Tag: decisions

Lies and more lies

Have you been telling yourself you are not good enough, you are not worthy or loved, or God would not forgive you. Things just not going right. You are not lucky.

These are lies. Luck has nothing to do with your life.

Stop and take look at the things that have happened. What decision did you have to make for this to happen? Was it your decision? Did someone put a gun to your head and say do this or that? Think about it – you have freewill. God would not interfere with that unless you come to him. He is there waiting to help you.

No – you decided that this is what you wanted to do and you went ahead with it. We all make mistakes, wrong decisions – maybe costly decisions, may even change the direction for where we want to go in life.

The thing is that Satan always wants you to believe that God was the one responsible for getting you to make those decisions, and now he is getting you to believe that because of those decisions you are not good enough or worthy enough . These are all lies.

Why would God want you to struggle and why does he want to torment you? If he is your Father and is good and merciful – ask yourself – why is he doing these things to me?

God is loving, generous , compassionate and merciful – he want the best for you. He can take all your mistakes and turn them into something good. All you need to do say is – Lord Jesus I am sorry for all the things I have done, please come into my life, help me, heal me and fill me with your presence.

Then everyday start thanking God for all the things you are grateful for and see what happens.


Sacrificing time for money BP situation

If the Managers or Supervisors of BP Oil really did sacrifice time for money, this is not unique to them. In business you hear and see this happening quite often.

Some of us, love to take short cuts. We are quite aware that the company policy has a prescribed method for doing something, but we realize that if we are able to complete the job another way it would save time and money. So we make the decision. This is probable what happened with BP Oil.

Think about it, as a Manager or Supervisor how many times have you operated outside the box or outside the company’s policies, because you feel you can save time and make more money? If you were at BP Oil what would you have done?

In the heat of the moment the adrenalin is flowing, the customer is there demanding some type of service that is not covered by policy, or the guys are there in the field or on the rig waiting on you to give the go ahead.

Is there time to analyze, to play out various scenarios?
What are your options? What impact your decision will have?
Are their lives involved?
What if your decision is not the right one?
Did the Managers at BP Oil reflect on all this?

Making more money for the company will definitely make you look good, or even finishing the project before the scheduled time. If this turn out well, it may even provide you with a promotion. You can see yourself winning branch of the year or company of the year. What about Project of the year?

Sacrificing time for money does not always work. You may take a short cut and end up with more problems than if you had taken the long way out. We all know this, and I am sure it may have happened to you several times.

Sometimes after you make the decision you recognize that a key part of the transaction was not completed or a process in the project was bypass and this would cause problems with the entire project. So what is more valuable time or money and what was valuable to the Managers of BP Oil?

As a Manager, Supervisor or even if you have your own business it is always good to ensure that when making any decision more so those where you are sacrificing time for money, that you consider all aspects of the situation:

– Explore various options – the what ifs.
– Get feedback – as Managers and Supervisors we do not always have all the answers.
– Review the costs of your decision – financial and non-financial (people/image).
– Is this within your authority?
– Do you have a backup plan?

You must remember that you would be accountable for whatever decision you make as in the case of the BP Oil officers or Managers. You cannot hide once you are the Manager, Supervisor or Business Owner you must be prepared to deal with the consequences of your decisions.

I would love to hear your views about time and money and BP Oil decisions.

Make a decision:

Learn more: email – joseylifeline@gmail.com


Best way to Plan

God’s Purposes – taken from The Bible In One Year by Nicky Gumble

Back in 1981 Pippa and I felt that God was calling us to full-time ministry in the Church of England and for me to become an ordained minister.  We also felt that we should do our training in Durham starting in September 1982.  I was on the top of the waiting list for the theological college at Durham University.  I was told it was almost certain someone would drop out and I was virtually guaranteed to get a place.  Based on this I announced our plans widely, including telling the set of chambers, where I was practising as a barrister, that I was leaving.

Just before I was due to start we received news that, exceptionally, no one had dropped out that year and it would not be possible for us to go.  We tried everything to persuade them to change their minds.  We desperately tried to find another theological college that would accept us.  We prayed and pushed as hard as we could but to no avail.  The door was firmly shut.

The following year was extremely difficult.  I was given very little work by my chambers as they knew I was leaving and so had no incentive to build my career.  It was a huge disappointment and mystifying at the time.

In the end, we went to Oxford to study the following year and eventually started a curacy at HTB in 1986.  With hindsight, had we got the place at Durham, the timing would have meant that a curacy at HTB would have been out of the question and we would not be doing what we are doing today.  I am so thankful to God that he blocked our plans and that what we now believe were his purposes prevailed.

There are times when life is not easy.  It is difficult to work out what God is doing in terms of our work, family, temptation, finances, disappointments, bereavement or opposition.  How do we cope in these situations?

1.  God’s purposes and our plans

Proverbs 16:8-17

It is right to plan.  However, we need to do it with the necessary humility, recognising that our plans will only succeed ‘if it is the Lord’s will’ (see James 4:13–15).  The writer of Proverbs says, ‘In your heart you may plan your course, but the Lord determines your steps’ (Proverbs 16:9).

His purposes are ‘good, pleasing and perfect’ (Romans 12:2).  Sometimes we align our plans with God’s purposes, but from time to time – certainly in my experience – God thankfully overrules our plans.  We should always bear in mind that we may have got it wrong and ultimately it is the Lord who determines our steps.

God often works out his purposes through good leadership.  Good leaders motivate others (Proverbs 16:10).  They do not base their decisions simply on what is popular: ‘Sound leadership has a moral foundation’ (v.12b, MSG).  They cultivate an environment of candour: ‘Good leaders cultivate honest speech; they love advisers who tell them the truth’ (v.13, MSG).  They ‘invigorate lives; they’re like spring rain and sunshine’ (v.15, MSG).

Thank you, Lord, that although we make plans in our hearts ultimately it is your purpose that prevails.  In making our plans may we always say, at least in our hearts, ‘If it is the Lord’s will’.

 

 


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