An Unfair Advantage

Recently, I had lunch with a Christian friend who is a sales rep with a Fortune 500 software company.  Much of the lunch was spent discussing how he was frustrated by the lack of results over the last couple years.  He discussed in quite a bit of detail the plans and strategies that he and his team were employing, including different tactics, programs, approaches, etc.  Overall, he was somewhat encouraged by these initiatives they were toying with to help turn things around in the “physical realm.”

As a fellow believer, I tried to enquire about how his faith walk was going?  How was his abiding going?  His daily relationship with the Lord?  His commitment to being in the Word and renewing his mind to God’s promises?  Whenever we went down the path of discussing the faith walk, he was respectful and in so many words claimed that things were good but would always want to get back to discussing “tactics” from a worldly perspective. 

During the conversation, I brought up the importance of putting God first in every area of our lives, including in our work and in our finances.  I shared a little bit of my testimony that it was absolutely a monumental turning point in my career and finances when we finally made the decision to be obedient in our faith walk, and in our giving, regardless of the obstacles that we confronted or our feelings that tried to discourage us.

He again was somewhat open and agreed that being a giver was certainly important.  But as before, he would circle back to the practical “physical realm” strategies …… we’re working on this…. and we’re doing that….. and our projections show this ……. etc …… etc …… But the bottom line was it was all about what they were doing in the “world’s system,” i.e. the physical realm, to achieve results. 

Of course, there is nothing wrong with operating in the physical realm as that is where we exist and live our lives here on this earth.  But from what I could gather, all of this work and all of their efforts were most likely being done absent of any kind of reliance on God and trust in His promises with the Holy Spirit as their guide. 

If It’s to Be, It’s Up to Me!

My friend mentioned above is not alone.  I believe that the vast majority of people work as hard as they possibly can.  They are dedicated to their profession and have a “do whatever it takes” attitude.  But all, or most, of their efforts are in the physical domain only.  They are operating strictly in the world’s system, doing their work predominantly on their own power, trusting in their own human intellect.  Basically, living with an “it’s all up to me” mindset.

Even blood bought believers in Christ, for the most part, do not rely on or trust God when it comes to their work and/or finances.  They either don’t have a knowledge of the Word or they may not genuinely believe God’s promises concerning the victory, authority and provision that we have available to us as believers in Christ.  Or they may just be indifferent to God’s instruction to stand on the Word to believe for blessing and breakthrough in their circumstances.  

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6) 

Through knowledge will the just be delivered (Proverbs 11:9) 

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her (Proverbs 8:10)

The Power of the Word

I’m so thankful to have been influenced early on by different pastors and business leaders about the absolute importance of seeking God above all other things, and having the insatiable desire to grow in my knowledge of God’s laws and how the kingdom operates. 

They taught that the Word of God is infinitely more powerful than anything on this earth. Scripture tells us that the Word of God is so powerful that the world we live in and all of the planets, stars and galaxies in the entire universe are controlled by it. “Upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty Word of power.” (Hebrews 1:3)

If God’s Word has enough power to hold up the entire universe, we can be confident that the supernatural living Word of God is much more powerful than any challenge, sickness or lack, as well as any hardship or uncertainty that we may be experiencing in our professional life.

The Word is filled with supernatural spiritual seeds that possess the living power of God Himself. If we continually plant these precious seeds from God’s Word in our heart, we actually are planting the power of Almighty God deep down inside of ourselves.  When God’s Word is planted in the heart and is alive and active on the inside of us, we’ll receive. It doesn’t matter what we feel — God’s Word will produce a harvest!

Revelation Knowledge

I came to a point in my faith walk where there was no doubt that I had received revelation knowledge of the absolute power of the Word of God, as well as the importance of being a sower of seed in every area of my life.  As a young dad and aspiring sales professional, I was very intentional in planting the seed of God’s Word in my heart, as well as to plant financial seed by giving of the first fruits. 

Becoming intentional in planting the seed of the Word of God into my heart, as well as being a good steward and planting seed with our finances, were absolute game changers!

This turnaround began with receiving revelation (not just head knowledge or mental ascent!!) concerning the secret to the Kingdom of God as explained in Mark 4 – that the Word is the seed and that the fertile soil to plant the seed is our hearts.  I learned the vital importance of sowing seeds from the Word into the “good soil” of my heart in order to not be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. (Rom 12:2)

I determined early on that I didn’t want to be conformed and limited by the world’s system.  I didn’t want to live my life on my own power and might when I had the choice to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Very simply, I had the option to tap into the creator of the entire universe and the mind of Christ vs. living life in the world’s system and on my own limited human intellect. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think Kevin Hawkins is a good guy and maybe sharper than the average Joe given his outstanding accomplishment of graduating from CSU in 5 ½ years haha.  But why would I rely solely on myself and my talents and my aptitude when I could be in partnership with the God who created the heavens, the earth and the seas?!  And God says that He loves me more than I’ll ever understand; that He has a great plan for my life and He wishes above all things that I prosper and be in health! 

An Offer Too Good to Refuse

Here is a thought to consider – what would your reaction be if instead of God having a plan for your life and providing the means for you to prosper and wanting to be your guide, you instead were approached by Elon Musk with the same offer?  Or maybe Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerburg?  How about Warren Buffet?  What if one of these financial tycoons approached you personally and told you that they have formulated an individual plan for you, a plan that included having all of your needs met with plenty left over?  And they even offered to walk with you and mentor you every step of the way for the rest of your life?  Be honest – how fired up would you be?  (I realize there may be some character, values and worldview incongruencies with a few of these individuals, but try to understand the point 😊)

Consider the fact that the aforementioned financial tycoons total net worth’s combined are an infinitesimal pittance when compared to Almighty God.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty (Haggai 2:8)

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.  (Nehemiah 9:6)

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him (Psalm 24:1)

Also consider that the wisdom of God is immeasurable, especially when compared to the wisdom of man.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their own craftiness;” and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.  (1 Corinthians 3:19–20)

I know it sounds cliché but why would I not have God as my pilot instead of my co-pilot? (or worse, just a member of the flight crew ☹) How incredible is it to understand that we have Almighty God wanting to walk alongside us and be our mentor and senior partner in every area of our lives, not just our work and finances?! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We each have a choice – do we want to live our lives according to the world’s system on our own power & intellect or do we want to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit with the mind of Christ?

An Unfair Advantage

What it basically came down to was this – I came to the realization that I have an unfair advantage in every aspect of my life when I received revelation of God’s Word and His love for me and desire to bless me. (John 10:10) This unfair advantage really manifested itself in my sales and finances over the years. I would look at other sales producers at my company and think to myself, I have such an unfair advantage!  

All the other Producers were dedicated and worked hard to attain good results.  Some of them made extraordinary incomes.  They were some of the sharpest people that I worked with over my decades of experience in the corporate world.   

However, I looked at all aspects of their lives.  Even though some of my peers were very successful from a worldly standpoint, they may have struggled in other areas of their lives.  Some didn’t have great marriages.  Some neglected their health and didn’t stay fit.  Some had alcohol issues.  Some were “wound tighter than a banjo string.”  They dealt with a lot of stress because they were working entirely on their own power and might as it was totally up to them to continue to generate positive results.  Some needed healthy doses of caffeine to keep them revved up during the day and nightcaps to get to sleep at night. 

My unfair advantage is a result of my Senior Partner, the God of this universe, who happens to be the greatest dad and business person and sales rep to ever exist!  And He is willing to share His wisdom liberally with me!  All I have to do is ask Him for His wisdom and not doubt in my heart that He will grant my request. (James 1:5) There is absolutely no doubt that I have had the blessing of God on my life and the favor of God surrounding me in every area of my life – including my incredible wife and kids, and in-laws and grandkids and friends – I’m truly blessed beyond measure!!

Having this unfair advantage doesn’t mean that I didn’t have struggles and that I didn’t experience setbacks along the way.  I certainly did!  We live in a fallen world.  Trials and tribulations are part of the program during our time on this earth.  Professionally, I was in a very competitive industry and experiencing negative news – not getting deals, losing clients, etc. were all par for the course.

I’m just a sower of seed – all I can control is the seed that I plant

Seed-Time-Harvest

But I understood (had a heart level revelation, not just an academic understanding!!) that I was just a sower of seed.  I had a supernatural revelation of how the kingdom of God operates in every area of my life, including my sales and finances, by God’s law of seed-time-harvest. (Genesis 8:22) 

And I was in total control of how much seed that I planted – God has not placed any limits on the amounts of seed that we can plant!!  So I was determined to plant as many seeds as I possibly could into the fertile spiritual soil of my heart in order to renew my mind to the Word of God (Rom 12:2), as well as the giving of first fruits in our finances. 

Given my understanding and faith in God’s promises, I had a total confidence and peace knowing that I had plenty of seed planted and working in the harvest field.  I did not attempt to intellectualize the process.  I wasn’t in control of when or where or how the harvest would come in.  Instead, I just continually planted and cultivated the seed on faith – day after day, week after week, month after month.  I didn’t get hung up on the results or lack thereof.  I had total faith and belief in God’s promises that I would receive my harvest in due season (God’s timing, not mine!) if I didn’t lose heart or grow weary in doing good.   

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. Mark 4:26–27

Very simply, I planted seed in the physical realm with my job by using my God-given talents to the best of my ability.  I would work hard – usually 40 hours in a typical week.  But I was very focused in maintaining a balance.  I didn’t think it was necessary to work 60-70 hours a week or get up every day at a ridiculous hour.  (I have never been a morning person lol) So I endeavored to do a normal amount of work in the physical realm. 

My primary focus was in the faith realm.  I strived to keep God first every day.  My prayer was to be a vessel He could work through in every word, thought and action in order to be a blessing. 

And I was very intentional to ensure that I had plenty of seed working in the harvest fields – in my heart and in our finances, and every area of my life.

A Peace That Passes All Understanding

As such, I could just relax and do the work to the best of my ability in the physical realm.  There was no need to be stressed – no need to be full of angst or anxiety.  I was so thankful to have revelation of the unfair advantage.  By constantly planting the seed of God’s Word in my heart concerning the victory, authority and provision that we have as believers in Christ, I was at total peace with whatever circumstances presented themselves in the physical realm. 

Did disappointments happen?  Yep!  Did I question why some things did or did not happen?  Yep!  But through it all, I had a “peace that passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7) to process whatever frustrations that I may have experienced.  And I never hesitated to cast all my cares and anxieties on the Lord, knowing that all my problems are only temporary. (Psalm 55:12; 1 Peter 5:7; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Did I Really Care?

To expand on this point, there was a situation in my career where we did not get a big deal in which we were very confident that we would be selected.  Of course, the entire team was disappointed.  And it was disheartening for me, as the producer/sales rep on the deal when we didn’t get the news we were hoping for. But I refused to overreact by having an emotional breakdown.  As a result, the President of the company I worked for had a discussion with me – wondering if I really cared about the results i.e. the “bad” news we received in this deal?  Of course I cared!

However, this was my mindset – instead of getting visibly upset, I tried to look at it through the lens of my faith and the mind of Christ.  My conviction was that this particular deal was obviously not where we were to receive our harvest.  I trusted that God was orchestrating events and circumstances as He knew best.  I trusted that He was opening doors and stirring hearts and working behind the scenes to ensure that His will would be done.  So, the way I looked at it was one of excitement and anticipation knowing that ‘ok, the crop didn’t come in here as we had hoped but it was still out there in the harvest fields somewhere!’ 

I wasn’t sure where or when my crop might come in, but I knew the Word guaranteed a harvest. (Gal 6:7; 2 Corin 9:6) I knew it was my responsibility to continue to cultivate the field and the seeds I had planted.  I needed to do my part by maintaining my faith and trust in God’s plan.  I needed to continue to speak victory and breakthrough, as well as proclaiming the promises from the Word over my harvest field.  Knowing that the power of life and death are in the tongue (Prov 18:21) I did not want to spoil the seed that had been planted by getting into fear and doubt as evidenced by thinking and speaking words of unbelief. 

The number one reason why people aren’t receiving from God is because they literally haven’t taken the truths of His Word and planted them in their heart.

I was determined to continually plant the seed of God’s Word in my heart and to make the Word the final authority in my life.  I would declare God’s great and precious promises over my life regardless of what may or may not be happening in my circumstances.  If my thoughts and feelings would waver, I would boldly make declarations over my life that were in alignment with what the Word of God says in order to call those things that be not as though they were.  I refused to give any ground to the negative (James 4:7) but endeavored to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) 

To view some sample declarations that may be used as a framework, go to www.phlibrary.com/library/declarations/

Things Go Better With Jesus!

Back in the day, Coca-Cola had a very popular ad campaign with the slogan “Things Go Better With Coca-Cola.”  I think the exact same thing when I consider what we have available to us as believers in Christ.  Things go SO MUCH BETTER when we have Jesus as the Lord of our life, and we trust and abide in Him in our walk of faith.

Thank God for the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice at Calvary.  God’s Word is abundantly clear that we have victory, authority and provision available to us as believers in Christ.  Romans 8:17 says that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Not only have we been redeemed from the curses of sickness, poverty and spiritual death but Jesus came to give us life more abundantly.  Thank you Jesus! 

Yet, I believe for so many people, their perception of Jesus may be no more than an academic understanding.  Just like George Washington was the first President of the U.S., many people have an intellectual awareness of God and His love for us.  But this information has not made the 12-inch journey from their heads down into their hearts.  

We need to do more than just know God’s Word conceptually; we need to internalize it so that it becomes living and active on the inside of us.  We must continually meditate on the Word so it becomes settled in our hearts.  More than just mental ascent, the Word becomes revelation knowledge as it becomes embedded in our hearts as we continue to renew our mind to His precious promises. 

Final Thoughts

Here is the bottom line – I’m so grateful that I don’t have to live my life solely on my own power and intellect.  I’m so appreciative for the total and absolute victory, authority and provision that God has made available to us as believers. 

However, the blessing and favor of God are not automatic in our lives.  If it were, every believer would be blessed exceedingly and abundantly above all they could ask or think.   That’s obviously not the case.

As stated in this article, a true supernatural revelation of God’s Word is the single most important element of a victorious Christian life.  We need to be very intentional to ensure that we have plenty of seed working in the harvest fields – in our hearts and in our finances, and every area of our lives.  Thank you Jesus for this revelation and for all the grace, mercy and blessings that you have brought into our lives!!  And thank you for the Unfair Advantage that you have made available to us as believers in Christ!!

The whole kingdom of God – the Christian life, your victory, your success as a believer – is as simple as taking the Word of God and sowing it in your heart.  If you will just cooperate and let the Word of God germinate, you will receive a harvest.