Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It gives principles and truths that apply to everything in life.  It’s timeless wisdom, and those who heed it – succeed with it.  Have you ever started a new job?  Are you about to start a new job, or have started one recently?  What are some things that you should know about starting a new job. 
 
#1 God is your boss – He owns the company – he’s just letting these people run it right now.  You work for God, not man, not a company, and certainly not money.  So let your work reflect Him.  And  you can know for sure, when you work for your Dad, He’ll take care of you.  Here’s a secret.  God’s provision isn’t dependent on your paycheck.  You work for the LORD, not for men, knowing that from the LORD you will receive the reward of the inheritance, it is the LORD, Christ whom you serve - Colossians 3:23.
 
#2 Be early.  You’ve heard it said, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. If you’re starting a new job – be early – from day one.  Why – you have a clean slate.  No-one knows your past, and what you do will identify you.  Be early.  Why?  Because leaders are early – you’ll be in good company.  Diligent people are early – you’ll be considered one of them.  You get an opportunity to help and serve leaders – which will benefit them, and benefit you.  You’ll establish excellence from your first day.  Godly people are early, sluggards are late, usually they roll in about 5-10 minutes late, frazzled and frustrated, already behind, now working to catch up, instead of working to be excellent. That’s not you.  That’s not what God has for you.   Whatever you need to do, no matter how early you need to get up, be early.  Leaders are early.  Abraham rose early, Daniel rose early, when Jesus rose from the dead – it was early.  Who was the first one to see Him?  Not the disciples who slept in, it was Mary, who got up early.  Leaders are early.  They get first dibs, first choice, they are involved in the decision-making process, they are the ones who get the opportunities others don’t get… They build the relationships that others don’t have the opportunity to build.  Leaders are early,  If you’re early you’ll be considered one of them, you’ll build key relationships, with leaders and the diligent.  You’ll be there to welcome others to work in the morning when they arrive, because you’ve already been there, getting things done.  Your boss will notice.  It will speak well of you. It honors God, and honors them.  It will serve you well.  People notice.  Give God a chance to bless you – be early.  The early bird gets the worm, the late one gets the leftovers.  God has things for you early.  If nothing else than to just spend a minute with Him, before the day begins, and re-commit to hearing and obeying – occupationally.  He will direct your steps, it’s His excellence that He wants you to operate in.
 
#3 Focus on Names – the most beautiful word in the English language, is your name.  People, when you call them by name, remember.  It’s unusual… Most people aren’t good with names.  It tells people that you care about them, that they are important.  A vice president at a Fortune 500 company I worked for had an organization of over three hundred people – and He made it a point to learn every single person’s name within the first two weeks of His arrival.  When he passed you in the hall, he called you by name.  I was just a pion… an entry level worker, but he made me feel like I was important.  It changes a culture.  Remember names, they’re important. 
 
#4 Smile, give your full attention.  Eye contact is important.  Most people don’t even look you in the eye.  Don’t stare a hole in them, that’s creepy, but meet their glance with a warm increasing smile, for at least one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, or even a little longer.  They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and if that’s true, we are concerned about their soul.  You know something they don’t know…  how much God loves them.  Look people in the eye, it communicates the love of God.  Hold their gaze, with an increasingly warm smile, look away, and make contact again.   Young ladies, just be careful – many guys might get the wrong impression, if you don’t do this judiciously.  Most guys are longing for someone who will see them and value them, that’s not what you’re doing on the chemistry level, it’s just a personal level.  Be careful, but eye contact is what brings genuineness to relating with people.  Let God lead you.  God loves them, so love them with your eyes and your smile. 
 
#5 Work during work hours.   Some people stay late because they have to…  They wasted half the day talking about last nights game or tv show at the water cooler, so now they have to stay late to get their job done.  Those relatable moments are important – you can’t just be all business and no personality, but don’t get caught in excessive conversation that keeps you from doing your job.  Don’t take from your family time, because you squandered your work time.  PiVAT includes not just go to work, but what God wants you to accomplish each hour.  Be diligent to stay on task, so during breaks and transitions, you can engage others.  See PiVAT Hourly – seems a little radical, but Elon Musk understands it.  God has a purpose for your life, and your day, and even this hour. 
 
#6 Extra Hours required.  Especially when beginning a job.  There is a learning curve.  You cannot just work 9-5 and succeed the way God wants you to.  It will take some extra hours.  You will need to plan well, (PiVAT before dinner – get God’s schedule and pace for you).  And you will need to put in the extra time to prepare.  Walk in the door in the morning, already knowing what you have to do, so you hit the ground running.  It’s because you put in the extra time needed, to plan, and understand, even research things necessary to know so you can succeed.  Often times you have work to do during work hours, and research is required off hours.  Let God lead you – you’re not a slave to your job, but God does want you to pursue it with excellence.  Let Him reveal the extra time needed, and how to invest it, with minimal impact on your family.  He will.  You can trust Him.  Be excellent.
 
#7 Come prepared.  Your Job has five parts.  Be prepared, learn to gain mastery of each part.  Part 1: Mission & Vision:  Know what your company is trying to do, trying to accomplish – the desired end state.  Those who help their boss and company accomplish their mission, and realize their vision – are the most valuable employees.  They demonstrate the DNA the company is trying to build.  Understand company vision, and how you can further it.  Part 2: Products & Services – know your company’s products and services inside and out.  Become an expert.  This is on your time, not company time.  Others aren’t doing it.  You Do it.  This will require extra time investment, not just work time.  If you don’t know what your company has to offer? How can you help customers, and grow the business?  Don’t wait til you’re trained.  It’s not their job to train you, that’s your job.  And if you only know what they train everybody in, how does that differentiate you.  It’s your job to get the knowledge.  Average people wait til they are trained, excellent people, pursue expert-level knowledge to serve better, to help their boss, help their peers, and secure their company’s future.  God sent you there to bless them.  Become an expert, experts are always more effective, they help more people, they’re worth more, they’ll get paid more.   Part 3: Customers – know your customers, know what they need, do whatever you can to get to know them.  Listening is far more valuable than talking.  Do research, and when you have the opportunity for direct contact – become skilled at listening.  One wise vice president told me – listen to what they need, not what they want.  They’ll want you into bankruptcy.  Customers want things, that they are not willing to pay for, but what they need, they will buy – no matter the cost.  Learn your customers needs, business, values and vision.  And if you also know your company’s products and services, you can creatively help them succeed in what they want to do, by serving them with what your company does.  So they can do what they do best because they partner with you.  Cash and Customers are king.  Keep a close eye on both.  Learn their needs, and you’ll be able to serve them well.  Part 4: Industry – learn the industry – laws and regulations, legislation, competition.  Be like the men of Issachar.  Which of your competitors are doing well?  Why?  Who are your competitors?  It might be more than even a company.  Who are you competing against, and what advantages does your company have?  Understand the industry and the competition so you can build advantages that will help you serve customers.  Part 5: Your Role.  Know your job inside and out.  Know your job description, learn your job well, develop the skill and practice to become excellent at it. It takes work, and extra effort.  It’s not hard to be excellent.  Most people aren’t, but you have to put in the time, to plan and do.  They say 10,000 hours is master-level.  You can’t do it in a week, but pursue excellence in your role.  Do your job at the highest level.  Even Daniel’s enemies found he was neither corrupt, nor negligent.  He was excellent at what He did.  Get a Daniel reputation.  Become good at your job.  You do that not just by the number of hours you spend, but what you spend them on.  Ask God He’ll make you effective in the time He allots to your job.  Serve well.   
 
#8 Invest money.   This job has a cost that comes with it, the cost of getting better!  It costs money.  Set aside part of your earnings, to get better at your job.  Consider it part of the cost of doing business.  Maybe a training that could increase your skill, even if the company doesn’t pay for it.  Ask God if He wants you to invest in it for your future.  You should absolutely have a gift budget and an info-share budget.  How do you learn to do your job well?  You learn from other people who have gone before you, who do it well, or have done it well it before.  Ask to take someone to lunch just for an info-share, just to get their counsel, because you noticed some things they are excellent at, and you’re trying to follow in their footsteps as you’re just staring out.  People usually love talking about themselves and their personal successes.  You can learn a lot from people who are excellent, it’s worth setting aside money to take them out – and learn all you can.  And set aside money for gifts.  People love gifts, not bribes, just helping them feel valued and appreciated.  People appreciate it.  It’s a love language.  And a professional courtesy that people appreciate. 
 
#9 Add Value.  You should always ask God every day how you can add value at your job.  How you can give more today, than you are getting paid for.  God is a giver, ask Him and He will show you.  You should always be underpaid.  No matter how much they raise your pay, you should be giving more than you get.  God said, it’s more blessed to give than to receive.  Most people look to get by with the least required of them.  That’s not how Godly people work.  That’s not the Joseph anointing, or the Daniel blessing.  Look for ways every day to add value.  Always give more than you get.  There was a dad who owned a shop across from Mr. Johnson’s General Store, and his boy helped him after school each day.  Mr. Johnson also hired a boy to help him…  This man would always look out the window and see that boy, Charlie Murphy out sweeping the sidewalk, cleaning the windows, helping the customers carry their purchases, smiling and tipping his hat to the ladies, helping them cross the street… and every day He would comment, “Looks like Charlie Murphy’s working on a raise…”  After days of the same comment, his son exasperated, he finally said one day.  “Looks like Charlie Murphy’s working on a raise, and He’s gonna get one too.”  Unable to stand it any more, his boy said – How do you know Charlie Murphy is going to get a raise.”   “Because if Mr. Johnson won’t give him one, I will.”  Always give more than you receive.  It applies to your job as much as anywhere else.  God won’t let you be underpaid forever, but as soon you get a raise, you’ll still just add more value than what you’re being paid for.  It’s a lifestyle.   
 
#10 Make your Boss Look Good.  That’s not butt-kissing, it’s wisdom.  God said a wise servant looks after the needs of his master.  Your job is to make them look good.  Don’t worry if they give you the credit or not, you’re working for God, not them.  But God called you to serve them. Do it well.  There’s an interesting phenomenon in the business world.  It’s called the giant sucking sound.  When bosses get promoted, they take people with them.  People they trust, those who make them look good, come with them, they make a place for them, create positions if they have to.  Make your boss look good. 
 
#11 The Greatest Career Skill Ever.  Anticipation.   If you serve your boss, you’ll learn the questions they ask, and the things they need.  Excellent employees, anticipate what they will ask, and they prepare the answers (the research and investigation) before they even ask the question.  So when they ask – instead of coming back a couple days from now… you already have it with you – researched, printed up with graphs and detail, to set on the table in front of them.  While your peers are scrambling to get the information – you’ve got it waiting.   Sometimes you have several things ready – that you do not always get to use, but the skill of anticipation is what enables you to help your boss succeed.  The same with customers, and industry trends, those who anticipate well, stay ahead of the curve.  They capitalize on opportunities that come every day, and opportunities that come once in a lifetime?  Why? Because they’ve learned the skill of anticipation.  The good news is this.  You have a super-power to help you.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit – God said He will lead you into all truth – He will show you what is yet to come.  That’s the skill of anticipation.  Actually it’s the gift of God.  Ask Him, and He’ll help you.  He wants you to be excellent at this new job.  It’s not forever, its for a season.  He will give you grace to do it.  And what is STEP 1 to succeed in this new job.  PiVAT before dinner.   It’s how God directs your time, so you do the best thing, at the right time.  His best for you.  Praying that you will operate with the excellence of Christ on this job and everything He puts your hand to. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word, it gives you a different perspective.  You’ve heard of the NFL?  Not For Long…  The average career length in the National Football League - 3.3 years.  Running backs - 2.7 years.  Kickers - 4.87 years.  That’s it?  That’s it…  Some young men squander their wealth and end up with nothing.  The wise realize this won’t last forever, and they plan accordingly.  God says sometimes those in the world are more shrewd than those in the church.  That’s why in Luke 16 He gave the example of the wicked servant who gave huge discounts to those owing his master money – realizing that his mismanagement would soon have him without a job.  God wasn’t commending his dishonesty, but his ‘looking to the future.’ Hebrews 11:13 – All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking forward to a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  Are you looking forward to that city?  Does your faith extend beyond your life – or is all you use your faith for – merely for things down here?   Are you believing God for things up there?  Or just things down here?  Are you praying for new furniture for your hotel room, you’ll be gone in less than a week… and you hardly spend any time there anyway, you are out on the beach!  Will you still be living by faith when you die? To live by faith when you die – there are things you are still hoping for, and believing that God will do – because He said He would.  You don’t have faith for something that you already have, you have faith for things not yet seen, it’s the evidence that proves they are coming.  If you live by faith today, you will life by faith when you die.  If you don’t live by faith today, neither will you be living by faith when you die.  What do you have faith for?  An eternal home, not made with human hands whose Maker and Builder is the LORD.  Where there is no weeping, no tears, no sin – it is removed forever, only righteousness for time without end.  Only day, no night, no doubt, no fear, no disappointment, no loss, no tragedy, only the fruit of righteousness forever.  Streets of gold! A new heavenly body that doesn’t wear out.  I think mine will have wings, or at least a jetpack.  Trees that bear fruit every month!  The light of God that shines love and life everywhere!  Do you think of the country you left (or will soon leave) or are you looking for a better country – a Heavenly one?  So God is not ashamed to be called your God.  Don’t ignore your responsibilities here, as a citizen here.  Do what God says, defend the poor and the oppressed.  Look after widows and orphans.  Stand for those who have no voice.   Pray for the city that you live in, and the nation you live in.  For if it prospers, you will prosper.  Love and Serve and Give, and share the hope that is in Jesus Christ…  But when it comes to your dreams and ambitions…  Say that you are a stranger and alien here on earth.  Be fully faithful in what God has called you to do… but don’t become attached here, You’re in the NFL, limited shelf-life.  Live as a soldier here on deployment.  Do not become attached here, tell people the good news.  Give and Love and Serve.  This is not your home, you are just passing through.  Your happiness is not here, this is just your temporary assignment.  He does have joy for you in it, but even greater joy for you there.  Say that you are a stranger and alien on this earth.  Remind yourself of your real home.  Love that place, not this place.  Live for that place, not this place.  This is just a missions trip that you are on.  How successful will it be?  What is your Job description?  Go into all the world, and make disciples of people in all nations, teaching them to obey everything I commanded you.  First you do it, then help someone else do it, walk with them, until they can do it and can walk with another.  Disciples make disciples and disciplers.  Praying that you’ll be faithful here, but not of here…  That you’ll say, so you remember, your real home is in another place. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – it is distinctly different from anything else in the world.  Have you ever thought of this?  What if you had joy?  That job that’s not your dream job, it wouldn’t matter – you have joy!  You know that God has called you to work for Him today, and He’ll take care of the rest.  When it rains on your parade, it wouldn’t matter… you have joy!  When you’re tempted to take something someone says, the wrong way… it wouldn’t matter.  You have joy!  The exhilaration and pleasurable feelings of gaining something good that you have long desired or longed for. The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; a delight of the mind.  Like winning the lottery, or getting to the Final Four.  Can you imagine what it would be like to win the final four - the NCAA National Championship?  That feeling of pure joy and elation – of that lifelong dream realized!  That’s what joy is.  But you don’t have to win the Final Four or the lottery to get it.  God gives it.  He gives joy in the morning.  That means this morning, you can walk in joy – you can rejoice – take joy again and again, or you could think about the less than perfect situation you are in.  That’s all the time.  But joy doesn’t look at the imperfect conditions, it rejoices at the end.  The joy that God gives is completely separate from situation, predicament, threat or loss.  God wins, you’re saved! He has in store for you a crown of righteousness – if you will fear Him, and follow His steps.  Joy is what sets you apart.  It’s not dependent on circumstances, they don’t matter.  And you don’t have to work for it, you just receive it, and choose it.  You just rejoice, in the good that God is, the good that you already have, and the good that He promised.  Joy that He gives, isn’t what the world gives, that’s temporary and fades quickly.  The joy that He gives is eternal.  You receive it and continue to choose it, or you forget it and forfeit it.  Praying that you will take joy again and again.  That you will remember the joy that He has for you every morning, and never leave home without it.  Praying that you will review the PRISM Topic – Joy.  There’s nothing like His Word to establish your life in His good.  It’s where the joy comes from… you can choose it!
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word, it drops the scales.  Have you ever found it hard to hear God’s Voice?  Have you ever wondered if that was really Him speaking - or just your brain?  Have you ever wished that God spoke with a megaphone or a billboard, instead of that still small voice?  You have to be stiller than the voice, or you won’t hear it.  If you’re talking, you won’t hear it.  If you don’t ask, you won’t listen for it, you won’t hear it.  Sometimes it’s hard to hear the voice of God.  Its not His voice that’s the problem, it’s not even that He’s not speaking…  He is always speaking.  Even in silence He speaks.  The problem with most people, even you and me.  Is the other voices, not His.  Remember when Jesus said how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven? (Mt 19:23) Because the love of money – the root of all evil – had taken root in him.  That’s why God said you will love Me or money – you cannot love both.  You’ll choose one over the other – that’s just the way it is.  Even the rich young ruler – wasn’t required to hear the voice of God by faith, he was looking right at Him, and talking with him face to face.  It’s just that the money voice was stronger than even the audible voice of Jesus, speaking right in front of him.  The other challenge… the older you get, the harder it is to start hearing the voice of God, if you’re not used to hearing it.  That’s why Jesus used a child as an example.  No baggage, no opinions, no doctrine, no background or upbringing, no dogma, no lack of faith of others or yourself to cloud that still small voice.  A child has simple, childlike faith.  If you tell them, they will believe it.  That’s why so many children sometimes until six years old, really believe that Santa comes down the chimney and leaves presents on Christmas morning.  Jesus said, it takes childlike faith to hear God’s voice and do His will.  Most adults hear with headphones on, voice-cancelling headphones.  Their opinion, or a disappointment or injustice they experienced in life that they blamed God for… or the doctrine they grew up with – the list of do’s and don’ts – that they thought was God… when it was just their church or parent or pastor.  If you grew up in church, often the voice of the church is louder than the voice of God.  Often - it’s totally different - like the voice of the Pharisees in your head, or the voices of the world versus the voice of Jesus...  God said He has plans for you.  That’s not just the Bible, that’s a conversation that He has for you and Him!  The way you should go, the way chosen for you, the best way for you. (See the PRISM Topic – Life Purpose and Direction). The plans He has for you – to prosper you, not harm you – to give you hope, and a future!  God first tells the secret weapon – to hear His voice. (Well, pre-requisite, first you have to be saved, receive Jesus as your Savior, and your LORD – without that – you probably don’t even know that He speaks.  Then the secret weapon - Wait in Jerusalem, until the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will receive power.  They already believed in Jesus, or they wouldn’t have been with Him…  Before being filled with the Holy Spirit – I didn’t even know what it was to hear God’s voice.  I knew what it was to read the Bible, but not really hear His voice – speaking to me.  This is the power Jesus promised that His Father would send. The power of the Holy Spirit – isn’t something that makes a church service look different from your old church… it’s something that God gave for you – so you can hear His voice – so God can lead you by His Spirit - to hear His voice – for you!  PiVAT – His plans for you today, and PRISM – His Word for you today, don’t really make sense to our minds without the power of the Holy Spirit speaking into our spirit, and then bringing it to our mind.  The Old Testament picture of the New Covenant (Heb 8:8) that God promised, hear His voice - was the picture of the Pillar of Cloud by day, and the Pillar of Fire by night.  That’s what it’s like when you are filled with the Spirit, and walk in Him.  You hear His voice – you see the pillar move, and you move.   In the new testament a picture of the Holy Spirit was Phillip coming alongside the Ethiopian riding in the chariot who was reading God’s Word, but it didn’t make sense.  He needed someone to explain it to him.  That why God sent Phillip, and that’s why God sends the Holy Spirit – to help us hear His voice, and understand His Word.  That secret weapon can also be used or quenched.  Sometimes clarity is difficult depending on how loud the other voices are.  You can get confused, if your flesh is fed more than your Spirit.   And finally it takes a step of faith.  That’s why PIVAT is so important when it comes to learning to hear His voice.  You meet with Him every day before dinner – to hear His voice, to get His plans for you for tomorrow.  To know it’s Him, it will take faith – to take the step He told you.  You don’t get to hear Morgan Freeman’s voice.  It’s that voice in your Spirit – that you need to follow and then He confirms it.  Often with PRISM.  He will show you by His Word – that you heard what He said in PiVAT before dinner last night.  It happens all the time.  Jesus promised the Holy Spirit will lead you in all truth.  Truth for you – the way you should go, the plans He has for you that He promised to tell you if you will ask.  PiVAT before dinner – just makes asking for His plans for you tomorrow – a habit.  And there’s not a relationship in the world, that doesn’t grow through regular and constant conversation.  Once you are filled with the Spirit, you can pray in the spirit, and it increases the ability of your spirit ears to hear, and sidesteps your natural ears – which pick up the other voices, and desires, and preferences, and traditions.  God says Be filled with the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, ask, and you will receive – His plans for you are part of your daily bread that He promised, just like His Word written in the Bible is.  This is spirit, so only spiritually understood.  The natural mind cannot understand it.  It’s the difference between two kingdoms.  Praying that you will be filled with the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, seek Him daily before dinner, and take that step of faith to obey that still small voice, so He can confirm it through your PRISM Time in His Word, and the many other ways that He makes it so obviously clear.  Remember, if you ask, He will answer.  His plans are definitely ‘according to His will' (I John 5:14), So you are asking according to His will, he definitely hears you, and you can be sure you will have what you asked of Him. He promised, you can trust Him. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you the truth. It tells you what to say. It is so very practical.  It is success for you.   It tells you that your mouth creates your life.  Have you ever found yourself in a place where you just didn’t know what to say?  God said the Holy Spirit in that moment will help you.  But what about every day and all the time - what should you say?  What should your word diet be? The habits of your mouth?  Because clearly you will eat what you say,  “From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled.  With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.” (Proverbs 18:20)  That word stomach really means ‘womb’… you will give birth to what comes out of your mouth… Let them now that fear the LORD say, “His mercy endures forever.” (Psalms 118:4) “Speak LORD, for your servant hears you.” – (I Samuel 3:9) It reminds you – that you need to go to Him.  PiVAT before dinner – He always will tell you. He will lead you in the way you should go.  He promised.  You just need be where He speaks, ask and obey.  Let those who love your salvation continually say, “The LORD be exalted!”(Psalms 40:16) Have you ever needed the deliverance of the LORD? Let your words say – Be exalted, be honored, be magnified, O LORD!  When people see me, and my life, and my family – O God – would you make Your Name great through us.  Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!” (Psalms 66:2).  Say of the LORD, He is my refuge, and my fortress, my God in him will I trust. (Psalms 91:2).  You have Redeemed me, O LORD!  (Psalms 107:2 – Let the Redeemed of the LORD say so!).  Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear, your God will come, He will come to save you!  (Isaiah 35:3-4).  Let the weak say, “I am strong!” (Joel 3:10)  That’s not a wish or positive thinking, The joy of the LORD is your strength.  Have you ever been dry, in a desert?  Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ”Dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD.”  (Ezekiel 37:4)  If you’re in a dry spell, your PRISM Time, declaring His Word out loud, is your way out.  Let them now that fear the LORD say, His mercy endures forever.  His loving kindness endures forever!  Praying that you will say what God wants you to say, that you’ll say what God’s Word tells you to say, so your life that is the fruit of your words – becomes the fruit that comes from His Word. 
 
Love you all,
dad

​Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – it gives truth and the Holy Spirit to lead you in it.  God reminding me recently you can quench the Holy Spirit in your life (God said don’t do that! - I Thessalonians 5:19), or you can activate Him – a much better plan.  There are really three settings on that knob.  If you are sitting in your room in silence, your mind will make the noise.  What you think of – will lead your next moments.  Let’s say you turn on a worship or prayer set, to set the atmosphere – that immediately becomes a protection for your mind.  Not that you couldn’t override it with less than God’s thoughts, but you are activating the atmosphere with the Holy Spirit.  Worship is wings for Him.  But let’s say you turn on the vacuum cleaner…  The worship music that you were listening to, will be drowned out by the noise.  In your life, regarding the influence of the Holy Spirit… there are three settings on that knob.  You can live in silence (leaving the car in neutral), you can pray in the Spirit – which activates Him (putting the car in drive), or you can quench Him (putting the car in reverse)… ignoring His prompting, when He nudges you to do something that God wants you to do, or to prevent you from doing something that is not God’s best for you.  You either walk in Him, or ignore Him.  Silence gives you a 50/50 chance.  But if you activate the Spirit – through praying in the Spirit – and choosing the atmosphere of His presence through worship, it enables you and propels you towards the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life.  Just like turning on the vacuum cleaner can drown out the sounds of the Spirit.  Not saying don’t vacuum, this is just a spiritual example.  In fact, when you’re cleaning your house – that’s a great time to pray in the Spirit.  Praying for you, that you will always activate the Holy Spirit in your life, that you would pray in the Spirit to increase your faith, and that you would choose to create an environment in your home, or your car, that invites His presence.  Not only will you be far less likely to quench Him,  you’ll be more prone to walk in Him.  Praying that you will always activate the Holy Spirit in your life, and reject anything that would quench Him…  These things are spiritually discerned, the natural mind wouldn’t understand.  Praying that you will walk in the Spirit, and live by the Spirit of God, so He can fulfill the purpose He created you for!  If this sounds foreign to you… praying that you will review the Relationship Topic – The Filling of the Holy Spirit.  And if you’re filled, but you haven’t been diligent in keeping Him active in your mind, heart and spirit, praying that you will review the PRISM Topic – The Purpose of Tongues in your life.   These are your ‘superpowers’ to live the life God has for you.  Jesus promised, you will receive power.  He wasn’t lying.  It is so very true.  Praying that you will activate the Holy Spirit in your life, so you always walk in Him, not by your mind, but by your spirit.    
 
Love you all,
dad

​Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – it tells you how to be blessed. A lot of people talk about it… here’s how it happens. Psalms 112:1 – Blessed is the man who fears the LORD who delights greatly in his commands.  Do you fear God?  Is He the LORD of you?  Do you delight greatly in His commands?  Commands – directions, a charge given, a precept, an ordinance, his law, something set in order.  Blessed is the man who delights in the instructions that God gives.  That word delights means to incline (be pre-disposed to do), to bend, (yield, submit to), to be pleased with and pleased to.  To take pleasure in and desire to do. Someone who delights greatly in God’s commands is blessed – will be blessed, blessing will continue to pursue them and overtake them.  Blessed – supremely happy, to be straight, level, honest, to go forward, to prosper, to be successful – to succeed. (The favorable completion of any thing attempted).  Blessed is the man who fears the LORD – who yields to and desires greatly the commands He gives for your good.  Praying that you will delight in His commands – so you will be blessed, so you will prosper, so you will succeed. How much do you delight in His Word? (What priority does PRISM have in your day – or are you too busy to be blessed?)  Do you come back to it?  Are you inclined to always do what His Word commands?  Have you yielded enough for it to become your desire?  His Word, and obeying it, is an acquired taste, you schedule it before you desire it, you do it before you love it.  Praying that your hunger and thirst for His Word will grow - that your PRISM time will draw you back to His presence and His wisdom, like moth to the flame.  Set time for it, and it will become a desire.  Scheduled time first, and then every transition (every change of activity throughout the day – between times, wait time, when you get up in the morning time, before you go to bed time). Praying that you will review the Fear of the LORD Packet.  That you’ll ask God what PRISM topic to take with you today, so you soak in His commands, in His instructions for your success – so you grow to desire it, so you love to do it… so you can be blessed. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
Some of you may already know this, it may be review for all of you.  But just because we knew it once, doesn’t mean we do it now.  God said keep His Word with you. Meditate on it day and night, teach it to your children when you get up and when you lie down and when you are walking on the way.  Some things are worth reviewing… so you remember.
 
I just love God’s Word.  It says more than just one thing about something.  It tells you all you need to know to operate in wisdom.  Praying that you will review the Money Packet.  If you don’t know what God says about money – you will only think what the world thinks.  From God’s Word, and by way of review – if you’re just starting out in life (or maybe just need a reset).  What are first things you need to know or do financially?  Here they are…  #1 God owns it, so He directs it.  #2 His first Directive is 10% off the top.  #3 Give an Account/Divide Your Portion  #4 Work  #5 Get Debt Free / and then save to be debt-free for life!  #6 Live Within Your Means  #7 This Month’s Income Pays Next Month’s Bills  #8 Take Every Opportunity To Work  #9 Give Freely as God Directs.  #10 The Principle of Delayed Gratification and #11 Learn To Be Content  these are first things you need to know or do financially.  So what do they mean? 
 
#1 – God owns it, so He directs it.   Psalms 50:9 – I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.  If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine and everything in it.  Haggai 2:8 – The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.   Bitcoin is mine, the stock market is mine… OK, I added the last part – but you get the idea…  I Corinthians 4:2 – It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. (When it comes to what God wants regarding money… You don’t manage God’s money, like you think He would want… You ask Him what He wants and then just do what He says.  You’re a bookkeeper not a manager, a director, not a decider, the Accounts Payable Clerk, not the CEO.  Steward doesn’t mean – you decide.  It means the Owner decides and you do it.  The best stewards are the ones who talk with the owner most often - to see what they want.  You just write the checks you are told to write.  You don’t feel some kinda way about it.  It’s not your money – just write the check.  Do what He told you.  Generic is ok, you don’t need brand name all the time.  Ask Him, He’ll tell you what and when.  And sometimes, God wants you to pay full price.  It’s not about getting more, it’s about distributing as directed.  It’s about doing what He wants to do with it. It’s His.  Even what you think you earned.  David said, I Chronicles 20:14 – But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you?  Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!  What you have belongs to God, and was given to you by God.  Whether a gift, or the job you have, breath in your lungs, strength in your body, the talent and ability to earn it...  God just uses money to teach us obedience.  He doesn’t need it, we do.  It’s how we learn to hear his voice.  God owns it, He directs it.
 
#2 – His first directive is 10% off the top – (Gross)  You then ask Him about how to direct the remaining ninety percent.
 
#3 – Give an Account / Divide your portion -  Live by categories.   You must have an Accounting Tool.  You first have to know where God’s money is.  How can you ask Him about what you don’t know you have, or what you think you still have, but don’t?  The 4C’s Tool is a pretty good one.  It’s free and it works.  If you don’t know where God’s money is, you can’t ask him about it and do what He tells you to do with it.  You won’t know what you have… He does, you don’t.  The 4C’s Accounting Tool helps you obey financially, if you do, you’ll walk in peace.  Money will be a testimony, never a worry.  You do your part and He will surely do His.  Luke 16:11 – Give an account of your management…  Proverbs 24:27 – Know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever, neither is a crown secure for all generations.  God wants us to be diligent with His money – to give an account – and just ask Him for direction – He’ll tell you.  He’s really good with money. 
 
#4  - Work.  I Thessalonians 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, neither should he eat.  God’s provision is often a job, or a field, or an orchard.  Tending required.  Plowing and Planting required.  Weeding and watering required.  Harvesting required.  You can’t live within your means, if you have no means.  God gave Adam a job before he gave him a wife.  Tithing requires a job, Giving requires a job, saving requires a job, providing for your family requires a job, sharing with others requires a job.  The precious possession of a man is diligence - not his car, or his bass boat, or his play station… The precious possession of a man (male or female) is diligence.  (Prov 12:27)
 
#5 – Get Debt Free and then Save to be Debt-Free For Life (to eliminate Rent and Mortgage payments which consume your income year after year).  First – Get debt free!  You cannot save what belongs to another.  Proverbs 3:27-28 - Do not withhold money (good) from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.  “Don’t say to your neighbor, come back tomorrow, when you have it with you…”  Pay what you owe, don’t use their money to save for something else.  Proverbs 17:18 – One lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.  What is Security? – a physical asset that will be possessed by the neighbor – should you not pay them back.  What is Surety… “I will surely pay…”  You yourself are the ‘security’ put up for debt.  Your power to produce income – which is unlimited rather than just the value of the item put up as security.  Pawn shops work off of a Security principle – if you don’t pay back the money they lent you, they keep the wedding ring, or the gold watch.  But lenders work off of a Surety principle.  That’s why when GMAC sells your repossessed car, cause you couldn’t make the payments… you still owe them the balance of your loan over and above what they got for your car… that’s why people get ‘upside down’ in the car loan game… It’s “Surety, not just Security.” The car doesn’t cover it, you do. God said doing either is stupid (one lacking in judgment).  God said “ Do not strike hands in pledge.  But if you did… God then said - Romans 13:8 -  Let no debt remain outstanding.  Pay all debt first before saving for future purchases.  If you save or buy other things - instead of pay off debt – that is the textbook definition of “letting debt remain outstanding.”  You have it with you, but you’re not paying it, you’re using the money that is rightfully theirs - for something else, instead of paying someone what you owe – that you have with you.  (“But they’re ok with monthly payments… of course, they are earning interest… they’re becoming rich, you’re becoming poor.  That’s how the wealth of the wicked is shifted to the righteous.)”  But I’m the righteous, they aren’t even believers.  I John 3:7 – Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. (What is righteous? – whatever God commands).  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  (What is sin?  Different from what God commands, less than God’s best for you).  The reason the Son of God came was to destroy the works of the devil.  No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.  Basically, God is saying, righteous is as righteous does.  God said his people should be lenders, not borrowers.  Deuteronomy 15:4 – There should be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you - if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.  For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.  You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.   Proverbs 12:27 – The borrower is slave to the lender.  I Corinthians 7:23 – You were bought with a price, do not become slaves of men.   If you do not know what God says about debt – you will think like the world thinks.  Not like God thinks.  See the Money Packet - Learn God’s Word about money, and your mind will be transformed.  It will transform your life!  You will love God, not money.  You will have to decide… what am I willing to borrow for?  What does God say about that?  Did God ever have his people borrow?  Did they take out a mortgage for the temple (Gold covered drywall (they used cedar in those days) upwards of a trillion dollars in today’s gold prices. They didn’t make easy payments to 1st Palestinian Bank.  God provided.  Debt is simply buying something, that God has not given you the money for yet.  God said - Don’t do it.  You’ll have to decide for yourself… 
 
#6 – Live within your means.  Save for the future.  Don’t just live for today.  To save for the future, you must have a job, and margin.  Proverbs 21:20 – The wise man saves for the future but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.  The fool lives beyond their means… they borrow, or spend it all on their lifestyle today… they don’t save for tomorrow. You have to live within your means, then pay off debts, then save to eliminate expenses.  But first you must get your short term obligations covered.  You can’t use grocery money to pay extra on the principal of your student loan.  You need groceries.  You need to pay the electric bill, or they’ll shut your lights off, and you will need $600 for car repairs this year – whether it is required of you this year, or next… it will be $600 per year per vehicle (Repairpal.com).  You will need insurance money for this year, and you will need an Emergency Fund for this year.  If you have no margin for Emergency, then every emergency forces you back into debt.  You will need to know God’s Word, (The Money Packet) and walk in the Spirit financially – in unity with your spouse.  Get God’s financial plan, use a 4C’s Accounting Tool to diligently give an account, and God will do miracles for you financially.  Before making lifestyle decisions - Count the Cost – Use the Options Tab in your 4C’s Tool.  Seek God for His will for you financially so you live within your means, and be sure to do whatever He tells you.  That’s where the joy is. 
 
#7 – This month’s Income pays next months bills.  Next, Pay bills annually if allowed, so this year’s income pays next years bills.  Monthly payments add service charge.  Annual payments are discounted.  Save each month and the money will be there when the bill is due.  Pay the year in advance, and save each month to repeat the process next year.  That’s how in the house of the wise there are stores of oil and food.  They pay in advance, they increase their margin, and they buy things they will need, and enough to share. 
 
#8  - Take every open door to work.  When you are starting out, take every work opportunity you can.  When you’re young you have no money, but you have time and energy.  When you get old, you might have some money or not, but your time and your energy is running out.  Seek the LORD – Do what He calls you to do.  But if you don’t have a mortgage-free house yet, you should be working and saving.  1) Emergency Funds 2) Annual Bills, 3) Payoff All Debt, 4) Save for a debt-free future.
 
#9 – Give Freely – as God directs.  It’s His money – you’re the bookkeeper, not the owner.  10/10/10 is a good place to start.  10% Tithe, 10% Offering, 10% Savings.  If you can do it now, you’ll do it then.  If you don’t do it now, neither will you then.  You won’t tithe on the Lottery, if you don’t tithe on this paycheck, and you won’t save in the future if you don’t save now – no matter what you tell yourself.  God’s secret: giving is gain, not loss.  Most people don’t understand that.  You’re not just laying up treasure in heaven, you will get a return on earth.  Givers always prosper, those who withhold come to poverty.  God makes sure givers always have seed to sow, and bread to eat.  Give and it will be given to you… See the Relationship Topic – 11 Things you need to Know About Giving.  Givers always prosper.     
 
#10 – The principle of Delayed Gratification.  It is the principle of Proverbs 21:20 - The wise man saves for the future… He delays gratification today, to meet the needs of his family, and others… tomorrow.  You would rather have the nice house and car when you’re thirty-five or forty-five than when you’re twenty-five.  You are not impressing anyone.  They don’t care! They are worried about $5.00 a gallon, they aren’t even thinking about what you drive, or the house you live in.  Ten years from now – God might give you a whole new circle of friends, in an entirely different State and City.  They won’t care that you got the nicer apartment ten years ago.  And you’ll wish you had the extra $200 a month that you could have saved for 10 years – to take with you.  Be willing to sacrifice now – to live free later!  Get God’s Seven Year Plan.  If you fully commit, you can get out of debt in seven years… It was God’s prescribed Biblical Model.  And once you have no debt, the same seven years that got your out, could save for mortgage free housing, so you can live debt-free for life.  The wise man saves for the future, the foolish man spends whatever he gets.  Your lifestyle now, will impact your lifestyle in the future.  You don’t know what you’ll need then, but it will be a greater need, with more at stake than you have now.  You’ll have kids!  Or your kids will be older…  Sacrifice now, you will never regret it.  Whatever your perceived needs now, they will be even more needed later.  No one remembers my sports car when I was twenty-four years old. No one cared then, and no one even knows now. 
 
#11  Learn To Be Content.  If you aren’t content now.  You will not be content then - no matter what your income, or car or house, or husband or wife, or kids, or vacations, or toys.  Contentment is learned - in the little first. Philippians 4:11 – I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  If your life is not your own, you won’t really care.  What soldier gets entangled with civilian affairs… He is focused on serving His commanding officer. (II Timothy 2:4)   It’s the analogy God uses regarding contentment.  If you are content, your peace and joy will abound.  If you aren’t – more money or stuff will never buy you contentment.  I’ve never met a discontented person that walked in peace, or joy.  Be content.  Be willing to remain thankful if God never gave you a penny more… Just obey with the one or two talents you have been given.  Let God decide who gets more.  If he chooses you, it’s just for you to distribute anyway… so what does it matter?  Learn to be content, and fully obedient now, so you will be - then.
 
Praying that you will Start Financially Today:  That you will let God direct your money decisions, that you will tithe off the top, that you will get a 4C’s Accounting Tool so you learn to hear His voice financially.  Praying that you will take every opportunity to work as unto the LORD, that diligence will be your precious possession.  That you will live within your means, that this month’s income pays next months bills for the rest of your life.  Praying that you will start paying annually in advance - that you will set aside for short term needs so debt free will be your absolutely priority.  And then save - to live debt-free for life. That you would be ok with delayed gratification, and learn to be content with where you are right now, so you also will be then.  God can do more than you can ask or imagine. His ways are higher than ours like heavens above earth.  Praying that you would review The Money Packet – so the world’s opinions on money won’t ever replace what God said, so your heart is fully His, and He always remains your first love.   
 
Love you all,
dad

I just love God’s Word.  It gives you truth – that gives you hope.  Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  Jesus is hope – His way is hope, and truth and life.  There are always two ways, God’s Way and man’s way.  God’s way is truth and life.  And the hope that He gives is not just heaven for eternity, but His best for you here on earth.  He has plans for you!  A purpose for you! For your good!  To prosper you to give you hope and a future.  Two very powerful words.  What If.  Are you starting a new season in your life?  Did you just take a new job?  Move to a new place?  Are you about to start a new season in your life? Maybe start school, or begin summer break?  I pray that you will review PiVAT What If.  It’s not a brainstorming tool, it’s a Spirit-storming tool - a PiVAT Maybe for the next season.  With every new season, comes a new schedule.  Some things you did last season, aren’t applicable or appropriate in this season.  And some things you didn’t do last season, maybe even have never done before – are exactly what God has for you in this new season.  Schedule is vitally important.  Because if you enter a new season with old or obsolete habits you cannot thrive in the new season God has for you.  And if you don’t know the patterns and timing required for success in this new season, you’ll miss out on the purpose for which God brought you here.  Praying that you’ll review PiVAT What If.  And Spirit storm with God about what this next chapter in your life looks like.  You might need some new disciplines to guarantee your success.  You will probably have some new relationships, friendships and associations.  God has a purpose for all of these.  He’s bringing you into this new chapter to grow you and develop you.  To stretch your faith, and to produce new fruit.  Praying that you will be willing to leave old things behind, and press on to what God has for you.  Praying that the precious possession of a man – diligence will be your hallmark.  That the most important part of diligence – Knowing what to do (before you just work hard at something), knowing what God wants you to do…becomes your daily pursuit.  Praying that PiVAT Monthly, and PiVAT Weekly will be your habit, so God can set his course for you – the path that He chose for your best.  And that PiVAT before dinner will be a never miss for you – so you can seek His face and His will for your next step by step.  God has good for you.  He knows the plans He has for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Notice it didn’t say – ‘You know the plans He has for you.’ You don’t, you need to ask Him.  Praying that you will review PiVAT What if, and spend that time with your Heavenly Father – seeing what He might have – so He can clarify His complete and perfect will and timing.  Most important is not just what you do, but what you do so you will become.  God has good things for you, but God has a "new and better you" for you that results from hearing and obeying His voice.  Don’t worry, it’s good!  That’s always what He has stored up for those who fear Him. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It gives you examples to follow.  Principles that are timeless.  It tells you what you should do that’s only fitting – table stakes.  Psalms 111:1 – “I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.  Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.  Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.  He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.  He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.  They are steadfast forever and ever done in faithfulness and uprightness.” Wow.  I will extol the LORD.  Extol – to raise in words or eulogy.  Eulogy – Praise, a speech or writing in commendation of a person, on account of his valuable qualities or services.  The Psalmist was saying - I will always raise God up with my words.  I’ll give a speech about him, how great He is.  I’ll tell other people how great his works are, I’ll ponder them.  Have you ever taken the time to ponder the greatness of God, or are you so busy with other things?  Do you delight in his works?  There’s plenty to choose from.  Praying that you will lift God up with your words today.  That you will employ them to raise Him.  His works are great, his righteousness endures forever, He is faithful and just, He hears and He answers.  Praying that you will talk about Him today, that you’ll give a speech.  That you will overcome with your testimony. 
 
Love you all,
dad