Monthly Archives: September 2012

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Do You Repeat The Same Mistakes?

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mistakeOne of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 15:16. The disciples are asking Jesus about a specific parable and what it means. Evidently a little frustrated, Jesus replies, “Are you still so dull?”

While I am probably wrong for laughing at this, I cannot help it. I even hear it in my sleep sometimes!

Why is this funny to me? I hear Him saying it to ME after one of my many mistakes!

Series On Joshua

We are getting close to the end of a series about business lessons we can pull from the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites. If you have not yet read this short story, you need to do so now. It won’t take long! You can find it here – Joshua 9:1 – 10:15.

In this story, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelites into making peace with them. In doing so, the Israelites disobeyed God’s command to destroy all people groups within the Promised Land. In my last post, we discussed that Joshua was so easily deceived because he did not seek God’s counsel, but instead trusted his own senses.

What Is The Connection?

So, you may ask, what is the connection between Joshua’s mistake and my favorite verse in Matthew? Quite simply, Jesus’ reply in Matthew leads us to believe this was not the first time the disciples had asked a question that they should have known the answer to. Evidently, the disciples had repeated this mistake several times, trying Jesus’ patience with them.

Joshua’s Mistake

To connect this verse to Joshua’s situation, we need to go back to Joshua 6. In the beginning of this chapter, Joshua sought God’s counsel on how to attack Jericho. After that victory, the next city to be attacked was Ai. Unfortunately, Joshua did not consult with God about this one. He made his own plans and the Israelites were soundly defeated.

When Joshua finally did seek God’s counsel, he was told about sin among the Israelites that brought on the defeat. Had Joshua sought God before the attack, he would have learned of the sin and been able to address it before the defeat! Joshua should have learned his lesson right there – seek God before a decision.

Joshua Repeats His Mistake!

The problem is that Joshua did not learn his lesson. Instead, he repeats the very same mistake when approached by the Gibeonites. All he had to do was to seek God and he would have learned of the deception. Like the disciples in Matthew 15, and like many of us, Joshua repeated the same mistake and had to face the consequences.

Application To Christian Business

I think the application to Christian business is fairly clear. When it comes to trying to do it all on our own, we are certainly going to make mistakes. That is unavoidable. Even when we KNOW what God wants us to do in a given situation, we will likely fail in the execution at times.

However, we must push to mature to the point where we do not make decisions on our own! We have a God that created the world in which our business operates. He has all business knowledge and is willing to share it with us (James 1:5) if we will only ask!

I encourage you to learn from Joshua’s lesson. Burn it into your mind that God is your CEO and you will not make any significant decisions without consulting Him. Commit to asking Him for wisdom before committing to a decision. He is faithful to guide you.

Have you made this same mistake multiple times before?

Why do you think it is so hard to stop and ask for God’s guidance?

What do you need to do to prevent making this mistake again?

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Do You Trust God Or Your Own Senses?

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God gave us our senses. With the ability to taste, touch, feel, hear, and smell, we are equipped to experience the world in which we live. The problem is that quite often, our senses can fail us. It is because of this fact that we should always look to trust God and His guidance for us. We should do this even when our senses tell us otherwise.

trust God

Trusting Your Senses?

This could not be more true than in the story of the Gibeonites and their deception of Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 9:3-13). Imagine standing there as you see the Gibeonites approach with the look of exhaustion and hunger. Picture their threadbare clothing and patched sandals. Try to think of how they probably smelled.

Now, as children of God, put yourself in Joshua’s shoes when the Gibeonites claim to be from a distant land seeking peace. Knowing God’s law regarding people from outside of the Promised Land, think about your natural response. Every input your senses are feeding to your brain tells you they are telling the truth. Their story matches with the evidence given.

What do you do?

Wrong Decision!

Well, obviously you have read the story. You know that Joshua and the Israelites agree to a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. They believed the evidence. While they did briefly question the Gibeonites on some of it, this was not enough to discern the truth. Instead, the Israelites locked themselves into peace with a people group that God wanted them to destroy.

Trust God In Business?

Can this happen in the business world? Don’t you and I face similar challenges everyday as we attempt to run our businesses as platforms for Christian ministry? I don’t know about you, but this story is very common in my world.

I can only assume you face the same thing. The deceiver could be a potential partner or a candidate for a leadership position in your company. Make the wrong decision here and you will likely pay dearly!

Other pitfalls could include vendors or even customers that appear one way and end up actually being something totally different. If you commit to these with enough resources before you determine the truth, the price can be significant.

What Is The Answer?

So what should we do to avoid these traps? What could Joshua have done differently that would have prevented him from making a treaty with the deceivers?

For the answer to these questions, I am only going to need four words. This is not that complicated, but the reward for following my advice here is huge. Here is the simple answer:

Slow Down. Trust God.

That is it. It really is that simple. It does not require spreadsheets or committee meetings. No focus groups or off-site retreats are necessary!

The Better Choice

Joshua could have simply told the Gibeonites that he needed some time to process their request. He could have said he would meet them back at the same spot the next morning. Then he could have gone into his tent and prayed.

I do not know how long it would have taken for God to speak to his heart about the deception. I really do not think it would have been long at all. But even if it was an extended period of time before he received his answer, wouldn’t it have been worth it?

Determined To Trust God

As I have mentioned here before, I have recently been going through a hiring process for a key member of our leadership team. I cannot convey in this post how critical this decision was to the future of our company. A wrong move here could be devastating.

As a result, and due to my ongoing study of this passage, I have been taking my time and praying more than I ever have for a decision. It took me just over a full month from start to finish to go through this hiring process, but I was determined to trust God to pick this candidate.

I don’t want it to sound like I was interviewing a bunch of deceivers. At the same time, you do have to sort through a lot of fluff and word-smithing to filter through resumes today. It is also difficult to discern the whole truth when talking on the phone, over Skype, and even in person. There were many times that I could have decided to trust my senses for a decision. Instead, I remained determined to trust God for the results.

One More Day

Even on what I thought was the last day of the process, I decided to wait again. My gut wanted to move forward, but I took one more day to pray and trust God to speak to me about the decision. Nothing changed, but the decision was that much clearer the next morning.

Now that I am looking back on the process, I am confident that my goal has been achieved! The new leader starts tomorrow morning and I am truly excited to have him as a part of the team. Only time will tell how good the decision was for both of us, but for right now I believe it will prove fruitful!

Good Advice

Let’s learn from Joshua’s mistake. Let’s apply his lesson to our business decisions. In your own situations, commit to slowing down before making a decision. Trust God to be faithful to give you wisdom and discernment. I promise you will not regret it!

Have you faced this dilemma before? Did you trust God?

How did it turn out for you?

What advice would you give someone else facing a similar question?