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What To Do First to Make a Profit

The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat  ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're  not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director.  Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year.  God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started i...
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Does God hear everyone?

But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. John 15:7 (The Message)

This week I've been reading through the book of Philippians in my quiet time.  However, after reading Philippians 3, as I was listening yesterday, the Lord led me to flip over to John 15.  I love this chapter for countless reasons and have preached from it many times.  I found myself doing something I do a lot which is go to Bible Gateway and look it up in my favorite three versions (NIV, NLT, Message) and this one just jumped out at me in the Message. 

Make yourselves at home with Him, and make sure His words are at home in you...

I've read and listened to so much of the Word over my lifetime but have renewed passion to get all the Word in me that I possibly can.  And not just "get it in" as in knowing it or memorizing it, but have it at home in  my heart where my flesh lines up with my spirit and agrees....and acts.

Bringing me to the second part -- that when we do this he says whatever we ask will be listened to and acted upon.  Doesn't God hear everyone?  The answer may surprise you.

"When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the Lord Almighty."
Zechariah 7:13

 "In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."
 I Peter 3:7

These are just two places where the Bible refers to this, but suffice it to say there are things we can do to block our communication with God.  Notice that He does not block it, rather we do by our disobedience to His Word, and the key to being a person that God hears is to remove whatever we have put in the way.  Those things are different for everybody.  The Word specifically says that if a husband does not honor his wife and give her understanding and treat her as an equal partner, his prayers will be hindered.   Sounds like a guy can really screw up his life by not treating his wife right.  I think of all the guys I know who are frustrated that something in their life isn't happening and they pray about it and wonder why they can't seem to move ahead.  Some don't treat their wives with understanding or as an equal and I can guarantee 99% of them don't realize that has any connection with why it seems like their prayers are bouncing off the walls.  Just a thought.

As women we're not off the hook either.  God wants us to remove whatever roadblock is in the way in our lives too.  I really, really, really want God to listen to me.  There are so many things I'm talking to Him about right now, on behalf of so many, myself included.  So I want His Word to be at home in me, more than ever before.  And more than anything else, I want Him to feel totally at home in my life.  

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What To Do First to Make a Profit

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