The world today is in need of the wisdom of God – and because we have the mind of Christ and a relationship with Him and with the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Wisdom) (1 Corinthians 2:16, John 17:3, Ephesians 1:17), we have access to God’s thoughts, ideas, and wisdom. This isn’t just how to spread the Good News (though it can include it!) The wisdom of God relates to every single situation in our lives, no matter how secular or sacred said situation might be. If we need wisdom, James encourages us to ask for it from God “who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
So in this post, I’d like to share a few ways you as a Christian can bring God’s wisdom, power, love, and perspective into your everyday lives and everyday jobs without sounding like you’re preaching at people (which is a really, really good way to turn them away from every wanting anything to do with church or God ever again).
The important thing is to bring whatever God says into the language of the group or person you’re speaking to or communicating with – for example, if you’re giving divine wisdom to your boss as McDonald’s, you don’t have to say, “God says we should cook the hamburgers a different way.” It’s much more likely to be received if you say something like, “If we cooked our hamburgers a different way, I think it would work better.” It’s much more humble, much more acceptable, you get to thank God and give Him glory in your heart either way, and others get to benefit from your relationship with Jesus.
1. Ask for divine solutions. I like to keep up a running conversation with the Lord throughout the day. “Lord, what have I forgotten to do? What should I work on this afternoon? How should I word this? What are people looking for? What’s a good solution to this problem?” As I said above, you don’t have to tell everyone your idea is the best because it came from God. Instead, you get to see your solutions work (or be rejected, but that teaches humility and grace) and benefit your company or family. It’s like in Jeremiah 29:7 when God tells the Jews to pray for the well-being of Babylon – because if that wicked nation prospered, the Jews would prosper, too.
2. Keep your ears open for people’s problems, fears, etc. You likely won’t be able to pray for them in so many words, but you can 1) pray for them in your heart and asked God for what to pray for them, and 2) offer them encouragement that God gives you – it’s amazing what a few words can do to help someone through even a very difficult situation. (BTW – often enough, people need an ear more than a solution. So be wary about offering them fixes for their issues. And I’m talking to myself right now…)
3. Birthday greetings. This is one of my favorites! Birthdays are days we get to wish good things for people. I love birthdays on Facebook, because I get to write on a person’s wall, “Happy Birthday!!! Here’s to a year filled with…” and then prophesy good things for the coming year for them. And because it’s not churchy, and because it’s their birthday, people are much less likely to find it weird.
4. Pray God’s heart for people. Seeing them through His eyes is a great way to not only have a more accurate picture of who they are and what they need, but it’s also a great way to position yourself to encourage them from God’s heart.
5. Speak life over people. This may be simply saying, “I hope this situation is resolved quickly” or speaking the truth of how God sees them – “You’re a really smart person” or “I just love how you work so well with people.” Don’t make it weird, though – it should fit in the conversation.
6. If God tells you about someone’s future, 1) be very sure it’s God’s idea and not your’s, and 2) move in ways to make it possible for them to be able to do what God has said. I’m not talking about manipulation as much as preparing your heart and any physical area possible for their divine assignment (even if they don’t know it’s divine).
7. Greetings and salutations. This can be a tricky thing, but asking God for how to say good morning, goodbye, or other things can help encourage people and give them God’s blessing on their day. Other times, it can be as simple as saying, “Have fun at your son’s soccer game tonight” – you just blessed them at the soccer game, and they likely hadn’t a clue. (Be careful, though – it can be taken as stalking if you know too much about someone’s private life!)
8. Death and bad news. In these types of situations, it can be acceptable to say, “I’m praying for you.” Do it!
What ways do you take prophesy, encouragement, and God’s perspective into your workplace? Let me know in the comments!
