The Make It Happen Moment ® Loving Obedience

February 27, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® Leave a comment

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Quote: “Success ultimately requires a steadfast resolve to faithfully serve and please God!” – John D. Beckett

“The rules are the rules…because…they are the rules” stated Eben Miller, professional investor and teacher of investor education seminars, as he addressed our class at the beginning of a two day Investing Foundations Course.  Throughout the seminar, Eben not only taught us over and over this fundamental investing rule about rules, but he also taught us the actual rules AND the benefits achieved from following the rules.  As I reflected upon Eben’s teachings, I learned that the reason for his very distinguished investment success wasn’t because he knew the rules, but rather because he truly learned how to embrace the rules and follow them with steadfast resolve, fully believing that they would ultimately bring him investment success.  And guess what…they did!

One of my spiritual mentors in the kingdom of God has taught me that “wisdom is the ability to discern difference.”  Reflecting upon that wisdom principle even further, I understand that success is simply the derived benefit or result of applied wisdom principles.  Since Webster’s dictionary defines the word rule as “an established principle or mode of action”, we can determine that rules are a set of established wisdom principles designed for specific action and consequent results. Therefore, it makes sense that if we follow the rules, we can expect specific results and benefits. 

When asked about the greatest commandment [rule] in the kingdom of God, Jesus answered as recorded in Matthew 22:37-40, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment [rule]. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments [rules] hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Not only did the Lord teach these two fundamental rules of the kingdom, He also demonstrated ultimate loving obedience to them at the Cross of Calvary – vertically loving God with His whole being and horizontally loving His neighbor as Himself.  Wow, obedience even unto death! 

As a professional investor, Eben has learned to firmly believe, embrace, and love the rules of investing.  Through his obedience, he enjoys protection from error as well as abundant prosperity.  We too can enjoy an abundant life when we choose to love and obey the fundamental rules of the kingdom of God.  The Lord Himself, King of kings [Ruler of rulers], affirms the fruit of obedience in Isaiah 1:19 stating, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”  With a spirit of generosity and commitment, learn to love and live the fundamental rules of love found in God’s Word.  As you do, you will discover the abundant life of the kingdom and enjoy the fruit of loving obedience!

The Make It Happen Professionalism Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Professionals!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Loving Obedience Copyright 2008, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Loving Obedience, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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The Make It Happen Journey Introduction

February 26, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Peek Inside My Books , , , 1 Comment

Author’s Prayer 

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May God bless all who read this book with a spirit of wisdom and excellence to “Make It Happen,” serving people and solving problems that make a difference in life.

A Make It Happen Dedication

This book is dedicated to all of the wonderful people at Ochsner Health System, especially the Make It Happen people in the business services division. As the Vice President of the Finance– Business Services division, it was my privilege and honor to serve the extraordinary people in business services as their Chief Make It Happen Leader. The Make It Happen people in business services “made it happen” every day for our physicians, our patients, and our colleagues, with outstanding excellence of service. Without their support, commitment, and belief in the Make It Happen team values this book describes, this book would be nothing more than a compilation of words printed on paper. However, because the Make It Happen people at Ochsner Health System believed in Make It Happen team values, the words written in this book actually draw the face of real-life people on a real-life Make It Happen journey.

As only one person, I could not have accomplished all of the really neat things that the Make It Happen people in business services accomplished as a team. Plus, I would never have had the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop into the leader I am today, as well as the leader I am becoming tomorrow, if my team had not believed in me enough to follow me. For their belief in me, I thank each and every one of them. And, because the  people in business services Make It Happen every day as world class service enthusiasts, I dedicate this book to them. They are the greatest people I have ever had the opportunity to share my life, my love, and my laughter with. I am simply a better person and a more competent leader because of them.

Preface

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (nkjv). In the make-it-happen language of the marketplace, this means, “I can make it happen through Christ who gives me strength.” The Make It Happen Team Values in The Make It Happen Journey can help business leaders in the kingdom of God build their businesses and their teams on the “can do” principles of the Word of God with excellence and wisdom. Because Joshua and Caleb possessed the “can do” Spirit of God, in faith they gave  a good report of the Promised Land and  declared in Numbers 13:30, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it” (The Message).

God has given the body of Christ the land of the business community, but business leaders in the kingdom of God must believe we can take the land and make it happen in Christ. The Make It Happen Journey is written as a leadership tool to equip godly  business leaders with practical faith-based values that create team cultures of excellence by reaching people in business, unleash their God-given potential to make a difference in life, and glorify God. While The Make It Happen Journey is written for the secular marketplace, Kings Come Forth, my next book, will engage and empower faith-based business leaders through deeper scriptural clarity and referential support for the cultural mandate of the kingdom of God in the business community.

The Make It Happen Team Values ©

• Make It Happen People Possess a Positive Make  It Happen Attitude.

• Make It Happen People Are Led by Servant Leaders.

• Make It Happen People Are Service Enthusiasts.

• Make It Happen People Take Calculated Risks in the Pursuit of Excellence.

• Make It Happen People Work Extremely Hard and Have Lots of Fun.

• Make It Happen People Invest and Participate in Training and Development.

• Make It Happen People Celebrate Individual and Team Accomplishments with the Abundance Mentality.

• Make It Happen People Foster a Safe Environment of Teamwork and Mutual Respect.

• Make It Happen People Are Professionals.

The Make It Happen Team Values are copyright protected by the Make It Happen Learning Institute. You have permission to print and use the Make It Happen Team Values with your team, provided each value is printed in its entirety. All other rights reserved.

Click Here To See Video Book Trailer of Kings Come Forth with The Make It Happen Journey included and also the Press Release for Kings Come Forth.

To purchase a copy of The Make It Happen Journey, please Click Here.

Copyright Notice

Most Strang Communications Book Group products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs. For details, write Strang Communications Book Group, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600.

The Make It Happen Journey by Gary Borgstede

Published by Excel Books

A Strang Company

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

http://www.strangbookgroup.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary English, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Design Director: Bill Johnson

Cover design by: Justin Evans

Copyright © 2010 by Gary Borgstede

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010926535

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61638-168-4

First Edition 10 11 12 13 14 — 987654321

Printed in the United States of America

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Kings Come Forth Introduction

February 22, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Peek Inside My Books , , , 2 Comments

Author’s Prayer

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May the Lord empower all who read this book by the anointing of His Holy Spirit to be an overcoming servant leader who prevails with God in the business marketplace.

And He [God] changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.    —Daniel 2:21

 A Make It Happen Dedication

This Make It Happen Book™ is dedicated to all of the godly leaders in business who every day fight the good fight of faith in the marketplace to honor God with their gifts and talents and bring Him glory by the way they represent Jesus Christ to the business community. As a business leader for many years, I have personally experienced the challenges and struggles that godly men and women face each day to practically live their faith and build the kingdom of God in the business world. I know firsthand that the marketplace environment can be a difficult and challenging place for people of faith to travel their faith journey; however, I also know that the marketplace is where the Lord is raising up kings in these last days to build His kingdom, glorify His holy name, and take the good news of the kingdom to the whole world. And the really cool thing about this chaordic frontier (the spiritual battleground where chaos meets order and good meets evil) is that kingdom ambassadors get to play an awesome part in this marketplace revival as the Lord changes the hearts of modern-day kings and revolutionizes the business world for His glory. All praise, glory, and honor to the King of kings and Lord of lords, forever and ever! Amen and amen!

Foreword

I was first introduced to Gary Borgstede while attending a small group of local community business leaders five years ago. In short order, we became friends, and over the next few years I had the privilege of helping to coach Gary in the ways of the kingdom of God. At the time, Gary was vice president of finance at a very reputable hospital in our region. Over time, Gary began to share with me his fifteen-year journey in the healthcare industry. Because of my own experience and background working in a corporate environment before making the transition into full-time ministry, his story captivated my attention.

In Kings Come Forth, Gary addresses the delicate interfacing of the kingdom-minded business leader with the marketplace environment. He squarely and with scriptural precedent challenges business leaders to use their God-given positions to be change agents in their respective spheres of market influence. In our litigious world of exactness and political correctness, most Christian business leaders, out of fear, have a tendency to skirt the perimeter of their business environments and shy away from integrating real biblical standards and values. This is understandable. However, there is a real need for godly, Christian business people to rise to the occasion of desperate moral, character, and spiritual need in the world of business and facilitate change. As a pastor, I applaud those who are out on the highways and byways of the business world who are bold enough, with godly wisdom and a spiritually deft hand, to take a stand and entreat a spiritual climate change.

To affect this change, Gary explores the scriptural links between kings and priests and addresses the roles that each play and how they are to work together in advancing the kingdom. Gary addresses the frequently tentative nature of church leaders to properly understand and embrace the role the marketplace leader has and, as such, underutilize their God-given talents and marginalize them in their churches. Gary submits a challenge to church leaders to understand that God throughout Scripture placed kings and priests together for divine kingdom partnership. As a church leader who has been in ministry for more than twenty years, I have personally experienced the benefit of partnering with many wonderful, Christ centered business leaders. I have had the opportunity to see the kingdom of God advanced and accelerated due to business leaders who realized their business acumen and talent were not just for their personal enrichment but, rather, for the advancement of the greatest cause on planet earth.

Gary Borgstede embodies the essence and balance of the corporate business leader and one who partners with the vision and mission of his local church with his time, talent, and treasure. Gary does not live in the world of concepts, ideas, and theories of being a king, but each day he lives it out as a servant leader in his natural and spiritual families. Today, Gary serves on our church staff as the chief administrative officer and has the opportunity to serve his local church from within the organization. He is challenging us all to “make it happen!”

— Randy Craighead, Executive Pastor, Church of the King

Introduction

For more than nineteen years, I have served the Lord as a king in His kingdom in the realm of business. As with many leaders of faith written about in the Bible, I have had my share of successes and failures on my personal faith journey. This book, Kings Come Forth!, is not about my successes nor my failures as a man of God in the Lord’s kingdom; however, I am open and transparent regarding many aspects of my personal relationship with the Lord. In The Maxwell Leadership Bible, one of John Maxwell’s leadership lessons includes this statement, “Without hope in the future, we lack power in the present.”1 With that in mind, I believe that the Lord has directed me to write Kings Come Forth! to inspire hope for the future and foster empowerment in the present for the many spirit-filled business leaders in God’s kingdom on earth today.

The Holy Spirit has compelled me to write the message contained within the pages of this book as His message, not mine, from the perspective of a king in His kingdom. Through personal fellowship with the Lord, I believe it is His desire to awaken His anointed kings to their original purpose in the kingdom business through healthy kingdom partnership with His anointed priests. Since my educational background and professional experiences are entirely comprised in business, all supporting references to Scripture and biblical principles in the book are not the result of a formal Bible college education, but rather a real personal relationship with the actual Author of the Holy Scriptures, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Any personal revelation of the Scriptures is because of the Lord’s faithfulness to fulfill the promise of His Word to personally lead His people into all truth and teach them all things through His Holy Spirit. For me, there is no greater fulfillment than that which comes from the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit through my personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord, Savior, and Friend.

In developing the literary style of the book, it is also very important to note that while I discriminately refer to godly business leaders throughout the entire book in the masculine form as kings, my purpose in doing so is nothing more than a matter of literary prose and contextual consistency and not a lack of respect for the many outstanding Spirit-filled female business leaders in the kingdom of God. In fact, I know full well that the business community is filled with many intelligent, competent, and influential business leaders who are outstanding women of faith committed to making a difference in life through their leadership. Therefore, for all of the female readers of Kings Come Forth!, please feel free to mentally substitute the context of the book from a masculine reference point of kings to a feminine reference point of queens since all of the material contained within these pages is completely gender neutral as well as kingdom applicable.

And lastly, as each reader begins to digest the message of Kings Come Forth! I pray that the Holy Spirit will fan into flame a renewed desire to become everything He created you to be as a Spirit-led business leader in His kingdom. To come forth in the power and might of the Holy Spirit and fulfill your God-ordained kingdom assignment as a king in God’s kingdom can be one of the most rewarding aspects of your personal faith journey with the Lord. I look forward to taking this faith journey with you to build God’s kingdom in every sphere of influence, especially the sphere of the modern-day business world.

Click Here To See Video Book Trailer and New Book Press Release For Kings Come Forth

Copyright Notice

Most Strang Communications Book Group products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, and educational needs. For details, write Strang Communications Book Group, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600.

Kings Come Forth! by Gary Borgstede

Published by Excel Books, A Strang Company

600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746

http://www.strangbookgroup.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary English, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked WEY are from the Weymouth Bible, The New Testament in Modern Speech, by Richard Francis Weymouth. Copyright © 1939 by James Clarke Co., publishers. 

Cover design by Justin Evans

Design Director: Bill Johnson

Copyright © 2010 by Gary Borgstede. All rights reserved

Visit author’s website: http://www.makeithappenlearninginstitute.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010940915

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61638-440-1

First Edition 11 12 13 14 15 — 987654321

Printed in Canada

Grace For Grace

February 20, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights Leave a comment

Cover of "Sparkling Gems From The Greek: ...

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In a personal trial that I’ve been facing for some time, I have come to learn an even greater dependency on the sufficiency of God’s grace and power to sustain me in any life struggle.  As I have prayed to the Lord about this personal matter, I have heard His still small voice whisper to me that “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  Furthermore, I’ve been led to re-read and further study some devotional messages written by Rick Renner in his Sparkling Gems From The Greek daily devotional book to find comfort from the Word of God during this tough time.  I am so thankful for people in the body of Christ like Rick Renner and even our very own Lee Costello who can translate languages such as Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and maybe some of the Jewish Bible Code…  While I am obviously being playful about Mr. Renner and Lee being able to translate the Jewish Bible Code, please know that I am sincerely most grateful for people like Mr. Renner and Lee because about the only thing I can translate is the word “funga” which means “frown” in Italian.  As a kid when I didn’t get my way about something, I would frown in disappointment and my mom would say just like her Italian grandmother would say, “Don’t give me that funga…”  True story!

Faith Principle #1: God’s Grace And Strength Is Sufficient In Any Situation

Unfortunately, as adults, when things are not going our way, I think we can actually – perhaps without even fully realizing it – give God the “funga face” as we plead with Him about our situation while in reality the Lord has grace that is sufficient for us to remove our “funga” face and even provide the joy of the Lord as strength in the middle of the situation.  So when you and I find ourselves pleading with the Lord and saying things like, “Lord, please take this thing away” or “ I don’t want to deal with this situation” or “I don’t have the strength to deal with this anymore”, we can trust that God’s grace can be sufficient to get us through.  And when this happens, I think it helps to be reminded that we aren’t the only ones who have ever felt like this.  In fact, based on the Bible, we are in some very good company because the apostle Paul and even Jesus faced the same kind of trying situations in their lives.  And the good news is that when Paul and Jesus were at the breaking points in their own real life situations, mentally and emotionally, they found that God’s grace and power was available to sustain them.  

Faith Principle #2: God’s Grace And Strength Is So Powerful That It Holds Everything Together

In fact, do you know that God’s grace holds everything in our world together even when everything seems to be breaking loose around us. The truth is that God’s grace is so powerful that it holds all things together in complete sustainable order including the earth, the planets, the stars, and everything in the universe, down to the tiniest little detail. If not for God’s grace, I believe the whole world would instantly disintegrate into nothing; therefore, we can take great comfort in knowing that God’s grace is so much more powerful than we can ever even imagine and according to the Bible, His grace is totally and completely available to you and me in every life situation, including our weakest life moments.

Faith Principle #3: God’s Grace And Strength Is Always Available

As mentioned earlier, there were indeed times in the apostle Paul’s life when he was weak and he needed the fullness of God’s grace to sustain him.  In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, Paul writes, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” According to Rick Renner, the original Greek words for “pleaded or besought” in this passage was the words “para kaleo” which means “one who comes alongside someone, as close as he can get, and then begins to passionately call out, plead, beckon, beg, and beseech that other person to do something on his behalf.”  Therefore, whatever situation Paul had going on in his life, the Bible tells us in this verse that he desperately pleaded with the Lord to remove it from his life and the Lord’s response was an astounding, “My grace is sufficient for you and My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  In the fullness of the Greek, Rick Renner writes in his devotional book that the Lord’s response can be more fully understood as “My grace is more than enough for you. If you will receive it, you will find it will sufficiently endow you with more strength than you need to deal with any situation. My power is always on hand, and available to help you in moments when you are weak and needy.” Wow!  What a wonderful promise from God.

Faith Principle #4:: God’s Grace and Strength Can Be Found Through Prayerful Solitude And Personal Fellowship With God

So then, if God says that this kind of grace and power from Him is available to us when we need it, if we will receive it, then what must we do to receive it.  As I have contemplated this in my personal need for God’s grace and power in my life situations, I believe the Lord has shown me that the way I can best receive His grace and power is in fact the same way that the Lord Himself received the sufficiency of God’s grace and power in His intense time of personal need in the garden of Gethsemane – through prayerful solitude and personal fellowship with the Heavenly Father.  In preparing to go to the Cross, the Lord’s situation was so intense and His flesh was so weak that He actually sweated drops of blood.  However, in His prayerful solitude with His Heavenly Father, He found the grace and power of God to deal with the situation in the power and strength of God and not His own human strength. Furthermore, I am reminded of the verse in Psalm 46:10 which states, “Be still and know that I am God.”  Think about it! Our Heavenly Father says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Frankly, I don’t think there is a more appropriate time to do this than when we are in the middle of a major trial and we need God’s grace and strength to sustain us.  Jesus did this when He needed His Heavenly Father’s grace and strength in His time of need; therefore, we should do the same when we need the sufficiency of God’s grace and strength in the times of our need.  In fact, when Moses encountered God in the burning bush, God identified Himself as the Great I Am That I Am; therefore, I believe in difficult times of intense trial and tribulation, we can find the Lord’s strength in being still and personally knowing the Great I Am That I Am just like Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane. 

Faith Principle #5: God’s Grace And Strength Is A Powerful Fruit Of The Holy Spirit

In fact, after Jesus finished spending some prayerful solitude and fellowship with His Heavenly Father in the garden, 300 to 600 elite fighting soldiers came to find and arrest Him. When they showed up, Jesus asked them, “Who do you seek?” And when they said Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus responded and said, “I Am (He)”, the same words in Greek that God used to identify Himself to Moses in the burning bush as the Great I Am That I Am.  And at that instant, a force so powerful exploded in the garden that every one of the elite soldiers was knocked down to the ground so hard that they fell as if they were dead.  Therefore, make no mistake about it, Jesus was not dragged off like some weak and powerless man.  To the contrary, He made it very clear to everyone in the garden that no one was taking Him to the Cross, but He was rather choosing of His free will to go to the Cross in the strength and power of God’s grace.  Plus, it was the power of the more than sufficient grace of God that kept Him on the Cross to the end.  His staying on the Cross for the salvation of mankind is the ultimate expression of God’s grace and power under control.  And it is amazing to think that that same grace and power under control is available to us through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Make no mistake about it, when we submit ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit through prayerful solitude and personal fellowship with the Lord, our weakness is turned to meekness – a powerful fruit of the Holy Spirit – which strengthens us with God’s grace and power under control, even in our most trying times of life.  With this kind of grace and power from God available to us through His Holy Spirit, we can rest assured that there is no situation in life that we cannot handle in Christ.  In closing, I leave you with this final thought from the Bible found in John 1:16, “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” Amen!

Grace For Grace Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Grace For Grace, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Deep Into Destiny

February 12, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® Leave a comment

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

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Quote: “The deeper we go into the destiny that God has planned for us, the deeper the character that will be required!” – Robert Morris

Can you even imagine that a young Billy Graham was once denounced by a critic as “the greatest disappointment in the history of Christianity?”  What about the early reports of Walt Disney’s first fully animated cartoon feature film, Snow White, being reported in the major newspapers as Disney’s Folly?  Given the huge impacts that Billy Graham and Walt Disney have made in our generation, each in their respective realms of influence, it is a wonder how the critics could have been so wrong.

Whenever we read or hear stories like this, we should be encouraged deep within because it demonstrates the fact that each of our destinies are in the hands of Almighty God and not the critics.  1 Chronicles 29:11 states that “Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom.  We adore You as being in control of everything.”  Knowing that the Lord is in control of everything can provide inner strength during trying times of pointed criticism designed to test the authenticity of your faith.  It would be nice if life were without criticism; however, that would also be life in Walt Disney’s Fantasy Land.  As a leader, we must know that a life of significance and influence will always be challenged by the criticism of others; therefore, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must develop the character necessary to properly handle criticism by forgiving our critics and appreciating their criticism as an opportunity to learn, grow, and become better.  

Additionally, when the sting of criticism seeks to make us lose heart, you and I must remember the encouraging words of Nehemiah 8:10 that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” and not the favorable or unfavorable thoughts of others.  Yielding to the obedience of God’s will for our lives in the midst of criticism will develop Godly character in us that is grounded in the fellowship of the Lord’s own suffering.  Plus, expressing His unconditional love toward others through the power of His resurrection life will cause our relationships to flourish and our destinies to birth in the Lord. According to Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church, “God-given destiny positions you in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.”  With a spirit of generosity and commitment, shed upon others the fullness of God’s love that “endures all things, believes all things, and hopes all things” so that our relationships will thrive and our God-given destiny will come alive in Him!

The Make It Happen Teamwork Value: “Make It Happen” People Foster A Safe Environment Of Teamwork And Mutual Respect!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” week!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Deep Into Destiny Copyright 2008, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Deep Into Destiny, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.