YOUR CHOICE HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY

Everyone who walks this earth bears fruit.  No one has a choice whether they bear fruit or not, it is a given.   What kind of fruit we will produce is the BIG question? As a HISentrepreneur who is about the Father’s business, we are mandated, yes mandated, to bear good fruit. John 15:16 tells us that we were chosen to bear good fruit. God does not care about the mechanics or specifics of how the good fruit is produced as long as our actions and the seeds of our fruit produces “fruit of the Spirit.” Jesus’ instructions were to GO and BEAR. He didn’t give them any specifics, just go. Oftentimes, we get stuck on the where, what, when. Actually, God just wants us to GO. Just in case you do not know what the individual fruits of the Spirit are, I have listed them below. However, I encourage you to study Galatians 5:22.

Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Kindness

Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-control

Today, I encourage you to not be overwhelmed by the what, when, and the how, but simply ask yourself if your actions are producing any of the fruits of the Spirit. If the answer is “yes” Go! Be blessed because you are.

Everyone who is ready ain’t READY! Have you missed your target (flock)?

I was sitting here at my conference table praying about my target market and it was revealed to me that I had missed the target. I knew that my target market were Followers of Christ who were ready to manifest their God assigned vision. But everyone who is ready ain’t (yes ain’t) READY for me as God has designed me! Just like whatever you have to offer, whether it is a services or product, everyone is not going to be ready to receive what you have to offer. Absorbing this fact will keep you from experiencing days of disappointment, rejection and a sense to GIVE UP. Definitely don’t give up!

Even though my target market consists of Followers of Christ, every Follower of Christ is not meant for me to support and serve. I believe John 10:4-5 illustrates the basics of marketing. Those who God meant for you to shepherd (support and take care of their needs, whether it’s spiritual, emotional or physical) will hear your voice. Each shepherd is unique enough that the sheep knows his or her distinct voice. Nobody’s voice is the same. What will come with the “voice” are our personalities (temperaments), our strengths, our weaknesses, our experiences, our skills, our abilities and gifts. These are some of the components that make up our design. Your flock will be receptive of your design.

The flock assigned to you hears your distinctive voice and because they are assigned to you regardless of how many people out there that are offering what appears to be the same service or product, your flock will not stray. They will know, like and trust you. So if we try to support every sheep, we will miss the opportunity to be a true servant for the flock that God has assigned to us. We will miss the opportunity to know the condition of our flock so we can take care of them (Read Proverbs 27:23) When you are defining your flock (target market) it is important that you dig a little deeper. How do you dig a little deeper? First ask God for guidance on defining who exactly you were sent to support and serve, then read this article I ran across recently by Mandy Porta in Inc. Magazine http://bit.ly/dhe0kD. From a practical standpoint, Inc. Magazine was right on target so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel and rewrite… it’s called using your wisdom.

 

You and Your Uniqueness

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was definitely a man of uniqueness. Sometimes we take our own uniqueness for granted or we don’t really appreciate how God made us. I was watching this movie that reminded me of how we constantly try to fit in or be like others or how we often seek others approval. But the reality of it we will NEVER be like anyone else so why not appreciate who we really are.
Check out this movie clip… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ZR-UaCUOg
Remember what Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Delay is the Deadliest Form of Denial

My sister-friend Pam and I were discussing past mistakes in the various roles we play in our lives – especially as business women. I had told her that I really didn’t know why I did not take certain actions when I should of. There was absolutely nothing keeping me from taking action at the appropriate time, my best time. At that moment, I really didn’t think much about it, until she said something that almost knocked me off of my feet. She restated a quote that someone mentioned to her: “Delay is the deadliest form of denial.” It was as if I had a spiritual epiphany.

Being the Googler that I am I wanted to find out who actually came up with such a profound quote. A guy named C. Northcote Parkinson came up with this quote in his book “Parkinson’s Law”. He referred to the quote as “The Law of Delay”. When I saw that I thought, “Wow ‘delay’ is power. It has its own law (chuckling)!” Then I began to reflect on the meaning behind this law and had allowed “delay” to affect my life.

Delay is synonymous with procrastination. I’ve missed deadlines that had cost me money, appointments and opportunities. I’ve missed connecting with awesome people and probably missed God’s favor because I delayed action. Now, don’t tell me that a person can’t miss God’s favor. If you are not in the right place at the right time, trust me, you certainly CAN.

I remember promising my boys that I would take them to the Universoul Circus one year. I waited until the last minute to purchase tickets. When I went to the ticket booth (in the rain mind you), they had sold out! My heart sank. Now, I had to go home and tell my sweetie pies we were not going to the circus. Then I wanted to kick myself. I realized that I was a chronic procrastinator in denial. The reality of the matter was that I lacked self-control. There… I admit it. We can make all of the excuses we want but reality will jump up and slap us in the face at some point. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that there is a time for everything. I don’t know about you but I don’t mind a proverbial slap in the face if it will keep me from missing a step toward the fullness of God.

So, here are some things you can do to help you put first things first:

1. Admit that you are a procrastinator.

2. Surrender to God any desires you have to put priorities off.

3. Ask God to give you wisdom in every role you play in life so you can put important things first.

4. Be sincere about changing your behavior by committing to take practical steps to eliminate procrastination.

5. During your meditation time, ask God what task should be a priority that day. Write down in a journal what He tells you. If your list is too long, consider that God did not tell you some of the tasks you listed. Remember, He will not put more on you than what you can bear.

6. Believe that you can take responsibility for your lack of action because you have the Spirit of Christ living inside you to help.

7. Find someone who can be your accountability partner.

Meditate on the following scriptures:

• Romans 13:14 1
• Corinthians 10:13
• Psalm 139:23-24
• Colossians 1:27
• Romans 4:20
• James 1:4

FAITH=UNREALISTIC

I like to call myself a professional “Googler” (not sure if it is truly a word) because I like to poke around on the Internet to find out how others are marketing their businesses.
I am always curious to see whether they’re selling products or services and how they’re getting their certain message out. When I land on a website of interest I like to look at every aspect of the site and look at how they are presenting their information. I always make note of my first impression of the website. Was it convincing by the visual presentation? Is the color scheme inviting, exciting or just plain boring? Are they really serious about what they are selling and their business? Is it a big operation or a small mom and pop (nothing wrong with mom and pops)? And so on…

Well anyway, I happened to stumble upon a couple’s sites that was quite inviting. They were selling some type of multi-level thing-a-ma-jig. Each of the owners had their own “about me” tab which told their story. The story they told was about how they made the decision to put their destiny in their own hands by starting a business. Reading their stories did peak my interest. But more convincing was the introduction video. It allowed me to get an idea of who I would be dealing with if I were to “bite” their bait. By seeing this video, I decided “ok, this guy looks trustworthy and personable. I think will venture out a little more.” I still couldn’t figure out what they were really selling so I went to their “Frequently Asked Questions” tab to get more details. While reading the FAQ’s I noticed a question that really caught my eye:

(Content taken from envisionfreedom.net.)

Question: What is a realistic first year income? Their Answer: Realistic? We don’t believe in realistic. Realistic people do not become millionaires. We would much rather achieve unrealistic results. With the exponential compensation plan, your first year potential is unlimited, given you follow our lead and implement the system. You are the only one that can hold you back.
After reading their answer, it was then that I started shouting “HALLELUJAH!” I immediately began to think about what it really means to be a follower of Christ and to truly know Jesus.

We often say that “by FAITH, we’re going to do this, and by FAITH we’re going to do that…” But do we really believe it is going to happen? To me, doing things by FAITH is being willing to be UNREALISTIC. The secular world would easily say, “The way you are going about a certain thing does not make sense.” But should it? If we are walking by FAITH and not by sight would we still get the same results? I realized that FAITH = UNREALISTIC. I would much rather do something by FAITH –do something UNREALISTIC- and get UNREALISTIC RESULTS, than just play it safe. Playing it safe would be that I am being REALISTIC and only getting REALISTIC RESULTS.

Let me tell you a little bit about my unrealistic results. Back in 2006, I stepped out on my FAITH and received results beyond my wildest dreams. I had absolutely no extra money and started a business that grossed 2.3 million dollars by 2007. Those unrealistic results allowed God to use me to plant many seeds in people’s lives beyond my belief. Those unrealistic results allowed me to support my family way above our needs. You’re talking about UNREALISTIC RESULTS!

Let’s see. The Vision Manifestation Queen… is a woman who grew up in a single parent home where mom did her very best without financial support from her father (UNREALISTIC RESULTS). The Vision Manifestation Queen…a woman who grew up in a small town that had absolutely no job opportunities for her other than working at the local factory or in a field or a fast food restaurant experiencing (UNREALISTIC RESULTS). How about being able to stand in a grocery store line and hearing the Spirit say “pay for that person’s entire grocery bill” (UNREALISTIC RESULTS). I can go on and on how I was blessed with UNREALISTIC RESULTS because I stepped out on faith and refused to allow fear to hold me down…Yes, the fear of rejection was knocking at my door. Sometimes, I still don’t believe it. My natural eyes just could not understand it. Remember, God is the one who gives us power to get wealth. He is no respecter of persons. If He did it for me, He will do it for you. I do not take any credit for these UNREALISTIC RESULTS. I give God all of the glory. So I encourage you to continue walking in faith as you manifest the vision God has assigned you because if He gave you the vision there is a plan for provision.

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Do something unrealistic with your business. Do it by faith and let God show you what He can do.

Look up the definition of “realistic” and “faith”

Scriptures to Meditate on: Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; James 2:14-26; Acts 10:34; James 2:1; Deuteronomy 8:18; Philippians 4:13

Are You Being Robbed by Skype?

Are You Being Robbed by Skype?

HISentrepreneurs: I like Skype BUT just because I like them doesn’t mean I will not allow them to rob me. Yes, Skype has robbed many of their right to choose how they want their website to look (color, size and style of numbers). Have you noticed that any number you type on your website (for those who edit their own website) changes to a Skype format mind you w/o your permission? Well, I just couldn’t accept this simply b/c I work hard on my site and any other site I maintain (yeah another God-given skill that I use as a hobby. It has that same affect on me as doodling for some). So I began to embark on a mission to find out how to get my rights back and change the format back. I found out how to remove this format. So I wanted to share with you JUST in case you feel the same.

Internet Explorer:
1. Launch IE, then go to “Tools”
2. Click on “Skype Plug-in”
3. Disable by clicking in the box where it says “Turn Number Highlighting On” (A check in the box turns it on. Removing the check, turns it off)
4. Click on “Ok”
5. You may have to restart your computer
Firefox:
1. Launch Firefox, then go to “Tool”
2. Click on “Add-on”
3. Go to “Skype Extension”
4. Click on “Disable”
I hope this post helps any HISentrepreneur who maintains their own site and want to gain their right back to choose back  Happy New Year! May 2011 be the year you walk into the fullness of God. God bless!

God’s vision is so unique to you….

God’s vision is so unique to us that we can’t afford to allow the impact of or the fear of rejection be the driving force of our actions. If we do allow rejection to be the driving force on our road to vision manifestation, we will remain in park. Our individually assigned vision is a small component of God’s ultimate vision and it vital to the completion of another follower’s vision. When we fail to do what it takes to manifest our assigned vision, we jeopardize someone else’s vision which is component of the ultimate vision. Think of the vision as a big puzzle. Our assigned vision represents a puzzle piece. If a piece is missing, the puzzle is not complete. Read 1 Corinthians 12.

Are You Building Relationships?

Marketing, or should I say successful marketing, IS about fostering relationships. The marketing buzz words you may hear quite often are “KNOW LIKE TRUST.”  According to the marketing gurus there are 3 levels to successful marketing (again ministries should market too):

Level 1: Getting to know you (remember the song Julie Andrews’ sang entitled “Getting to know you” from the movie The King and I…if you don’t remember click on video below)

Level 2: Growing to like you

Level 3: Beginning to trust you

At each level, you are building and fostering relationships with your flock (target market). I want you to visualize this KNOW.LIKE.TRUST concept because I want you to get it.  Ok, let’s start with the “KNOW” level. When a person reads your emails, blog posts, newsletter and you listen to what they have to say (some level of interest is present of course), they are getting to know you, right. They are getting comfortable with what you have to offer them (knowledge), right? They begin to know you even more IF you are being genuine. At this level, they are more likely to spend a small amount of money or buy into your message or your voice. Now, at the “LIKE” level, a person feels more comfortable and more familiar with you, your services or product (message) therefore they’re going to spend even more money on what you have to offer and participate in your circle (their time is precious). At the “TRUST” level, the person has been receiving (act of taking into the mind or to accept as authoritative, valid, and true) what you have to offer (knowledge and not sales base) and are very comfortable and confident that they will benefit it (you know WIIFM- what’s in it for me thinking). When you reach this level with your target market, they are willing to spend or donate top dollar or do whatever it takes to get what you have to offer or to support you and the cause (ministries and other non-profits. I hear you saying…ok what do I need to do to get my flock (again target market) to these stages? This is what I tell the individuals that I am coaching:

To reach the “know, like, trust” levels:

1. Get a website (some would disagree but I strongly recommend) www.1and1.com
2. Sign-up with an email marketing system (Go to www.mailchimp.com its  free or www.icontact.com) to manage your subscribers (email addresses of those interested in what you have to say or offer)
3. GIVE something of value away (free newsletter, audio link, ebook, ecourse, newsletter, etc)
4. CHOSE  at least 2 social media vehicles (Facebook, twitter, or LinkedIn or other) and write at least 1 post a week
5. CHOSE at least 1 video sharing media (Youtube, vimeo,  or Godtube) and submit at least 1 video a month (depending on where you are I will tell you to submit one a week  but I don’t want to scare you)
6. CHOSE at least 1 article submission site (ezinearticles.com; ehow.com;squidoo.com) and submit at least 1 article a month
7. CHOSE at least 1 traditional marketing vehicle (workshop or networking group) and plan to participate at least monthly.
8. CREATE A BLOG (wordpress.com or blogspot.com) and blog at least once a week

Now if this is a little overwhelming…no worries God will prepare the way and give you the strength, knowledge and wisdom to manifest His vision. Just ask Him for it. I am learning that to effectively manifesting God’s vision is more of a marathon and not sprint.  As I tell people I support, you have to till your land (click here for You have to til your land video). It is not easy manifesting the vision but with God’s strength you can do it. If you need help, let me know by sending me an email me.

Some of you reading this information, already know this stuff but there are so many more who do not. For those who are familiar with these vehicles, feel free to post comments that will help other HISentrepreneurs.

Use the FAITH+FOCUS+FOLLOW-THROUGH= FINISH formula to manifest the vision.

Access your free gift here to help you with this process. (ok…you don’t like surprises…it’s a simple KNOW LIKE TRUST MONTHLY CHECKSHEET). Download it here.

Ask God, He’ll Show You

Top of the day to you!

Just before I was about to go into my “shut up and listen” time with my
Father, I began to think about the challenges and hindrances going on in my
life right now. I had to mentally tune those things out to begin my time
with God. In doing so, I simply ask God, “what do I do now?” Then I took a
deep breathe and listened. In my spirit I heard James 1:5. So I turned to
my map, the Bible. It says,

“If any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God, who gives generously to all
without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

As you launch and work with your business, vision or dream, you will find
many challenges. I’ve learned that it is important that we don’t get
frustrated, upset or confused during this time. Don’t stay in
that place of frustration, confusion and despair too long because God has given us the
next step in His word. We must take a moment and ask God for wisdom as it
relates to whatever is going on. He’ll be faithful to give wisdom to you
generously if you ask for it. He does have one condition that follows the promise in James
1:5 and that is…

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is
like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

…so when asking we must believe that He will show us the answer and
grant us the wisdom we ask for. Be aware that sometimes God will send us
people with the answer. So make sure you have on your spiritual ear at all
times.

Would you still have the praise?

http://content.screencast.com/users/Theseedplanter1/folders/HISentrepreneur/media/a783db01-17ca-4189-a6c8-1071a30c6f03/mp4h264player.swf