WORKING IN SOMEONE ELSE'S FIELDS

Nehemiah 5:5
                 "Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children Yet behold,
                  we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are
                  forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to
                  others."

 There was a man once who served a king, who longed for a better life for his kin.  His dedication to God led to good character and work ethic that gave him favor to make a difference.  He was leaving an established economy to venture into rebuilding a new one.  Imagine the butterflies, or the passion of his prayers.  This verse reminds me that just as those who spoke these words were hurting, so are the people around me and you.  I see families who have socially sold their kids into a life of slavery and they are so buried in debt that they don't own the ground the sleep or work on.  HOW LONG SHOULD THAT LAST?

All I know is that God creates and destroys economies as he see's fit.  The kingdom of King Artaxerxes is no longer standing, but Jerusalem still is.

I say again that GOD CONTROLS ECONOMIES, and though there are major problems they are minor to HIM.

I want to encourage you to seek God and listen to the things that he wants you to do, not to be in bondage to the health of Wall Street, but to be free in HIS economic plan for you.  For many it is pursuing what the average person considers "conventional."  Many of us are not doing the things God is prodding us to do because some people call it crazy and foolish. (think Raisin in the Sun)

LETS JUST TRUST GOD!

Some people say that if people don't find your dreams impossible, then they are not big enough to be commissioned by God....OK maybe I just came up with that right now.

LET US JUST TRUST GOD,     
WHEN HAS HE FAILED US?

HOPE IN THE HARD THINGS

Occupationally, and vocationally I think we as men don't do enough.  I have been feeling this for a long time and I often find myself in introspection in regards to my "manly-ness."  I find the scales lacking...I was never willing to pay the price to do what needed to be done, I was mediocre.

...But there is hope!

I recently find myself coming across the brain work of two young believers named Alex and Brett Harris which started with a book "DOING HARD THINGS." I was impressed....with the notion that I had a long way to go, but God could get me there. 

                   GOD....COULD....GET ME THERE!

Studying the bible has shown me that God directs his people, many times through hard things, and we too often run from them.  Recall Mose's dealings with God's people after Egypt. 

I talked to a young man just now....well I was texting with him, and the thought occurred to me that he could really bless what I am trying to do here on Connect FOUR and is like an ASSET WAITING TO HAPPEN. 


Isn't that true with all of us?  Most of us?  Maybe only ten out of a every few thousand, but that leaves many MEN not living to their potential in a city like Houston with a population around 10 million or more surrounding it's heart.  So what is surrounding your heart? 
Fear?
        Doubt?
                   Lack of confidence?
                                                  Precedent of past failure....
                                                                         past failure....

Where my LIONS at!?

                                                                         past failure....
                                                                         past failure?
                                                                                         No faith in God....or belief in...
                                                                                                                                                                                                             god-lite.

I am learning that God is the effect of any worthy cause you could ever trace your efforts too. All that means is that we need to take our fears, lacks, not to mention those past reports...just gird up our loins and walk in courage.  Ever feeding on the fact that God will keep us as safe as we need to be.

LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

I heard a faith man of God say that he was concerned that he had allowed fear to halt some steps that he felt God had been leading him to do, and because of that, it was perhaps too late for that season or ministry.  This concern was due to the fact that he had four kids and a wife to take care of, and the idea of being a missionary in a foreign land seemed unrealistic. 

I have been thinking about what I we discussed and it occurred to me that God specializes in the UNREALISTIC.

the issue is that we can even picture where income and finances needed to do the things most dear to your hearts can come from outside of a job.  It's not our fault, we are brought up this way and we are taught these ideals in education circles.  So many presently can t see the light at the end of the tunnel because they are going down the wrong tunnel.  Too many feel LOST in the recent recession, because they have been chasing after the wrong (sometimes right) things with an improper mindset. 

Here are some key facts to consider as you find your direction...

• Nothing is safe and secure (not even your job)
• There are always risk involved, even if you aren't taking them
• Long before the US had such and economy, people made a living.
• God is the provider of your income, and nothing else.

It is from God that we receive income, and our main job is to do whatever he ask of us, don't let fear of the unknown hold you back from the path God has laid before you.  OUR GOD IS KNOWN.

GOSPEL GANGSTA?

Still Thuggin Ministry

By Sebastian Pettes

Still Thuggin, this is something I often speak about in conversation, rap about in my music, and is also a ministry God has placed on my heart. I understand the images that may pop into one’s mind when the word thug is mentioned. At one time those negative images and ideas where true about me as I was thuggin in the street, but now that God has control of my life I’m thuggin for a righteous cause. You are probably asking, how could one thug for a righteous cause, when the definition of a thug is a toughie, and a bully – (The Freedictionary.com). Online Slang Dictionary.com defines a thug as a person who does their own thing and Urban Dictionary .com defines a thug as a person who will go to great lengths to protect his turf.

         Now when I say Still Thuggin, I don’t deny that I use to be all of these things before Christ became head of my life. I had a great passion and a devotion to the thug life and the mentality that came with it. By me saying Still Thuggin, that is just me saying that God can use that zealousness. He can take the passion and devotion I had, and others had or have to do wrong within the code of the streets, and use it for His good. The Free Online Dictionary.com describes a thug as a toughie or bully, and true enough when I was thuggin in the streets, it was a negative thing, but when you’re thuggin for Christ it’s a positive. Why can’t we say we are thugs for God? Being toughies, sucking up our fear and sharing the Gospel no matter where we are, no matter how rough the neighborhood is? Why can’t we with the power of the Holy Spirit say we are bullying our sinful desires and old ways by constantly killing our flesh? (Galatians 5:24) That misconception of Christians being weak is old. Christians can and should be tough, because toughness is needed in this war we fight. (Ephesians 6:10-12) God created us and the earth for His worship and His glory; therefore we should be going to extreme lengths to protect something that was meant to exemplify Him.-(Urban Dictionary.com) This world is becoming more and more evil each day (2 Timothy 3:1-3), therefore we as Christians must go to an extent to separate from it and do our own thing (Online Slang Dictionary.com), so that we are not conformed by the world, but transformed by the Word. (Romans 12:2)

     God used Paul’s zealousness. He took a man with devotion and passion, a man who used it for the 

  wrong purpose, changed his heart and used it for His Glory. I have a song where I state “Still 

Thuggin means I’m still a hood cat, I just got a different view about the state the hood at”. Basically 

this means I’m from the hood. I will always be from the hood and be able to understand the hood, 

both the negatives and positives of the mentality of those becoming victims of this environment. God 

is God and can do whatever He chooses with whomever He chooses. But I believe He can take and 

has taken people who He has saved from certain life styles, cleaned them up and used them to touch 

those still stuck in those situations. Still Thuggin in a nutshell means that God took those negative 

characteristics and the passion behind them and chose to use them for His glory. The Still Thuggin 

Ministry is about showing people that God wants to use you, and your testimony to touch others. He 

doesn’t want you to hide the past. He wants you to use it to be real and authentic to show what He is 

capable of doing.   

Diamond or Coal?

I once again want to speak on the idea of "WHAT IS OCCUPATION" and how do you know what is  the right fit for you.  1st of all I just want to point out that the notion of a safe and secure position is under attack in the eyes of most people.  The funny thing is, it was a false assumption to begin with.  The reason I say this is because every private sector job available in the United States is the vision, blood, sweat, and tenacity of some individual who took a courageous chance.


So your safe and secure job is built on someone else's insecure business idea.  There were many cultures throughout history where the notion of a great paying job, with full benefits and a great retirement plan never existed.  People lived and many of those people trusted in God and even left legacies for their families without all of the "cushion" we are used to here in the States.  Its interesting how people who lose a job will suddenly beg and plead for God to move on their behalf to get them another job.  The job as we know it is disappearing, the good benefits are becoming too expensive for many sectors of employment to handle.  I truly understand the natural feeling of wanting safe and security, I understand the sigh of relief when you get a job and the feeling of "knowing" you have a check coming in consistently, but I feel this way of thinking is a slap in the face of God.  Why?  Because God is our provider and not the jobs we work at.  We need to be more focused on following God, and not what is status quo.


Too often too many people quit doing the very things they should be doing they are presented with opportunities to do wonderful things, but they quit before the blessing is realized.  All great dealings come with a price the doer must pay, but most people are not willing to pay that price.  This is usually because it is usually uncomfortable or mentally stressful to the self of the individual.  Many could actually change the lives of hundreds, thousands, or even  millions of people for the better, but because it causes a lot of discomfort in the process, they cut their own blessings short.

Symbol that means serving or helping

So my question to you is, what is God really calling you to do?  Many are called to do things that don't come with a preset schedule or consistent paycheck amounts.  Our occupation should not be, simply what we want to do, but what God wants us to do.  There is a level of faith we will never achieve if we choose not to follow God's direction.  The blessing of this recession is that it will force people to really listen to what God is telling them to do, inspire then to do it, and even empower them to stick with it til the end. 

Be blessed
E Hailey

William Shakespeare said"Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them."  In a sense you can say that some are afraid to try because they are afraid to fail, but many are also afraid of dealing with the accolades of greatness.  In this day and age we are freely given access to all sorts of vices from various areas for being "a star" in some subculture in the world.  Worst yet, there is much uneasiness to content with in the management of personal pride and selfish lust.  I have been in situations where I felt that certain opportunities were lay out before me and I ran because I didn't trust myself to deal with it properly.  We all have your bents and temptation come in many forms, but I want to turn toward a different slant.  When it comes to greatness, most of us have it wrong.  Jesus hung around with some guys who felt the same way about greatness: 

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, ^(O)bowing down and making a request of Him.
 ²¹And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left."

You can't blame her, she wanted to make sure her sons would have a best place in God's kingdom.  The problem is that we look at greatness as a setting apart and above in stature of the person who has achieved greatness.  Many people feel this way, and it is one of the reasons I feel that the Bible is not written by the sole mind of men, but men under the influence of God.  

²⁵But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
 ²⁶"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
 ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
 ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."


Many times we look down on ourselves because we can't do the things that the "greats" do, we even feel that there are a limited number of slots for greatness and seek to push others aside who we feel are obstacles hindering our rise to prominence.  We see this as backstabbing from co-workers and associates in various organizations.  The sad thing is that it also is happening in churches and ministries here in the US.  However if we only understand what Jesus is saying we will realize that there is plenty of space in the world available for great people, as a matter of fact I would say that there is just enough space to everyone to be great, it is sad that so many will not take the chance.  Don't we understand that in the service of the King and the King's children, there are feats of heroism and bravery worthy of praise.   Service is and occupation we all need to add to our resumes.

Thinking outside the box IS thinking.

If you've ever been the type to look at the status quo and realize that it's just not designed for you, then I am talking to you.  There is a lot of hype that floats around the media, and in churches, and through out the various expectations of parents and family that tells us we should "get and education," "get a job," and then run that play until it's time to retire.  Until recently, it seems, things in the economy could support such ideals.  Actually however, there have been many times where the economy has been telling us that such a structure of life is not as iron clad as many have preached.  In fact America is one of the few places that it did work out for a time, yet it never worked out for all the people who ran that play all the time.  So not it should be no doubt that such a plan is viable for an adult who plans on taking care of a family, or being a substantial giver towards the ills that are affecting the less fortunate, and especially to those who are looking to leave a legacy (something I will address more in the future) for their family. 

Before there were automobiles people when from place to place on wagons of various kinds being pulled by a horse or team or horses.  Sometime they would just ride the horses back.  For centuries history records the wealthy riding the backs of the poor.  Some slaves, some indentured servants, some employees.  Some of the most magnificent structures and society benefiting engines of industry have been the brainchild of a few, and the sweat, blood, and lives of many.  It is the structure of a slave labor economy of agriculture, child labor economy of service industry, the poor immigrant labor of the industrial age, the illegal-alien/migrant  labor economy of business, and the blue/white collar corporate structure.

I feel that God has not developed an economy of perceived safety in jobs as we now them in the US, God allows economies and ask those who call and look to in Him to have faith and trust that He will provide regardless of the economy we live in. Connect FOUR OCCUPATION is about looking outside of the AMERICAN DREAM box, and really thinking about what God wants us to be doing.  Understanding what is our true VOCATION and trusting God to provide as we pursue successful service within it.