Let Your Light Shine

Sharing Your Light

It’s hard for me to let my light shine when all I’ve ever known was darkness. My humor, my personality, heck my whole demeanor has always exuded darkness. That is until I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. So now when you see me shine, it’s not really me. I’m only reflecting the light that’s inside of me.

“…Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16, NIV

Robert had been active daily on Facebook for years. He often posted photos about the adventures he was going with his kids, how much he loved his wife, and what he was doing for his community.

When Robert was injured in a job accident, he knew he’d probably never work in construction again. He’d loved the joy of working with his hands and he was disappointed that he’d have to start his career over.

A Facebook friend reached out to Robert to let him know about a small, local organization was starting up. The organization would be focused on reaching out to at-risk teens.

So, Robert went to meet with the director. “As soon as Brett suggested you, I wanted to meet with you,” the director explained. “I’ve been following your posts on Facebook for a while and I know you’re the kind of mentor we need here.”

 

Although Robert hadn’t known it at the time, the posts about his family and his community were broadcasting his faith. He was delighted when the organization’s director offered him a job, provided he completed a training period.

God, help me to remember that everything I do online is a reflection of You. I want that reflection to be encouraging and uplifting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God Hears Us

He Hears Our Prayers

Have you ever wonder if God hears our prayers? I know I have, consider this:

“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, NIV

David was a webmaster for his local church. When he asked if anyone wanted a prayer requests page so church members could share their needs and praises, he was surprised at the number of people who loved the feature.

Pretty soon, David created a Facebook group and invited members of his church to post their requests so he could track them for his church’s weekly prayer group.

Then David began seeing requests to join the Facebook group from around the world as others heard about it. He was excited about the opportunity.

“I’d never thought of Facebook as a platform to share my faith before this. But getting to engage with people who need prayer even those living in different countries is amazing.”

 

Now, David works with his wife and two other volunteers. They keep a list of each prayer request that comes through and they record how God answered that prayer. “It’s inspiring to see how faithful God is day after day.”

God, show me how to share my faith online. I want the world to see how loving and faithful You are! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Local Love

Showing Local Love

I heard a story earlier on the radio today stating that the number one reason why many adults walk away from their Christian faith and claim atheism is due to the hypocritical judgement of other Christians. The thing is, everyone judges whether they’re a Christian or not.

This made me reflect on my own faith and walk with Christ. I know I’m far from being perfect and know that I’ll never be. To be quite honest I still curse like a sailor, especially when I’m angry. However, I also realize that God is not done with me yet and if I say I believe in Him, then I must make it a point to at least try and do better.

So how do we go about showing some kindness and local love to others?

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” – Proverbs 19:17, NIV

As an adult, I’m now learning to focus on the love and not the hate. Is it easy? Heck no! But what’s the alternative? Be an jerk like everyone else? Bottom line, whether you’re a Christian or not, we can all show a little local love. Check out Patty’s story.

Patty grew up with a single mom and five siblings. Her father had died in a boating accident and although the family wasn’t wealthy, they had been able to comfortably meet their financial needs.

That changed after her father’s death. Patty’s mother struggled to support her six children. It seemed there were always more needs than there was money to meet them.

Years later when Patty was an adult, she was looking on Craigslist for gently used furniture. She found a “wanted” ad by a single mother looking for secondhand boots for her children.

Patty remembered the pain of going without as a child and she quickly contacted the woman to let her know she wanted to help. She bought the single mom a pair of shoes for each of her children.

Now, Patty makes it her mission to search through Craigslist ads for those in need. If she can provide the item, she does. If she can’t, she lets the poster know about an organization or charity that might help.

God, help me to remember the needy. Let me be quick to share my time, resources, and gifts with others. Please help me to focus on the love and not the hate in this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

God’s Faithfulness Delivers

How Great is God’s Faithfulness!

God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.-1 Corinthians 10:13

Trust and wait upon the Lord. His help will strengthen you to do well throughout your entire day. Wait! As you wait let your heart continue to rejoice in His presence. Trust! That His faithfulness delivers. Then watch Him move in the presence of your praise. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all!” (Psalm.34:19)

He shall cover you, and under His wings you can trust. There you need not fear the terror by night, nor the destruction by day, for the Lord is your refuge and place of protection.” (Psalm 91:4)

So why do we worry? Why allow our spirits to be broken when we know we are His children? When we know He will take care of us! We know that as His children we live in a charmed circle of His protection; a special force-field through which nothing is allowed to touch us without His permission.

When the temperature rises on our circumstance or situation, and we are in the midst of that terrible storm, we are assured that His strong, loving, and capable arms will be there to keep, protect and take care of us. When all has grown dim and dark we will still be able to behold the sunshine of His Love – a rainbow of blessings and peace from within, a peace that will pass all understanding.

Of course this doesn’t mean that the Lord will never allow us to be tested, but He’ll never allow us to have any insufferable harm or any unbearable damage. Additionally, He promises to always be there to lift us up out of our troubles, because His faithfulness delivers.

His faithful Love will be with you and through His name your strength exalted! (Psalm 89:24)

Point to Ponder: If God brings you to it, He’ll give you a way through it. Great is God’s Faithfulness!

Home Based Business Ideas You Can Start Using Today

New doors have been opened for people everywhere who can now start their own business from within their home. Because home businesses are becoming very popular, it’s vital to understand how much competition there is. It’s imperative that you do your homework to learn how to be a success and keep your business running well. This will let you get an edge on the competition.

Have a pithy soundbite to describe your business. If you have the ability to summarize your business quickly, you can impress people in any situation. This statement also provides you with a ready-made base for a slogan, as it will already cover the important points of your business.

When you first start out, send a newsletter to family and friends. Give out discounts or free items so that you can get your company started. Make sure you are asking them to help spread the word concerning your business. This type of advertising is not costly and very beneficial.

When working from home, you should attempt to be your professional best. You will have to put yourself before working in a online business. Make sure that you get regular exercise and make time for social interactions outside of the home. You can feel better about yourself and boost the way people look at you.

Business Card

Having a business card is an important tool for your success. There are many business card deals online that you can take advantage of. Some even offer business cards for free. Be sure to include key information like your full name, phone number and company name. Make sure to also include the URL of your website and an email address. This makes it easier for customers to contact you in different ways.

If you’re artistic, you may start a graphic design business that caters to local businesses. Small and local businesses often like having the ability to work one-on-one with an independent designer rather than hiring a large, impersonal design company. This gives home businesses an edge over large companies.

Define the niche for your business. Identify the people who want the exact services or products you are offering. Once this is done, selling will no longer be a difficult task. Check out your niche ideas with current clients, friends and business contacts. You should further let them know you would love the business, and ask them if they can refer anyone to you. Keep on top of trade shows in your area for your specific industry. Attend as many as possible to see what types of people are buying and reach out to them.

Accurate financial records are crucial when starting a business. If an IRS or local audit occurs, you will have to provide proof of income and expenditures. Keeping good records also helps you keep track of how well your business is doing from one month to another.

Go on the internet and get things you need at your office at a good price. Luckily for you, the Internet is perfect for finding all the prices and requirements that you’ll need when starting up your first work from home business. If you have a business license, you will be able to purchase all necessary materials and resources.

This article should help you rise head and shoulders above the competition. You must be continuously seeking new knowledge in order to keep up. Keep reading and learning new strategies every day.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons

Tips For A More Successful Work From Home Business

Many people have dreamed of one day opening their own business. You need the right knowledge in order to stay away from certain pitfalls and find success. This article has many tips and tricks to help.

If you need the Internet for your enterprise, take advantage of tax deductions. Most of these costs may be deducted from earnings, though it can’t be more than half if other family members use it.

Make sure you do some research on any potential recruits to your online business staff. Employees need to be able to keep up with your business, so make sure that their backgrounds indicate that they are skilled and reliable.

You could use your skills to give lessons out of the home to bring in some income from home. A lot of people think that lessons from private people are better than school because the schedule isn’t as rigid. Most lessons can be taught from home.

You should maintain full-time employment when starting a home based business. Don’t quit your day job until your business is up and running efficiently and for profit. Having a source of income while waiting to build up profits from your new business is a good thing to do.

Joining a network of other home based business owners can be extremely beneficial to your success. It can be a good idea to set up your own home business enterprise network to easily communicate with other businesses. Even if the people you meet work in a completely different industry, you’ll share the common desire to run a strong home business.

It’s simple to market a business when you have done your research. Creating a website is a good option for home businesses. Within as little as 24 hours you could have a business website up and running. It costs a bit to register a domain name, but it is worth it. When your profits increase, you’ll see the benefits firsthand.

When starting out in a online business, you need a website to start selling your services or products. This gets your message out to the widest audience possible and will definitely increase sales. You can speed up the process of establishing your website and make it less of a hassle by enlisting the help of a professional.

Working at home is a type of goal many pursue. The success of a home business enterprise is dependent on the right information. The advice in this article will help you to be successful and give you an advantage over your competition.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons

Tips For Creating Your Home Business Success

Many people are starting to realize the financial success owning a home business can bring about. Although this definitely happens, most people have no clue where to start. The thing is, you have to learn as much as you can about creating and managing a home business enterprise, in order to be successful. The knowledge in this article can help you to begin learning.

For example, if you entertain clients by eating out with them, you can deduct this from your taxes. Getting together with clients can be considered a business expense. However, make sure that these meetings are with potential or paying clients. If not, they aren’t tax-deductible.

You have to be able to talk about your business to others. The more concise you are when describing your business, the more likely you are to impress clients. This will also help you come up with a slogan.

Make sure you put real efforts into making your current customers very happy. It takes less effort to get sales from pleased, repeat customers than to convince the new ones to buy for a first time. Always make sure your existing customers are happy!

Take some breaks during the day, but don’t get trapped by your television or other distractions. For instance, don’t do house chores or make personal calls. Take some time to recharge your batteries by taking a walk or sipping on a cup of tea.

Make sure you do some research on any potential recruits to your online business staff. You need to make sure they are skilled and reliable with what they sell on your behalf, since you can risk taking a major hit to your business.

Teaching others to do something you excel at can be a profitable business. A lot of people think that lessons from private people are better than school because the schedule isn’t as rigid. Lessons, such as art and music, that are related to various hobbies are easily taught from within the home.

It is important that you remain employed during the early stages of your new business. Don’t quit your day job too quickly; it takes time for new venture to start turning a profit. Having an income while building up your new business is highly beneficial.

Join message boards and forums about your niche and home businesses in general. You will get the opportunity to discuss with other home business enterprise owners and learn a lot from them. Who knows what could come from the contacts you make from these sites.

Now that you have a greater idea of what you need to do to create and manage a home business enterprise, you should start feeling like you can accomplish your online business goals. Remember that the information you learned is only going to work if you apply it. If you follow the tips in this article, then your work from home business should succeed.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons

Home Business Is Simple With This Helpful Advice

Think back to when you began your home based business. You probably looked into all aspects of the business you were interested in and felt as though you were fairly knowledgeable before you got started. However, you may benefit from some new information and ideas. The following article will give you some great advice for running your own home based business.

Focus your business efforts on maintaining the happiness of your regular customers. It takes much less effort to produce sales from happy repeat customers than it does to convince a new one to buy for the first time. If your customers are happy, they will come back.

If at all possible, you should start a home business while you still have employment. If you are opening a business it may take awhile to make any money, so stay with your day job for awhile. Having another source of income while waiting to build your new business is vital.

You should set daily goals for yourself. You will accomplish a lot more if you establish reasonable goals on a daily basis. Set limits and boundaries when working from home in order to generate respect.

Business Plan

A home based business is a real business, so don’t go charging in without a business plan. This plan may change significantly over time, and you may even decide to disregard it altogether. A business plan can act as a strategic guide and list of key goals for your company. Frequently update the details of your plan as your business evolves.

You can only truly grow your online business by taking some chances. Always try new methods and ideas to get more people interested in your particular business. If you always keep the same routine, you will never know if something else would have done better.

Based Business

It is a good idea to consult with a lawyer specializing in business prior to starting your home based business. If you are going to start a home based business, you need to realize that different states have different laws. The business lawyer will inform you about these laws. He can also walk you step by step through your set up to make sure you adhere to the laws.

If you have the knowledge, promoting a business need not be tough. You should always set up a nice website for your own home business. Setting up a website will take no more than a day. You can get a low cost domain name as well. Some are even free, though there is usually a catch, like advertising on your site. It is worth it to pay a fee if your profits are large.

When you are creating a site for your business, you must ensure that your domain name is easy for people to remember. If you make the name complicated, people will have a hard time remembering it. Catchy and simple is best for a domain name.

You’ll want to find ways to regenerate that enthusiasm you once had when starting a new home based business. Although you want to be successful, you may have forgotten certain things or you may have needed motivation. This article, hopefully, gave you a lot of great information.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons

Great Home Base Business Advice That’s Simple To Follow

When you want to have a second job or even a full-time position, working from home is a great way of achieving this. If you wish to dedicate the time to making the business successful, then it’s a great investment. Continue reading for some advice to consider when thinking about starting a online business.

Online Business

Joining online business discussion groups is a great way to learn more about running a online business. You can find many useful resources by doing a simple Google search. There are lots of online articles and blogs that you can find to be useful.

Even when you are working from home, you should take pride in your appearance. It can be easy to not put any effort in your appearance when working at home. Try dressing up like you would for another company. Doing this will give you the right attitude to be as fruitful and creative as possible.

If you don’t know what you want to sell, think about what products you want or need. Highlighting a need is your number one step to picking a successful product. If you need certain products, there’s a strong likelihood that others could use it as well.

When providing information to your customers, you have to give them sufficient information to be informed, but not so much that they suffer overload. Let them know about specials, discounts, new content, and so on via your e-mail alerts and newsletters. You should always be wary of communication overload, which means you should have a set schedule for contact.

Make sure to take time to talk to a business attorney before you actually start your online business. You will have to follow your state laws when starting your business. Consulting a lawyer can help you avoid later legal trouble.

Write a business objective. Don’t make it too long, but do succinctly state why your business exists and what it can do for your customers. You can use your objective to explain your business when someone inquires about it. This is a great way to talk about your company in a confident yet concise way.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is essential for making your work from home business more visible on the Internet. SEO, or search engine optimization, can help you market your online business and build a better online presence. Many different guidelines exist for performing SEO on your own, and there are many resources out there that can assist you.

A home business enterprise has the potential to give you tremendous flexibility and freedom. Whether you are looking for profit or fun, you could find it to be fulfilling. This article has hopefully helped you start realizing how you can build a solid foundation for your business’s potential.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons

Running A Business At Home With Some Helpful Strategies

However, to many the notion seems almost too good to be true. The prospects for work at home success are increased with good information. Read this article for great information on getting started and being successful in your home business venture.

If you create and sell a product, calculate how much it costs you to create it, as you want to make a profit. Wholesale prices are usually double the cost of production. On the other hand, the standard retail markup is double the cost of wholesale. Price your products at a level that will make you and the buyers content with the sale.

Online forums can offer you a wealth of home business enterprise information. A quick Google search will find you several good sites that offer useful information. Many online blogs are also useful.

A P.O. box is a simple way to easily separate your business and personal mail. Do not make your home address your mailing address when you post your online ads. It can keep your identity and your family’s identity protected.

Actively seek the support of others in home businesses that are similar to yours. It helps to build a network with other peers. The members of your support group may have different business models, but the group should include others that also have the drive and motivation to pull off a successful work from home business venture.

Before starting to sell your products, it is important to research the appropriate price range. Be aware of what competitors are charging for their products, and be prepared to offer yours at a cheaper price. It is important to remember that no matter what, you should highlight the good aspects of your business and not the negative aspects of other businesses.

Consider the possibilities offered by joining a home based business forum. Being a member of this kind of forum gives you the opportunity to communicate with other home business owners. Other people running a work from home business will understand your situation. They will be the best people to share information with and receive good advice from.

Affiliates can market what you’re selling for you. Trade links with other business owners, and make sure you can help each other by improving traffic. There are also formal affiliate networks that you can join to promote yourself or other products. In this way you can increase your income without increasing your inventory or work.

Make it a point to find out how to reach the right customers. Find the right type of retail and wholesale customers that fit with what you have to sell. Targeting the right audience can really help your business to grow quickly. Talk to anyone you know about what they think about your niche. Then, ask them to share your name. Keep on top of trade shows in your area for your specific industry. Attend as many as possible to see what types of people are buying and reach out to them.

Based Business

As you know, lots of people have home based business dreams. Unfortunately, most of these people have no idea where to get started in their own work from home business venture. This article is designed to provide you with all the advice and information you need to make a success of your own home based business.

Get Instant Access To Over 300+ How To Tutorials & Learn Everything You Need To Know To Start Your Online Business Successfully!
http://christbiz.com/newbielessons