“My child, never drift off course from these two goals for your life: to walk in wisdom and to discover your purpose. Don’t ever forget how they empower you.” ‭‭

As a Pastor and missionary, you will have relationship challenges at every stage of ministry, and this has been my strategy and still is. 1. Identify the relationship – This could even be a new believer or someone who has been with us for a while. This time is very crucial because it allows the person, as well as myself, to come to know each other a little bit more. 2. Listen deeply over a meal or visitation – This time I usually listen to the person to understand, not listen to judge, accuse or even prove right, but listen to understand. And if I need to speak, I speak from a listening and understanding point to reach out to the person. 3. Aftercare – I usually send a message to let them know how I valued the time we shared. 4. Keeping in Prayer – Knowing them allows me to keep them in prayer. 5. Letting them know they are valued – This is something I intermittently do to keep nurturing the relationship. (like a phone call, a message, or even inviting them for a meal.) RECAP FROM YESTERDAY'S CLASS, SOLVING CONFLICT. I am a company worker and still serve the LORD as a pastor, operating a mission school in Cambodia. Working in the world as a Christian is one of the biggest challenges, I believe, Christians face. And as a pastor, it is even more challenging, but this is where I am being trained to learn how to make decisions about obeying or not obeying. Because when I find myself in a conflict, I am tempted to give it back, and when I do, I will always find myself repenting and asking the LORD for forgiveness because of His conviction. Sometimes, I am instructed to go and say sorry to the unbeliever who I know has a bad attitude, and that hurts. The LORD taught me a practical lesson for my own growth and how to yield and obey. He said, Victor, if you do not want to say sorry, then behave: (by being silent, walking away quietly, learning to speak in tongues under your breath during such occasions). I tried it, and I have seen results like the unbeliever coming back and behaving much better. So wisdom says: "IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SAY SORRY THEN BEHAVE"

“The wise will hear and increase their learning, And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth],

- Proverbs 10:4 – “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” - Proverbs 10:22 – “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” - Proverbs 13:11 – “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” - Proverbs 14:23 – “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” - Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

“If you live without restraint and are unable to control your temper, you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses, open to attack.” ‭‭