Human beings long for meaning. Sadly, they often look for it in the wrong places. They conjure up dynamic visions for their life and hope that the vision stirs up their passion, adding meaning and purpose to their existence. In fact, vision has been described as “a picture of the future that produces passion in you”. I agree, but if this is how you hope to identify or stir up your passion, then your passion will eventually die out. You see, when passion is created from the outside-in, it can cause a momentary flash of emotion, but it won’t be enough to move you very far or for very long. As soon as things get tough along your journey, you’ll slow down, back up or walk away and look for something else. The embers of passion stirred by your vision won’t draw out the tenacity, mental toughness and resiliency you need to bring your vision to fruition. Instead of embers, you need an inferno of passion to power you and sustain you on your vision quest.

This is why you can’t cast a vision and count on it to create the passion necessary to be successful. Rather, your vision must be birthed from your passion! Did you get that? In order to be effective, vision must come from your passion rather than hoping your passion will come from a vision. This fact begs the obvious question: where does one discover this inner passion that so many people never find or tap into? Where does it come from? It comes from where all true passion comes from; it comes from anguish. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Nehemiah of the Bible all had bold visions that were birthed from their passion. And their passion was rooted in their anguish. Anguish is defined as an agonizing mental pain or torment brought about by conditions in or around you. What torments you? What keeps you awake at night? What moves you? What burns inside of you? What thoughts, purposes or dreams consume you? What do you agonize over? What brings you before God in tears? That’s where you’ll find your passion and that passion will birth your vision.

Don’t miss the following fact: it’s not enough to be concerned. You must anguish! Concern creates interest, whereas anguish creates movement, resolve and makes you unstoppable. Stop ignoring your pain and start celebrating your torment and you’ll zero in on the passion that can become a channel to your vision, your purpose, and eventually, your legacy.

My first grade teacher told us on the first day of school: You’re all beautiful and unique. You can do anything you set your mind to. You will change the world!

This speech did me a great disservice because it created unrealistic expectations about what life was really about. I just figured that the world would be awed by my brilliance, roll over, assume the position, and devote itself to making me happy. And when it didn’t I wasn’t prepared for how to handle it. I blamed everyone and everything else because it couldn’t be my fault! After all, I was “beautiful, unique, could do anything and would change the world.”

I would have benefited far more had my first grade teacher addressed the class with something like this:

Listen up first-graders, I have an announcement to make: The chances are excellent that you’ve been duped by well-meaning adults who filled your head with Pollyanna nonsense and this morning I’m going to set the record straight. Now put on your thick skin because this might hurt a bit, but it’s for your own good: You are not special or unique. In fact, you are one of many. And, as I survey the room, I can say that none of you is particularly beautiful. I can also promise that most of you will have a hard enough time changing anything about yourself, so you can forget about changing the world. I know that your parents and other teachers have told you otherwise, and that brings up my next point: people will lie to you from time to time. In fact, let me clear up here and now that there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy. Life is not about magical characters that shower you with gifts and favor and serve your every whim. Nope, life is tough so you better get ready for it. Here’s proof, so get out your pencils and jot this down: Statistically, 10% of you will be in therapy, 25% of you will be arrested, 7% of you will go to prison, 10% of you will never earn above the poverty level; 50% of your marriages will end in divorce, 60% of you will be overweight, someone in this room will file bankruptcy before they’re thirty and one of you here today will try to kill yourself before you’re out of high school. In other words, life is not supposed to be easy. It’s darned difficult, which explains why so many people end up on their death bed as average, broke and embarrassed. Frankly, the sooner you begin to get your life together, the better. You need to develop discipline, character, competence and an unstoppable work ethic because life isn’t a playground, it’s a battleground.

Please get those lost looks off your face and listen up: You’re going to have to work for anything in life that is worthwhile. In fact these sissified sports teams you play on after school where they do not keep score and everyone gets a trophy is not how the real world works. The sooner you understand this, the better: there is winning and there is losing; there is right and there is wrong; there is success and there is failure. Life rewards those who step up, not just those that show up. The good news is that there will be plenty of room at the top because so darned few of you are likely to do anything special to rise above mediocrity. Where you’ll find crowds are at the bottom. And those at the bottom would rather bring you down to their level than stretch to reach yours. Consequently, throughout your life, there will be certain people you will have to give up so that you can go up.

Now stop crying, because I’m not finished. Before we break for play time, there’s one more thing you should know. In fact, I’m going to let you in on a secret and you’ve got to promise not to tell your parents I shared this with you. Here it is: every time you blame someone else for your lack of results; each time you make an excuse to explain away your unsuccessful state; whenever you complain, whine, lie, act disrespectfully or fail to accept responsibility for your actions….another puppy dies.

Any questions? OK then, as soon as you stop hyperventilating, you’re dismissed for recess. Have fun kids, and remember that this afternoon our topic for discussion will be: “You can’t be a winner if you’re a whiner, wimp.”

In How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK, I included a chapter on work/life balance that highlighted four key areas of balance to pursue in your life. I suggested that while you may never find yourself in “perfect” life balance, you should continually take strides to improve each of the four sectors, because a let up in any one area will adversely affect the others. The beginning of a New Year offers a logical time, psychologically, to recommit to improving balance in mental, emotional, physical and spiritual areas of your life. That being said, what will you in 2010 to improve…

1. Your mental balance. Mental balance concerns learning new things. This can be addressed by attending more seminars, reading more books, taking an online course and the like. You’re far less likely to become complacent or to plateau when you’re staying fresh and relevant “between the ears”.

Mental balance thought: Life gets easier when you get better. You get better when you work on yourself!

2. Your emotional balance. Emotional balance concerns the strength of relationships with family and friends. What will you do to become a better spouse, parent and friend? This requires more than a physical presence. It demands a change of heart.

Emotional balance thought: You can’t afford to allow your family become a casualty of your pursuit of more stuff!

3. Your physical balance. Physical balance is about staying healthy and taking care of your body. Do you work so hard on your job that you’ve got no time or energy left over to work on your health? If the answer is “yes”, you’ve got horribly misplaced priorities that can eventually drain you of the energy and passion necessary to get the most from all areas in your life.

Physical balance thought: While most people are repulsed by the idea of committing suicide with a gun, they unthinkingly do so with a fork every time they sit down to eat! Is this the year you’ll finally become serious about getting your physical condition under control?

4. Your spiritual balance. This involves your connection with a higher power in your life. Leaders devoid of spiritual vitality often fall prey to temptations and character compromises that destroy everything they’ve built in their lives. They also miss the inner peace, joy and perspective that they can only know when they replace the ambition to “get more” with the goal of becoming more. Which spiritual discipline do you need to develop to help you in this most vital of the four balance arenas: prayer, Bible reading, scripture memorization, fasting, journaling, serving, giving, others? Schedule these activities and work the rest of your day around them, rather than trying to squeeze spiritual disciplines into what’s left of your day.

Spiritual balance thought: Could a lack of spiritual balance be the culprit behind your feelings of emptiness, insignificance, hopelessness or passionless approach to life?

Years ago, I wrote the words, “Merry Christmas” to the readers of my magazine column and received hate mail as a result. Several non-Christians took offense at my greeting since they did not celebrate Christmas. Sadly, the reaction I received is evidence of the hyper-sensitive and politically-correct times in which we live. Here are four resolutions I made after this incident:

1. Since my motives were not to exclude or offend, but were to bless others with a Christian greeting, I would continue to say, “Merry Christmas”. After all, this is the day I celebrate. December 25th is “Christmas”! It is not “Holiday”!

2. I would not take offense when those of other faiths offered me a greeting that reflected their beliefs. I would assume the best about their intentions, and not the worst. I would not explain that I don’t celebrate their holiday. Rather, I would reply with a cheerful, “thank you”.

3. I would never let society pressure me into removing Christ from my holiday: and this includes everything from my Christmas decorations to my Christmas greeting. Spin it any way that you like, but when a Christian cowers away from “Christmas” in an effort to please the world, he or she denies Christ and puts fear of men before awe for God.

4. If I tell someone “Merry Christmas” and they respond with, “I don’t celebrate Christmas” or any version thereof, I will politely respond: “No? Oh well, please accept my greeting in the spirit in which it’s intended. Christmas is about joy, and that’s what I wish for you.”

While speaking in Moscow, an attendee to my seminar asked: “If integrity in business is so important, then why does the Mafia get rich while moral people are hungry and homeless?” My reply was, “It’s none of your business. You can’t control them and nor are they accountable to you. Becoming obsessed with their lives and success drains your personal power and passion. Do what you know is right and trust God to keep score, to even the score and to help you score.”

In How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK, I address this issue by referring to Proverbs 20:22: The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and He adds no sorrow to it.

This verse indicates that, without the Lord’s blessing behind one’s riches, you may have money but seriously lack in other key areas of your life: physical health, personal emptiness, no friends, immense insecurity, dysfunctional family life, emotional disorders, losing all you’ve gained dishonestly and the like. This is not to say that the morally rich don’t also suffer setbacks, but that inordinate amounts of sorrows are given to the morally bankrupt that prosper. This is why Psalms 16:4 states: Their sorrows will be multiplied who hasten after another god. Biblically, another “god” can be money, fame, position or other pleasures that consume more of your affection than God.

There are plenty of folks in the entertainment industry, sports, politics and business that seem to defy these scriptural admonitions as they flaunt their immoral lifestyle, all the while racking up record riches and fame. If you watched the latest version of the American Music Awards, you witnessed some of this behavior during prime time television as American Idol runner up Adam Lambert got “carried away” (his own words) during a raunchy performance that included his thrusting the head of a dancer into his crotch to simulate oral sex, a same-sex kiss, dancers on leather leashes, and Lambert extending his middle finger to the stunned audience at the conclusion of a performance witnessed by millions of families—children included—across the country, 1500 of which contacted ABC to complain..

What were the consequences for this epitome of poor taste? While his appearance on Good Morning America was canceled, his vulgarity was rewarded by offers to appear on Letterman and The Early Show. In addition, his new album sales skyrocketed to a tracking rate of 225,000 in its initial week, a hugely successful debut by any standards.

Why is grotesque behavior rewarded with more fame and fortune? It’s none of your business. God will deal with the Adam Lamberts’ of the world. You should pity these people rather than envy or resent them. There is no need for you to waste one moment judging them. God will judge them. Their sorrows will be many and multiplied, and, according to Proverbs 24:19, their “lamp will be put out”: Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked: For there will be no prospect for the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked will be put out. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe the Bible when it says that God’s word never returns void and always proves true. The reckoning may not take place over night, but it will over time; either in this world or the next–probably both. And this fact is just as relevant for Lambert as it is for the mafia boss, as well as the guy in the cubicle next to you that outsells you each month because he lies and cheats. Incidentally, it also applies to you! Live your life on the high road. It’s safer and there’s rarely a traffic jam.

According to statistics, 155,000 people die on earth each day and most of them never saw it coming. Think about it: 155,000 people that were here only hours ago are no longer with us. Thus, if you’re reading this, you’ve made the cut. This fact begs the question, “What will you do to validate the fact that you are still here and so many are not?”

Will you whine about your finances? Complain about your health? Criticize your workplace? Badmouth your spouse?

It’s safe to say that roughly 155,000 people not yet interred in their graves would immediately trade places with you and gladly assume the burden of your bills, cheerfully suffer through the horrors of your health, vigorously volunteer to work sixteen-hour days at your job and generously give your better-half the benefit of the doubt.

Grasp the following reality and it is easier to face what life throws your way each day: Life is not supposed to be easy. Rather, it is designed to be difficult. This fact goes a long way in explaining why so many people find only moderate success or happiness in the decades they’ve been given. But the sooner you realize that happiness and gratitude are choices and that despite life’s challenges each day has the potential to become a masterpiece, the sooner you will cease being worked and start working; you’ll stop being lived and begin living; you’ll resist being shaped and begin shaping and you’ll waste less time whining and invest more in rejoicing. Thanksgiving is more than a holiday, it is a lifestyle.

As 2009 begins to fade away, I can’t help but count my blessings in the midst of such a tumultuous year. Have you done the same?  While it’s easy to become distracted by what you may have lost this year in terms of business growth, market share, profits and net worth, don’t lose sight of what went right and all you have that remains. Remember what you learned, appreciate how you were stretched and give thanks for how you grew personally in both character and competence as the economic meltdown challenged your confidence, attitude and abilities. I want to share six of many personal blessings with you and encourage you to share your own victories in the comment section following this piece.

First, here’s a bit of perspective:

Is my 401(k) and other investments in better shape than last year? No.

Are my properties worth more than they were last year? No.

Is my net worth more than it was last year? No.

Am I distraught that the answers to the last three questions are “no”? No!

I have physical and spiritual health, a loving and healthy family, a robust business, a growing foundation, true friends and much more than I could ever list here. While I’m always anxious for the New Year to begin, I’m going to miss 2009. It’s been an invigorating and exciting ride! Here’s what I’m taking about:

1. I am physically and spiritually healthier than I was last year this time. I feel better, stronger and have more energy. My family is healthier as well. In addition, I am less attached to the material and more concerned with the eternal.

2. Our business grew despite the downturn. We were able to expand our offices and give our associates pay raises in a year when others were downsizing or disappearing.

3. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help more people this year than ever before. Our files bulge with letters and emails from clients, new and old, that have benefited from our resources during the downturn. Making a difference is more fun for me than making money.

4. Our non-profit charity, The Matthew 25:35 Foundation, was able to give aid to more people around the world than ever before. I just completed another volunteer leadership conference overseas for Iranian pastors and it was the highest impact event I’ve ever been associated with. We’re feeding the hungry,  encouraging the imprisoned, spreading the Gospel and bringing physical and spiritual healing to the sick.

5. I have closer and dearer friends than I have had at any other time in my life.

6. My family still loves and respects me more than anyone else. To me, this is the greatest barometer of success.

My guess is that your own blessings echo many of the six I’ve listed. Don’t take them for granted!

As this year has progressed, I’ve seen fear replaced by faith and anxiety surrender to anticipation. There are bright days ahead, but in your rush to get this tough year behind you, don’t forget or take for granted all that went right and still is right with your business, family, health and finances. Nothing seems to attract more blessings to you than gratitude for those you already have and enjoy.

This is the third in a series of articles on character, excerpted from my new book, How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Business. The first two installments of the series are, Are Your Pants on Fire? and, Keep Your Commitments! This week I will discuss going the second mile.

From “Just Enough” to “And then Some”! Most people wouldn’t regard doing only what you are required to do as a character flaw, but THE BOOK instructs otherwise (see Luke 17:7-10). Sadly, an overwhelming number of managers I’ve asked over the years affirm that in their experience, a majority of their employees fall under the category of “just enough” workers. They do just enough to get by; just enough to get paid; just enough not to get fired. This puts a premium value on leaders and subordinates alike who have an, “and then some” mindset. They do what is required, and then some; hit their goals and then some; deliver what they promised and then some. Which best describes your own work ethic: “just enough” or “and then some”? If it’s “just enough”, my guess is that those who follow you emulate your half-hearted effort. On the other hand, if you’re a second-miler, you probably have attracted, inspired and are retaining the same because the speed of the leader is the speed of the pack.

I am blessed with an abundance of friends in business with net worth’s ranging into the billions of dollars. Most of these men and women will readily admit that they are no smarter than their less successful counterparts. They simply outwork them, outthink them, and as a result outperform them. They found that by doing what others were unwilling to do; going where they were unwilling to go; saying what they were unwilling to say, learning what they were unwilling to learn and risking what they were unwilling to risk provided a success and lifestyle that the “just enough” crowd is unable to attain. To quote author and motivator, Zig Ziglar, “There is no traffic jam on the second mile.” This is true because the majority of folks have trouble limping through the first mile, much less bothering themselves with the exertion that would come from going farther.

By THE BOOK Lesson: Going the first mile fulfills an obligation. By going the second mile you earn the right to influence others.

What the Difference a Mile Makes! In Biblical times, there was open animosity between the Roman authorities and their Jewish subjects. Laws that required a Jew to carry the heavy pack for a Roman soldier one mile only made matters worse. So you can imagine the astonishment at Jesus’ teaching that they were to go the second mile! During the first mile there would probably be very little conversation between the Roman and the Jew. In fact, the soldier would most likely regard the burden bearer as a mere servant and suspect him of inward grumbling because the task he performed fulfilled a legal obligation. Imagine the Roman soldier’s total surprise, when at the end of one mile, the servant would say, “I want to carry your pack a second mile.” No longer would the Jew be viewed merely as a servant but as a friend. The conversation would have a whole new basis for significance and would no doubt begin with this question: “Why are you doing this?” The Jewish man would then be able to explain the teaching he learned. And because this teaching had changed his life, the soldier would be open to hearing more. The second mile would earn the Jew a hearing that would open the door for him to influence authorities. The same is true for you, regardless of your position in your organization. You can give one thousand speeches on hard work and dedication, but they will never match the impact you make or the opportunity to witness that you earn when you go the second mile because people will be able to go from listening to your sermon to watching it.

To build a rock solid character, practice going the second mile by doing the following:

1. Accept the concept that each day you do less than you can, you become less than you are: personally and in the eyes of others.
2. Embrace the promise of Galatians 6:9: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
    
3. Realize that you may be one phone call away; one skill away; one discipline away or one effort away from your next breakthrough. Make your goal to be totally used up when you die; leaving this earth with no regrets; no “I should haves”, no “I could haves” and no “If only I would haves”.

Excerpted from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Organization.” 

View free video clips of lessons from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK at our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/Learn2Lead.

For ordering information and details on receiving a free, one-year subscription to the How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK Newsletter! (A $99 value!) CLICK HERE.

This is the second in a series of articles on character, excerpted from my new book, How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Business. Last week’s article was, Are Your Pants on Fire? This week I will discuss keeping commitments and swearing to your own hurt.

Many leaders make casual promises. Some, they never intend to keep: “I’ll call you later and we’ll talk about it.” “If you keep doing a good job, we’ll take a hard look at you when the next management slot opens up.” Other commitments they intend to fulfill, but go back on their word when the price gets too high. They have no trouble justifying their failure to follow through as they explain that “things have changed”. I’m speaking from experience in this regard, and there is one particular incident where I didn’t fulfill my commitment that continues to cause me regret.

I had volunteered to teach a leadership course in Moscow, twice per year, for three years. There were hundreds of leaders who came to the first five of six seminars I had agreed to conduct. However, the leadership team in Moscow that hosted me had been skimming money from the organization that put on the events, as well as from me personally as they double-billed the sponsor and me for like expenses. We had confronted them over these issues twice, as they plead ignorance and promised to put stricter measures in place to ensure it didn’t happen again. When it did happen again during my fifth journey to Russia, I decided that I had enough and that I would not return. I was indignant at being cheated, used every logical argument for not returning and convinced myself that not completing my sixth seminar would serve as a lesson that might encourage more ethical behavior in the future. The problem with my decision, is that regardless of how I spun it, the bottom line was that I was failing to do what I had agreed to do three years prior. I should have kept my word, even though it became unpleasant or costly. At least that’s what THE BOOK says in Psalms 15:4: He who swears to his own hurt and does not change….will never be moved.

Swearing to your own hurt, means that you’ll do what you said you’d do, when you said you’d do it and how you said you’d do it, even if it becomes more costly, inconvenient or time-consuming than you estimated. In retrospect, I should have returned to Moscow, conducted my final conference, dismissed the corrupt board and then announced that no one from the organization I represented would ever return to work in their city again until there are ethical leaders in place to work with.

Cutting Expenses or Breaking a Promise? In tough economic times, business leaders may be tempted to compromise their character in order to save a buck or two. They begin to back out of agreements they signed their name to; a name that was accepted and assumed as honorable by the other party. Under the guise of “cutting back” they renege on promises to customers, vendors and employees. If in the good times, your mouth wrote checks that your bank account can no longer cash, carefully weigh both the legal and moral cost of breaking your word. Cutting expenses is necessary and understandable, but breaking promises is not. It cheapens and diminishes you both as an organization and as a human being. Anyone failing to fulfill an agreement they signed becomes a certifiable liar and a probable cheat.

To build a rock-solid character, do the following:

1. Count the cost. Before you commit to anything, make certain that you can live with the worst case scenario resulting from what you’re saying “yes” to. Understand that there are no “little” commitments to the person you’re committing to!
2. Seek God’s wisdom before deciding. Check with trusted counselors who have nothing to gain or lose, either way, from your decision.
3. Follow through. Do what you said you’d do. Regardless of the cost—and don’t let those last four words cause you to compromise your character!

Excerpted from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Organization.” 

View free video clips of lessons from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK at our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/Learn2Lead.

For ordering information and details on receiving a free, one-year subscription to the How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK Newsletter! (A $99 value!) CLICK HERE.

As a society, we’ve become accustomed to watching talented and successful people self-destruct because of character issues. Ultimately, they make poor choices, and choices are a big part of what makes up the mental and moral issues that forge our character and distinguish us as human beings. For an example of how ubiquitous character-induced falls from grace are, consider the following headlines that appeared in just a seven-day period as I originally wrote this chapter on character in my new book, How to Run Your Business by the BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Business : two nominees for cabinet positions in the United States government were discovered to have failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes, a third candidate for a cabinet position is unable to pay nearly six million dollars in campaign debt, a world champion Olympian and national hero was photographed smoking marijuana, a major league baseball player admitted to stealing memorabilia from his former stadium and a slew of CEO’s continue to defend seven and eight figure bonuses from companies they ran into the ground. While it may not make the evening news, each of us is susceptible to the same type of poor judgment and decline in our own lives if we don’t continually work at building a character that produces right values and elicits correct choices.

As I examine my own career and personal life, I realize that during the times when my world wasn’t “right”, it was because I wasn’t right. And don’t be naïve: just because you attend church, or read the Bible, or pray each day doesn’t mean that you are “right”. There’s a significant gap between knowing what is right and actually doing it! Until you close that gap, you’ll continue to fall short of building the character that makes you a leader who is both effective today and will last over the long haul.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll cover five common areas where business leaders fall short on character issues. There are dozens more that I could add to this list, but I chose these five because they are taken too casually by many leaders or are not even considered as a true character flaw at all when compared to treachery like stealing, substance abuse and adultery. You will find that some of the choices I urge you to make concerning these five character issues go against conventional wisdom in the bare-knuckle world of business competition. However, understanding what THE BOOK has to say about these “lesser” matters should encourage you to improve your decisions concerning them and to coach your team to do likewise.

1. Don’t tell “white lies”. 

Are your pants on fire? Have you ever instructed your receptionist to tell a caller that you weren’t in the office, even though you were? If so, then you’re a liar. Now, don’t get defensive! You will likely claim that such an insignificant falsehood falls under the Oxford Dictionary definition of a white lie, which is to: tell a harmless or trivial untruth. However, I challenge you to find anywhere in THE BOOK, where a lie of any sort is sanctioned by God as harmless or trivial. Like so many sins, if you begin to explain away a “lesser” form of it through rationalization, soon you can begin to justify graduated infractions that lead you to major lapses in judgment bringing devastating consequences that ruin your life. For instance, men have written off as “harmless” the practice of “just looking” as they lustily stare down an attractive woman. “Ain’t no crime in looking!” they say with a laugh. But a “harmless” leer can lead to “harmless” small talk, which leads to buying one “harmless” drink, which elicits a “harmless” good night kiss, which brings the desire for “harmless”—and secret—follow up phone calls, which concludes in a rendezvous that costs you and your family all that you hold dear and thought was sacred.

If you’re going to start classifying lies as “white” or “whoppers”, you may as well go ahead and categorize different levels of adultery too. What would be an adulterous equivalent of a white lie? Maybe a gentle squeeze or swat on the behind? Or how about a parting hug that is two degrees tighter and three seconds longer than is appropriate? While you’re at it, you could justify stealing from the company as well. The white lie version of embezzlement could be taking a few dollars worth of office supplies home with you, or mailing personal correspondence with company postage or making personal copies on the company Xerox machine. Face the facts. According to THE BOOK, if you tell a lie of any kind, you are a liar and, since Satan is referred to as the “father of lies”, a liar’s label isn’t something you should want as part of your reputation.

Excerpted from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK: A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Organization.”

View free video clips of lessons from How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK at our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/Learn2Lead

For ordering information and details on receiving a free, one-year subscription to the How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK Newsletter! (A $99 value!) CLICK HERE.