Today we get to the conclusion of our series studying how Christians should think (see Part I, Part II, and Part III) – in particular how Christians in a home business should think. By studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Chapter 4:4-9) we have seen that the Christian mind should be joyful, gentle, and prayerful. Today we see that the Christian mind should be focused. In verse 8 and 9 Paul writes,
“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into action. And the God of peace will be with you.”
In these verses Paul teaches what the focus of a Christian’s thoughts needs to be. By focusing on the things he discusses you will be able to maintain an attitude of joyfulness, gentleness and prayer at all times. What you focus on is especially important for those of you who are building a home business. It is vital to remain positive, passionate and persistent if you want to achieve our business goals. Paul’s advice on focusing can make a big difference in allowing that to happen.
In verse 8 Paul says to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. He summarizes these things as describing them as things that are excellent or praiseworthy. This is a statement that emphasizes the importance of positive thinking by describing what sort of positive things that you should think of. But what exactly should you think on that fits this description.
The first thing to think on is God and His character. Paul says to think about “whatever is true” and only God can be really considered to be truth. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). There is certainly nothing more excellent or praiseworthy than God himself. Thinking this way can include things such as memorizing and meditating on God’s Word, singing Christian songs or hymns in our mind, and reading Christian living books. The key way to be sure you are focused on God is by being consistently reading the Bible on a daily basis. This will help you to keep God at the center of your life and the focus of your thoughts.
What effect will focusing your thoughts on God do? First of all it should give you a sense of assurance that someone more powerful than you is in control. It should assure you of the fact that you have a creator who loves you. In fact he loved you enough to send his son to die for you.
Secondly, it should remove our anxiety. Countless times throughout Scripture you see that God is the provider. God has the power to do more than you can imagine, and he will do that to provide all of your needs. This should take a lot of pressure off in your home business. As John Maxwell once described it, “You don’t have to survive.” You can be freed from anxiety about meeting your needs by knowing that God will provide. Now this does not mean that you do not need to do your own part. You are to do everything you can with the skills you have been given, but there is a freedom in knowing that by doing our best all of your needs will be taken care of. It should also take the pressure off as we trust God for the results of your business. You are only responsible for doing our best. God takes responsibility for what will come out of the work you put in.
Secondly, you should focus on everything in your lives that is excellent. By focusing on what is going well, rather than what is going wrong you are able to better move forward in every area of life. You will move through struggles more smoothly, and not be as affected by setbacks. Notice that Paul is not saying that everything will be great, but rather by focusing on the things that are great you will be able to have a more positive outlook on everything in life. It is this kind of focus that will result in the joyful, gentle and prayerful mind that Paul had described earlier in this passage.
In a home business it is natural to face struggles and disappointment. At times it is easy to let the thoughts of what is not going well take your focus and preoccupy your mind. This leads to unhappiness, anxiety and even depression. Focusing on the things that are excellent and praiseworthy helps you maintain a positive, forward-looking attitude. By doing this you are better able to move through the times of struggle and on to bigger and better things.
Finally, in verse 9, Paul says to be focused on action. You are to put into practice everything that you have learned, received, heard or seen in Paul. This can be expanded to say that we need to put into practice everything we have learned in Scripture. God uses His Word to teach us how to live. The principles that we find in the Bible are designed to encompass every area of our life. They are not just words for Sunday morning, but rather are designed to be seen in everything we do. They are even important in our business!! The Bible is NOT out of date or irrelevant in today’s business world. Rather it contains vital truth that we can center all of our business practices on.
Paul ends this section with a reminder of the promise he stated a few verses early. If you put into action what he has taught and if you keep your focus on things that are excellent and praiseworthy the God of peace will be with you. You can be assured that God, who’s peace, “transcends understanding, will guard you hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus (4:7).” And that peace can make all the difference in the world as you build a business filled with natural emotional highs and lows.
Written by:
Danny Gamache
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I came across this powerful clip from the movie “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”. It shows Walther Raleigh recounting to Elizabeth what it is like to set sail across the ocean for the New World. It is a POWERFUL illustration of having hope through fear.
The first minute of this video (especially) is a great metaphor for building a home business.
Unfortunately, the ability to embed the video is disabled, so you will need to click on the link and watch the video on YouTube.
Today we continue our series (see Part I and Part II) about how Christians are to think, in particular, how Christians in a home business should think. We are studying Philippians 4:4-9, where Paul is teaching people how to think. He is summarizing how to be “of the same mind in the Lord (4:2a)”. By doing so he gives us some of the keys to what a Christian’s thoughts should be like. In the first two parts of this series we have seen how the Christian’s thoughts should be joyful, and that they should be gentle. Today we look at how our thoughts should be prayerful, and how that can be important in our home business.
Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.”
Obviously throughout this verse there are many truths about the thought life of a Christian. They all go back to the center of these verses – that of prayer. There are three separate words used, the words ‘prayer’, ‘petition’, and ‘requests’. They all refer to talking to God about our needs. The rest of these verses teach us the benefits that come from living a life filled with prayer.
First of all, prayer can prevent anxiousness and stress in our businesses. Paul comes right out and says it clearly, “do not be anxious about anything”, but he doesn’t stop there, he tells us how we can avoid being anxious, “but in everything, by prayer and petition,…… present your requests to God (v.6).” The Christian life is not meant to be filled with anxiousness and stress, rather it is to be characterized by peace. The key to doing that comes in prayer. We are to continually be presenting our requests and concerns to God. By doing so, we eliminate the need to be anxious. The responsibility is off of what we can do for ourselves and onto our Holy and Loving God who provides for us.
This is especially important for those of us in business. Being in self-employed is something that has the tendency to create extra anxiety. The added anxiety comes because we are in full control of our own income and our own schedules. We do not have a boss who takes care of our paycheck, rather we need to go out and grow our business and make the necessary sales to create our income. If we do not get the results we hope for, we may have to survive on a smaller income. The anxiety is usually furthered because, in most home businesses we spend a lot of time dealing with people; people who we cannot control. Too often the people we are relying on for something do not come through. They don’t do what they say they are going to do, or at least not when they say they are going to do it.
It is during these times that the Christian in business must take extra time to be in prayer. When feelings of anxiety start to come up, it is a clear calling to prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. We can talk to God about how we feel, what concerns us, and what we would like to see happen in our business. Make your relationship with God an important part of your business on a daily basis.
Later in this chapter Paul brings special notice to how we should be at peace during times when finances are a concern,
“I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or living in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (v.11b-13).”
Paul’s source for strength during times of financial stress is clear – it is Christ – the one who is giving him strength. This strength from God is the natural outcome from spending time in prayer and petition.
The second focus of our prayers is that they are to express thanksgiving. By expressing our thanks to God it helps us to keep the proper perspective. It reminds us first of all that everything we already have and everything we will have in the future is a gift from God. It is not anything that we deserve or have earned for ourselves – it is completely a gift from God. By being thankful it forces us to focus on what we have rather than what he doesn’t have. In his book, Victory Over The Darkness, Neil Anderson writes,
“As long as you are focusing on what you don’t have, you’ll be unhappy. But when you appreciate what you already have, you’ll be happy all your life.”
By being thankful about what you do have, you will not be anxious about the future, you will not be worried about what you do not have.
Keeping this proper attitude of thankfulness is key while building a home business. The importance for us comes out of the fact that we are in an industry focused on setting and achieving goals. When we are focused completely on the future it can provide more stress and take away from our thankfulness. On top of that, if we have a goal that we don’t meet it can lead to discouragement because we focus on what we don’t have rather than being thankful for what we already do have.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a strong believer in goal setting and having a vision of the future you want to achieve, yet at the same time some balance is required. You cannot be focused on your ideal future so much that you do not remain thankful for what you have right now. What works best is when you can have goals for the future, have ideals you are striving towards, but are also very content and thankful for everything you already have. When you are setting goals for the future take the time to also thank God for everything he has already provided for you in the past and everything you have today. Yes, strive to be the best you can be and achieve the most for your future, but do it knowing that anything that comes in the future comes from God. And while doing so, always be thankful for everything you already have, for it too is a gracious gift from God.
And finally, these verses end by giving us a promise that comes from maintaining prayerful thoughts. By having a mind filled with prayer, one free from anxiety and focused on thanksgiving, we will be given a special peace – the peace of God:
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (v.7).”
This is a promise for a peace that we cannot understand. a peace that will protect our hearts and mind.
The key battle here is for the minds of believers. Will our minds be focused on what we don’t have and on things that make us worried or anxious? Or will our minds be prayerful and filled with thanksgiving? The first leads to stress and destruction, the second leads to the peace of God. Choose prayer and thanksgiving.
Written by: Danny Gamache
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On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
Likely, you are better than you think you are. Here is a great video that reminds us of just that:
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners.
My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Today we continue or series (see part 1 here) examining what the Bible says about how Christians should think. In particular applying it to how Christians in a home business should think. Last week, in part one of our series we took a look at how the Christian mind should be joyful. We saw how Paul, even while facing persecution for his faith and being in jail, writes a letter to the Philippians. A letter filled with joy. And within that letter he emphasizes that believers need to be rejoicing always. Today we see that the Christian mind should be gentle.
After his admonition to be rejoicing always in the Lord, Paul continues his teaching on Christian thought saying,
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:5)”
Paul moves straight into the teachings on gentleness. Unfortunately, the Greek word (‘epieikes’) that is translated as gentleness here really has a much larger meaning – one that is difficult to encompass with any one English word. The word more literally refers to an attitude of kindness when the expected response would be retaliation. This fits in nicely with the theme of the letter overall – joy even during persecution. Paul is fact telling us that even when people are against us we need to have a mind and attitude that is gentle and kind towards them.
In our business I believe this really applies when we face rejection. It is very hard to have someone (especially those we care about) reject something that we are passionate about, and yet this happens frequently in a home business. In fact if you are not facing rejection on a daily basis in your home business you are likely not doing enough to build your business. Rejection is a part of our industry. You get rejected when we initially present your product, business or idea and you also face rejection as people who decide to partner up with us don’t follow through on their word, drop out, or don’t want to participate as they should.
It is during these times of rejection that our minds must be extra focused on kindness and gentleness. The natural first tendency is to fight back, argue and defend our business and possibly retaliate against that person in a different area of life. Let’s say for example that one of your closest friends takes a look at your business for the first time and says that they are not interested. Your hopes had likely been up, expecting that your best friend certainly wouldn’t turn you down and yet they do. How will you respond? How will you focus your thoughts? A natural instinct might be to reject something of theirs. Possibly don’t attend the party they are planning, don’t call them for a time, or even assume that they are not really your friend. In fact I have seen some home businesses that have stated that if a friend doesn’t join your business they are not really your friend at all. This of course is rubbish.
Instead your focus towards that friend or the person who rejected you must be an attitude of kindness and gentleness. Understand that they are not rejecting you personally, rather they are rejecting a new idea probably one they don’t fully understand. The fact that they said no to your business shouldn’t impact your friendship. Don’t retaliate against them, continue to love them and care for them. This attitude of gentleness and kindness should pervade every part of your home business. Any time you feel slighted or rejected the choice is yours. You can either choose to focus your mind on regret and revenge or on gentleness and kindness. Be sure to choose the later.
In the long run, responding to rejection with gentleness and kindness will help your business. Many of the people who reject you now, may change their minds in the future. They may become some of your best customers or business builder down the road. After all, studies have shown that people need to be exposed to something an average of seven times before they will make a purchase or commitment. Maintaining an attitude of gentleness and kindness will increase the likelihood of this happening. Nothing can end the likelihood of getting future business more quickly than an improper response to rejection.
Now it might seem to you that the focus here has been on how you should act towards people rather than how you should think, but let me emphasize that actions will ALWAYS be impacted by the patterns of thought. If your mind is focused on anger and revenge but you are attempting to act kind and gentle on the outside other people will know something is up. You may fool them for a short while but that is it. Even if you fool them it will eat you up inside, and in the end our actions on the outside always match how we think on the inside.
The second half of the sentence is the key to our motivation. We are to be gentle at all times and it should be “evident to all.” This means that the real motivation is NOT for the benefit it can have to our business over time, but rather is for evangelical reasons. The real reason to be gentle is that so other people will see how a Christian responds to tough times. If people see us in a situation that would naturally be a situation where retaliation would be expected, but instead we respond with gentleness and kindness it will have a great impact on people around us. This really will be come evidence of the change in our lives that Jesus is making.
Paul ends the verse by stating that “the Lord is near”. People need to see evidence in our lives now because their will become a time when everyone will meet the Lord. And Paul describes that time is being near. Not that Paul was expecting Jesus to return the next day, but rather he understood that each of us have a time to meet the Lord, none of us know when it will be, and we will all do best for ourselves and those around us if we treat that day as being just around the corner.
So we now have step two on a Biblical explanation on how Christians should think. We can see that we should be joyful always, and that are attitude should be one of gentleness and kindness, even during periods of persecution and rejection. Remember Paul was in jail – the pinnacle of persecution and rejection and yet his focus was on joy and gentleness. Let this be your focus as you go ahead and continue to build your business day by day.
Written by: Danny Gamache
See if this doesn’t make PERFECT sense to you… SAVE 30% on over 250+ products and services you already use!
>> EARN commissions for LIFE by referring others. Not MLM.
NO personal selling req’d. Products are Exceptional, Safe,
Eco-sensitive,100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. >> NO RISK! <<
$11K Bonus? Will train 8 Serious for Home Biz.
For details: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
Today, an excellent TED Talk with Dan Pink on the Surprising Science of Motivation.
Check it out:
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
Paul is in prison in Rome. He is in jail for his faith. And yet during this time the Apostle Paul writes a letter to a group of believers in Philippi – a church that he had started a number of years before. Paul’s letter is not one of pain and sorry. It is not one of complaints or questioning. Rather it is a letter of joy; a letter encouraging and imploring the believers of Philippi to always be joyful, no matter what the circumstance. Near the end of this letter Paul provides some very concise instructions. These are not any instructions, but rather instructions on how a Christian should think. In this article we will start a series examining how a Christian should think. In particular, how a Christian in a home business should think. The passage is Philippians 4:4-9. We’ll learn how the Christian’s thoughts should be joyful, gentle, thankful and focused.
Being able to think as God would direct us to think is vital. Psychologist William James said,
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind.”
And what better way to think than the way we are directed to by God. Altering the way we think can truly have a great influence on how we live our lives.
In this first article of the series, we will take a look at the first of these points from this passage, that the Christian mind should be joyful. Paul makes it very clear:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (v.4)”
Paul wants to get his point across so clearly that he repeats himself. He tells us to “rejoice” not just once, but twice. Paul repeats this key word to stress the importance of his message. First and foremost, the mind of a Christian should be joyful.
Paul is telling us to have a mind filled with joy. Remember, that Paul is in jail. In prison for his beliefs, and yet he is obviously filled with joy. However, Paul clearly states that this message of joy is not just for people who are facing persecution, rather we are to be rejoicing ‘always’! Whether things are great, terrible, or we are just having a regular day, we are to be rejoicing!
Even more important than this, the key to this verse might not be in the fact that we are called to be joyful at all times, but rather the reason for our joy. We are to “Rejoice in the Lord”. We are not rejoicing because of our own ability, because of how good life is, or on our current successes. Rather we are to be rejoicing in “the Lord!” We are to rejoice in who Jesus is and what He has done for us. That is rejoicing in the Lord!
So how does this transfer into our home business? I believe that having a mind filled with joy and being someone who is excited about life is important in any home business. The state of our mind has a direct influence on the state of our emotions and our attitudes. In our business it is vital to stay positive and enthusiastic. The people who build quick and long lasting home business are those with the ability to be enthusiastic and positive at all times.
If we want to live our lives by being joyful and enthusiastic every day we need to have the joy of Christ. In fact it is impossible to have true joy without Christ. In his book, “Celebration of Discipline”, Richard J. Foster says that
“Without obedience [to Christ], joy is hollow and artificial.” True joy only comes from a proper relationship with God. The only true joy is “in the Lord!”
The problem is that being in a home business and dealing with people, means that there are many ups and downs. There are going to be many times when we are seeing great success and our business is growing. There are also going to be times when our business is struggling, where people are dropping out of our business, and others are just not following through on their commitments. When dealing with people disappointments are inevitable.
When times are going great and we are seeing success and growth, the struggle will not be in having a mind filled with joy rather it will be in centering that joy in the right place. When things are going great we must make a special emphasis that our joy is “in the Lord!” Remember that your success is because the Lord has provided. Use your periods of success to give glory to Him. Also by being joyful in the Lord, it will cause us to remember that there are a lot of things in life more important than the growth and success of our business.
When we are struggling in our business and things are not going the way we want them too, then the struggle is being joyful at all. In “The Power of Positive Thinking”, Norman Vincent Peale says,
“The blows of life, the accumulation of difficulties, the multiplications of problems tend to sap energy and leave you spent and discouraged. In such a condition the true status of your power is often obscured, and a person yields to a discouragement that is not justified by facts.”
In other words, things are not as bad as we make them out to be. We need to change our focus and focus on Jesus and all the reasons why we have to be joyful. In other words, view things apart from our business, or apart from whatever is discouraging us. Remember, Paul was in jail when he wrote these words, if anyone had reason to be discouraged and depressed it was Paul. No matter how the struggles in our lives, likely we are not near in the situation that Paul was.
And we have every reason to rejoice! Christ has died for our sins! God sent his only Son who died for you and me! We have a God who loves us and cares for us. A God who has provided for us a way to eternal life! When we really look at these things it makes our business seem pretty small. So if we are seeing great success in our business, then we need to remember that our joy must be in the Lord. If we are struggling, we need to remember that the business is not our life. It is not who we are. We are first and foremost, children of God. No matter what the time or circumstance we are called to have a mind that is filled with Joy. Joy in the Lord!
Written by: Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
On Mondays I will post an inspirational story or video. The hope is that by starting your week with this kind of motivation, you will be able to think big and have a great week. You can start your week on the right foot and achieve your goals in you home business.
Today a powerful story of character that demonstrates what is really important in life.
The Softball Miracle
Danny Gamache
I’m looking for partners. My catalogue/online shopping business is booming! Accepting up to
EIGHT individuals to help develop, train and support new members.
This is a PART TIME BUSINESS. Will train right people.
You will start your own business with our Risk-Free
home-based business system that creates passive income.
Not MLM. No selling. No inventory.
Visit: http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com
I came across this powerful clip from the movie “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”. It shows Walther Raleigh recounting to Elizabeth what it is like to set sail across the ocean for the New World. It is a POWERFUL illustration of having hope through fear.
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