Biblical Principles to Grow And Prosper Your Business

Building your Business on the Fear of God

Laying the right foundation is important no matter if you are building a house, planting a garden, or building a business. As Christians we know the importance of building on the right foundation. Without it everything is wasted. So what is the right foundation? verything begins with the fear of the Lord. !he "ook of #roverbs tells us the $ear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. %&'() *ou cannot begin to grasp even the practical aspects of your business until you walk in the fear of the Lord. !he fear of the Lord is best e+plained by referring to another fear, the fear of man. We all have e+perienced the fear of man. ,t does not consist of walking around trembling that we are going to get beat up by those around us. !he fear of man means our actions and our words are dictated by what others will think of us. We avoid certain things because we are afraid the people will talk about us. We wear certain clothes because we do not want to be embarrassed by our appearance. So if we are to walk by the fear of -od that means we.ll be more concerned about -od/s feelings then about man/s feelings. !here are going to be times in business that the world will laugh at a decision we might make. ,t 0ust isn/t 1worldly2 wise. "ut we need to stand up and say 1, am not ashamed of -od and 3is wisdom. !his decision may cost me a financial loss but it/s the right thing to do.2 -od will honor you for that standard and you/ll reap the long term benefits of it in your business. , have e+perienced over and over again that when the fear of -od is put ahead of the fear of man it enables you to grow in knowledge and wisdom. ,n the "ible we see that when 4aniel and his companions honored -od before the king they were given knowledge and wisdom. 1-od gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom52

"y putting -od first you/ll receive insight and wisdom in practical situations that you normally wouldn/t have had. ,t.s as if -od opened your brain and poured in some things that weren/t there. ven you/ll stand back and say, 1Wow, that was good but it certainly wasn/t from me.2 6ow the world likes to call that your inner self or your intuition and come will even say, 1the higher power.2 "ut we prefer to give credit where it belongs, to -od our creator, the -od of Abraham, ,saac and 7acob, to 7esus Christ our Lord. -od in his mercy at times will give unbelievers insights and knowledge. As 7esus said, -od sends 3is rain on the 0ust and the un0ust. !he sad part is most men will give praise to 0ust about anything or anybody e+cept the -od who created them. "ut we as Christian "usiness 8wners are not ashamed to give the glory where the glory is due to -od our Creator9

The Power of Diligence In Your Business

!here/s -od/s part and there/s our part. !rusting in -od and not leaning on our own understanding or strength doesn/t mean we sit back and 0ust wait for things to happen. !he #roverbs tells us, 13e who has a la:y hand will become poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.2 &;'< Another proverb says,1Work hard and become a leader5 be la:y and become a slave.2 &='=< We.re not to be afraid of hard work in fact we are to embrace it. *ou will hear me often refer to a farmer and how the same principles that make a good farmer will make a successful businessman. 6o farmer will succeed if he sits back and says, 1, know that only -od can cause the increase so , will 0ust pray and wait for 3im to grow the crop.2 6o, -od does 3is part but 3e calls us to plow the field, remove the rocks, break up the fallow ground, plant with the best seed that we can find, water the seeds, water the plants, pull the weeds, dig around the roots to aerate, add the fertili:er to feed the plants, drive off the birds and the animals, water again, pull some more weeds and.... *es, it.s true only -od can cause the growth but we can partner with 3im to bring forth a successful business. *es, -od can do it all, 3e really doesn/t need us but 3e has established, in 3is wisdom, that for things to happen here on earth we do our part and 3e will do 3is part. -od has given us the great privilege to partner with 3im in all that we do here on earth. 3e desires to work with us, 3e en0oys our company.

,t/s easy to get this out of balance one way or the other. We can neglect our part and be la:y and unwise by not being diligent or we can lean too much upon or own strength and hard work and think that it.s by our hand we have accomplished this.

Hard Lesson Learned

, learned this lesson the hard way once. , had been starting business in different parts of the country for several years. !hey were all started from scratch with hard work and virtually no capital. "efore long they began to grow and prosper. , applied good business principles was diligent and prayed that -od would bless and 3e did. "ut one time , scouted out a city, according to all the standards and guidelines it was the perfect place to start up a business. , 0umped in and put everything in to play, the right advertising, the correct copy, good service, everything that worked before. "ut this time it failed. ,t 0ust wouldn/t get off the ground. , went to -od and asked why this happened, this is what , believe 3e impressed me with. *es, it was an ideal city and yes , did everything right but , was leaning on my own strength and understanding and not enough on -od to cause the growth. So -od in 3is mercy to keep me dependent upon 3im let the drought hit and taught me a very valuable lesson.

anctified tubbornness

Sometimes the only thing that will get us past failure and onto success is our sanctified stubbornness. !he attitude that says, 1, will not give up. *ou can knock me down again and again but ,/m going to get up and go at it.2 !his is good old fashioned persistence. -od loves this trait and has made it clear that 3e will bless those who practice it. 7acob was so stubborn that he wouldn/t even >uit when he was wrestling with -od. 7acob was beaten and crippled but he said5 1, will not let *ou go unless *ou bless me.2 And from that point on he had the reputation of the man who struggled with men and -od and prevailed. %-enesis ?='=< ) 7oseph faced discouragement and hopeless situations again and again but he hung on to his vision and dream and eventually prevailed. 3e was made a slave, falsely accused, cast in prison,

and forgotten by those he helped, but he didn/t give up and eventually became second in command over all the land of gypt. 7esus taught us to be persistent. 3e told two parables to drive home the point that in prayer we shouldn/t give up even when we/re being denied. 3e told of the widow who did not let up but persistently kept coming to the 0udge until he relented and gave her what she re>uested. !he 0udge had this to say' 1!hough , do not fear -od nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me , will give her what she asks, lest by her continual coming she weary me.2 ,n another story 3e tells of a man who needs some food to feed someone who has come to visit. 3e gets up a midnight and asks his friend for ? loaves of bread. 3is friend says5 1Are you cra:y it/s midnight come back tomorrow.2 "ut the man keeps knocking until his friend finally gives up, gets out of bed and gives him what he needs. 7esus said that he did not arise because of their friendship but because of his persistence. , personally believe that more businesses have succeeded because of persistence than because of any other business skill. !his article is too short to cover all the areas in your business and life you need persistence but , will name a couple. *ou need to be persistent when it comes to your marketing. @any times marketing fails because we don/t keep going back and asking for the order. We/re not persistent. We roll over and give up. #ersistence is needed to press through the difficulties that will come up in every business. *ou cannot grow a business and fully develop as a person unless you face your challenges and press through them. #ersistence is needed when we make a stupid decision that brings about a failure in some aspect of our business or in our business as a whole. A large number of very successful and prosperous business owners have e+perienced not 0ust one bankruptcy but two. $ace your mistakes, put them behind you and get up and get going again. As Winston Churchill said5 1A6ever, never, never give up9A

 Ta!e Heed "How" You Hear

7esus gave us the parable of the sower, found in @ark < to impress upon us the importance of how we are to hear. 3e e>uates these hearers to four types of soil the hard soil, the rocky shallow soil, the weedy soil and the good soil. ,n the first soil the seed that is sown is snatched up >uickly by birds and bears no fruit. !he second soil is the rocky soil it.s shallow and there.s no room for the roots to go deep. When the sun comes out it dries up the plants >uickly. !he third soil is the one with weeds. !he seed sprouts and grows but it/s choked out by the weeds and its fruit doesn/t mature. !he fourth soil is the good soil it brings forth good fruit and a lot of it. 7esus said take heed how you hear. 3e didn.t say be careful what you hear, although that/s important, but how you hear is more important than what you hear. !he four hearers' &. !he 1no2 hearer, hearer =. !he e+cited hearer ?. !he distracted hearer <. !he focused hearer. ven though the primary focus of this parable is salvation and hearing the gospel of the kingdom, the principles apply many other places. Let.s use the e+ample of those who are attending a business seminar to see how this works. &. !he no hearer, hearer'8f all the people who attend a seminar there may be a few who are there because someone made them go. !hey don.t want to be there and they resent it. !hey may hear what/s being said but they aren.t listening. !hen there are the skeptics, always challenging and looking for something to disprove and knock down. !hese people will learn nothing. verything they hear will be snatched away and will do them no good. =. !he e+cited hearer'3ere is the person who loves to attend seminars, buy books and listen to tapes. !hey get pumped up and e+cited about what they hear5 ready to take on the world... "ut then something happens when they go home and begin to put into practice what they heard, they discover that work is involved. #roblems arise that have to be overcome, persistence is re>uired. So they give up and run off to the ne+t seminar hoping for something easier. !hey have no root or depth. !here is no persistence, they want it easy and handed to them on a silver platter. !hey run when difficulties and trials come. -rowing a solid successful business is work. ,t can be fun but there will be times you have to press through the difficulties. 6otice what happens with the soil that bears good fruit versus the rocky soil with the plants that have no root. ,t/s the sun that dries up the plants in one soil causes growth in the healthy fruitful plants. !he sun represents trials, difficulties, and conflicts...but it/s the same sun. !he problem isn.t the trials the problem is how we respond to the trials.

?. !he third hearer is the distracted hearer. !hey come home from the seminar and begin to put a plan into practice but life happens and they get distracted. !he basic worries and cares of life can strangle their fruitfulness. !hey can become distracted by the fun and pleasures of life. !hey/re not focused. !o pursue riches as a means unto itself will cause you to eventually lose the very thing you.re pursuing and a lot more. *ou can be too busy being busy to be busy about the things of greatest importance. -et focused. Seek first the kingdom of -od and then let -od lead you into the proper focus for your business. <. $inally the focused hearer. !his person comes ready to receive and ready to act. !hey aren.t 0ust learners but they.re also doers. !hey are willing to pick up the load, persevere through the trials and choose the best. !hey/re focused and determined and they will see the fruits of their labor. !hey.re going to see increased profits, happy customers, and e+cited employees.
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The Power of #ision and I$agination

-od told Abraham, 1Look toward heaven and count the stars if your are able to number them. So shall your descendants be.2 -od was telling Abraham 1, want you to imagine what , have for you. !his is my promise to you. !his is my vision for you and your descendants.2 We were created by -od to be -oal oriented, to be motivated by having a purpose, to press towards a vision. Are you willing to let -od show you 3is vision for your business? -od has gifted all of us with imagination. ,magination is not 0ust for 1make believe2 it is a gift from -od to you. ,t.s the ability to see things as they could be and then press forward to see that come to pass. Bnfortunately we have too often taken this gift and used it wrongly. Worry is imagination put to the wrong purpose. Worry is imagining what could go wrong and focusing on that until it affects your emotions and actions. , encourage you to use your imagination for how -od intended it. We are told what to meditate on in the book of #hilippians chapter <. $irst comes the command, 1"e an+ious for nothing,2 -od is telling you don.t worry about it. And notice the all inclusive word 1nothing2. Worry is not an option. !hen we.re told to take these worries to -od in prayer with a thankful heart and 3e will give us a peace that is beyond comprehension. $inally we.re told what to focus on, to meditate on' 1$inally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are 0ust, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthyCmeditate on these things.2 !here is great power in these few words, in fact the simplicity of them can cause us to miss their importance. ,n this passage of Scripture there is a promise that if we put this all together, %that is, stop worrying, become prayerful, and think on the right things) we will have a peace from -od that surpasses all understanding and it will keep our hearts in rest and calm. -od does not want you an+ious or worried over your business. 6o matter what pressure you are under -od can give you a peace that transcends understanding. *ou will be ama:ed at your tran>uility. ,magination is a key to this transformation because you will be stopping the negative imagining and replacing it with the right imagining.

!ake some time, get >uiet and close your eyes. 6ow ask -od, 1What do you have for my business? What do you want to accomplish? Bse your -od directed imagination and cast a vision. "egin to imagine your business as a success. ,f you have a retail store picture lots of people coming into your store with e+cited, happy faces. See your employees with good attitudes helping your customers make purchases. As a salesperson, see yourself talking to your prospect without being nervous. ,magine yourself listening attentively, answering their >uestions, gaining there trust. #icture yourself asking for and closing the sale with everybody satisfied. Whatever your business is see yourself succeeding. 4oes this automatically guarantee your success? 68. "ut let me e+plain how it works. ,t has to do with how -od created us. ,t is a natural part of who we are not some mystical air headed idea. A lot of what we do is on the automatic level. 8nce you have learned to ride a bike you can hop on it and not think about what you are doing. A professional skier/s body, coming down the mountain, automatically responds to different situations without the skier giving it active thought. When you set a goal and use your imagination to see the end result in clear pictures, your mind, body, and senses begin to work toward that goal without thinking about it. What you would have walked past and not noticed before you now notice. !he ideas that can revolutioni:e your business you are now seeing whereas before you would have missed them. !his is what happens when you decide to buy a car. After doing some research you decide on a 3onda 8dyssey. !he ne+t time you head out about town a funny thing happens suddenly 8dysseys appear out of no where or so it seems. Actually what is happening is the thing we chose to give our attention to now is brought into focus for us. We notice the cars themselves, but we also overhear conversations about 8dysseys, we see articles about them, we hear advertisements about them. !he same thing happens when we focus on the goal or vision that -od has given us. !hings seem to appear out of nowhere that help us toward that goal. !he old proverb hits the mark on the head' AWhen the student is ready the teacher appears.A When your vision is made clear the people, circumstances, knowledge and even money appears to help you achieve that goal. -od told 3is people' AWrite the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it.A 3ab ='= We are ama:ing creations9 ,t.s -od/s doing and it.s to 3is glory that we can accomplish what we do.

*ou are headed toward some goal. ,s it a goal set by you and -od or is it a goal that you are unaware of that others have set for you? !ake the initiative and partner with -od to find the goal and vision for your life. What happens if you use your imagination to picture negative goals? What happens if you don.t think on what is true, pure, lovely, etc? *ou.ll press toward the negative goals that you are meditating on. -oals such as, D,t.ll never work.2 1, can never remember people/s names.2 1,.ve never been able to finish anything.2 1@y friends told me my business would fail.2 *our automatic refle+es will begin to help you accomplish these negative goals. *ou will sabotage your success because you are focusing on bad goals and actually achieving them. ,s this what you want? @ake up your mind today to use your imagination the right way. *ou.re going to use it one way or the other, why not use it to press towards a higher ideal? @ake sure you are seeking the Lord in setting your goals.. 7ames admonishes us A Come now, you who say, A!oday or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profitA5 Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. ...,nstead say, A,f the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.A A !ake time to pray and ask -od to help you catch 3is vision for your business, marriage, family, and personal life. Work with 3im and give 3im the glory, and then step out in faith and hope.

The %& Leadership 'ualities of (hristian Business )wners

#art & !he #ath to ffective Leadership A leader is not 0ust the boss, you can be a leader without having the position of leadership. A leader is someone who influences others to take action. !here can be situations where an employee has more influence than the owner or manager, he may not carry the title of leader, but he is the leader. Leadership is a skill that can be learned and developed. "eing an effective leader is important to business success. As a Christian business owner, you are a leader by default. *ou lead employees, you have influence with suppliers, and you guide clients. 7. 8swald Sanders lists these >ualities of a Christian leader' confident in -od, knows -od, seeks to find -od.s will, selfCeffacing %humble, not drawing attention to himself), finds and follows -od.s methods, delights to obey -od, motivated by love for -od and man, -odCdependent. As a Christian business owner you can and should integrate all those >ualities into your business leadership. !here is not a different standard for when we.re in the church and when we.re in the world. AA leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who can pull others after him.A 7ohn E. @ott &. #rayer A leader in the business realm needs to be a man or woman of prayer. "eing a leader in business is being a spiritual leader. When you.re out in the marketplace you.re in spiritual warfare. *ou are called to put on the weapons of our warfare and then to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. -od has not 0ust called you to be a business owner, 3e has called you to be a spiritual leader in the marketplace. veryday when you start your business work you are entering into a form of spiritual warfare. *ou don.t fight the battle sitting in the planning room. !here.s a time to plan and there.s a time to fight. #rayer is the weapon that we use in the planning room and out on the battle field. "y praying without ceasing, we are able to stay always aware that this business is -od.s and we are simply stewards. #rayer is my communication with the AC 8A and my listening to 3im. =. Service' We are to follow the e+ample of 7esus. 3e came to serve not be served5 3e came to give, not take. 3ow can you serve your employees? What can you do to serve your suppliers or manufacturing reps? 3ow can you best serve your customers and clients? #aul tells us to not look out only for our own interests but also for the interests of others. ,n this way, we are a blessing where ever we find ourselves.

?. Strategic Fision' A leader can see clearly the end result and knows how to map out the path to reach that result. A leader is able to see what it looks like before it.s there. !hey can see the future clearer than others and can spot opportunities and see possibilities where others see a mess. A leader is then able to communicate that vision to others. !hey have learned the importance of everybody being able to articulate the vision, from the 0anitor to the president. A clear vision inspires others to make sacrifices, it brings unity and peace, it is the e+tra push in hard times that gives people the ability to overcome obstacles. <.!rustworthy' A leader must have integrity. !hey must be a person who keeps their word. !he #salmist says that a righteous man swears to his own hurt and will not relent. When we say we.re going to do something, then we need to follow through even if it costs us more than we thought at first. When we demonstrate that we.re willing to sacrifice for others, they will be willing to sacrifice for us. Simple things, like showing up on time, build trust. "e a man or woman of your word, be slow to promise but when you do, stick to it. G. Able to trust others' !his means that you give others responsibility and leave them alone to accomplish their task. ,t also means that you give them freedom to fail, freedom to e+plore and e+periment. 7esus allowed room for his disciples to fail. When you over manage people you are strangling them. !hey feel choked, their creativity is hindered because you have cut off their o+ygen. Let them be free and do not use anger to motivate. Anger is a short term motivating tool that has long term negative effects.

Part & Leadership 'ualities of (hristian Business )wners

Leadership >ualities H. $ocused' Learning how to center your attention on the desired ob0ect is key to being effective. 7umping from one thing to another is a great waste of time and it discourages those who are trying to follow you. "efore long they develop a look and see attitude. !hey.ll wait to see if your going to last longer than ? weeks on this pro0ect before they consider getting enthused about it. (. "alanced %Spiritual, emotional, mental, physical) *ou must know how to work and he knows how to play. 7esus said that we are to love -od with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. !he heart is our emotions and relationships. 8ur soul is all about taking care of the spiritual part of out life. !he mind is our ability to keep learning and growing. And our strength is taking care of our physical body with good e+ercise and good food.

"alance does not mean e>ual time in every area, it means being in tune to what needs attention before it becomes a problem. A balanced person moves smoothly in all areas of their life being able to sense what needs attention at the right time. I. ,nnovative' Able to think of and implement new ideas. J. Always improving never stops learning ALeadership is developed daily, not in a day.A 7ohn @a+well When you cease to learn you cease to be a leader. !he reward you receive for ongoing learning is well worth the price you pay. 4on.t 0ust learn from books and tapes, learn from your own mistakes, learn from your employees, learn from your competitors and learn from your family. A good learner has the ability to pick the good out of something and pass over the bad. A good learner is not critical and cynical, !hey.re not naive but they have learned that a sour critical attitude hinders learning truth that is hidden in the strangest places. &;. #ersistent' "ig dreams can.t be accomplished in one day. *ou need to know how to put their head down and keep plodding even when it rains on your parade. Eise above your feelings and keep moving in the midst of pain. &&. Able to build relationships' #eople follow people they don.t follow goals, dreams, or visions. *ou must be able to communicate you goals to others so they can also see clearly the end result. *ou must have an ability to persuade people to 0ump on board and commit their resources of time, money and creativity to the vision you.ve cast. !he foundation of building relationships is communication. !he foundation of communication is not talking but listening. 4on.t assume to understand the heart of those you lead,listen and ask >uestions so you can touch their hearts. #eople trust people who understand and who can empathi:e not 0ust sympathi:e. &=. 3onesty' 4o you honestly face your own weaknesses? Are you willing to accept responsibility for mistakes? When asked hard >uestions, you need to be willing to honestly answer. !he ability to ask probing >uestions, to be asked probing >uestions, and to honestly face the answers to those >uestions, even if it steps on your pet pro0ects, is a key to effective leadership. 3onesty means not e+aggerating or over hyping a situation. *ou need to have the reputation that no matter what, people know you always speak the truth.