The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV
There are twos kinds of hope in the Word – the hope of Heaven, the return of Christ, the millennial Kingdom and the fulfillment of the book of Revelation, and the hope that tomorrow will be better than today. The first hinges solely on God, His power, purposes and timing, while with the second hope you play a pivotal role. You can cooperate with Him to make a better tomorrow!
Right now there is record unemployment around the world, and a staggering amount of suffering because of unprecedented government malfeasance and the pandemic. What I want to do with this article is to give general advice about specific situations which I believe will inspire you to receive specific revelation to overcome your problems, helping you create a better tomorrow. Help…for hope!
All the advice I will give I can honestly say that I have lived out. Now, with my general advice, especially concerning health or physical issues, don’t make specific changes without the specific help of a trained professional. All I’m trying to do here is encourage you in the right, general direction which will bring good fruit. The specifics are up to you!
Here are some specific situations and my encouragement with how to over come them. Help for hope!
GETTING A JOB
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Gen 2:15-16 NKJV
No matter what is happening in your local economy, God has a job for you there. I once sold life insurance – a product you can’t eat, can’t wear, and only benefits you when you die – in a city with 18% unemployment, and I sold it successfully. There is a job for you, a market for your product or service, a way to move forward if you are willing to go find it. Here is my advice – hire yourself! The moment you do that, you have a job. The title of your job is, FINDING A JOB THAT PAYS MONEY. Right now, you think I am facetious. Trust me, I’m not!
This is your work schedule, Monday through Friday –
5AM – 7AM – Pray in tongues out loud but softly. Praise God for your city, praise Him that He has a job there for you, praise Him for the joy of the faith adventure!
7AM – 8AM – Read the Bible like the Holy Spirit has sat down to have a chat with you.
8AM – 9AM – breakfast break, prepare for the day.
9AM – 5PM – go convince prospective employers/customers to hire you/ buy your product or service, that you are the perfect person to solve their problems…because you are!
Take the first job you can get. Doors will open for you to have the job you are really capable of. A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. You follow this faithfully, and before you know it, you will have a job that pays money.
KEEPING A JOB
Why does an employer hire someone? Forget any kind of sentimentality, except maybe with government jobs! They create jobs for this reason ONLY – they have a problem they need to solve. You get hired to solve a problem. If you can’t solve the problem, you get sacked, or moved somewhere where you can be a solution. If you become really good at solving problems, you get promoted and paid more to solve bigger problems. You are there to create value for your employer which we call productivity. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom in solving your employer’s problems! That’s love at work…
The Word talks about keeping a job…
Bondservants (employees), obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…for you serve the Lord Christ. Col 3:22-25 NKJV
As you are serving your employer, you are serving the Lord Christ, so treat your employer properly, with loyalty and respect. Pray for your company to flourish. The wise employer will give you a stake in his success with incentives and profit sharing. Strive to be the best employee you can be. Remember, a man’s/woman’s gift makes room for them!
MANAGING MONEY
Money is spiritual, and managing money is very spiritual.
Money has no value in itself. Money only has value as a medium of exchange, and the stability of it is only as stable as the economic and political environment in which it is kept. Consider this – you get paid twenty shekels for an hour of work. You go to the store and buy a bag of groceries for twenty shekels. In that sense, your hour of work becomes that bag of groceries, through the medium of exchange we call money.
Pray that God gives you good, valuable work through which you can be paid well, and that He prospers the money you have invested in His work (tithing), and the money you have invested through your savings. This way, you are working for more money, and your money is working for more money. Hallelujah!
Here is a basic budget plan for your income:
10% – goes to the Lord.
10% – goes to savings.
Even if you are deeply in debt, these are inviolate. You must build, grow your way out of present circumstances. This is your seed for tomorrow, and you never eat your seed.
Next is Fixed Expenses – mortgage, rent, groceries, debt obligations, etc.
Finally, discretionary spending – if you are deeply in debt, you may not have much money for this type of spending. But if you follow this plan faithfully, you soon will! Tomorrow will be better than today…
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
…let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Gal 6:10 NKJV
The basis of all relationships is forgiveness out of love. They say the average driver violates traffic laws every 1.2 miles that he drives. My driving lapses are probably at about .1 miles per infraction! The same is true in personal relationships. You walk with anyone for a block or two and they are going to do or say, or not do or say, something that rubs you the wrong way. This is especially true of people who are closest to you. That is why the glue that holds relationships together is forgiveness and thankfulness out of love. Pray for and praise God for especially the people that you love!
HEALTH – EXERCISE
For bodily exercise profits a little (lit., for a little time), but godliness is profitable for all things…1 Tim 4:8 NKJV
That is a biologically accurate statement! Even if you are in top physical shape, after about four weeks you will discernably lose fitness and effectiveness, if you don’t continually exercise. Paul wasn’t putting down exercise. This was a man who walked over hills and mountains, surviving even a day and a half in the ocean as he preached the gospel. He was a physical athlete and a spiritual warrior, with a strong body and a keen, joyful wit!
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Cor 9:27 NKJV
Get in the gym and get off the donuts! Lack of physical discipline can disqualify you from ministry and its subsequent temporal and eternal rewards. Remember, check with a professional before starting any serious diet or exercise plan…
HEALTH – REST
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested… Gen 2:2-3 NKJV
This is a big one, for your tomorrows to be better than your todays – regular rest each day and each week. They say 85% of all diseases are psychosomatically induced, i.e. by the thoughts you think and the stress you carry. Relaxation comes from variety, so on your day of rest you change your routine. I handle 10-15 phone calls a day, but nothing, except from kids or family, on my day of rest. Rest, rest, rest. More rest at night daily (some say ten hours, at least eight nightly) and a full day of rest weekly.
Some practical advice – I have found a little teaspoon of liquid magnesium is powerful for what ‘ails you, especially when it comes to relaxation and sleep problems. Google ReMag!
The other great rest provision is vacations. God planned three full weeks of vacation for the children of Israel annually. They were called the feasts of the Lord, when everyone went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast. Fun times! Isn’t that cool! Plan for vacations, and learn to do them well.
HEALTH – CRISIS
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Ps 34:4 NKJV
The key to handling any crisis is preparation. In any crisis, your greatest personal need is to hear the voice of the Lord. People who can hear RHEMA words receive faith to overcome the world. Training to hear the voice of the Lord involves two great aspects – regular practice and regular testing. The same voice you hear that tells you where your car keys are is the same voice you will hear in a life threatening or lifechanging situation. You learn to trust God to speak to you by testing yourself with the car keys.
…and He will tell you things to come. John 16:13 NKJV
Get quiet, and ask the Lord to show you what is going to happen in the next hour. Write down your impressions, and watch what happens. The same voice that shows you what will happen in an hour is the same one you can ask about days, weeks, months and years to come, plus specific events to come. Things that many would say were a failure were actually stepping stones to greater success, and I knew that before they ever happened.
Preparation is a lifestyle.
In a health crisis, take the time to hear the voice of the Lord. He will absolutely speak to you specifically about your situation. He will seed your spirit with RHEMA words that will spring forth in faith. The Holy Spirit will give you the courage to act on those RHEMA words, bringing the blessing of the power of God into that situation.
SUMMARY
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Cor 10:13 NKJV
God has an answer, that leads you to the more abundant, victorious life in Christ, for every situation that you are facing. He has practical steps to bring you up and out, making your tomorrow better than your today. You do your best, and He’ll do the rest. A great key in learning is to learn from those who have conquered what you are facing right now. Ask the Lord to teach you how to overcome your situation, and He will send teachers to do that very thing. Help for hope! Your tomorrow can be better than today. Love you!
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…