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

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

Growing up I had leadership, strengths in sales, marketing and entrepreneurship.  My grandmother sold flowers in the local plaza in Puerto Rico and I would see her wheeling and dealing. I remember being 8 years old at her house one summer and finding a litter of puppies in an abandoned house down the street.  My cousin and I took action and spray painted a board “PUPPIES FOR SALE $5”.  We setup on the busy street, brought the puppies out on display, and opened up our first business. This trend continued for me throughout elementary, middle, high school and college.  I was always selling something, leading something, and or starting something. But when I started going back to church in 2008 and gave my life to Christ, the spirit came in me and stirred up an entirely new gift.  A SPECIFIC gift. You’re reading this, so you’re probably an entrepreneur and can relate to my story above. We entrepreneur tend to be good at several things, but not great at any ONE THING.  We run all aspects of our business.  We do the sales, marketing AND leadership. But if we could admit it… We’re really not great at any of them.  Good, yes.  Masters, no. Why?  Because God is looking to work one main gifting in you. See, the reason it’s hard for Entrepreneurs to identify their ONE GIFT to stick to is that we think we need to be a little of everything for the business to succeed.  Sure, we need to KNOW a little of everything, but it doesn’t mean we do a little of everything. The Bible says this: "Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." 1 Corinthians 12:14‭-‬18 NIV Isn’t it true that some of us are ears, trying to be noses. Haven’t you met some people that are eyes, trying to be feet.  You can see it (no pun intended), buy they have no clue. God has designed each and every one of us to a very specific role in our business lives. It wasn’t until I was deeper into my relationship with God that the spirit moved me to be specifically involved in helping people find their purpose, their identity, their calling. God specifically wanted me to do that, and anything else in my business needed to be delegated. If you are wrestling with identifying and naming your gifts in business, please know God is not holding out on you. We each have unique talents that God wants to unleash through our ventures. And when God revealed it to me, I didn’t respond immediately.  In fact, I’m STILL honing that craft and looking to shed other tasks while I navigate Entrepreneurship. But I didn’t know this fully until I had started my relationship with God again and he revealed it through a bible study I did at church. God wants to reveal to you your SPECIFIC gifting, the ONE THING that He created you for. Maybe you’re frustrated like I was with too many things, and you just wish you could do one thing so well and have that pay all your bills.  That’s totally OK because God designed it that way and if you truly desire that, God will reveal it to you. Imagine if we all were living out our gifts the way God designed it for each of us. Imagine the picture of a perfect body working in union. That’s when great partnerships can form, joint ventures can thrive, and God’s full glory of gifting can be revealed. Here are some questions that I use to help others find their giftings: What did your parents or friends tell you that you were good at growing up? What do you imagine God could do through you if you really knew and used your gifts? #FindMyCalling #WheretoStartFirst

He is with YOU just as much as he is with the person that he does the miracle for. I did a Business bible study called 7 Steps to Launching Your Christian Personal Brand. Check it out: 7 Steps to Launching Your Christian Personal Brand This business Bible study will help you launch a God-first personal brand that will help you strategically, financially, and personally. Developing your personal brand starts with launching something new and completely different from what

wait on God in your business and marriage, you will have a sense of peace and renewed strength both personally The same old person that got married and started a business can’t keep trying the same old things.

I recently read the book Living Forward by Michael Hyatt, and a certain part stuck out at me. An exercise in the book had me write down all the groups of people coming to my funeral. Then, I had to write down what each of those groups would say in my eulogy. Some of the groups I wrote down were family, friends, church, employees, contractors, clients, and partners. The common thread I wanted them all to say was that I cared deeply about everyone’s purpose in life and that I loved God and made him the center of it all, and Jesus was someone I strived to be like. As entrepreneurs, we all want people to say great things about us. Not just when we pass away, but also today. You might be someone people like. Awesome! I bet what I’m about to write; you will totally resonate with. You might be struggling because people don’t like you, you’ve made enemies along the way, clients think you’re a jerk, you’ve burned some bridges…you’re a mess. Will you believe me if I tell you that you need to make ONE adjustment, and everything will turn around? So how do we become the kind of entrepreneurs where people say amazing things at our eulogy? There’s an awesome verse in the Bible that speaks about the end of David’s life. “Now when David had served Godʼs purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;" Acts 13:36 NIV King David did some messy things in his life, but no one could argue two things: God had a unique purpose for David. David chose to follow that purpose. King David changed the world. We still talk about him today, even with the ugly past he had. I don’t know about you, but I have made some past mistakes I sure wish I could undo. But instead of focusing on that, I focus instead on knowing that God has a big purpose, and I must choose to use my energy towards accomplishing it. Whether you have realized it or not, God has already created the plan for your life. You’re either living in your zone of genius or inauthentically creating your own plans. You’re either excited to be a washer machine, or you’re a washer machine trying to be a refrigerator. For those of you entrepreneurs that struggle to find your niche, could it be that you haven’t fully done what we saw exemplified in David – surrender to God’s will for your business life? When I totally have the CEO position to God, and I took on a managerial role in my company, I began to frame my mind to this notion that God has an amazing purpose for me and my business. I had to go to him daily for those instructions. The great news is that your eulogy still hasn’t been said yet! The same choice that David had, you and I have today: choosing to be under God’s will. Michael Hyatt’s exercise of writing my eulogy confirmed my desire to go after God’s heart and serve my purpose here. I am calling you Godpreneurs to the same. If we as a generation full of business leaders serve the purposes of God in our marketplaces, we could see our un-wasted lives move together and change eternity with our services and products. I wish I could say that everything will be easy going from the moment you make this decision…but it won’t. The business world is one disappointing lesson after the other, but it’s our pursuit of purpose that helps us pile through the necessary heartaches to get to the place where others can say he/she ran a business of purpose. Imagine if we all knew and understood God’s vision and purpose for our lives. It wouldn’t be a dream anymore; it would be a reality that we live day in and day out in our businesses. As we set out to rewrite our eulogies, I want to invite you on a journey of discovering what you were born to do and bringing that vision to life. But first, tell me: what’s holding you back from living out the business dreams God put on your heart? How would your business be different if you surrendered the CEO position to God? Godpreneur Rules Godpreneurs seek after God’s own heart in their businesses. Godpreneurs know they were born to do something and choose to do that. Godpreneurs resist anything that’s holding us back from living God’s dream for our businesses. When we die, Godpreneurs want people to say that we served God’s purpose in our business. #EnhanceFocus #BusinessBibleStudy

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Gaining wisdom is at the top of my to do list on a daily basis.  Having insight and understanding is the most important role I have as a Godpreneur.  It’s this knowledge that provides me the intuition to innovate and constantly be seeking a better way to serve my clients. Where does my wisdom come from?  Experience is one place.  Remembering what I went through can guide me to where I’m going. But the most important wisdom I get is from God himself.  I sit down each morning with my bible and seek out his wisdom on how I should run my business (and my life of course). As a Godpreneur, I’m learning to not overcomplicate my life.  I’ve had to un-complicate things because so many distractions threaten to take me off my focus on the fundamentals of the owning a business. And because my business is involved in Kingdom guided work, I strive to do things right and start with the fundamentals. How do I put God first so that everything falls into place? It starts with humbling myself and admitting that God is the CEO and you are the President. He calls the plays and I execute them—sometimes over and over again, always learning more about God and myself. And you keep at it, always reminding myself that the CEO of heaven and earth has a perspective of my business that I’ll never have. I have 3 priorities in life God Family Business In that order, I’m able to keep my priorities straight and it makes me truly successful at what I do. The bible says These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. Proverbs 1:1‭-‬9 NLT Business is not a game of chance for me; it is serious kingdom work and the stakes are eternally high. I must start with the fundamentals. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs start with the fundamentals and stick with them. #EnhanceFocus

They’ve got employees, their cash flow is great, and they are secure in their personal finances. Envelope me with grace in the presence of my enemies, knowing that You see me and defend me and my business

God has had to teach me that he does not hold me personally accountable for all the ups and downs in

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

Things were going on personally and entrepreneurially that had me in a real funk.

A big way the enemy prevents me from moving forward in my calling is this feeling of not having enough money to go into the next phase of where I want to go. It chokes my ideas and stifles my progress. If I’m not careful, I can allow this chokehold to strangle me and my calling, and I choose to put it aside and continue with my current comfortable situation. But I’ve learned a great secret that’s helped me break through the feelings of being broke and be in my calling, even when I don’t know where the money will come from! The best way to generate leads and interest in my company is to offer something for free! Yes, the secret to overcoming the feeling of being broke is to SERVE your target market with your gifts – with your calling! I have my Daily Godpreneur blog, lots of free checklists and resources, and tons of video training on my YouTube… All for FREE! And all of these free resources are what build up the trust for people to buy from me. We all can do free things – serving our target market with free content, free samples, and free experiences – and this open act of service will be the driving force behind your success because it’s been God’s plan all along. Jesus shows us in the Bible the perfect example, When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:12‭-‬17 NIV) When you go from entrepreneurship to GODpreneurship, Jesus changes your purpose from selfishness to selflessness. You should have an eagerness to serve and do good. Essentially, you become confident in your entrepreneurial calling and privilege to serve your clients and industry as Jesus showed how to serve. When you’re feeling broke, and it’s holding you back from moving forward, that’s the point when you need to step boldly into God’s calling for your business knowing that your selfless service to your target market will reveal His goodness and glory. How can we serve freely when the thoughts of lack of money overpower our thinking to the point where we can’t even muster up the strength to serve others? Here are two strategies I use. Always remember to depend on the Holy Spirit to empower you in whatever business God has assigned to you. Whether it’s to run a coffee shop, car wash, design brands, or to do network marketing, do it all by relying on the strength of God to display His greatness. If you are given opportunities to speak for free to groups of people or to put out free content, acknowledge that your products and services are His vessels to articulate words of truth and life from the Holy Spirit into the marketplace. The bible says: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9‭-‬10 NIV) Ultimately, when we serve our target market freely, we have a choice: We can choose to serve in our strength, or we can set aside our self-reliance on money and ask the Holy Spirit for help. When we Godpreneurs rely on Jesus in us, authentic light will shine from our good deeds. Our acts of service will be a stronger reward than the feeling of being broke, and in God’s contrarian nature, the blessings over our business will follow. I pray that God continually transforms your heart and mind to serve and think like Jesus. I pray you to keep your eyes and ears alert to the ways God wants you to serve your sheep and that it all may lead them to see God more. #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus The 7 Calling Killers Overcome the Enemy's Plan to Steal, Kill and Destroy the Entrepreneurial Calling Over Your Life. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

Sometimes in entrepreneurship, there are times of loss, confusion, stress, anxiety, and overall sadness. It could be something totally out of our control or something we caused. These feelings leave us in a state of depression. We just want to crawl into a hole and hope that it all goes away on its own. However, there is a way for us to, almost immediately, turn the negative feelings of depression into positive feelings of hope and opportunity! Let me illustrate an example. When I’m feeling down and depressed, if I grab my son and hold him in my arms, the feeling of sadness is immediately gone and I’m overtaken with joy and love. How come one moment I was depressed, and the next moment I was full of joy? Because of the presence of my son. In the same way, we entrepreneurs need to have a way for us to bring in a new opportunity into our lives in order to forget about the depression and flood our mind and body with feelings of faith, hope, and opportunity. How do we overcome the sleepless nights when we don’t know where the next check will come from? How do we stop being overwhelmed by the negative and hateful anger that bombards our hearts during these troubling times? These feelings can leave us stuck in this pattern or hurt for a long time if it’s not dealt with. All of us Christian entrepreneurs have been in the place of asking ourselves, “Is this the right business for me, why does this keep happening to me, am I ever going to get out of debt, will I never find an investor, am I never going to be happy in a business, I hate business, I just want to give up, entrepreneurship is hopeless.” And, of course, the #1 question Christian entrepreneurs ask: “God, why are you doing this to me?!” Ironically, that’s the BEST question to ask!! This means you’ve instinctually done exactly what God wants you to do: come to Him. The Bible says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 MSG) God has the way out. Prayer and yearning for Him is the first step out of tiresome and worrisome depression. You might be suffering in your business right now. God wants to lead you out into His opportunities for you. When you ask God, and continually reach out for Him, you draw closer to the only true solution to your business problems. What if depression was an invitation from God, reminding you that you’re not stuck in this hopeless situation alone and that He wants to be let into the solution. What if God was inviting you on an amazing NEW journey of discovery and opportunity for your entrepreneurial career? The psalmist says “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalms 16:11 NIV). This means that coming to God and asking him “WHY” is the beginning of the solution: surrounding yourself with the presence of God in order to uncover the business that He really wants you to be in. Asking the ‘WHY ME’ question, to God is the beginning of prayer. And since we’re in prayer mode, we might as well have a strategy for prayer. PRESENCE: The presence of God in our business will always be greater than our greatest ideas, clients, services, and any other entrepreneurial accomplishment that comes to mind. Our joy – starts and ends in God’s presence. REST: Tired? Full of anxiety? Praying gives us a moment of rest. ATTENTION: Praying puts us in a position to pay attention to God and listen for the solution. Stop giving the depression our attention, and let’s give God our full, undivided attention. YEARN: The prayer of an entrepreneur is a sign of our love and need for God in our business. Praying is speaking to God, and speaking to Him is showing Him, love. This is the business relationship He’s been desiring all along with us. The antidote to depression in entrepreneurship is found in the presence of God. That’s where we’ll experience joy because He’ll give us purpose, meaning, and a calling in business! He’s not going to immediately make the debt go away. He’s likely not going to make you an overnight millionaire. He probably won’t fix all your business problems from one day to the next. He’s not going to just magically drop an unexpected check in your mailbox. However, He can fill us all with immediate joy and hope that His presence is all we need, and we just need to start walking in the path that He uniquely created us to follow in entrepreneurship. Imagine if all of us depressed entrepreneurs around the world (everyone has been here at one point or another) would seek out the indescribable and incomparable presence of God in order to begin our journey to new opportunities? #BusinessBibleStudy #GainConfidence Overcoming Depression in Entrepreneurship Join us on a 5-Day Plan to shift your mindset to the MORE God has for you. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account