Prayer Changes Things

I remember growing up in the 70s & 80s, and there was this trite little statement: “Prayer changes things.“ I don’t think I really understood what that statement meant. I read my Bible and knew that prayer was powerful, but I didn’t understand the phrase, “Prayer changes things.”  But I do now.  

When I began the journey that ended up being iWork4Him, I started that journey by praying during my morning commute. I was praying for my bosses, my coworkers, and my employees. I thought that my prayers would change them. I thought that by praying for them, their spouses, and their children, I would start seeing a miraculous difference in them. Do you know what I really found out? Prayer changes things. But the thing I noticed that changed first was that it changed me.  

I started to see these people differently. I began to have more empathy for them. Less anger or frustration for them. I started to see them as creations of God, and it changed things. It changed me. That was something I didn’t anticipate. Now, mind you, I also saw that my change started to impact them. I started to be more loving, more kind, more merciful, and more graceful. As I prayed for them, I became more palatable to them. It opened up opportunities for me to pray with them, and they started to see that I really cared about them. 

Now, not all of my bosses appreciated that. I had four bosses then, and one didn’t want to hear about Jesus at all. He thought I was an idiot because I was a Jesus follower. That’s unfortunate, but the other three bosses really appreciated it. One of my bosses became a believer. Another re-dedicated his life to Christ. The other boss didn’t have a life-transforming experience that I know of, but he often thanked me when I prayed with him.  

My challenge to you today is to recognize that the statement “prayer changes things” is, in fact, totally true. When you start to pray for people, it starts to change you. And that’s the beginning of the transformation of becoming a workplace minister. We need to change so that others can benefit from us living out our faith vibrantly at work. Prayer changes things. Guaranteed! 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2002: Is It OK to Pray People to Pray?

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About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Turn Down The Volume

Sometimes the TV is so loud that I can’t hear my wife, Martha asking me a question.  I have trouble talking in the car if the radio is on.  It seems like I can only really listen to one thing at a time.  There are so many voices fighting for my attention, how do I choose?  There are Voices on TV, radio, podcasts, online and in person.  How do you and I turn down those voices so we can hear the voice of Truth?

God gave each of us a unique voice. Our voice matches our personality and it matches our destiny and calling. The other voices in the world want your attention.  They want you to ignore your voice and listen to theirs. God wants it to be the other way around. He wants you to silence the other voices of influence, so you can listen to Him.

God’s voice clearly showed iWork4Him to operate to Unlock Gods purpose for why Christians go to work. We do that by helping others to share simple tools and their faith stories. Our goal is that Christians find purpose, learning how to live out their faith at work. We want you to hear that voice telling you that YOU ARE SIGNIFICANT! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE JOB THAT YOU ARE IN BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH. This voice is on purpose for a purpose – your purpose.  It’s the voice of the Image Giver speaking to you. He loves you. Don’t silence His voice but turn down the voices of others, so you can hear His voice first.

Once you have heard His voice, start listening to the voices of pain, hurt, hopelessness and loneliness around you. His voice can bring peace and Truth to them.

God often speaks to me in the middle of the night.  I suppose it’s because that is when I am the quietest.  Choosing to listen to Him is a priority that I constantly need to remind myself of.  Much like turning off the TV to listen to Martha, I have to dim the noise to listen to the Father. 

Would you like to connect with others to pray and hear the Voice of God? Join the iWork4Him Prayer Team!

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

We Double Dog Dare You

This time of year do you find yourself at work, just pushing through?

Are you counting the days until Christmas, just to have a break from work? I believe you can turn it around and make these days before Christmas more impactful. Are you willing to try?

What if the answer came from something that didn’t cost you anything? Would you pursue it? Would you want to know what it was? Well, I believe the greatest gift we can give someone is PRAYER. Often it’s the last thing we decide to do, when you feel like there’s nothing left to do, …..then you pray. What if we turn that around and offer prayer NOW.

Give the gift of prayer for your work, your boss, your co-workers, your customers, and vendors and see how this impacts the days before Christmas.

Our recent episode with Love2020 just might help you launch this effort. We dare you, NO – we DOUBLE DOG DARE You to listen and take the challenge (listen on demand)

As we come to the end of the year – remember iWork4Him in your year-end giving and give purpose to work.

About the Author, Martha Brangenberg

Born into an entrepreneurial family, Martha has been involved in small business her entire life. Gifted with an attention to detail and a sweet sensitive spirit, Martha is a servant leader with a deep faith in Jesus.

A Simple Phone Call Can Change Your Life

Do you ever have the name of an old friend come to your mind and then quickly dismiss it, only to find out a few days later that something has happened in their life? I believe that these promptings are from Holy Spirit.

Over the years, I’ve stopped ignoring these promptings, and started to act. When a name comes to mind I try to take a moment to text or call and just ask if there’s something they need prayer for. The reply often includes something like:

“how did you know”

“yeah I’m really having an issue”

- or they might just start sharing what’s going on in their life. I’ve never been disappointed that I reached out, but have been sorry when I missed an opportunity only to find out later that there had been a crisis.

Over the years, iWork4Him has given away hundreds of items to our listeners. Usually a guest or author has something wonderful to give away. Sometimes it’s books, gift items, t-shirts, or tickets to an event. Have you ever been brave enough to call in to our listener line to win something? It’s amazing what that simple phone call can do. I’d like you to watch a short video from a caller that resisted the prompting to call, but finally picked up the phone and dialed, and well…….you’ll have to watch the video to find out the rest:

https://youtu.be/2fflwGCVjBs

Is God prompting you to do something today?

Seek His guidance and then ACT!

1 Samuel 15:22b Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,

Jim Brangenberg

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

iWork4Him Nation - #1 Prayer

Over time, God has given me some guidelines that we now call the iWork4Him Nation Covenant.  This covenant is between anyone and God. It was handed to me piece by piece over the last several years.  This isn’t a club or a membership program – this is a commitment to change the way you look at your workplace.  To join the nation you need to understand this one verse: Romans 12:2 -

“ Stop Copying the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person, by changing the way you think.”

As Christ Followers – our lives should look decidedly different than those we work around who have not yet become Jesus followers.  Are you letting God change the way you think so that your behavior looks different?

Step 1 of the iWork4Him Nation covenant is:

Pray for my co-workers and employees by name each day.

1 Timothy 2:1-5 (NLT)  -

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

When we pray – OUR heart changes.  When our heart changes we become more like Jesus, little by little. When we pray for those we work alongside, we start to see them the way our Heavenly Father sees them: Lost and Lonely, imprisoned and enslaved.  Jesus came to set the captives free. That starts with prayer. Start praying for those you have regular contact with in your office.

Its step one in connecting what you hear on Sunday with what you do in your 9 to 5.

For the Kingdom,

Jim

https://www.iwork4him.com/jointhenation

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: To transform Christian-run businesses through mentoring Christian Business Owners (CBOs) by incorporating the servant leadership of Jesus Christ in their businesses, their home life and their walk with Christ.