SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

Recently while Janice and I were in Australia I noticed that there were Starbucks coffee shops there and I couldn’t help but think about what a worldwide empire Starbucks has become. It seems like there is a Starbucks on every street corner, every terminal, every mall and every hotel in America. Pretty soon there are going to be Starbucks in Starbucks.

When Howard Schultz purchased Starbucks on August 15, 1987 it was a small chain of coffeehouses in Seattle, Washington. Nothing more, nothing less. Howard Schultz said his big goal was to open one store in Portland, Oregon.  A few decades later, there are 11,000 stores in 37 countries with approximately 35 million customer visits every week! And for what it’s worth, Starbucks opens 5 new stores every day 365 days a year.

But Howard Schultz almost passed up the opportunity because it seemed too big. Schultz said it felt like a case of the salmon swallowing the whale. In other words, it seemed way to big for him to attempt. The asking price was $4 million. I love the way Schultz describes the moment in his book, Pour Your Heart Into it:  This is my moment, I thought. If I don’t seize the opportunity, if I don’t step out of my comfort zone and risk it all, if I let too much time tick on, my moment will pass. I knew that if I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity, I would replay it in my mind for my whole life, wondering: What if?  On June 26, 1992—less than five years after Howard Schultz seized the opportunity—Starbucks’ stock went public. It was the second most active stock traded on the NASDAQ and by the closing bell, its market capitalization stood at $273 million. Not bad for a $4 million investment. Schultz saw an opportunity and he seized it.

In Colossians 4 there is a verse that doesn’t get much air time, but I think it a great definition of spiritual maturity. If all of us obeyed this verse it would radically change our lives. Colossians 4:5 says: Make the most of every opportunity.  This Scripture doesn’t specify how many or how few opportunities. It doesn’t make a difference between how small or how large the opportunity. We simply need to make the most of every opportunity.

The word translated opportunity in Colossians 4:5 is the Greek word kairos. It refers to a window of opportunity. The English word opportunity comes from the Latin phrase ob portu. In the days before modern harbors, ships had to wait till flood tide to make it into port. The Latin phrase “ob portu” referred to that moment in time when the tide would turn. The captain and crew would wait for that one moment, and they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in.

We are surrounded by God-ordained opportunities—opportunities to love, opportunities to laugh, opportunities to give, opportunities to learn, opportunities to serve, opportunities to give. Seeing and seizing those opportunities is at the heart of what it means to follow Christ and be filled with the Spirit.

Most of us want our opportunities gift wrapped. We want our lions stuffed or caged or cooked medium well and served on a silver platter. But opportunities typically present themselves at the most inconvenient time in the most inconvenient place. Opportunities often come disguised as a big problem, but people who get ahead in life see them as opportunities. Problems are opportunities in disguise!

I have a conviction: God is in the business of making sure we meet the right people at the right time. He’s also in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. But here is the catch: the right place often seems like the wrong place and the right time often seems like the wrong time.

Living with Definite Aim

 

Paul says (paraphrasing) in I Corinthians 9:26 (AMP), “I do not live my life without definite aim…”  I do not live my life without having a definite aim of what I’m about.  In Acts 26, we read the encounter that Paul had with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  Jesus said, “Paul, I have appeared unto you for this purpose.  1.  I am going to make you a minister; 2.  I am sending you to the Gentiles; 3.  I am going to have you open their eyes so they can come to the revelation of truth.” 

When you read about Paul’s life, read his writings and read about all the great things he accomplished, one of the things that you discover is that Paul was a master at staying on course.  Now he, like everyone else, went off in the wrong directions sometimes, but ultimately he was a master at staying on his decided course.   You know the story in the book of Luke about the brothers who came to Jesus and said, “We would like for you to divide our inheritance for us.”  And Jesus explained to them that it was not his place to do that.  Then Jesus made this very powerful statement: “Life does not consist in the abundance of things a person possesses.”  What Jesus was saying here was that they were getting very disturbed about some things that really didn’t matter. He was actually telling them that they were wanting to live their lives based on what would never give them happiness rather than what would.  These brothers were in dispute about money.   It seemed that they were on the verge of throwing away their relationship over this.   I hope you all realize that no amount of money is worth throwing away your family for.

            I believe all of us were created to live for a divine purpose.  All of us were designed, by the design of God,  and created to live for a destiny and something outside of ourselves.  The reality is, if you live your life based on what just influences you, you will live a very empty, disturbed and messed up life.  All of us have been given by God something to do in this earth like no body else can do.  I have thought often about different things that would hinder people from really experiencing and walking in the plan that God has for their lives.  And I want you to remember that while you were created to live for a purpose, but the main purpose you were created for was to experience the love of God.  Beyond what you can do for God, God is more interested in loving on you and having you experience His love.  The reality is that the most important thing is not what you can do for Him but what you can experience in His love.  There is nothing more valuable to God than His loving you and your coming to the place where you experience that great love.  There is NOTHING more valuable, more important, more worthwhile than experiencing the love of God so let experiencing it be the first thing you aim at in life.

 

THE SECRETS of SUCCESS – Part 2

So what is genuine success in ministry?  It’s not how I look.  It’s not what I have.  It’s not who I know.  The Bible says it’s what I am.  What I am is really the key ingredient to success and what I am is determined by who I think I am.  Galatians 6:4 “Each one should test his own actions then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else.”  Notice he says don’t compare yourself to other people but test your own actions.  Real genuine success is never at the expense of somebody else. 

 

Who I am is the key ingredient in success in life whether I am looking for it in my relationships or finances. Who I am influences every action I take in life so I must settle this issue because without doing so I will never be fulfilled regardless of how good life is for me. Hebrews 4:12 says in the NLT that the “Word” exposes to us who we “really” are. When most people read this verse they say that’s for sure because I feel like a worm when I read or hear the Word. When we read the Bible and it points out our weaknesses and failures it’s because we are reading it to find out what’s “wrong” with us rather than what’s “right”. I heard it said years ago that we always find what we look for and this could not more true than looking for what’s wrong with us. I want to challenge you to begin reading the Bible to find out what God says about you and that is you’re righteous, accepted and have ALL things in and through Christ. Let this be the first step in your journey in discovering success and I promise you’ll never regret it.

 

Our website has hundreds of sermon sermons on it that you can listen to and download for free. Take some time at least three times per week to listen to these sermons that help you discover who you are.

 

 

 

 

THE SECRETS of SUCCESS

 

What’s the secret of success?  Anytime someone says, “Here’s the secret,” you know they’re wrong because there’s no single secret.  There are lots of “secrets” of success.  But they’re all in the Bible.  I want to give some of them to you over the next few weeks because they apply to all areas of your life.  If you will use the things that I will be sharing as a guideline you will find your personal life, business and the ministry you’re involved in, dramatically improving as you apply these Biblical truths.

 

Everybody’s interested in success.  And the truth is God wants you to succeed.  He wants you to succeed in everything you do in life.  He wants you to succeed especially with your family.  What’s the alternative?  People say, “I don’t think God wants me to be a success?”  What do they think he wants you to be, a failure?  No, He wants you to make an impact with your life so you can enjoy this journey. 

 

Over the next few weeks we’re going to look at the some of the “secrets” of success but right now let’s take a look at what success is not.

 

1. Success is not measured by how I look.  Our society is image conscious.  For many people the goal is simply to appear successful.  The right car, the right clothes, the right accessories, the right style.  People in the world today often just buy things for status symbols.  We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like.  It’s true that many people look at image – “If I appear successful then I am.”  But God says that’s not it. 

 

2. What I have.  You can be wealthy and be a failure at life.  I meet a lot of people who are making more and more money and enjoying it less and less.  Mark 8:38 says  

            What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his soul.”  Luke 12:5 “A man’s life consists not in the abundance of things that he possesses.”  It’s

            not based on your possessions.

 

3. It’s also not a matter of who I know.  If you’ve ever read some success motivational books they often talk about you’ve got to know the right people.  I say, You don’t

     have to know the key men if you know “The Man” who holds the keys.  Take time this week to spend time with God and let Him begin to shape and mold a proper

     image of who He says you are because His view and opinion is the foundation of all true success in life.

 

 

 

 

Amazing Grace

Allen Speegle

 

The Bible says we're saved by grace and that the only way to heaven is through the doorway of Grace. If you're going to get to heaven that's the only way you're going to get there. You can't earn it, you can't work for it, you can't buy it. It's just by God's grace. The Bible says, "For by grace you are saved through faith and even that is not of yourself it is the gift of God, not of works so no one could boast." If you could work your way to heaven, can you imagine how boring heaven would be? Everybody would be bragging about how they got there. The Bible says that we're simply saved by grace through faith.  

 

Grace is free. All you have to do is accept it. It's free to you but it's not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. Grace is the most expensive commodity there is and Jesus died on the cross to pay for it and give us access to “ALL THINGS”  we need to live and enjoy a great life. As you walk through 2008 remember it’s by grace and not our works that we have life.

Encouraging Yourself

Allen Speegle

 

You may have heard this great statement, There was a time in David’s life when no one was encouraging him, as a matter of fact, everyone around him wanted to kill him. That’s when we read, "but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). Never underestimate the power of talking to yourself! Zig Ziglar said, "The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you!" If others don’t encourage you, encourage yourself! The Apostle John said that we "shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:19).

The Gift Giver

By Lori Speegle

As I type this, I'm sitting on my parent’s deck that faces the woods in their backyard. The air is just beginning to have a sense of autumn and through the tall trees and branches I see the sky is starting to have that crisp blue color that comes this time each year. I had decided to go out and sit on the deck to clear my thoughts but Someone else had a different plan. As I sat on the there I was reminded of my Father's love for me.

As I looked at nature I realized it had been a while since I'd just sat and enjoyed what He has for me. Too many times I get occupied with the things I don’t have or what I need and I miss out on the gift I have been blessed with. Always looking at the cup half empty can be depressing if you allow it to and lately, I had. But this morning was different. As I looked out over the woods I realized how loved I truly am. I began to hear Him whisper this is for you. This is a gift of love for you my daughter, my bride.

Just then I looked up at the trees, how great they are in height, each decorated in fascinating colors of green. My mind began to race through all the beautiful things I know He has made. From the ocean to the snowcapped mountains to sunsets on the lake, all for me He has created these things.

Have you ever been given a gift that you knew had taken time for that person to make for you? The feeling you have when receiving that gift is not the same as if someone was to stop by the store to purchase you something, no matter how nice it may be. Well, that feeling overtook me. I love thoughtful little gifts and cards from people I am close to and I realized everything around me was a handmade gift from my Father. You cannot buy what He has created.

Confrontation

Part 2

 

 

In my last devotional I began a two part thought on Confrontation and I would encourage you to read it before reading this one so you will understand some basic misunderstandings about confrontation. The truth is most of do what we have seen modeled when confronting problems whether what we have seen is life giving or not. The Bible is VERY clear on how to deal with confrontation so that it does not destroy but rather enhance our relationships with others. Consider this the below.

 

 

Wrong attitudes towards Confrontation:

 

·       Winner takes all.

 

This person lives to be right failing to realize it should be their goal to create a win-win situation. As sad as it is most people approach confrontation with mindset of in order for me to win you must lose. If this thinking is within a person they fail to realize this is the source of most of their conflict and confrontational matters. If I win and you lose we both lose therefore I must free myself from the “I have to win and be right” mindset lest I continue to down a path that leads to nowhere.

 

 

·       That confrontation destroys love, trust and support.

 

The truth is without confrontation a relationship will never become all that it can be. As I said earlier people are people including ourselves and we all have problems and make mistakes that must be confronted. To confront someone or to be confronted is not an indication of the lack of love or commitment it can actually be the opposite. Janice and I as I write this have been married 32 years and our love for each other has grown beyond anything we ever imagined as teenage newly weds. Over the last 32 years and still today we have loved each other enough to confront our issues but we do it without going into an attack mode that would damage our love for each other. Confrontation only destroys when it is an attack on the person.

 

 

Ways we tend to handle confrontation.

 

Walking away from it.

 

This person often says peace at any cost. There are times when walking away would be the best thing you could do, at others it is the worst. I have often said having peace is more important then being right and generally speaking that is true but there are times when you must take a stand regardless of the opposition. As I heard one person say, we must choose our battles so everything doesn't become a war. The key to this is to remember to not make issues bigger than they really are. Whenever I am tempted to act or not act in a difficult personnel situation, I should ask myself two questions:

 

(a) Am I holding back or acting for my personal comfort?

 

(b) Am I holding back or acting for the good of the person and the organization?

 

We confront to much for personal things and not enough for organizational things. If it is a personal issue it often needs to be left alone.

 

 

Whine over it.

 

I heard a person say when I complain I do it because it's good to get it off my chest. When you complain I remind you that griping doesn't help anyone. The truth is and always will be that complaining does not change anything. I have often told people around me if what we’re whining and complaining about others needs confronting do so and if not stop whining!

 

 

Hope it will go away.

 

This person pulls the ostrich head in the sand deal to avoid dealing with it. There are issues this can be done with but not all of them. To just simply ignore the issue and pretend it will all go away is not the answer. Part of leading is dealing with people and people have problems just as we do that must be confronted in a loving and not resentful manner. As long as you lead people and live on this planet there will be times when confrontation is a must and hoping it will go away will not make things better.

 

 

Work at it from a Biblical standpoint.

 

 

Practical Steps In Confrontation:

 

1. Confront directly and personally.

 

Don't save up things and unload them all at one time. Don't do it through a letter or email unless there is not other way because it is the most one sided way of confronting there is and it often sends a message that you did not intend to send. Emails and letter are the LAST resort because words on a computer screen or paper cannot demonstrate your heart in the matter. Most often things seem much more negative than intended when it is not face to face. In our day it is easy to hide behind the computer and use it as our security but in the end we will create more problems than we solve. Jesus said in Matt 18:15 "If a brother sins against you, go to him privately and confront him with his fault. If he listens and confesses it, you have won back a brother. TLB

 

 

2. Check you motive and attitude

 

We should neither be overeager or hesitant to confront when the needs demands it. One of the questions I have learned to ask my self when needing to confront an issue is am doing this to straighten out the other person? Many times I have confronted with the goal to set them straight failing to realize I was creating more problems than I was solving. I learned the hard way until I can go to the person with a heart to help them the pending issue may not be as damaging as my approach. When I find myself with the wrong attitude as I often do when dealing with people who should know better I have to apply the grace that I preach so I can see the person and the value that God places on the them lest I end up hurting someone out of my need to straighten them out. I am by my personality makeup a bottom-line, direct and you don’t have to guess what I’m thinking type of person. The overuse of my personality strength is I can be to direct and confront things to quick rather than finding wisdom of waiting until I adjust my attitude.

 

ALWAYS remember that everyone does things for their reasons not ours so when confronting be careful that you do not have your mind mind up as to why someone did something and it will make life much easier.

 

 

 

 

Confrontation

 

The Webster dictionary defines Confront as to face boldly, to oppose, to bring face to face. In leadership we will always have to deal with confronting and being confronted even though it can be challenging and often intimidating if we view it improperly and approach incorrectly. After well over 20 years of pastoral ministry I have seen things that have worked, things that haven’t and have made my share of mistakes when confronting other and when being confronted. In this chapter I am going to share some practical advice that you apply right away and refer back to when having to deal with confrontation.

 

Four Things to Remember About Confrontation:

 

1) Confrontation is Difficult

 

Anyone that does not find confronting to be difficult at times has serious emotional problems and needs therapy. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4 in The Living Bible; I call upon this God to witness against me if I am not telling the absolute truth: the reason I haven't come to visit you yet is that I don't want to sadden you with a severe rebuke. When I come, although I can't do much to help your faith, for it is strong already, I want to be able to do something about your joy: I want to make you happy, not sad. "No," I said to myself, "I won't do it. I'll not make them unhappy with another painful visit." For if I make you sad, who is going to make me happy? You are the ones to do it, and how can you if I cause you pain? That is why I wrote as I did in my last letter, so that you will get things straightened out before I come. Then, when I do come, I will not be made sad by the very ones who ought to give me greatest joy. I felt sure that your happiness was so bound up in mine that you would not be happy either unless I came with joy. Oh, how I hated to write that letter! It almost broke my heart, and I tell you honestly that I cried over it. I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to show you how very much I loved you and cared about what was happening to you. We see from these verses that Paul like us battled and disliked confrontation.

 

Why is confronting so difficult?

 

• We have a fear of being disliked
• Fear of creating anger or making matters worse
• Fear of rejection.
• We often have the same problem we see in others.
• Not used to sharing our real feelings.
• Lack of confrontational skills.

 

2) Self-confrontation should precede confronting others.

 

Luke 6:41-43 says; Luke 6:41-42 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice or consider the beam [of timber] that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You actor (pretender, hypocrite)! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. AMP

Too often when we have not confronted issues in our own life we are more judgmental towards others to make ourselves look good. Condemning self or others will not change anyone. It takes a secure person to confront their own issues and not condemn themselves for it. Deal with your own stuff first.

 

3) Confrontation is unavoidable

 

As a leader we must understand that their will never be a time that there will be no confrontation, many times it will happen on a weekly basis. To often as leaders we think if we were at another church or ministry things would be different, we would be free from disagreements and confrontation. I learned the mistake of this mindset early on in ministry and have some to realize that wherever you go there will always be confrontation because people are people no matter where you are. Having to confront or be confronted is not a bad thing unless we make it so.

 

4) The more insecure a person is the more conflict they have

 

Insecure people will either avoid confrontation at all cost or they will live their life to set people straight. Either way this person is miserable and wants others to feel the same way. Jesus said love your neighbor as you do yourself, we have come to realize that this means I will love others the way I love myself. And I will only love myself when I realize I am loved by God without conditions. In dealing with an insecure person whether it is someone else or myself the insecurity cannot be changed outside of experiencing the love of God.

 

 

I’ll share more on this next week but until then remember that if your goal in confronting someone is to “straighten them out” and not restoration you should back until you have the proper attitude.