Chase the Lion

corporate ladder. For most people their first job is not their dream job, and neither is their second or third or fourth. But that’s part of the process of discovering our destiny. It’s those odd jobs and unenjoyable jobs that help us identify our dream job once we find it. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, focus on the learning curve.

You can’t just pray as if it depends solely on God; you also have to work as if it depends on you. It’s your work ethic plus your prayer ethic that will inch you closer to your dream. And it happens one practice, one day at a time.

We live in a culture that celebrates fifteen minutes of fame, but God honors a lifetime of faithfulness. The longer I live, the more I believe in long obedience in the same direction. That phrase encapsulates my philosophy of ministry, my philosophy of life. If you keep doing the right things day in and day out, look out. Somehow, someway, someday, God is going to show up and show off.

Obedience earns compound interest. Over time it’s called faithfulness.

Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?

There is a time and a place to err on the side of caution. But if you always err on that side, it probably says more about your personality than it does about prudence. There is also a time to throw caution to the wind. But in my experience the time to throw caution to the wind is after you have exercised some caution.

Psychologists tell us that we’re born with two fears—the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Every other fear is learned, which means that every other fear can be unlearned. Faith is the process of unlearning those fears. “Perfect love casts out fear.”5

Sometimes the circumstances we’re trying to change are the very circumstances God is using to change us. We ask God to change those circumstances, but God says, “No, I’m using those circumstances to change you!” Instead of expending all your energy trying to get out of them, get something out of them. In other words, learn the lesson God is trying to teach you.

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Every dreamer has to deal with naysayers, and I’ve had more than my fair share. So let me share how I’ve dealt with criticism. First, don’t let an arrow of criticism pierce your heart unless it first passes through the filter of Scripture.4 Second,

Your job isn’t to accomplish the dream. Your job is to stop making excuses and start obeying.

No matter what you do, you are a priest first and foremost. You certainly have a job to do, but you also have a calling to fulfill. If you are a Christ follower, you are part of the royal priesthood. That means you are a priest-entrepreneur, priest-athlete, priest-entertainer, priest-politician, priest-coach. Your portfolio is your pulpit. Your company is your congregation.

Every dream, no matter how big, starts out as a seed. And like a seed, it often goes underground for a season. That’s when we get discouraged because we don’t see any physical evidence of the dream’s progress. But it has to take root before it can bear fruit.