Let me guess. Your morning routine includes waking up at 3 in the morning to plan out your day. You wrote out a full list of tasks, and now you’re pondering how you’re going to finish all of them while running your daily errands and dealing with the many obstacles life has a way of presenting to people. By the time night comes back around, it’s 10 p.m., you have only completed one task from your list, and now you’re panicking and anxious about not meeting monthly goals and the expectations of your clients.
Many business owners and entrepreneurs face this reality every day. Some entrepreneurs don’t know how they will manage, and they continue spiraling in their work. Some may bring in more assistants to help them manage their business, but in return, they decrease their return on investment and open up their business practices to more mistakes, which can be detrimental.
So, what is the perfect way to do business? What's the best way to plan out your path in whatever industry you're an expert in? Do you ever consider putting God first when making your plans each day? Well, if your answer is no, then you are missing one of the most important keys to a successful business.
When people think of God, they may only think of God as a divine being who expects them to be flawless, punishes them for their sins, and demands that they attend church. But God is a great God who loves us and exists in every aspect of our lives. The Most High God is good to those who believe in and live for him, even business owners. God isn't only found in church buildings, gospel concerts, or city revivals. As a matter of fact, if you believe in his son, Jesus Christ, then God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you. When you're putting God first, living for Him and doing everything to glorify Him, He will support you in all that you do, and that includes your business endeavors. And the stronger your belief and faith are in his power, the more you will see your business prosper.
God is the One who establishes our steps. It says so in the Word of God. Do you know what it means when people say, “Let go and let God”? To move out of the way so that God can show you that he is everything that you need to be successful. When you're putting God first, He will literally create favorable circumstances to prosper your business, if you simply have faith. Maybe you've been trying to bring in clients and have given all sorts of methods a shot, but nothing's worked. Then one day, you decide to come to God, praying with a humble and repentant heart (this is very important), and asking our Lord to intervene in your business and prosper it. Coming to God with a repentant heart and in truth will definitely get our Lord's attention, because he wants us to come to him, praying about everything and trusting in his incredible power to do what we might think is impossible.
But let’s be honest and clear: you shouldn’t pray only to get something in return; the goal is to glorify the Lord in everything that you do. Our purpose in life is much bigger than our earthly successes, especially money. This is our true purpose in life: to be unified in Christ and to bring glory to God, who is One, understanding that we who believe are one body and one spirit. Come to God with that goal of yours, pray about it, and watch how his Holy Spirit moves in your life and business. It’s important to “watch” after praying, hoping and expecting the best outcome of your prayers, because praying with doubt in your heart will not please God. He needs you to trust in him and have faith through every part of the journey.
Putting God first is not risky because the Most High God is dependable. He sees everything in life with a much bigger scope than we do as man. The Word of God says that the Lord’s thoughts are much higher than man’s, which means that he knows more about what your business needs and how to guide you than you can ever figure out on your own. God is the difference between your business making $50,000 a year and your business making $500,000 a year. However, as business owners in Christ, we have to know that money is not our God and treat it as a tool to help us navigate this worldly system as well as help others. I like to encourage people who make lots of money to give with a cheerful heart, in secret, because, after all, the Lord says that it is more of a blessing to give than to receive. Side note: I believe that God especially honors business owners who care for orphans and widows in their distress.
It’s very important to pray to God that he gives you the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that you need to succeed in your work. My advice is this: Ask God how you can glorify him more in your business, and watch how much he will bless it. God will literally line up your successes if you just trust him, and I’m speaking from experience. You will start seeing things happen in a bigger way than you could have ever imagined. The Lord is the creator, and he knows how to give you the best ideas through his Holy Spirit. Not only will he bless you with ideas, he'll also bless you with plenty of resources and tools to help you on your journey.
The Word of God says that the Lord does good things for his children, to prosper us and not to harm us. So doesn’t that mean you can trust the Lord with everything in your life, even your business? I ask that you, as business owners, reflect on what was discussed in this article today and consider putting God first in everything that you do in life, even your latest business move. At the end of the day, remember that God's got your back in all aspects of life, including your business ventures - so keep the faith and trust in His plan for your success!