Early in my faith walk I thought it would be possible to toggle between my work sanctuary and God’s sanctuary. But later I learned that a bi-focal option like that does not exist. We cannot be in two places at one time. It’s our sanctuary or God’s sanctuary. Either we work for Heavenly Rewards or strive for Worldly Wealth.    I had clearly chosen Worldly Wealth over Heavenly Rewards....

Christians everywhere on the planet—of all ages and colors and in different life circumstances—want to deepen their connection with God. They want to grow spiritually to be mature believers. And they want to live a Christ-like life. That includes me and I’ll bet it includes you, too.    I hear about this frustration over and over again from our ministry’s tribe of 400,000 online followers...

This just in from our ministry’s global online tribe: “Mark, I want to have more faith but I don’t know how.” That vexing question has been around for over 2000 years. But it is even more relevant now as we are showered by sparks flying from a kaleidoscope of terrifying technological change.    The answer? God’s Word produces FAITH.    It’s a gift of love we cannot earn. It’s...

One specific question keeps coming to me from our global online tribe: “Mark, the Bible tells me to endure, but my life is too hard. I am hopeless.” My first reaction to that question is always thinking that it contains two parts of the answer: 1) Hope PRODUCES endurance; and 2) Endurance is the RESULT of hope.    That is the foundation behind our ability to endure in Christ.    But...

Another great question just came in from our global online tribe: “My issue Mr. Affleck is about work. How does God have anything to do with my job?” It starts with our MOTIVATION. Our work is HOLY in God’s eyes because of our faith in him, not the job itself. We are motivated to seek God’s glory in and through our work.    Working for anything else will end in disappointment. Our work will...

There are millions of Christians around the world working in jobs they would never freely choose. Why in the world would they do that? Because “there are bills to pay.” The consequence of that choice leads people to work for man’s approval and reject God’s affirmation.    Some of them mistakenly THINK they are toiling for God’s approval by “doing a good job” and “striving for excellence.”...

I love receiving questions from this ministry’s online tribe of 400,000 followers in nearly 100 countries. Like this one that came in last night–one of the most important questions every Christian must contemplate and be ready to answer–“WHAT IS FAITH?” First, the short answer…    FAITH is trust in Jesus to be who he said he would be and to do what he said he would do.    Now,...

“Time to get up and go to work!” “Another day at the factory.” “I’ve had enough of this place!” Most of us have probably had those thoughts at one time or another. But whether you like your job or love your job or hate your job, WORK is foundational to life on earth.    Work serves many purposes, chief among them: 1) Earn money; 2) Live well; and 3) Serve God.    Our work defines...

Why Trusting God WORKS And Trusting Ourselves Does NOT We are NOT the boss!    As a CEO in the marketplace early in my walk with Christ, I allowed career uncertainties to spill into my personal life. I allowed inexorable stress to surge through my soul. I allowed a ticking time bomb to pervade my world. And it produced horrific consequences.    Playing the role of boss forces us...

Another great question from our global online tribe dropped into my email last night. A young woman asked me this: “Mark, how can I PRAY IN FAITH when I am unsure if my request in is God’s will?    My first point was that “faith in prayer” has nothing to do with OUR feelings over whether the request is or is not in God’s will. Our “faith in prayer” is having faith in GOD.    If...