Happy New Year!

Well, this year is almost done and gone! It is always a good time to reflect on what we all did, what we accomplished, and how were our lives changed in the past year. For me, it was very hard year at work because of growing pains at the bank, but it’s all good. I survived the year! Now, I am looking forward to 2013 and what it has in store for the bank. On the personal side, the highlight of my year was my trip to Nicaragua with Opportunity International. I now have new hope on how to help the poor be self-sustainable and improve their lives.

I wish you all the best in the New Year and hope that you will find your calling to help others. Don’t forget to always hang on to God. He will guide you every step of the way through your life’s journey.

Keep God at the Top of Your Priorities
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1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The King James Version of this verse says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” With so many things this world offers us, we have to be careful and guard our hearts at all times from things that have the potential of taking God’s place in our hearts. We all have desires and dreams we want to pursue in our lives. Most of them are placed by God in us. However, even when those desires and dreams are from God, we have to be careful they don’t occupy our entire life. These dreams can become our idols if that’s what we pursue day and night and if we spend all of our resources on them. Things that can move us away from God are not only natural things such as money, success, fame, popularity, hobbies, or even our children; they can be also our desires, dreams, and our idols (including people we idolize). In other words, anything that takes priority over God in our lives can become our idol.

To refocus, always go back to the Word. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key is to put God first in your life. Everything else falls into place after Him.

My Trip to Nicaragua

I want to share with you about a trip I just took to Nicaragua with Opportunity International. They are a Christian non-profit organization that works with the poor in more than 30 countries. They provide micro financing to entrepreneurs and also have created an economic development program to help the poor obtain self-sustainability and improve their communities. I am working on writing the journal that documents our entire trip to Nicaragua. I went with seven other people, two are OI workers, and the others are business people whose hearts are to help the poor.

After taking this trip and seeing firsthand how these programs truly help restore people’s dignity and self-worth, I am convinced there is a better way to give than what we’ve been doing most of our lives. When we give to the poor without teaching them the tools to improve their lives and to become self-sustainable, we may be doing them a disservice after all.

Stay on Your Path

Many times we get frustrated at work and would like to just walk away and quit. But we need to think things through and hear from God to see what He wants us to do. Sometimes we need to get through some situations in order to grow and need to stay on the path that God has set before us. Today I want to share with you a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to stay on our path. Enjoy!

Stay On Your Path
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Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NLT)
You must obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

I believe the words of encouragement Moses told the people of Israel still apply to us today. If we break down this verse into smaller pieces, we can see the first thing to do is to stay on the path. This means don’t divert to the right or to the left. Don’t look back either, only move forward on the path “that the Lord your God,” not anybody else, not your parents, not your spouse, not your boss, or your friends, has “commanded” you. God commands a path for each one of us that we must follow and obey.

It is also important to know that God is into details, as verse 32 clearly states. His path for each person is very detailed—to our every moment here on earth. The key is for us to know the details of His plan and then to obey and act in faith on every detail and step He asks us to do.

We all miss details on a daily basis because we are human. But, that’s okay. God is merciful, and He helps us through the Holy Spirit and forgives us when we repent from our heart.

Even in this messed up world, there is a Promised Land for you that you can only enter with God’s direction and protection and by your faith and obedience. Your ideal job is part of your Promised Land. Don’t give up. Stay on your path.

Let's Not Worry about Tomorrow

There are times in our lives when we need to make decisions based on the choices and opportunities we have at the time. Each choice we make has consequences and, therefore, we must choose carefully. But how do we know which way to go? What if both choices look good for us? Today I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that encourages us to not worry about tomorrow. We must trust God and that He has a plan for us. We must trust that His Holy Spirit is within us to make the right choice with the information we have at hand. Then, we have to leave the situation in His hands and not worry about tomorrow for He will help us then too.

Don’t Worry about Tomorrow
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Matthew 6:34 (Weymouth)
Do not be anxious, therefore, about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own anxieties. Enough for each day is its own trouble.

Do you worry about tomorrow? Do you worry about losing your job? Did you know that worry is the opposite of faith? Fear and worry rob us of God’s peace and rest. In His Word, God tells us to not worry. In fact, He commands us not to worry. Why? Because worry shows lack of faith and trust in Him. When we worry, we are telling God that what He says in His Word doesn’t work, so we are coming up with a better solution ourselves.

Did you know that God has feelings? God, as a Father, gave up His only Son and sacrificed Him so we may have life. By worrying, we are saying that what Jesus did was not worth it to us and that hurts God. Yet He doesn’t keep track of hurts, and He forgives us on a daily basis.
God gives us grace for one day at a time. Each day has its troubles—sometimes big and other times small—either way, we must confront and resolve each one.

Therefore, don’t worry about the future. Give it to the Lord. Work hard today and know that He is in charge and in control of your life.

Do What's Right - Forgive

It is easy to get hurt by others. But we must always remember to do what’s right—forgive them. Jesus has forgiven us countless times and we must do the same: forgive those who offend us, every time. It is very hard but we have to learn to do it so our hearts stay clean from resentment. Today I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women about doing the right thing—always.

To Be Happy We Need to Be Just and Do What’s Right
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Psalm 106:3 (NLT)
Happy are those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.

God is just and fair. He is also no respecter of persons. If any person loves Him and accepts Jesus as Savior, that person will be saved no matter what color, race, or age he or she is, or what background he or she has. He also expects us to walk in love, and part of that is being just with others (all people). We cannot favor some people over others if we are to imitate Him.

Every person wants to be happy. Well, the Bible tells us right here how to be happy: be just with others and always do the right thing. Notice that it says always, not sometimes, and not to some people only. Doing what is right always is a lifestyle. It is a decision we make on a daily basis. We can only know what the right thing to do is all the time when we are in constant communication with God.

In the workplace, you will have daily opportunities to deal justly with others and always do what is right. If you are in management, be fair to all your employees. If you are in sales, be fair to all your customers—and always do what’s right.

We Produce Fruit

As the year end approaches, for some reason, busyness creeps into our lives. When we allow ourselves to be so busy we don’t spend time with the Lord to get refreshed and then our behavior changes. I call our behavior the fruit we produce in our lives. Today I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that reminds us to check the fruit we produce on a daily basis. I hope this helps you as it helped me today.

What Kind of Fruit Are You Producing?
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Matthew 7:17 (NLT)
A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit.

The Bible warns us about false prophets who look like sheep but are really wolves. It teaches us we will know and identify them by observing how they act—by their fruit.

Verse 20 tells us, “the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.” Even though these verses refer to false prophets, we can also apply the same principle to our daily lives. The question today is: what kind of fruit are you producing in your life?

I examine myself often to see what kind of fruit I’m producing. I find the results very predictable. When I’m not spending enough time with the Lord and I allow the busyness of life to overtake me, my fruit is not good. In those times, I produce fruits of anger, short temper, impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, to name a few. On the other hand, when I spend time with the Lord, water my tree with His Word, mediate on Him, and obey what He asks me to do, I produce good fruit. Instead of anger and short temper, I have compassion. Instead of impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, there is grace, contentment, patience, and happiness. I also produce fruit of peace amongst the people I’m around.

Therefore, don’t let the busyness of life with the work demands and family commitments rob you of spending time with the Lord. It is the only way you will produce good fruit and help those around you. Remember, the fruit you produce is for others to partake of.

Let's Use All Our Gifts

This week one of my employees asked me to help him discover his gifts so he can start using them all. I thought it was a great opportunity to remind all of us about the many gifts that God gave us and for us to find ways to use them all. Today’s devotional encourages us to discover and use all our gifts both in the workplace as well as outside of work. Enjoy!

If You Use Your Gifts, More Will Be Given to You
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Matthew 25:29 (NLT)
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.

God gave each one of us gifts we must discover, treasure, and develop. Our goal should be to use each one of the gifts and talents God gave us at some point during our lifetime.

How do you discover, use, and manage every gift? First, you discover what your gifts are by asking God to reveal them to you. You, of course, need to listen to His answer. Then, ask Him what His priority is for your gifts to be used for His Kingdom. Go with the desires of your heart. They are one of His ways to reveal His gifts in you. Plan, prioritize, and develop your gifts. The Lord will give you opportunities to use every one of them.

In the workplace you will have the opportunity to use several of your gifts. If you have the gift of leadership, use it to lead people. If you have the gift of organization, use it to organize your job and help others get organized. If you speak another language, use it to reach people in that community. Because you will go through different stages in your life, you may not be able to use some gifts right now. Don’t forget about them. At some point in your life, later on, God will need you to use them. The more you use what God has given you, the more responsibilities and gifts He will give you. Don’t be like the unfaithful servant so that “even what little they have will be taken away.” Instead, use all of the gifts He gave you and expect to receive even more.

Trust God Only

Today I was reading this devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women about putting our trust in God and not in humans and want to share it with you. We need to continually remind ourselves that it is God the one who can do something about our situations or challenges, not people. When we trust Him, He comes through for us.

Don’t Put Your Trust in Humans
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Isaiah 2:22 (NLT)
Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone?

It is sad to see how people trust men more than God in many, if not all, areas of their lives. In today’s job market, we cannot trust other people or companies to provide us a job for life. It simply doesn’t work that way anymore. Companies are bought and sold as an everyday occurrence with little thought of the employees’ well-being. It is a look out for yourself environment. Our only source for a job is God. He is the only one we can trust to provide and meet every need in our lives—including our jobs.

It is unhealthy for a leader to promise job security for their employees and say they will never be fired. This is a manipulative and controlling tactic that creates a dependency on the employer from the employee’s part. In that environment, employees don’t have an incentive to improve their performance, and they get lazy. The company ends up with unmotivated employees causing productivity to decline. Those same employees become deadweight employees who can’t be fired because the leader doesn’t want to break his promise. At the same time, it creates a false sense of loyalty on the employee’s part. They think they can’t leave the company because they are not being loyal to their leader. It is a lose-lose situation in every way.

We are to be loyal and trust God only to provide for our job security, not trust a man, or a company. We are to obey God and go where He wants us to go. We are to do our best and be the best employee we can wherever God places us.

Spend Time with God

Last week I shared with you that I was missing spending time with the Lord and how important it is for me so I can get refreshed and renewed in Him. Today, I want to encourage you to make the time, make the commitment to be with your Creator. He will multiply your time back and will help you get everything you need to do get done. I want to share this devotional with you from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to get to know God at a deeper level. Enjoy!

Deeper Knowledge Comes with Time Alone with the Lord
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Mark 4:33-34 (NLT)

He used many such stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand. In fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables, but afterward when he was alone with his disciples, he explained the meaning to them.

The Bible tells us Jesus taught the things of God through parables. Why? Because He could only teach as much as the people were able to receive and therefore understand. God is too deep for us to fully comprehend His things or Himself with our human minds. We first must have an open mind and heart to receive His teachings and understand them in our hearts through our spirit. The Lord takes us one step at a time in His knowledge, one layer of revelation at a time. As we grow, He reveals Himself to us a little more. It is a life-long process until we join Him in heaven.

We should notice, however, that when Jesus was alone with his disciples, He explained the deeper meaning of His teachings. As the disciples walked with Jesus, they drew closer to Him and were able to understand deeper things of God’s Kingdom. The same applies to us today. The only way God can teach, reveal, and entrust us with more knowledge is by us spending time with Him—alone, with no worldly distractions, and with our attention fixed only on Him.

Set aside time from your busy schedule to meet with the Lord, just you and Him, alone. He is faithful and will not only be there waiting for you every time but will also make sure you don’t get behind in any of your other responsibilities. He will multiply your time.

Are You Running on Empty?

How do you encourage others when you yourself need encouragement? These past few weeks I felt a little low, which is very unusual for me. I kept asking myself why I was feeling that way and I finally realized it was because I had not been spending enough time with the Lord. I schedule time with God weekly with no agenda, just to pray and listen to what He has to say to me. This is a time of reflection, thinking about what God wants me to do with my life, replenishing my spirit, and getting filled with His Spirit again. Without prayer in my life, I am depleted. I end up empty with nothing left to give to others.

When I am worn-out (or running low on fuel), my daily work seems like a mountain to be climbed on a daily basis. The tasks at home seem burdensome and tiring. Even working out, which I love to do and that helps me relief stress, feels like I’m running a marathon without preparation. All of those feelings change when I spend time with the Lord. He is my true source of inspiration, strength, grace, and everything I need to fulfill the calling He gave me in this life.

Today, I want to share with you a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to seek God as our only source of strength. Enjoy!

Only God Is Our Source of Strength
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Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

God is our source of strength; nothing, or nobody else, can give us that—only Him. These days we have so much to do, so many priorities, that some days we don’t know where to start. That’s when we run to our source, the Lord. First, we ask Him to refocus us and realign our true priorities. Once we are on track again, we ask for the grace and the strength to do what He has called us to do.

God has a big plan for each of us; however, He doesn’t expect us to do it all at once. He takes us one step at a time—from the big picture to the daily tasks—to accomplish His vision for us. We can do all the things He has called us to do through Christ because He gives us the strength we need on a daily basis.

What Is Your Inheritance?

I have been thinking about the inheritance we all leave our children and what we may receive from our parents and I thought this devotional encourages us to think of inheritance in a whole different way. This devotional is from my book Devotions for Working Women. Enjoy!

God Is Our Inheritance
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Psalm 16:5 (NLT)
Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

When we think of inheritance, we immediately think of millions of dollars a distant relative left us. In reality, very few people leave a substantial inheritance to their families. Some parents, unfortunately, only leave debt and problems to their children.

One of God’s promises to us is that He will bless us enough to leave an inheritance to our children’s children. But in this verse, David wasn’t talking about a worldly inheritance. He is referring to God Himself being David’s inheritance.

God, as our inheritance, is all we need because He is and has everything we could ever need in this life and in eternity with Him. He is our source of refreshing and fulfillment. His cup is where we go to get ours filled up. He guards all He gives us, including our lives.

Therefore, receive God as your inheritance and you will never need or want anybody else’s.

How to Prepare for Job Loss

Today I heard of another bank that was shut down by regulators and I’m sure more people will lose their jobs as a result of it. Therefore, I thought it was appropriate to share with you the devotional from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that encourages us to be prepared if we lose our job. There are several ways to get prepared and we need to focus on all of them at the same time. We need to always prepare by keeping our skills and knowledge of our industry up to date, we should keep in touch with our network of friends and colleagues so they can connect us to new opportunities, and, most importantly, we need to stay connected with God. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is crucial for when we go through life events such as losing our jobs. Jesus will be there for us to encourage us, give us new ideas, and provide the help we need to move on.

How to Be Prepared if You Ever Lose Your Job
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Matthew 7:24 (NLT)
Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

Because of the times we live in, job security is unpredictable. The companies we now work for may not be here tomorrow. Therefore, we need to be prepared to move on if we lose our jobs. There are things we can do to prepare for the unexpected. Some of those things are to keep our resumes updated, continue our education, always learn new things, and refine our skills.

Keep your contacts and network active at all times. Know your skills, your talents, and gifts so you can improve and develop them. They are assets that will help you get a new job.

Preparing is important and necessary; however, no matter how ready we may be, if we are not planted on the solid Rock, Jesus, when things happen it will be very difficult to recover. It is like building our house’s foundation on solid rock. When the storms come, the house will not be moved or destroyed. We need to put our trust in Him alone. Only then will we overcome any situation the world may bring to us—including losing our jobs.

The Godly Will Flourish

Today I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that encourages us to not get weary in well doing. It is very difficult to always walk on the narrow road following Jesus when we are surrounded by worldly things and desires. But in the end, it is always worth the effort. God sees our hearts and he will reward us. His Word is full of promises for when we do good, such as the one I share on this devotional. I encourage you to continue your journey striving to live a godly life.

The Godly Will Flourish
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Psalm 92:12-13 (NLT)

But the godly will flourish like palm trees, and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of God.

This is a great promise of God to all of us. Sometimes we see the worldly people succeed and we wonder, is it worth it? Are the fight and sacrifices we make on a daily basis to live a godly life worth it? Yes and yes. The Bible reminds us of the wicked’s short-lived success. Their final destination is eternal destruction. Our final destination is eternal life with God. Therefore, our efforts and focus must be in sharing the good news of the Gospel so more people can partake of eternal life. God makes us strong, like the big cedar trees that stand for years and years.

We, the godly, are transplanted directly to God’s own house. What a privilege that is! We cannot take it for granted. His promise to us is that we will flourish in His presence and grow strong so we can do His work on earth.

Don’t get weary in living a godly life for doing so is worth everything. Even if you work in a worldly environment, continue to be an example and the light to the world around you. You are strong in the Lord, and you will flourish.

New Experiences, New Friendships

I just got back from attending the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI for the last two weeks. It was an amazing learning experience that I will never forget. I met bankers from all over the U.S. and even from other countries such as Mexico, St. Lucia, Mongolia, and Egypt. I will be going back the next two summers to complete the program. Besides banking, I learned a lot more about people in general. We were placed in a freshman dorm at the University and basically lived the “freshman live” for those two weeks. Needless to say, I had very interesting experiences since I really never stayed on campus when I first started my college journey. The drinking that goes on is beyond what I had imagined. I can see now how the young college students can get hooked in that life style. The key is to choose friends wisely.

As a banker and Christian professional, I felt the responsibility to be an example and not drink as much as the rest of the group. I immediately felt the peer pressure to drink and not care about the surroundings. It was hard to make choices and decisions on the spot about what to do, where to go, and who to hang out with. After the excitement of being on a college campus again wore off, must people settled down with a small group and just went out to dinner or studied together for the exams. However, there were some small groups that continued the drinking each night even though their bodies were complaining by the end of the second week. There was one lady that broke her ankle on the curb while walking and at the hospital they could not give her pain killers because she had too much alcohol in her blood. That was probably not a good experience!

Overall, it was an incredible experience that I would not want to miss. However, next year I will go with my eyes more open and will choose my friends carefully. I believe in making meaningful relationships so I rather spend more time with fewer people to get to know them well, than little time with many more people and come back with no new friendships. I will stay in touch with my new friends and hope to make some life-long friendships. I encourage you to nurture your friendships and spend time with your loved ones.

When I got back I was also very thankful for my life “back home.” I’m thankful for my husband, my children, my job, and everything that God has given me. I don’t take anything for granted.

It's OK to Seek Advice

With new challenges come new opportunities. I am experiencing this situation at work right now. I have decided to step up and take charge of handling a situation that is beyond the scope of my responsibilities. Once I obtained the appropriate authority to proceed with the project, now I have to trust God that He will guide me and also seek advice from others. Seeking advice is humbling and it takes courage but the end result is a collaboration of people working together to achieve the same goal. Today, I want to encourage you to seek advice from other people at work that can help you be successful at whatever you are trying to accomplish. Below is a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women.

Seeking Advice Is Vital to Success
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Proverbs 15:22 (NLT)
Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success.

Often times we think we can do things alone and we don’t need advice from anybody. God encourages us to work in teams and with many counselors to be successful.

Don’t be too proud to seek advice when you are faced with a difficult situation at work or when you are given a new project to manage. Ask God for direction as to whom to seek advice from and who should be part of your team. Different people bring different opinions and experiences to the table that can help you succeed. If you are a business owner, consider a team of professionals (counselors) to help you in your business planning.

God Created Us to Glorify Him

Today I would like to share with you a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that reminds us of God’s primary purpose for creating us—to glorify him! It’s difficult to glorify God in everything we do and to keep that thought present with us throughout the day. Therefore, I have come up with some ideas to keep reminding myself. They are: 1) establish a routine in my daily prayer so I always start by giving thanks for that day and for my life; 2) seek God’s input throughout my workday and ask for his wisdom during difficult situations; and 3) share with someone when God does something for me so it doesn’t go unnoticed. Let’s encourage each other to glorify God!

We Were Created by God’s Power and to Glorify Him
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Romans 11:36 (NLT)
For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.

God created every one of us by His power. He has given us everything we have and made us who we are in Christ—one of God’s beloved children. We must not forget that. When this revelation is present in our lives, we feel confident and know we can do all things through Christ, the One who strengthens us.

Thank God every day for your life, your family, your job, and for all the gifts He has given to you. The purpose of everything He created is intended to bring glory to Him. You were created to glorify God with your life and in all you do. This includes your workplace.

Keep Learning

Education is one of the key factors we need succeed in life. However, educating ourselves can be costly and it takes time—something we are all short of. This summer I will be attending the Graduate School of Banking and I am really excited to enhance my knowledge of banking. These days, we need to continue our education so we can grow with our jobs and stay current with technology and new laws and regulations that apply to our industry. Today, I want to encourage you to follow your heart and get the education you always wanted. If you already have a college degree or even a master’s degree, you can learn something new in another area that you enjoy. Sometimes we have gifts we are not able to apply or use in our jobs so we need to find other opportunities to develop and use those talents.

Our talents and gifts are like precious stones that need to first be discovered and then polished until they are ready to be used. God gave each person more than one gift and we must use them for His glory during the time we have on earth. When we are aware of the gifts we have then we can start developing them and we will then experience the satisfaction of seeing our talents put to work.

Below is one of the devotionals from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to acquire a life-long learning attitude. Enjoy!

Acquire a Life-long Learning Attitude
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Mark 4:25 (NLT)

To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.

Jesus encouraged His disciples to always be open to listen and continue to learn from Him because the higher their desire was to learn, the more they understood. On the contrary, people who don’t care or listen to the things of God drift away and forget even the little they know.

To be successful in the corporate world and our personal lives, we need to become life-long learners. This is true in the natural as well as in the spiritual area. We cannot grow in our spiritual journey with God if we don’t spend time learning from Him and are not open to His daily teaching to us. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, is willing to teach us how to live our lives and be successful in every area.

Jesus said those who are open to His teachings will receive more understanding because the things of God are understood with the spirit, not with our human minds. When we open our hearts to learn about the things of God, our spiritual understanding is illuminated and we receive revelation—the moment when we “get it.”

Purpose in your heart to be open to a life-long learning attitude both professional and spiritually. This will ensure a well-balanced successful life here on earth.

Can You Handle Success?

Most of us are afraid of failure. But have you ever been afraid of success? Success just as failure has consequences in our lives and we must prepare ourselves either way. If you have a business idea that you are pondering on, think not only of the consequences of it not working out but also what if it does work out. What then? Would your life be changed forever? How will you handle success? It is easier to be humble when you are a “nobody” in the business world and when we don’t have much to lose financially. But would you still be the normal you and be humble at heart after success has taken place in your life?

Today, I want to encourage you to pray for your plans and believe they will be successful. But I also want to encourage you to be prepared for success and stay humble in your heart by thanking God daily for it and being aware that without Him you would not be successful to begin with. This devotional is from my book Devotions for Working Women and it reminds us that our plans can succeed when we commit our work to the Lord. Enjoy!

Your Plans Can Succeed
# 283

Proverbs 16:3 (NLT)
Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.

We all have plans we want to realize and be successful in executing. The King James Version of this verse says “commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Every one of our plans starts with a thought, an idea. When we commit our lives to God it includes our work and every area of our lives. When we commit our work unto the Lord, He will help us realize those plans and our thoughts will be established. Our plans will succeed.

Therefore, remember to commit your work to the Lord on a daily basis.

We Are God's Laborers

Today I found out a good friend of mine got promoted to run a big company. I have told her that I pray for her often but now I feel an even greater urgency to pray for her because her life is about to change. When God puts us in high places of visibility we must realize the great responsibility that goes with those assignments. Therefore, we need to gather the entire armor of God and put it on before we go out in the open. In addition, we need the prayers of all the people who love us.

I want to encourage you to pray for your friends that are in the business world running companies and working in Corporate America. They need our prayers to sustain them as they do God’s work in the field of business. Corporate America is crying for laborers and those of us called to work that field must be ready to harvest those souls for God’s Kingdom. Today, I would like to share this devotional that asks us the question: Are you one of God’s workers? Enjoy!

Are You One of God’s Workers?
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Matthew 9:37-38 (NLT)
He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.”

Jesus said those words after being with multitudes of people who went to Him with their problems. He was only one and He saw the great need of having more of Him on earth. As we become born again, when we ask Jesus to come into our lives, we become God’s laborers and workers of His field. The harvest is God’s, but He needs us to work it for Him.

Most of us consider ourselves good workers. In fact, we welcome and look for opportunities for promotion. As workers of the Kingdom of God, our attitude toward new opportunities should be the same, and we should ask ourselves some questions. Are we doing a good job for God? Are we bringing in the harvest? Are we looking to be promoted in the Kingdom of God? With God our jobs are not just a title. In His Kingdom, the higher the position, the more responsibility we have with people’s lives. Jesus said, “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:44 KJV). The higher we go in God’s positions, the more we have to serve others.

Therefore, let’s ask God for more workers to help us with the great task we have ahead. But also, let’s ask Him to help us be the best workers we can be for His Kingdom.

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The Mission Field

Today I want to share a poem I wrote called The Mission Field. We are all called to serve God but we are each called to work a different part of the world’s field. Which field are you working on? Do you have the tools to harvest your field? Are you staying away from your calling? These and many other questions came to my mind as I wrote this poem so I want to share it with you so you can ponder on it. Enjoy!

The Mission Field
The whole world is a big mission field
But just as there are different climates and geographical areas in the world
There are people that are equipped and used to those places
Where they can work the different fields

Whether we want to or not, we are all called to work the fields
It is our choice, however, to become God’s worker
It is a matter of the heart
Once we make the decision to follow Christ
He starts opening the doors to show us where our gifts can best be utilized
He will give us the tools and equipment we need just in time to be used
Our part is to be willing and to always be learning about the things of God
So we can be ready to work our field—no matter what the circumstances are

Many times we will be tired of working
Many times we will want to quit
Yet other times we will want to keep working until our bodies can no longer stand on their own—that is when God will ask us to rest
There is time to work and there is time to rest
We just need to have balance and know that what we cannot do, God can

Sometimes just when we thought we knew how to work a specific field
God will ask us to move and start working a new, different field
We may feel inadequate all over again
We may feel confused and disoriented
But God has a plan
We just need to be obedient and follow His lead
Stepping into new territory is always scary and sometimes dangerous
But when we have the light of Jesus guiding us
And we trust Him that He knows best
Then we can freely and confidently step into the unknown

In the end, when our lives are spent
We can then look back and look at the harvest from the fields we worked
Knowing we have done everything we can to follow Christ
We will have peace in our hearts because we were obedient
We will have no regrets
When our last breath comes
We will remember the first steps of our mission
We will reminisce in the tremendous amount of work that was ahead of us in those fields
And we will be satisfied knowing that when we get to heaven
Jesus will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”