

He said he was worried about a business deal, and asked his assistant if she would worry about it instead.

She responded, “I will worry about this every day, do not worry.”

He said that actually made him feel better that someone else would worry about it in his place.

We, as believers, have something so much better!

We can cast all our cares on God, because He cares for us.   And He can do something about it.

In business, you ALWAYS have the opportunity to fear.

You can fear when sales are down.  For example, since I do a lot of business-to-business sales, there is a two week drop in sales right before Christmas.  While everyone is buying Christmas presents, they’re thinking less about business growth.

From being in business online over 15 years I know this will happen, but it sure scared me the first couple of years when b2b sales dropped like this.

Or you can fear what the government is planning which could make business more difficult.  There is always something on their books which would create more problems.

Or you can fear whether you’ll be able to make the expenses next month…or if your most important employee quits…or on and on.

There are always worries around us in business.

No matter what though, we’ve been told to fear not.  God is with us.

And that’s not only for us, it’s also our command to share with others.

So I’m sharing it with you today.  Be strong.  Fear not.  No matter the situation, God will come and save you…if you give it to him in prayer and thanksgiving.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Phil 4:6-7

It says not to worry about anything!

What about the economy?

What about the president and what he’s doing?

What about the wars going on around the world?

What about your job and your family’s health?

What if your business isn’t turning out the way you expected?

It says we’re still not supposed to worry.

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”
Phil 4:6, AMP

It actually sounds like a command…one I need to pay more attention to personally.

Instead of worrying, we’re told to pray with specific requests and then give thanksgiving to God.

Ask Him to handle the situation we are tempted to worry about…and then thank Him for the answer.

The two, prayer and thanksgiving, go hand in hand here.

There have been times where stresses and worries have come in, and I’ve forgotten to pray about them.

And it’s even more often that I forget to provide thanksgiving for everything God has already provided for in my life.  And in this passage we’re supposed to connect the prayer with the thanksgiving, so we’re thanking God for answering even before we see the response.

If we do this, He gives us a valuable promise.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Wow…who doesn’t need some of that?

The peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. 

Think of it as if the peace of God was guarding your heart behind castle walls.

As we can see this is a conditional promise.  If we pray and offer thanksgiving in all situations and worries, then the peace of God will guard our hearts.

We know what we’re supposed to do.

The hard part is to keep it in our memory and act on it consistently.

It’s easy to remember thanksgiving this week…at least in the US.

Before I started online, I remember praying for wisdom about my financial situation.

He led me to the internet.  And while the Internet was not a quick answer, it was the right direction.

I kept this passage in my memory well during that period and thanked God for his leading even when things didn’t go correctly at first.

I’ve forgotten it and haven’t stayed consistent here lately.

What situation are you facing right now that is consuming your mind with worry?

Pray specifically about it for an answer. Then thank God for hearing you and answering it…even before you see any changes.

Even if the situation gets worse, we’re still supposed to thank Him.

It really is often darkest before you “see” the light…or the answer.

Thanksgiving…it’s not just a holiday. 

It’s our pathway to peace.