Twenty Indispensable Principles
1. Get to Know “The Boss.” Devote yourself to knowing God at increasingly deeper levels. The more you get to know His nature, character, and works, the more He will accomplish His super- natural work through you naturally.
2. Stay in the Book. Feed your soul on God’s written Word. Maintain a high regard for God’s ability to guide and direct through the eternal principles of Scripture. Memorize passages so God can use them to speak to you at any time. I have com- mitted to reading God’s Word for at least five minutes every day. Five minutes often leads to much more time.
When I read, I am praying for God to direct me person- ally through His Holy Spirit. The Word of God is alive, and He will personalize parts of Scripture that seem to shout at you, as though God is speaking to you alone. God will use His words in the Bible to guide you through an adventurous journey He uniquely created you to achieve to bring His goodness, peace, and joy to your world.
3. Stay Tuned and Keep Talking. Pray regularly as a spiritual discipline. Give God your full attention so He has an opportunity to speak to you about anything, including matters not already on your mind. As you develop a God-consciousness in all you do, you will find it easier to keep your ear tuned to God’s voice and maintain a dialog with Him throughout the day. Listen for God to speak into your thoughts in every situation.
Even if the answer seems obvious, He most likely has some- thing to say, if only to confirm your thoughts. He might surprise you. These adventures with the Lord will become amazing testimonies of God’s miraculous works. Be sure to share your adventures to inspire and encourage others.
4. Get a Heart Transplant. Allow God to transplant His thoughts, desires, and purposes into your heart. Be willing to let go of previous assumptions and practices, even those long held. In particular, do not confuse personal or cultural preferences with His timeless principles. “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.” 69
5. Walk in the Light. Ask God to shine the light of His truth on any area of your heart in need of a housecleaning. Make sure all your personal, family, and business relationships are in order with God, your neighbors, and others.
6. Get a Clue! Understand that a God-given vision is getting a glimpse of what God wants to do through you. When God gives you a vision, He will give the faith and the means to see it happen as you follow Him.
7. Think Big. Expect that any vision from God is going to be bigger than any dream you could ever imagine. Depend on God’s resources rather than what you have on hand or in view. If you can easily see your way clear to accomplish the vision, it is prob- ably not a “God-sized” vision.
8. Mission Impossible? Don’t dismiss “impossible” options. Likewise, do not assume that the opening of promising new doors means you should always walk through them. Pray and ask God to confirm His direction.
9. Expect Confirmation. God sometimes confirms His message through a persistent, deeper sense of “knowing,” or He may speak through scripture reading or various circumstances of life. On occasion, He confirms His guidance through other people, and often through a combination of means. When you sense God is speaking, do not be afraid to ask Him for confirmation and correct understanding. Once you receive confirmation and correct understanding, move ahead in courage to obey what you have heard. When you have confidence in God’s direction for a particular situation, it becomes easier to persist in prayer, faith, and action toward its accomplishment.
10. Let God Speak for Himself. Don’t be surprised when you cannot convince others to support a God-sized project. After all, a rational person might tell you God’s plans seem impossible. Ask God to speak with people who are needed for the project in ways personally meaningful to them.
11. Pay the Price. As God leads, be willing to sacrifice and give all toward the fulfillment of His purposes. When God wants to stretch our faith, the process is often uncomfortable, or even painful, requiring us to see and do things differently and seemingly unnaturally. Rational people may question your sanity; after all, Noah built an ark on dry ground. Or perhaps you resonate with Moses, who was tasked with leading millions of people across the Red Sea without a single boat; or with aged Abraham and barren Sarah trying to have as many children as there are stars in the sky and grains of sand on the seashore. Trust Him to take care of your needs and your reputation in pursuit of the vision.
12. Wait Upon the Lord. Since only God can do His work, “wait on the Lord” to do it. You cannot force progress even if you try. Position yourself for God to act, then watch and wait expectantly for what God will do. Allow time for God to do His work in His way. Allow Him to teach you through trials and challenges. Wait, but do not give up on the vision. God often gives progres- sive disclosure to His vision. Frequently, the larger the vision, the longer the lead time between seeing the vision and doing the vision. The lead time allows for adequate prayer, personal spiritual growth, and planning.
We were led to purchase the land for Valley Christian Schools ten years before God opened the door for city approvals and for construction to begin. The Skyway campus vision seemed dead and buried. But about the time I began to ques- tion whether I had misunderstood God’s vision, God power- fully resurrected the project. I have discovered that God often allows all to appear lost right before He shows up and does His miraculous work. I call them “Cliff hangers.” It is a reminder that He is God and He uses such challenging circumstances to grow our faith.
13. Forget Plan B. Insist on going forward according to God’s “A Team” plans. When obstacles or setbacks arise, pray and ask God to show you how He wants to deal with the situation. Believe that He does not want to settle for Plan B. Do not suc- cumb to fear. God’s vision is never lacking His provision. Be open to creative and unprecedented solutions.
14. Call In the Air Force. “Pray at all times and on every occa- sion.” 70 The darkness is no match for God’s angelic air force. Every phase of God’s work at Valley Christian Schools required a breakthrough in prayer to achieve success. When circumstances, human weaknesses, and dark forces seem to block God’s pur- poses, partner with God through prayer to call in the air force— God’s angelic hosts. God assigns His angels to watch over his children, and they are at His command to help us achieve His purposes throughout our lives as we pray and seek His goodness, peace, and joy for everyone.
15. Keep the Faith. Do not allow obstacles to stop you or to damage your faith. Your faith will soar if you see obstacles as opportu- nities for God to demonstrate His miraculous power. Let Him reassure you about His desire and intention to accomplish His highest purposes in whatever way He chooses. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and God gives us the gift for each of His works. We cannot manufacture miracle-working faith. “The Spirit gives special faith.” 71
16. Duke It Out. Give yourself permission to wrestle with your doubts and to work through the “why” questions. Ask God to help you understand scriptural truths that apply to your situ- ation. Ask God for the faith to make a wholehearted commit- ment to move forward in the face of unanswered questions like, “Where will we get the money?”
17. Tap Great Talent. Ask God to help you do the homework needed to discover and engage the finest talent to help move the vision forward. Ask “the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”72 The initial price tag is usually higher, but quality usually improves the bottom line before long.
18. No Secrets. Always share the vision God gave you with those who will listen. On more than one occasion, I have shared God’s vision with people of seemingly modest means who eventually gave tens of thousands, even millions, of dollars in response to God’s leading. Be faithful to share the vision, but understand only God can lead people to give their time, talent, and treasure from their hearts.
19. Aim for the Stars. Aim for excellence in everything you do. Ultimately, true excellence is the nature, character, and works of God. Anything we do truly reflecting excellence requires the work of God and is by definition “supernatural.” Pursuing His excellence opens the door to experiencing His supernatural works in your everyday life, naturally.
20. Journal the Journey. Periodically document the ways God has supernaturally worked through your life. Honor Him for His faithfulness, and allow these accounts to bring you and others into a new dimension of faith in and love for God. Later in life when you face doubts and difficulties, written testimonies of what God has accomplished through you will be a great encour- agement. Recorded details of God’s miraculous works will speak to you, your children, and their children, and teach others about His faithfulness.