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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 inve
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If you wanna be powerful get in your closet

Are you facing a battle today?  I'm facing one most of the time because I'm a person who gets things done.  And the devil is always after a person who gets things done!  Please don't confuse a person who gets attacked by the enemy because they are a mover and shaker with a person who gets attacked because they are lazy.  Big difference there.  

For those of you who are in the war zone because you are  out on kingdom assignment, let me encourage you to keep getting on your face before God every day because that's where the power is. 
A person has not even begun to fight until they pray.  Through faith we put on our armor but through prayer we implement the battle plan.
  
E.M. Bounds says:  "Prayer is the great, universal force to advance God’s cause; Not to pray is a denial of God, a denial of his existence, a denial of his nature and a denial of his purposes toward mankind. Praying men are the only men in which the Holy Spirit dwells, for the Holy Spirit and prayer go hand-in-hand. The Holy Spirit never descends upon prayerless men. He never fills them, he never empowers them. There is nothing whatever in common between the Spirit of God and men who do not pray. The Spirit dwells only in a prayer atmosphere."

People of power in the earth have always been people of prayer.  We saw Elijah on Mt Carmel as he called down fire from the sky, and the heavens opened and gave rain, but did we forget that Elijah on Mount Carmel was the product of Elijah in the closet?  

Elijah was a guy who lived in the prayer closet, and therefore manifested the power found there.

James 5:17-18  says “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”  

Elijah was JUST LIKE US.  Let that sink in for a minute.  He was just like us.  

Now let’s go back to verses 13-16 of that same chapter:

"Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.  Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.  Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." 

This is the key to GREAT POWER and WONDERFUL RESULTS.  Get in the closet.  God will meet you there and when you come out, every foe will be powerless to stand against you!!!   The other day I was frustrated with someone who tried to harm me.  After taking it to God in prayer, I thought about what God says happens when we bless those who try to harm us and we just pray for them.   Our goal in prayer (because it's God's goal) should be that people repent and get right with Him and with others but it doesn't always happen that way, unfortunately.

When I was a kid we used to sing a song in children's church that said, "You can talk about me, just as much as you please...you can talk about me just as much as you please...you can talk about me just as much as you please cause I'll talk about you down on my knees!"  Powerful stuff there.  After taking this person before God's throne this week, I thought,"it might have been better for you if I were carnal and talked about you to humans.  If you are insistent on continuing,  you will have preferred that I ran my mouth to others, instead of to God..."  Why do I say that?  Because I know my God!  He's the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...also the God of Elijah. 

Elijah brought down fire from heaven.  Do you think God is DONE doing stuff like that?  


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Ruth said…
Deanna, I think God has pulled out all the stops and is doing all He can to revive the sleeping Christians and turn the lost around to Him. I truely believe that as the rapture draws near, we'll see more "fire from Heaven." Could even be literal fire. Nothing would surprise me. God will do anythng to bring us to Him...even the removal of obsticals , and that includes people. One recent example. A mayor of a city 30 miles north, had started performing civil ceremonies for gay couples. He suddenly died. I know of a church board member in a local Baptist church who did nothing but go against the pastor and block the Lord's work at every opportunity. He literally woke up one morning blind. Dr. could find no reason for the blindness. God does not mess around. The same God of the OT is the same God of today. His power has not decreased. What He did then, He can, and I believe is, doing today! I'm praying with you and for you! BTW, the devil has also pulled out all the stops. he may not know the day and the hour, but he might know the time is drawing near. Grab that sword and shield and prepare for battle!
6:46 AM
Dr. Deanna DossShrodes said…
Now if we can just convince Paul that the same God of the OT is the same God of today...LOL

Oh I miss BTP...
11:21 AM
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