Protégé or Parasite?

You have probably heard the word “protege” (or protégé)  used many times in conversation.  Do you know exactly what it means?  According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a  protégé is “one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence.”  Often, when one wishes to learn a trade, he or she becomes a protege of another person from whom they can learn the trade.  I learned about the aircraft painting business, for example, by becoming  protege of Paul White, a very experienced and accomplished individual in that field, and that eventually led to my being very successful in a business of my own. 

Sometimes people of means and/or influence choose to mentor others.  They may choose their own protege through whom they can pass on their knowledge and abilities.  A business owner, for example, may choose a protege to take over the business eventually, so that the business will live on in good hands after the present owner retires or dies.  A mentor is someone who is confident in your potential, and comfortable with your weaknesses. 

If you choose a protege do not take this decision lightly, because there are many parasites in your world.  A protege is someone who wants what is in your heart, but a parasite is someone who just wants what is in your hand.  Our country is full of parasites today.  There are thousands of individuals who simply want to have what others have but without earning it.  We live in the land of entitlements.  Many people feel that they are automatically entitled to just about anything they want. 

Recently a crowd of protestors in London demonstrated in the streets, demanding that education be declared a “human right”.  They demanded that their government pay for their college education.  Education is a responsibility, not a human right.  In the same way, America was founded as the land of opportunity, not the land of entitlements.  The opportunities are still there, but we must take responsibility for pursuing those opportunities ourselves. 

As believers, we do not automatically walk in all the blessings that God has prepared for us.  Matthew 6:33 tells us that we must “seek” the Kingdom of Heaven.  In other words, there is a Kingdom of blessing, abundance, dominion and power that we are called into, but we must reach out and seek (or seize) that Kingdom by faith.  One reason for discouragement is that people  feel that they are automatically entitled (there’s that word again) to all the blessings that the scriptures talk about, but they are not receiving these blessings.  

Often, people say it was just “God’s will” when tragedies strike.  We cannot always know why some catastrophies occur.  Some people think everything is God’s will.    I have news for you;  on this earth God’s will is RARELY done.  If God’s will were always done, everyone would automatically love and forgive.  There would be no war, and we would ALL walk in abundance.  God’s word tells us to earnestly seek wisdom.   Why?  Because applying godly wisdom can change our world and our daily lives.  It can change the outcome of daily battles we fight.  If not, why are we even told to seek wisdom at all?   The Bible is not about destiny; it is about decisions that we make.  God does not necessarily dictate the outcome of our struggles; we usually decide the outcome by the decisions we make.  The abundance we seek is there alright, but we must truly seek God’s Kingdom in order to walk in abundance.

Historically, the greatest transference of wealth occurs during times of greatest economic distress.  Does that surprise you?  There are many examples in the Bible which show that God will bestow great wealth upon His people in times of economic depression.   In my next post I will discuss this subject of wealth transference further.   You will see Biblically that what God really wants is for you to be His protege.  

                        “ Therefore go and make disciples (proteges) from all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I  am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28: 19-20

God’s proteges will show the world that His promises and principles are real even during the worst of times.  Are you God’s protege, or are you a parasite?  If your heart is filled with what is in God’s heart, your hands will always be filled with abundance to share….

Disappointed With God?

 It is sad how many Christians have lost their way because they feel they have been let down by God.   Many seem to be shipwrecked in their trek through life because of tears and disappointment.   Some believe that God has broken a promise, has failed to fulfill a vision, or has simply delayed too long in answering a prayer.

Disillusionment seems to be rampant in this culture and even in the Body of Christ.  I can remember times in my life (though sometimes I would rather forget) when I have been so distraught upon waking up in the morning that I had scarcely the strength to put one foot in front of the other to walk across the room.   I have felt the rejection of believing that God had forgotten me, leaving me to my own devices as my world seemed to cave in around me.  Why, in what seems to be our greatest hour of need, does God often choose to be silent when we desperately want to hear a word from Him?

I would like to share some things I have learned about the reality of disillusionment.   My own first-hand experience with depression and the “shipwreck” scenario, as well as a better understanding of scriptures relating to this subject have given me keen insight which I pray will benefit those who struggle in this area. 

The meaning of Disillusionment

To be disillusioned means to “lose one’s illusions.”   Often we as believers have been given illusions that we hold tightly to, believing that they are truth.  An illusion is an expectation which is not real, or that is not based on truth.   Years ago I recall hearing an older believer talking about the “proposed” exploration of the moon.  This was before astronauts had ever set foot on the moon.  She held a firm belief that it would never be God’s will to allow mankind to reach the moon, and that any efforts to do so would be futile.  She even used a couple of scriptures to support her view.   When moon-walking became a reality she became disillusioned, and finally had to face the fact that she had been wrong.   She was, in other words, separated from her illusion.

There are often illusions we must lose if we are to go deeper with the Lord.  The reason that God often allows us to become disillusioned is because He has a task that He is preparing us for and we must drop the illusions if we are to be ready.

One common illusion among believers is that faith means believing that the answer to our prayer is on its way and is going to happen.  I realize some will find this controversial because scriptures tell us not to waver, not to doubt, and to confess with your mouth a positive confession.  Furthermore, Jesus said nothing would be impossible to us.   There are those who interpret the scriptures to mean that we can “name it and claim it.”  In other words, we can tell God what we want, and God is obligated by His word to grant us what we ask for if we keep making a positive confession and believe the answer is actually going to occur in just the way we expect.

I have observed that this belief can be devastating to many believers who have been taught that if we believe something strongly enough it will happen.   This is the power of positive thinking put to the test in our lives.  Please get this:  Biblical faith is not the same concept as the power of positive thinking.  I have heard so many well-meaning Bible teachers, evangelists and others exhorting believers to make positive confessions (speak the answer into existence) and never doubt that it will happen. I cannot even begin to estimate how many of these same believers have been left shaking their heads, bewildered because what they were asking for never happened.  In many of these cases people have believed something so strongly that they were actually shocked when it did not happen.  This can often lead to guilt, loss of self worth and even anger.  We wonder what we did wrong.  Why does God answer others’ prayers but not ours?  Was my faith not good enough to please God?  What’s wrong with me? 

Often when this happens, weary prayer-warriors turn away and decide that it is useless to plead with God.  They have lost heart because they have decided they are not worthy, or that God doesn’t really care.  Some of these have decided it is not worth following a God who cannot or will not answer.

 What exactly do I find wrong with this “power of positive thinking, positive confession” approach?   First of all, this approach puts all the focus on ourselves.   For months we may have focused on getting this particular request answered by God, and this has become the center-piece of our relationship with God.  It emphasizes how we must “psyche” ourselves into believing that the answer will happen, and if we can come to complete, undoubting faith, God is obligated to us.  If it does not happen, it often erodes our confidence in the things of God. 

Secondly, this approach actually avoids the issue of trust.   Biblical faith does not mean that we must believe something so strongly that it will happen.  Biblical faith is all about trusting God.   We must trust God and leave the decision to Him about how He will answer us.  Many say this is a cop-out, and that to pray “if it be Your will, please answer my prayer” is merely a way to save face in case our faith isn’t strong enough for God to answer.  I no longer use those words in prayer.  Instead, my prayer (borrowed from Jesus) is “Your will be done!”

There is a vast difference between “if it be Your will” and “Your will be done!”  They are similar, but to say “Your will be done” is actually the positive confession that God honors!  By making this confession you are declaring that you believe that whatever God deems best will indeed happen.  You are hereby acknowledging that God, with infinite knowledge, is wiser than you whose knowledge is finite.  This is the difference between belief and trust.  So now the focus is upon God’s faithfulness rather than upon our ability to believe strongly enough.

Right after I started my aircraft painting business in Texas, we were struggling to establish ourselves as a prominent company.  We started off painting small single-engine aircraft but we wanted to eventually transition into the jet market because the profit margins in painting jet aircraft are much greater than painting the smaller planes.  It is very hard, however, to establish market share in the turbine aircraft business because it is a matter of brand-name recognition (which we did not yet have) and years of experience which most jet owners require.

After we had been in business about a year, a prominent local businessman asked us to bid on painting his Beechcraft King Air.  This would have been a very high-profile job because it was a prestigious turbo-prop executive aircraft, and would have suddenly increased our credibility in the marketplace.   We were really excited.  Things were suddenly looking up!  We were just certain that God was behind this.    We were shocked when we learned that the owner had decided to take this plane to a city out of the state to get it painted.

I couldn’t understand why God had let me down.  I was discouraged, wondering if God was ever going to really bless our company – a company we had started as a ministry to support outreaches all over the world.  

About a year later, this aircraft was chartered by some local businessmen for a fishing trip into Mexico.  On the flight back, the aircraft inexplicably went into a nose-dive from high altitude and crashed into the rugged Mexican terrain.  All aboard were killed. 

The cause of the crash was undetermined.   It was bewildering.   But as is the case in airplane accidents such as this, the families of the deceased filed wrongful death lawsuits against every company that had performed any maintenance on the plane for the previous five years, including the company that had painted the plane.   Each company had to hire a lawyer to try to prove their company had not been at fault.  The companies eventually all settled out of court even though none of them claimed any negligence.  The settlements plus legal feels cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  One avionics company involved actually went bankrupt.   If we had painted the plane, we would have been caught in the middle of this.  I was never more grateful for an unanswered prayer!

Tell God exactly what you desire.  Lay your request before God, but always trust Him for His best.  He always has our best on His heart. 

 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)