Coach MJ

God Wants to Change Your Reality!

Is analyzing the opposite of trusting?

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Has this ever happened to you?

You get a brilliant business idea, and you’re confident it came from GOD … and you’re sooooo excited to move forward with it!  You feel courageous, and you just KNOW it’s going to work, but instead of getting started on it right away … you get distracted by social media, or your kids need you, or you have to get ready to go to your “real” job … or any of a bazillion other things you need to do!

And then …

your energy towards that idea is gone! In fact, you wonder what you were even thinking, and you quickly come up with all the reasons it wouldn’t have worked anyway … and so you don’t do anything!

Every single day I see GOD turning things around for people SUDDENLY!

New ideas, opportunities, or ways of doing things that are being met with GREAT success!

But the one key ingredient?

You need to MOVE when HE puts on your heart to MOVE!

It’s funny … I was having a conversation with my oldest son a few weeks ago, who is VERY analytical (he’s actually a developer at Microsoft) … so this is what HE’s gifted at!  He analyzes everything … because that’s how GOD wired his brain … and it’s a beautiful and amazing thing!

He also really loves GOD, and we’re always having conversations about how to hear GOD’s voice, get direction, know when it’s GOD leading vs. your own thoughts, etc.

As we were speaking, I said something to him that I never verbalized before … but I believe it’s true in many cases:

“Analyzing is the complete opposite of trust!”  (when it comes to GOD)

Now don’t get me wrong, there are certainly times we need to analyze things, especially in business.  We need to continually evaluate our efforts and make tweaks so that we can get even better results. We need to analyze whether we should take on a new business partner, hire a particular employee, invest in new software … YES, it’s important that we analyze certain things.

BUT … when it comes to GOD leading us … we don’t want to over-analyze that!

In fact, it’s just the opposite … because many times, what GOD puts on our hearts to do, especially in business, can be counter-intuitive (ie make no sense at all lol) … but will bring great results if we move on it immediately!

But that’s actually consistent with how GOD has always done things …

  • Did it make sense for Joshua to lead thousands of people to march around the walls of Jericho for six days a certain way, and then the seventh day … and blow the trumpet at a certain time, and the walls of Jericho would come down? nope!
  • Or that Peter (instructed by JESUS) should open the mouth of the first fish he caught and he’d get the money he needed to pay the tax? nope!
  • Or that a small boy with five loaves and two fish would have enough food to feed well over 5,000 people? nope!

I could go on and on … but here’s my point.

Just obey GOD when HE puts it on your heart to do something. Don’t over analyze it, just do it!  THIS is when miracles happen!

Now if you’re not used to doing this, it’s just like working a new muscle.  It may feel unusual and awkward at first, but it is sooooo well worth it. GOD is looking for HIS kids HE can trust to move when HE says move … so that someday, when we meet HIM face to face, we can hear two of the most beautiful words of all time …

“Well done!”

Have a beautiful day, my dear friend, and be brave when it comes to stepping out in faith and trusting GOD. Your life will change, for sure!

I love you and I believe in you!

PS:  If you haven’t yet read my book, Make GOD Proud: How to Stop Living Below What GOD Intended for You! click here for your own free digital copy. On page 58 you’ll read more about obeying immediately, and in the chapter that starts on page 68, you’ll read all about trusting, and tuning into MIRACLES! Enjoy!

Are you giving GOD a black eye?

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Recently, my daughters and I were taking a road trip to visit a few of the in-state colleges my 18-year-old-baby Grace was interested in.

We were driving north on the Florida Turnpike and passed a brown SUV driving 50 miles an hour with its flashers on. It was causing an unexpected slow-down, and was quite a hazard to the surrounding drivers. When we passed the vehicle, I couldn’t help but notice big white Bible verses written all over the back and side windows.

We were hoping they weren’t in need of help, and curious to see who was driving, what was going on, etc. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we passed the driver side window … a guy munching away on what appeared to be a huge foil wrapped burger or sandwich, smiling and gesturing wildly with his hands to the other passengers in the vehicle … as if there was nothing in the world wrong. Seemed as happy as could be, oblivious to the commotion and danger he was causing.

While I agree that it’s important not to be shy about your faith, we should stand out for the good we do, not the in-your-face, Bible-thumping, strange behavior that can scare people away! I cringe when I think what the other non-believers might be thinking when they passed that vehicle … “there goes another one of those weird Christians?”

GOD doesn’t want us to make others feel uncomfortable or confused in any way. On the contrary, as believers, we should be the most friendly, relatable, normal, sound-thinking individuals on the face of the earth! Our lives and the way we go about our daily business should reflect JESUS … kind, compassionate, caring, patient … anything but weird!

When others see how friendly, successful, polite, happy… and normal a believer can be, they’re definitely more likely to open up and respond positively to GOD!

Of course, it’s not just how you look; it’s how you conduct yourself every day at work, at home, and in your social life. Whether you realize it or not, people are watching!

Many think being a good witness means evangelizing everywhere you go, but it’s just as important to conduct yourself in ways GOD would be proud of. It’s our lives, not our words, that pack the biggest punch when it comes to honoring GOD.

JESUS may not be walking the Earth today, but we are. We truly are HIS hands and HIS feet. As representatives of GOD, let’s show people how easy and wonderful it is to live a life led by HIM!

Everyone’s not gonna love you!

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We’ve all been there. You worked so hard on a project at work, spent hours putting together the perfect outfit, or maybe even started your own business. You worked hard, and want others to see that!

But when it comes time for your friends, family, coworkers or even strangers to see and (hopefully) appreciate your efforts, they respond less than enthusiastically. Maybe even rudely. What gives?

Sometimes, it can seem like the world is against you (even though I can assure you, it’s not!). But you need to remember one key thing—as long as you’re doing what GOD has called you to do, the approval of others doesn’t really matter.

You get into lots of trouble when you seek approval from others, even though it’s just human nature to do so! If you spend all of your time trying to please or impress everyone around you, you might be losing out on what GOD has planned for you. Other people aren’t always going to support what GOD called you to do, and that’s okay.

Over the years, GOD has given me some really thick skin. I was one of the top 20 distributors out of half a million in a direct sales company … which basically meant I got told “no” gazillions of times, but didn’t let it stop me. Years later as a door-to-door outside sales rep calling on business owners ever day, I was told “no” over 7,500 times to my face (yes, I tallied it up!). And while that can be disheartening in the moment, I learned to take it in stride.

These people didn’t know or care about GOD’s plan for me… in fact, HE had so much more in store for me than they could ever imagine. Every “no” I heard toughened me up … and made me realize that although I didn’t have their approval, I could always count on HIS!

We should care most about what GOD thinks of us, not other people. Many people literally waste their entire lives seeking approval from others!

Of course, that isn’t to say you can or should ignore what other people say. Receiving feedback from family, friends and coworkers can be helpful at times, but be sure to take it with a grain of salt. If they don’t truly have your best interest in mind, what they’re saying might not be true!

So keep doing your thing and take feedback, praise and criticism all in stride—but never place any of that above what GOD says about you in HIS Word: “I have loved you with an everlasting love!” (Jeremiah 31:3)