Honoring God with Your Business
/The marketplace needs more Christian entrepreneurs, those who are willing and ready to step out on faith. Many believers stray away from doing business because, let’s be honest, we’ve all seen examples of icky business practices. But those of us who feel the Lord is tugging on our hearts to own a business should not ignore His call. It's not worth it to be disobedient to the Lord because of fear or because you have negative, preconceived notions about business owners. Christian entrepreneurs have the opportunity to bring light into an industry that desperately needs it.
A successful, thriving business owned by a believer glorifies God. Your business is your instrument to glorify God and could even bring people into His kingdom. Because of the potential to glorify God, you must be aware that the enemy will do anything to thwart your ministry with greed, dishonesty, and pride. The enemy will want you to take all of the credit for your success instead of shifting the attention to our Lord and Savior. He knows where there is self-reliance there is weakness. It is so important to keep your business covered in prayer to protect the integrity and success of your business, but also to constantly keep your heart in the right place.
Yield your ideas and plans to Him
As Christian business owners, we have to understand that we are merely vessels for the work God wants to create. Therefore, before we spend hours brainstorming ideas, products, designs, and services, we need to open in prayer. We can come before God and ask Him what He wants us to do, say, and provide as business owners. Not only can this save us the headache of pursuing things we were never meant to do, but as we pray to be led by the Lord in all of our business activities, we will find ourselves in the safest place to be - in the will of God. because our businesses belong to the Lord, we can be assured that He will provide everything we need such as networking opportunities, ideas, collaborations, etc.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
As Christian entrepreneurs, we have to be especially mindful about what we say “yes” to and what we get involved in. You don’t need to attend every business conference or agree to every collaboration. We are called to be Spirit-led, not guided by our own feelings and desires. Before you agree to collaborate with someone, do some research. Are they a believer? Do they use methods/language that you are ok with being connected to? Don’t ignore the convictions and guidance you receive from the Holy Spirit. To truly honor God with your business ask Him for wisdom and discernment. Trust and believe that He will never lead you astray.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 NIV
Give
An absolutely wonderful way to honor God with your business is to give. The Lord’s Word has much to say about giving because it is a true characteristic of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He sacrificially gave Himself, holy and sinless, so that you and I could experience life abundantly. Servitude and giving are not only important in our faith, but also in our business.
“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25 NLT
We should strive to give our audience and clients more than they expect. Our products and services, blog posts, and emails should be a blessing. We don’t need to worry about withholding our best products or secret success strategies to ourselves. We know that the more we share, the more opportunities we have to truly change someone’s life.
Ask yourself what you can do to give more to your audience and clients. Can you send a handwritten thank you note with the shipment of your product? Can you feature someone on your social media account? Is the content that you’re producing the highest quality that it can be?
We can also honor God with our businesses by giving away a portion of our profits. You can commit to giving a portion of your profits to a non-profit organization. You could sow into other businesses. You could tithe from your profits. The main idea is that you give. God is pleased when we give and he knows our hearts when we give.
“Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly.” 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 NLT
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
Be the light
A christian entrepreneur has a light inside that needs to be showcased to others. This entails so much more than announcing on every social media platform that you are a believer. Your light will be seen in the way you interact with your audience. It will be seen in the way you handle product refunds and not so nice comments. Honor God with your business by choosing to walk with integrity and kindness. People will be watching to see how you handle unexpected situations that arise in your business. But more importantly, your Lord and Savior will be watching.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 NIV
In business we will see many examples of greed, dishonesty, and deceit. We will see people who don’t honor God who are thriving in business. But we know our hope is in the Lord. We know we are called to follow Him. He sees your hard work. He cares for you so much. He has not forgotten about you. He has already accounted for your struggles. He has won the victory for you already. Keep going and keep the faith. Honor the Lord with your business and He will surely bless you.
