One of the few positive things about having gray hair (what the Bible calls "the splendor of old men" (Prov.20: 29) is that you can hand out advice to people and they're usually too polite to tell you to mind your own business.

After some six decades on this earth, and with plenty of that "splendor of old men" about me, I thought it might be time to give some advice. They say old dogs don't take so kindly to "new tricks," so the truth is, of course, that I am really preaching to myself as much as I am to anyone else.

So, gentle reader, please forgive me as I set down some of the things I have learned over the past 60 years, having spent various periods working in a range of occupations, both for a boss and for myself, and for a short period on the staff of a large church. Even someone as hard-headed and stiff-necked as me eventually gets at least some measure of wisdom pummeled into him.

So, here are some of the things I have learned:

• Live one day at a time, in "day-tight compartments." God seems to set the day aside as His special period of time, telling us things like, "This is the day that the Lord has made," and "Give us this day, our daily bread."
  
  
• Don't worry. Worry is a habit and you can break it just like any other habit (not to mention the fact that if you worry, you break a command given several times by Jesus Himself in the Book of Matthew).
  
  
• Don't waste time. It is a valuable, non-renewable and highly perishable resource. The Bible tells us to "redeem" our time, and we should be good stewards of the time God gives us, just as much as we should be good stewards of the money and talent that He gives us;
  
  
• Confidently expect God to communicate with you. He will lead and guide you as He promises a number of times in His Word (e.g. Is. 30:20 and 21; 48:17). Get quiet before Him, because He speaks in a "still, small voice."
  
  
• Accept and believe prophecies over your life that come from seasoned, respected and acknowledged prophets and mature ministers. Use them to "wage war." There is a tendency, because of a lot of abuse and foolishness, to reject prophecies outright, but the Bible says to test them, and that a true prophecy will prosper you (2 Chr. 20:20).
  
  
• You must have an overarching vision and purpose for your life. Develop plans and strategies within that wider framework; let God be God, and make room for Him to move. Don’t let plans dominate vision (John Haggai once said that "where planning rules, vision dies").
  
  
• When you give, take your hands off what you have given. Never give with strings attached or your gift will become a burden to you (the Bible says to let your seed "die," and then it will grow and multiply).
  
  
• Never compromise your integrity—ever. Character is built over many years of testing and growth. General Norman Schwarzkopf said that leadership was a combination of strategy and character, but he said: "If you have to be without one, be without strategy."
  
  
• Sometimes, patience and perseverance are the only way forward. If you can't move your mountain, climb your mountain—God may have important things to teach you during the climb.
  
  
• If a project looks too big and daunting, take it one step at a time. The Bible talks about "here a little, there a little," and remember—you eat an elephant one bite at a time. Every journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and a job begun is a job half-done.
  
  
• God often seems to work on the basis of "Three R's." First a Revelation, when a vision is birthed; then Reversal, when everything seems to go wrong as you try every way to do things your own way; and finally Restoration, when the vision is restored God's way. Remember Joseph's dreams. Between the dreams and their phenomenal fulfillment, he had to undergo false accusations and imprisonment.
  
  
• Keep a daily journal. Write briefly what is going on in your life, the good and bad, your prayers, and how God moves to bring His will about in your life. Even the greatest miracle becomes a faint and confused memory eventually if you don't capture the reality and freshness in writing.
  
  
• Prioritize. As we said above, time is a scarce resource, and you only have time to do the most important things based on your vision and purpose. Put first things first (and that may well be God and your family before your job) and learn a little two-letter word called "NO!" Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser.
  
  
• Don't procrastinate. Fear is dissipated by action.
  
  
• Delegate what you should, not what you want to. When you delegate, give people the space and trust to get on with the job.
  
  
• Don't despise your natural talents. Christians often want to run churches to please God when they are naturally excellent businessmen or professionals. God calls us to different areas of work and He never wastes your natural, God-given talents.
  
  
• Be open and transparent to a small number of mature, trustworthy Christians. Accountability is necessary at whatever level you are; at the bottom, on the way up, or at the top.
  
  
• Get fit and stay healthy. Exercise, rest and eat right. Many Christians in key roles think they are too important and busy to worry about their health and they burn out, get heart attacks and die.
  
  
• Lead by example. Don't expect people under you to do things you would not do yourself.
  
  
• Don't let your past limit your future. Paul stresses the importance of "getting over" past mistakes when he says, "This one thing I do, forgetting the past, and reaching forward to the future ..." (Phil. 3:13).
  
  
• Control your thoughts. "As you think in your heart, so are you." Your mind is the battlefield, where Satan will launch his most effective onslaught. The Bible says to "bring every thought into the obedience of Christ."
  
  
• Don't assume you are too mature, holy and spiritual to be tempted. Never let your prayer guard down. "Take heed if you think you stand, lest you fall." It is exactly when you think you've "got it made" that you are most likely to fall.
  
  
• Be open to people in your life, even the odd and unlovely ones. God works through people, and your next miracle or business venture could be carried by someone to whom you'd like to give the "bum's rush."
  
  
• Read your Bible every day. It washes and cleanses you from the dirt and muck you trudge through during the day. The Word of God is also is the most pure and powerful conduit through which God will speak to you.
  
  
• Put on the "whole armor of God" everyday by confessing each piece out loud (Eph. 6:10-18). You need the devil to hear you say it out loud because he can't read your mind.
  
  
• Stay consciously humble. The Bible says that before honor is humility, and if you humble yourself, God will raise you up (James 4:6).
  
  
• Whatever you are doing, work enthusiastically and do it as "unto God." Even if your job is not what you want it to be, do it with the right attitude and as a servant of God unto Him, not your worldly boss.
  
  
• Have patience. Anything worthwhile usually takes time (Heb. 6:12; 2 Cor. 9:6, 7, 10; Gal. 6:7; James 5:7). And when we sow, it takes time for the seeds to germinate and grow, and bear fruit, so that we can reap a crop. The Bible tells us that if we sow, we will reap IN DUE SEASON (Gal. 6:9).
  
  
• Trust and obey. We must trust God, but trust must translate itself into obedience. Faith is made manifest by works, and trust by obedient action, where "the rubber meets the road" (2 Kin. 18:5-7; 2 Chr. 17:1 and 2; Prov. 3:5-8).
  
  
• Expect testing. Every great figure in the Bible, including Jesus, was tested. It is by passing tests that we graduate in faith and our usefulness to God (Prov. 17:3; 1 Thess. 2:4).
  
  
• Be bold and consciously master fear. The Bible says that God's great love will "cast out" or conquer fear. Great exploits for God usually mean great risks, and we need to be bold and courageous (and trusting) enough to, like Peter, get out of the boat (our comfort zone) when required (Matt. 14:25-31).
  
  
• Be ever-ready to share your testimony. There is a whole world of hurting, confused and depressed people out there, and nothing communicates as powerfully as a personal true story told with conviction—whether it be to thousands, or to the man or woman sitting next to you on the bus. You may be the only Bible they ever get to read (Rev. 12:11) and so you fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28: 18-20).
  
  
• Be careful not to let money be the measure of your success. Money is important, and you can do a lot of good work for the Kingdom of God with money. But the danger is that the means (money) overtakes the end (good works) and we let money become an idol in our lives. And remember Paul warns us very particularly that the love or idolization of money is at the root of all kinds of evil.