If you could actually receive guidance from God for your business, would it make a difference? And I don't mean only reading the Bible or a devotional, and getting some good principles for being moral and upright business people. What I mean is hearing God's voice guide you with specific advice, about your specific situation, problems, and opportunities.
It is possible, and rather than try to convince you with a theological argument, I'd like to propose you simply try it, and see for yourself what happens. Here are 5 steps to help you hear the voice of God for your business. The 5 steps are…
- Invitation. It sounds simple, but I think it is often overlooked. God has granted us each the inspiring, dizzying, and a somewhat terrifying ability to accept or refuse His gifts. If we don’t invite Him into our affairs, including our business, He’s not going to force His way in. So we begin with an invitation.In the book of James, we are promised that if any of us lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask God and He will grant it. That’s exactly what you’re doing when you make this invitation. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy or ceremonial.You could start by having a quiet moment before your workday begins, and praying something simple: “Lord, I invite you into my business today. Give me ideas, insights, and awareness to make the right decisions and to say the right thing in every situation that I face today.”
- Communication. If I invite you to a party, and you show up but I never talk to you, and I never listen to you, how much communication takes place? Right. Zero. So it’s not enough just to invite God into your business. He will be faithful to show up, but you need to treat Him like you would an honored guest at a dinner party. Pay attention to Him. Listen to what He has to say. Ask Him questions. Communication is a two-way street. I believe God desires a dialogue with us, not a monologue (on either side.) So have a conversation!
- Cooperation. So you have invited God into your business. You have been in communication with Him, learning to hear His voice, and becoming sensitive to what He is saying to you. The next step is cooperating with Him. Because here’s the thing: He is going to have opinions about what you should do, and what you shouldn’t do, in your business. He is going to have ideas and suggestions for you.Sometimes they may just “pop into your mind”, and you might wonder if they are your thoughts or His? Learning to discern the difference is part of the communication step. But the only way you’ll ever learn is to try cooperating with what God is saying to you. Sometimes, you may mistake your own voice for His (trust me this does happen.) But over time, as you cooperate with the voice of God, you will become more and more familiar with it. And it is only through cooperation that you can move to the next step – implementation.
- Implementation. While I think of cooperation as a form of agreement, a way of saying, “Yes, God, that is a good idea. We should definitely think about doing that.” There is a step beyond mere cooperation or agreement: this is the step of implementation. I fully believe that God blesses us far beyond what we can ask, imagine, or even deserve. I believe that he is interested in every detail of our lives. I believe that he swings deals are way, that he gives us ideas that will make our business profitable, and that he influences people to do business with us when it’s in the best interest of both parties.At the same time, working with God, and having God with us at work, does not mean that we are completely passive. Bill Johnson has said, “Jesus didn’t accomplish everything so that you could accomplish nothing.” I think that’s right, and I would take it one step further, and say that Jesus accomplished everything so that you could accomplish anything… in His name. What this means is we have to actually implement the ideas, strategies, and tactics God gives to us.If you’re a farmer, for instance, God might give you a plan for a new crop rotation schedule that could cause your land to yield better harvests. But if you never get up and plow the fields, tend the crops, and bring in the harvest, you’ll never reap the reward. Which brings us to…
- Manifestation. This is the step we all would like to jump to. We would like to start with manifestation. It’s the whole idea of that New Age book and movie “The Secret” : that thinking will make it so. For instance, this thinking goes, if I just sit and visualize a brand-new Mercedes long enough and hard enough, it will just “show up” in my driveway. You and I both know that is nonsense.Now there is nothing wrong with you wanting or owning a Mercedes. There is nothing wrong with you building the wealth to be able to afford one. In fact, doing so blesses the people who created the car, those who manufactured it, those who delivered it, sold it, detailed it, and who service it. And all the myriads of people in between. As long as you don’t worship the thing, and as long as you understand that success is about more than piling up earthly riches, I believe you’re free to enjoy the rewards of your labor.It’s been said that if you “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness” that everything else will be added to you. This doesn’t mean that if you decide the thing you want most in life is a Rolex, you should seek God’s Kingdom in order to get it. It does mean that if your desire for a Rolex is not motivated by greed, or the idolatrous worship of money, that God certainly has no problem with you owning a nice watch. If you seek first His Kingdom, and that’s all you seek, you will get your heart's desire-because you will never desire anything that is outside the Kingdom.
Please understand these 5 steps are not some kind of magic formula.
They are rather a description of the natural process that happens when we are in deep relationship with someone we love. When we are in love, we invite our loved one into our life, we communicate deeply with them, we cooperate with their desires because we want them to be happy, we implement the plans that we cook up together, and we enjoy the manifestation of our joined hearts desires.
That, my friends, is how you invite God into your business. That is how you see tangible results and God-given answers to your questions and concerns.
I challenge you to simply take the 5 steps, and then watch for the results.
Question: Do you have a story of how God has helped you in business or in your job? Please share it below!