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There's the way the world does business, and there's God's way. How do you grow a successful, profitable, meaningful God-first business? You have to learn what the Bible says about your entrepreneurial journey and apply it to every business situation. This devotional guides high-achieving Christian entrepreneurs who want an efficient formula for drawing closer to God, improving their Bible reading habits, AND grow their businesses God's way. Plan Devotional Here TAKE PLAN HERE #BusinessBibleStudy

There are tons of ways for us to draw closer to God, these are personal to me. 

and an enduring faith are essential to a successful business career and we are much more likely to develop

Distractions can prevent us from fully reaching our goals if we let them. The problem with us visionary entrepreneurs is that we struggle to identify which opportunities are distractions because we confuse them with the drive behind which we hope to succeed. What I’ve found is the best defense is a good offense. For us entrepreneurs to be distracted less, we have to do some prep work in our mind and heart. And God is faithful. Although the temptation to be distracted is all around us, we will never be tempted beyond what we can endure! Our success and help will come from God. The bible says: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it". (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV) There’s hope for you because God strengthens us and gives us ways out. Here are five ways out I’ve used to help me focus on my calling and listen to the Spirit guiding me step by step. You’re Not Alone First, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. I used to think I was the only one with Shiney object syndrome. It turns out; this is a gift! Being able to spot out opportunities is a gift! But being able to put the idea in the right place is where wisdom comes in. But all of us visionary entrepreneurs experience this and are thus called to be wiser and manage our ideas carefully in the spectrum of time. Our struggles of distraction are normal. It doesn’t mean we are given the green like to execute on them always, only that we are not alone in this struggle. Self-Effort is Impossible You won’t be able to overcome distraction on your own. Instead, we Godpreneurs partner with God in our businesses. The means and the power for overcoming distractions come from God. And in His infinite wisdom, God gave us Jesus as an example of how to be focused on your calling. And God gave us the holy spirit to nudge us in the right direction. We’re not alone, and we don’t have to do this on our own! God’s Power Will Sustain Us As entrepreneurs, we experience so many twists and turns in our business that when a different opportunity presents itself, we’re so weak that we’re tempted to get off of our calling and seek the instant gratification of the following money or avoiding the struggles. As strong as the temptation to be distracted may feel, it pales in comparison to the power of God. Staying in your calling is like putting on a shield of armor because He will not allow you to be tempted or tested beyond what you can endure. We might think it’s time to close up shop on our dreams, but that’s not the fact. Fall More in Love with Your Calling Distractions will be all around you. You won’t avoid them. And we should not pray for God to remove the distractions. That’s not what God promised. God promises that He would provide an escape route. This means that the distractions will be there, but the escape route needs to be the focus. An amazing escape route I’ve set up is to set up my strategic priorities and review them each day. All of my priorities are focused around my calling – to help people discover what they were born to do. So as long as I’m clear on my calling and I continue to refine those skills, I’m providing myself with a wider escape route as time goes on because I’m more committed to my calling. Pray for God to give you wisdom about your purpose and strength to stay in the calling. With these five tips, we can experience a total focus on our calling before the distractions threaten to take us off our path. #FindMyCalling #BusinessBibleStudy

When I first started my agency, my personal plans were along the lines of building a big agency and making

Today is small business Saturday (the day after black Friday in case you didn’t know). And although there is a great positive message behind this day, I can’t help but think that this time of the year will leave many business owners feeling overwhelmed. For me, I’m thinking about marketing plans, product releases, the new year, systems and processes, and so many things at once. Being an entrepreneur is a gift and a curse. The gift is that the ideas come to us so easily and we we’re so excited to make them happen. The curse is that the ideas can sometimes lead us to be overwhelmed. I’ve got pages of Google Docs and countless Evernotes and elaborate Trello boards just full of great ideas. Where do I start? Which one do I do first? Then what’s next? We, entrepreneurs, often feel overwhelmed. But there’s a solution. In the book of Psalms 61:2, King David provides insight for us. He says “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” How often do we cry out for more security (financially) and more strength to deal with the problems of being an entrepreneur. This is when VISION is important. There will be times we will have to be led to a rock higher than ourselves so we can get VISION beyond our present struggles to the future God has in store for us. Sometimes we have to be lifted up to see life from God’s eternal perspective. In this passage, David recognizes the higher “rock” as a place of safety and power and he knows only God can lead him there. Owning a business can sometimes make you feel faint-hearted, but God wants you to use those times to pray to Him for security and strength. James 1:5 says that those who ask will be given wisdom. Wisdom is one way God lifts us visionaries up to the higher rock. Remember, you are never confined to your present situation. Trust God to lift you and your business to a higher place and give you His eternal perspective….your God breathed vision. #EnhanceFocus

I’m not sure if I told you, but I stink at managing people. Its something that doesn’t come as natural as marketing does. I have to constantly work at it because as an entrepreneur, you’ll always be in situations of managing people. And with management, inevitably you have to discipline people. Someone is going to screw up. I’m not sure if I’ve met someone that loves to discipline people, so I’m sure it’s a touchy subject. I know some are better than others at it. Can we admit that sometimes we’ve blown up and handled a disciplining moment horribly wrong. How would God want you to discipline employees? Well, the same way He disciplines me and you. PROVERBS 3:11-12 says “My son, do not despise the Lord ’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” These verses show entrepreneurs what their attitude should be as they discipline their employees. Notice that God loves and delights in his children even as He corrects them. His discipline is not intended as harsh punishment, but as a loving act to encourage growth and maturity. And don’t we want our employees to grow? But sometimes, however, we react in ways that are designed to meet OUR needs instead of recognizing the bigger purpose of our discipline in growing our businesses. We can avoid being reactive if we come up with a game plan in advance. 1) When you are calm, think of appropriate consequences for the ways your employees are likely to disobey or mess up. 2) Recognize your weak areas (a tendency to rescue, lecture, or yell) and think of alternative ways you could respond. I have a tendency to NOT discipline at all because I don’t like confrontation. Instead I do the job myself and avoid the gut wrenching conversations. A discipline that is delivered calmly, consistently, and empathetically will be less likely to receive a rebellious response. Discipline helps employees grow when it is delivered with empathy and love. #BecomeDisciplined

When we’re worried we do the weirdest things. We bite our nails, twist our fingers like doubled jointed contortionists, shake our legs uncontrollably, and have total mental blocks and breakdowns. We’re overcome with doubt. Our peace has been robbed from us. We face many challenges in entrepreneurship and are sometimes overcome with fear and doubt. In these times, we have a choice to indulge those fears or to meditate on the promises of God. The enemy will use worry and fear and doubt to rob you of your God given peace. At times I couldn’t pay the rent on my office space. Fear would overcome and I considered closing up shop and working from home. But then I remembered God’s promise to me: ‘I will use your space to bring people to know me.’ So here is the key: you have to have some promises of God under your belt ready to bust out when fear and worry come…because they will come, especially as business owners. It is an act of obedience to reject the lies of fear and worry and to concentrate on God’s love and sovereignty and his desires for your business to succeed and grow. We do not know the plans God has for our lives or the lives of our employees. Our finite minds may have trouble understanding His eternal purposes for our businesses. Our peace, however, comes in knowing that He is a God who is loving, wise, and in control.  He’s your boss, and this verse calls us to concentrate on the attributes of God: Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things." So you don’t know how to meditate? Did you know that worry is meditation. Its meditation, but in the wrong direction. Shift your thoughts to things of Philippians 4:8 and you’ll be meditating in the right direction. Godpreneur Rule #48: Godpreneurs don’t focus on their fears, they choose to meditate on the goodness of God. #StrengthenIntegrity #FindMyCalling

NewEntrepreneurs The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop

I’ve taken a lot of risks in my entrepreneurial life. Risks with new ventures, new partnerships, marketing campaigns, and new service offerings. Some have been a hit, some have fallen flat. I’ve failed so many times in business. It’s probably because I take so many chances, risking it all at times. I’ve succeeded too. But there’s something special about the failures that I take for granted. Even though it sucks to fail, I always appreciate the lesson that comes with it. Whenever us entrepreneurs step out in faith, we take a risk. Whenever we dare to hope in the face of hopelessness or dream the impossible dream, whenever we are willing to try what the world might dismiss as foolish, we are not doing any of these things in absolute assurance that our attempts will succeed. We weren’t meant to succeed at everything. Part of the entrepreneur finding what he’s born to do means being willing to take a road even though it might be the wrong one. We take the risks because being idle is not an option. We take a risk because we know God is in control. It’s easy for me to say this, but it’s harder in practice. We’ve taken so many risks and failed in big and small ways that taking each new risk because more difficult, especially the more that´s at stake. I believe it’s this fear of failure that is the biggest contributor to what cripples us from taking the action needed to fully live within our calling. But if we’re not willing to take risks, and have faith in God and what His perfect plan is, then are we as faithful as we think we are? Playing it safe will land you nowhere…because you go nowhere.  You’ve parked at the fork in the road, set up your camper, and you’re not moving. Can I encourage you that God is asking you to trust him to take the risk!. The Bible has a great story about taking risks. It’s the story of the talents. The wealthy business owner leaves his employees with money and tells them to invest it and he’ll be back to collect on the profits. Each dude invests, but one guy parks his car at the fork in the road and does nothing, waiting for the master to return because he was afraid of losing it and the consequences that would come. As you know, the owner comes back and is furious with the non-risk taker, but to the other two “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ Matthew 25:23 NLT You might be like the first guys that take risks. WELL DONE! That’s what Jesus is thinking about you.  You dreamed, you took a chance, you brought a vision to life.  You took the stepped out to create something as it might be, not as things currently are. You stepped out in faith, even in the face of resistance.  You dared to take the next step, willing to lose it all. When we fail pursuing our calling, it’s not actually failure at all. God sees faith as a sweet melody. It means you’re trusting in his purpose for your life. He never guaranteed an easy life.  His only guarantee was, "draw near to me and I will draw near to you"(James 4:8). Godpreneur Rule #64: Godpreneurs see failure as faith, risk as obedience, and success as responding to the calling. #WorkLifeBalance #BecomeDisciplined #SharpenLeadership

world in the best way possible so that people will know exactly who you are and you can do your duty to develop

I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2010. Beyond the physical pain, I’ve also grown in my mindset through the workouts. Lessons like discipline, competition, finishing strong, pacing, focusing, dieting, and more! One skill that I’ve seen serve me well time and time again is RESTING while in the middle of a workout. I’m not talking about a long rest, so the clock expires. I’m talking about short rest to regroup, reset, take a breather, get back up, and hit it hard again. If I go, go, go, then I’m going to burn out and not be able to finish. But when I rest for a moment and take in a deep breath, I can see clearly and attack the workout once again. In our businesses, especially while we’re launching our new idea, we could start out enthusiastically with a lot of fire and energy. The momentum begins to build as excitement for calling being released to the world builds. But if we’re not careful to rest, fatigue could get creep into the mind, and we stop seeing straight. We begin to make the wrong decisions because we don’t have enough oxygen (holy spirit) running through our bodies. We start to tap into our own strength (never a good idea) instead of staying hooking on God’s GPS. The enemy of “business” can disguise himself as productivity, and before you know it, we’ve exhausted ourselves, our vendors, and our team. But God’s word should give us hope that rest is actually something we need to discipline ourselves to do. In Psalms, King David writes: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name". (Psalms 23:1‭-‬3 NLT) When you’re a sheepherder, you purposefully stop your flock and go by one by one and make sure they sit down. Some go down without a fight, others are stubborn and still, want to run around. They eventually rest because of the good shepherd that cares for their long-term health and knows there’s a long journey ahead. You need to take a day of the week (Sundays?) and close up shop. Physically and mentally, we need to sit down and rest. I love Chick-fil-A because that’s the exact reason they close on Sundays. For 6 days they place is a madhouse. On the 7th day, they all rest. The Bible says: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord , will keep me safe". (Psalms 4:8 NLT) Maybe you’ve never experienced true “rest.” Maybe you’re reading this and thinking “are you kidding me, I can’t turn my brain off.” Trust me, I go through it too. Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT). You need more rest, but don’t focus on that, focus on the reality that you need more Jesus. God wants us Godpreneurs to rest. When we rest, it allows us to replenish our physical, mental, and emotional strength that keeps us fighting the battle of bringing our callings in business to life. Just as a good mother cares for their kids and makes them take a nap, God cares for us business owners. He knows the journey that lies ahead for us and the holy spirit with nudging us when it’s time to rest for a moment. Taking a rest break from “launch mode” doesn’t mean we are losing ground; it just means we are getting prepared for the journey ahead into greater things for our businesses. #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus

I’ve had a period of time where I was Sued for thousands of dollars by a client who was being sued by someone else for copyright infringement, claiming it was my company’s fault Late for 2 months on rent at both home and the business Behind on paying money to a handful of vendors and contractors Scrambling for business because no new leads were coming in Trashed by my biggest client ever, told that I was never going to get a referral from them Accused by my son of not approving him, and by his mother as selfish Condemned by my wife as not being a good father and a terrible example of a Christian husband This was all literally happening all at the same time, stacked one on top of the other. Enough to make you think twice about life, right? Not me. Why? Because since 2014 I committed myself to the thought that nothing lasts forever, everything is a test, and I need to have a faith that transcends beyond what’s humanly imaginable. I didn’t ignore any of the charges brought against me or bills that were piling up.  I made good on everything, putting everyone in line for payment. I took my son and wife’s criticism as opportunities to reflect upon my life and how I can be more like Christ, even though they were wrong. As entrepreneurs, especially as Godpreneurs, we’re going to face extremely difficult and lonely times. We’re going to feel the entire weight of the world come down on us, especially the closer you draw to God. What do we do when we just feel like giving up? Where do we go when we feel like…dying. Can I share some GREAT NEWS?! Death has already happened, and it was overcome. God doesn’t leave His children abandoned, He’s preparing a glorious day.  The world and everything around you can seem out of control, but God is in complete control. In Acts 24 we meet Paul in a similar situation to the one I was in. He’s being accused of things that aren’t true, he’s in and out of jail for years, he’s alone. Paul hasn’t really had the stellar life he probably deserved as being such a man of God. You’d think he would be royalty or something. The man was always having to raise money, escape from mobs, sleep in random houses, and pretty much live like a vagabond. Yet here in Acts 24 he is, offering up his sacrifice of praise and acknowledging God’s providence and grace, just like the author of Hebrews writes in 13:15. I’m not sure I would start my speech with this opening line: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense,” (Acts 24:10) but Paul pulls it off. He knows God is in charge. He trusts that all will be for good, that Jeremiah 29:11-14 still applies— that God has a plan for him and that nothing can separate him from the love of Christ. What about you? What about me? I often think God abandons me and my business or is distant and uncaring. But I’m likely to do so under far tamer circumstances than those Paul endured—my bullet points above are nowhere near what Paul endured. I don’t like going through hard things like the next guy. So, of course, when I do, I feel like God has abandoned me or I’m doing something wrong. For this, I have to admit my weaknesses and lack of faith, and rely on Christ and His riches, His love, and His care for me. Paul displays this, even standing before high priests and governors. Yes, it’s courage. But more than that, it’s Christ. He is our Advocate, our Great High Priest, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He’s our Redeemer, so I can stand with confidence and tell my story—His story. Godpreneur Rule #63: Godpreneurs know that God is still in charge, we trust Him, and He has good plans for us. #StrengthenIntegrity #GainConfidence #SharpenLeadership

Like tithing and saving, personal development through education is an essential component of solid financial The Bible shows us that it’s wiser to invest in our personal growth. SharpenLeadership The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop

relate to and connect with until I found out other Christian entrepreneurs were going through the same personal I wanted to be a positive place of God-Centered business development. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs are obedient in all areas so our business and personal life can flourish