Dr. John H. Binkley Jr.

My New Year’s Resolution: A Better Relationship with God in 2018

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Dr. John Binkley shares advice on how you can achieve a better relationship with God in 2018.

The first month of a new year is always notable for one thing: New Year’s Resolutions. While they are incredibly easy to make, they are notoriously hard to keep, whether your goal is to lose weight, quit smoking, or start a new hobby. For Dr. John Binkley, one element of his New Year’s Resolution lists is ever-present: cementing a better relationship with God.

Dr. Binkley has written in the past on how to pursue and maintain a fellowship with God, and explained why this is key to fulfilling His plans for you, be they in business, in life, or in spirit. Dr. Binkley was blessed to enjoy success in all three of these areas during 2017.

His company, Generational Equity, had a standout year, from being named Investment Banking Firm of the Year by The M&A Advisor, to having the pleasure of sponsoring several charity events. Dr. Binkley’s son Ryan was pivotal in this development, highlighting the strength of family ties in Generational Equity’s progress.

Finally, Dr. Binkley was honored to continue his work with numerous faith-based organizations. Whether it was participating in missions across the globe, or speaking at Ryan’s Create Church, he continuously strengthened his relationship with God. But, that doesn’t earn you a year off – it is an ongoing process. So, how can you have a better relationship with God in 2018?

Connecting to God

One prominent faith-based organization Dr. John Binkley works with is Here’s Life Africa. In his role on the Board of Directors, he was delighted with its productivity in 2017, including the launch of their first Grace Works Conference in October. In their efforts to continue this in 2018, Here’s Life Africa has shared advice on how to better connect with God this year.

Firstly, Here’s Life Africa President Andy Blakeslee encourages you to think of faith as a tire. As you drive on your journey with God, your spiritual tires may start to deflate. Andy knows a lot about this, as Here’s Life Africa’s ministry teams endure nearly 100 literal flat tires a month travelling across the continent.

But, they have become skilled in repairing these, in the same way you can be skilled in inflating your spiritual tires. For Dr. Binkley, keeping these fully filled is key in discovering God’s perfect plan for you in 2018.

Furthermore, Here’s Life Africa have provided these 10 discipleship questions to ask yourself during the year, to help you maintain devotion to God:

  • What is your Bible reading plan for 2018?
  • Which specific steps will you take to love your family better?
  • What lost person(s) will you pray for?
  • Who will you disciple in 2018?
  • What sin(s) do you need God’s help to overcome?
  • How will you improve your prayer life?
  • When will you fast?
  • What mission(s)/project(s) will you support?
  • How much will you give churches/missions financially?
  • Will you recommit to following God despite sacrifice/cost?

Dr. John Binkley would like to highlight two of these in particular: Bible reading plans and prayer schedules. There are specific actions you can take to improve both in 2018, thus strengthening your relationship with God.

Research conducted by LifeWay discovered that just 20% of Americans polled have read all of the Bible at least once. If you would like to improve your reading habits, try:

  • Committing to read a chapter a day so you don’t overwhelm yourself immediately
  • Using a Daily Walk Bible for support, using the New Living Translation for easier understanding
  • Taking advantage of helpful devotional tools, like Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling

With regards to prayer guidance, perhaps consider make a list of everyone in your life, and jot down what prayer requests to make for each of them? Tim Keller’s Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God is a useful tool to support your journey.

This is just a glimpse into ways you can have God’s presence in your life during 2018. There are many approaches to consider, from asking Him to focus on a word or trait in your prayers, to prioritizing thankfulness every day. If you’d like to learn more about finding your place in God’s vision, Dr. John Binkley’s Character is King offers a valuable guide.

Your Relationship with God in 2018

Dr. John Binkley hopes you are focusing on your relationship with God in your New Year’s Resolutions for 2018. He is already looking forward to future travels with Here’s Life Africa and other faith-based organizations, alongside his efforts to continue Generational Equity’s growth and other personal endeavors.

Whatever your goals are in 2018, Dr. Binkley wishes you nothing but the best in accomplishing them. Connecting to God will certainly help you in those aims, as through Him you will have the motivation and wisdom to discover His vision for you.

If you’d like to learn more about the work done by Here’s Life Africa, visit their website. In addition, check out Dr. John Binkley’s YouTube channel for several sermons conducted at Create Church in Richardson, Texas.

How to Achieve Fellowship with God

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Dr. John Binkley discusses how to achieve Fellowship with God in his sermon at Create Church.

On Father’s Day earlier this year, Dr. John Binkley was delighted to have the chance to speak to his son Ryan’s congregation at Create Church. This was part of the UnCommon series, which focuses on how to avoid “typical” relationship concerns by breathing life into them through The Lord’s Word. Therefore, Dr. Binkley centered his sermon on why you need fellowship between your friends, family, and with God, with aspects from his book, Character is King.

What does he mean by fellowship? Well, it is first important to distinguish that “fellowship” is not the same as “relationship.” Dr. Binkley had a relationship with his son Ryan the moment he was born, in the same way he had a relationship with his father. But fellowship requires effort, investment of time and diligence – that’s the foundation of a powerful bond.

Dr. John Binkley has this bond with Ryan through their shared values and goals. They both own and manage Generational Equity, one of North America’s leading middle-market M&A advisory firms, and their shared aim to grow the business helps forge their fellowship. It is the same in their relationship with God, as both are motivated through their faith to grow Generational Equity.

Uncommon – Part 1 – Dr John Binkley from Create Church on Vimeo.
 

Dr. Binkley also had fellowship with his father, who began his eternal life in Heaven a decade ago. His father was a remarkable man: starting in poverty during the Great Depression, and losing his mother when he was ten, he became a naval aviator, a vocalist, an accomplished orator, an athlete and the Head of his Church. While Dr. Binkley knew he couldn’t match his father’s adeptness in these areas, they shared a strong fellowship and he took two important lessons from him:

  1. Love the truth
  2. Dream big

Finding Wisdom Through Fellowship With God

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

Dr. John Binkley took both these lessons to heart. He actively sought out the truth, and thus sought out God. Because God is the truth, which is why He can never deny Himself. Through a diligent, powerful fellowship with The Lord, Dr. Binkley carries His spirit, meaning he has access to truths and mysteries of this world and the next. Fellowship with God gives you access to His wisdom.

Now, it is important to define what wisdom is:

  • Knowledge is the acquisition of facts
  • Understanding is the interpretation of facts
  • Wisdom is the application of facts

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. – Proverbs 3:13-3:17

Now, who wouldn’t want the things that wisdom gives you? God rewards those that seek Him, because He is the truth. This means when you walk with Him, you are walking with the truth, and that will always validate you. Through Dr. Binkley’s fellowship with God, he found the wisdom to pursue and achieve his goals, because The Lord gave him the tools to realize his purpose.

All that was required was diligence, faith and fellowship with God, which is something all can have, but few actually fulfill. So be uncommon, be different, be who you were meant to be. Continue to seek the truth and work every day to maintain fellowship with God, and you will be rewarded to achieve your goals. It happened for Dr. Binkley and Ryan, and it can happen for you too.

You can find further insights on how to discover and achieve your purpose through God in Character is King. This contains universal truths for The Lord’s eternal plan for you, and provides a roadmap for fulfilling this.

You can learn more on Dr. John Binkley on his ‘about’ page. For more information on Generational Equity, visit their website.