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This post is the 3rd in a series of posts where I've been studying the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey from a Christian entrepreneur’s perspective, and I'm summarizing and Biblically backing up each of the seven habits. Scroll to the end of this article for links to the entire series. In his classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, writer and businessman Stephen Covey laid out seven habits he believed led to a flourishing life. I’ve been re-reading the book as a Christian entrepreneur and it inspires me. All of the principles can be found in the Bible! I’ve been studying the book from a Christian entrepreneur’s perspective, so I’ve decided to do a series (see entire series here), summarizing and Biblically backing up each of the seven habits. We start today with the first habit Covey delves into in the book, which lays the foundation for all the others: Be Proactive. Proactive vs. Reactive Entrepreneurs “Being proactive” is the first habit of the best-seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. So what does the Bible have to say about being proactive, and how does this apply to our journey as Christian entrepreneurs? I once had a business partner "borrow" $150,000 from our shared company bank account. The only problem was that he wasn't able to repay me. Instead, he went on a shopping spree to buy luxury items and investments. It was incredibly irresponsible of him. I was left with $150,000 in credit card debt. It ruined my credit. The worst part is that he refused to take ownership of his mismanagement. I felt betrayed, alone, and overwhelmed with shame. As a Christian business owner, how was I supposed to react to this situation I was in? I had written blogs and created devotionals on how to forgive bad business partners, and now I found myself faced with the ultimate business betrayal. Was I going to react the way the world would, or was I going to respond the way Jesus would? Approximately 2 years after the incident, I received a call from my former business partner profusely apologizing. He said "Alex, the way you were able to stomach that debt and still continue to love me through it has inspired me and I will never forget it. I'm going to start repaying you $5,000 per month until the debt is paid off." This has been my greatest business testimonial since becoming a God-first business owner in 2008. No single event on my Godpreneurial journey has shown more evidence of my growth as a Christ-centered leader than this one. Instead of reacting to the atrocities that I had experienced by this terrible business partner, I chose to be proactive and LOVE him through it all. I kept on consulting him on his next business ventures. I kept on believing in him. I kept helping him try to launch a new business (on his own, of course). Eventually, he had success with another business venture and was able to start repaying me. As Christian entrepreneurs, what should distinguish us from worldly business owners is one crucial difference - non-spiritual entrepreneurs are slaves to external stimuli, and can only react to these stimuli in the preprogrammed way that is in their nature. We Godpreneurs, in contrast, are called to reflect on a stimulus before responding to it, and we are commanded to reprogram ourselves to respond in a specific, desirable way…God's way…the way Jesus would. Steven Covey, The author of the best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, identifies "being proactive" as the FIRST of the seven habits. Although all seven habits are important, it's no surprise that this one has to be addressed first. It's almost as if every living moment is affected by our heart's ability to either react to a situation or proactively respond. The author explains that a proactive person acts in advance to deal with an expected difficulty. A proactive choice is based on values and principles. But a reactive person makes choices primarily based upon desires, feelings, circumstances, conditions, and their environment. As Christian entrepreneurs, God wants is to make proactive choices according to our feelings as long as the choice is compatible with Biblical values; but when we reactively make decisions on our own, based only on feelings, we often sacrifice our Christian values because of our feelings. So what does the Bible say about Mr. Covey's first habit of proactivity? GODPRENEURS MUST PREPARE - BE PROACTIVE Although the word proactive doesn't appear in the Bible, Kingdom business owners are commanded to be prepared, which requires proactive behavior. Peter says, "prepare your minds for action. . . ." (1 Peter 1:13). As a leader in the marketplace, you must prepare your mind to act the way God commands in a given situation. Therefore, you must be proactive - you must act in advance, to deal with whatever situation we find ourselves in. GODPRENEURS MUST BE READY - BE PROACTIVE Prepared Kingdom-driven leaders are ready to act. Therefore, they are proactive. Jesus tells us we must be ready for His return. He says, "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect" (Luke 13:40). Paul tells us to be ready for every good deed. He says, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed" (Titus 3:1). And Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks about our hope. He says, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. . . ." (1 Peter 3:15). Christian entrepreneurs must be proactive to be prepared, and be ready for all things that come our way in business. HOW DO YOU NEED TO PROACTIVELY CHANGE? When my business partner left me with $150,000 of debt, I decided to do the right thing, even if it cost me my pride and ego. Maybe you were wronged in some way by a client or employee? Your attitude is to do the right thing, even if it costs you a lot of money. As marketplace ministers, must set aside our sinful affections to follow Jesus. We must bear our cross, never allowing ourselves to react with sinful passions and emotion towards clients, employees, partners, and even our competition. We must make proactive decisions to do the right thing, and be ready to face whatever comes our way. THE CHOICE IS YOURS You always have a choice regarding sin along your entrepreneurial journey. Paul says, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Since you always have a choice whether to sin or obey God in business, you must proactively obey God rather than reactively give into temptation. GODPRENEURS REFLECT RATHER THAN REACT Imagine a world where all of us God-first business owners, when tempted, we allow the Holy Spirit to engage our minds and proactively reflect through the temptation, so we see the way of escape and obey God. Imagine if we all sought the things above, setting our minds on the things above, considering the members of our earthly body as dead (Colossians 3:1-5). Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs proactively obey God based on His word, and never react to situations in our business based on feelings alone. Read the Whole Series: A Christian Entrepreneur's Perspective on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Introduction 1 - Your Character Defines Your Success in Business Introduction 2 - A Godly Path to Entrepreneurship The 7 Habits: Proactive Entrepreneurship The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Begin With the End in Mind Writing Your Personal Mission Statement The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Put First Things First The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Think Win/Win The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Synergize The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Sharpen the Saw I pray you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed creating it!

This post is the 4th in a series of posts where I've been studying the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey from a Christian entrepreneur’s perspective, and I'm summarizing and Biblically backing up each of the seven habits. Scroll to the end of this article for links to the entire series. “Begin with the end in mind” is the second habit of the best-seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. So what does the Bible have to say about beginning with the end in mind, and how does this apply to our journey as Christian entrepreneurs? Do you ever feel like you're a slave to your business? Are you constantly exhausted, wondering when business life will be easier? Maybe you need to develop the habit of beginning with the end in mind. In 2021, I partnered with a friend to start an agency focused exclusively on the needs of charter schools. However, before entering into the partnership, I clearly communicated to my partner two important things: In one year, I'm going to find my replacement because I don't want to be a slave to this business. When that day comes, I want to work ON the business, and not IN the business. After one year, we would begin to look at selling the agency. I began my partnership with the end in mind. What this did was make me focus on building the business from day one using systems and processes that didn't depend on me and would be attractive to a potential buyer. Every decision we made as partners had a clear outcome: move out of the way and build a well-oiled machine. In business, whenever we perform an action, we're actually performing it twice: first in our mind, when we imagine it, and then physically, when we do it. In my example, I first needed to visualize what kind of agency I wanted, the organizational chart (without me in it), how we accomplish projects for clients, and how we market for new business, all before landing our first client. If I wouldn't have taken the time to do this, the building of the business would have taken longer and been more chaotic: without a plan to follow, there's no doubt in my mind that I would have been stuck wearing too many hats, making it so much harder to let go of those roles later on. As the leaders of our businesses, that's why it’s crucial to have the desired end firmly in our mind before we start any business, project, or task. The more exact and realistic the mental picture of the action is, the better its execution will be – and, hence, the better the results. God gave us the ability to be proactive and to visualize things before they happen as a way to prepare ourselves before taking action. How does God ask us to visualize? If God grants you a dream or a vision for your entrepreneurial journey, or Jesus paints a parable for a way to lead your business, or the Bible tells a story that inspires a new venture, this is what God wants you to visualize. For Christian business owners, we further describe visualization as "Godly Imagination," which is picturing things the Bible says are true. God gave Abraham a vision of the stars of the sky and told him he would have that many children (Genesis 15:5), and that produced faith in Abraham’s heart (Genesis 15:6). So here we have an example of godly imagery which produced faith in the man who is called "the Father of Faith" (Romans 4:11). That is a powerful concept for Christian entrepreneurs that have a burning passion or desire that God put on your heart. This would indicate that if you wanted faith in your heart that moves mountains in your industry, then you would need the same ingredients which God gave to Abraham. These are: A spoken promise (Genesis 12:1,2) A divine picture (Genesis 15:1,5,6) Then as you hold this promise and picture of a business venture in your heart, meditate on it and ponder it, God produces a miracle in the fullness of time. For Abraham, a child was born 25 years later. I personally use imagery in many ways in my businesses, and find it extremely beneficial in my Godpreneurial walk. God has told me that whatever I fix my eyes on, grows within me, and whatever grows within me, I become. So instead of fixing my eyes on my sin, or my self effort to become righteous, I fix my eyes on Jesus, and I discover that I become Christ-like, and find myself radiating His goodness and His glory in the marketplaces I traverse. This is the whole of a becoming a Godpreneur. So whether it's for a totally new venture, or for a project within your existing business, take the time required for visualization. First, make sure it was God-inspired. Better to ask God now than to lose your way pursuing worldly desires. It’s much more productive to spend time in prayer, meditation and thanksgiving anticipating an action and visualizing the desired outcome, than just plowing hastily on, possibly in the wrong direction. To get started, you could think about one of your upcoming projects and write down exactly what God said, the results He desires, and what steps you will take to attain those results. It might not all be crystal clear, however the Holy spirit will step in over time to provide clarity. Beginning with the end in mind isn’t just important for individual business projects. I've written a follow-up post explaining that you should also have a clear view of your larger life goals. Read the Whole Series: A Christian Entrepreneur's Perspective on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Introduction 1 - Your Character Defines Your Success in Business Introduction 2 - A Godly Path to Entrepreneurship The 7 Habits: Proactive Entrepreneurship The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Begin With the End in Mind Writing Your Personal Mission Statement The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Put First Things First The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Think Win/Win The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Synergize The 7 Habits: Entrepreneurs Sharpen the Saw I pray you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed creating it!

This post is the 2nd in a series of posts where I've been studying the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey from a Christian entrepreneur’s perspective, and I'm summarizing and Biblically backing up each of the seven habits. Scroll to the end of this article for links to the entire series. In 2005, a couple of buddies and I started a branding and marketing company exclusively serving the nightlife niche. We were young nightclub promoters that saw that clubs, bars, and lounges needed specialized help to pack their clubs. Then, in 2008, I had my "come to Jesus" moment and started going back to church. Surrounding myself with good, Godly people, I realized that the nightlife wasn't going to be a good place for me if I really wanted to give myself fully to Christ. After a few years, I completely disassociated myself and my business from the nightlife industry and began my journey of leading a God-first business life. This new path gave me meaning and purpose, helped me find my calling, and led me to start my blog, Daily Godpreneur. If I had stayed in the nightlife, that would have led me down a worldly path. However, I had a total shift in mindset, and it took me down a different path - a Godly path. Entrepreneurship is a journey. And like any journey we set out on, we all could agree that a map is useful, right? Now then, when we navigate the business world around us, instead of a map with streets and addresses, we use our paradigms to guide us. Paradigms are the subjective ways each of us perceives and understands the world. A paradigm is not something you actively think about, but a framework for understanding reality. No entrepreneur is an objective operator. Everything we understand and every way we act in the business world is tinted by our own paradigms. For instance, an entrepreneur with a negative paradigm will perceive losing a prospective sale as a frustrating waste of time, while an entrepreneur with a more positive paradigm might see it as an unexpected opportunity to learn, grow, and remain content. In his best selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey teaches that since our paradigms are at the core of our characters, shifting our paradigms is the key to making lasting changes. Only in this way can we change our subjective realities – and, with them, our characters and behaviors. This is why we need to recognize and monitor our own paradigms; if we don’t, we won’t know which ones are holding us back. In a Christian entrepreneur's case, the paradigm through which we approach business ownership is that our ventures are a unified story that lead us to Christ-likeness. This is the paradigm we should strive for. My paradigm shift came when I realized that the Bible was one big book on business ownership. Reading the Word consistently is what eventually led me to let go of the nightlife industry. I'm convinced that it's the best self-help book on the planet for entrepreneurs. I'm sure that it contains all of the secrets to entrepreneurial wealth, wisdom, and success - I read it daily like a treasure map. This mindset has helped me see business ownership from a totally different perspective - God's point of view. The Bible says “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Scripture - the Gospel - is the paradigm shift that unlocks everything. Taking what you think to be the case in business situations, and showing you what you thought was the way things are, is not how they are with God. The gospel is the greatest example of a shift from the world's business model to God’s model. This means the reason you do business differently is a complete paradigm shift from what you thought. You lead your company differently because the Bible becomes your new map to navigate entrepreneurship. The Gospel gives you a new heart, new desires, and the Holy Spirit who empowers you to do the will of the Father in the marketplace. In short, you do business God's way because you delight in God and God is most glorified when you are most happy in Him. Imagine a world filled with highly effective entrepreneurs - ones aligned with larger, Christ-like principles, like fairness, honesty and integrity. Since the majority of people (Christian or not) agree that these principles are good, we can see them as permanent, natural laws. Therefore, the more accurately our map of paradigms reflects this landscape of natural principles, the more realistic our view and the better our chances of success in attaining lasting change. After reading Mr. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I've concluded that attaining this kind of Bible-based paradigm is exactly what the seven habits are all about. A Christian Entrepreneur's Perspective on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Introduction 1 - Why Your Character Defines Your Success in Business Introduction 2 - How a Nightclub Promoter Found a Godly Path to Entrepreneurship Habit 1: (coming soon) Habit 2: (coming soon) Habit 3: (coming soon) Habit 4: (coming soon) Habit 5: (coming soon) Habit 6: (coming soon) Habit 7: (coming soon) I pray you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son, Aiden, about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. BE UNIQUE Have you ever had an idea that was unique and different from everyone else's? Maybe you thought of a new game to play with your friends, or a creative way to help someone in need. Well, just like in our everyday lives, having a unique idea is important in business too. God has given each of us unique abilities and talents that we can use to serve Him and make a difference in the world. In business, having a unique idea can help us stand out from our competitors and make a positive impact in people's lives. We can look to the Bible for examples of people who had unique ideas and used them to serve God. One such example is Bezalel, a skilled craftsman whom God called to build the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 31:1-5). Bezalel had a unique set of skills and abilities that he used to make the tabernacle beautiful and functional, serving God in a special way. Just like Bezalel, we too can use our unique ideas and abilities to serve God in unique ways. We can ask God to give us creative ideas that will help us make a difference in our business and in the lives of others. Remember, we are all special and unique in God's eyes. He has given us talents and abilities that we can use to serve Him and bring glory to His name. Let's use our unique ideas to make a positive impact in the world and serve God in a special way. PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for giving us unique ideas and abilities to serve you in special ways. Help us to use our creativity and talents to make a positive impact in the world and bring glory to your name. Please guide us as we seek to use our unique ideas in business and in all areas of our lives. We love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. BIBLE VERSE Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. (Exodus 31:1-5) BIBLE APPLICATION God gives us each unique abilities to serve him. We can turn those abilities into a way of making money either by being an employee and having a job or an entrepreneur and having a business.

This article explores how Christian entrepreneurs can approach personal development from a biblical perspective, emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in producing Christ-like character traits and the importance of forming Christ-like habits through sanctification. Back in the 90s, I used to watch a show called "The Real World." Seven to eight young adults are picked to temporarily live in a new city together in one residence while being filmed non-stop. In the first episode of each new season, these perfect strangers would all meet for the first time. Everyone was polite, happy, well put together, and well-mannered. However, as each new episode came out, everyone's "true colors" started to shine. As the show's tagline famously said: over time, people stop being fake and start becoming real. The same thing happens to us in business. Partnerships always start out amazing, then someone's true character comes out, the relationship is tested, and most of the times, it dissolves. New employees begin working and everyone's on their best behavior at the beginning, but after a few months, big character flaws start to show up and one or both sides become dissatisfied. How come the behaviors exhibited at the beginning of a relationship don't always match up with the true character of a person over time? When author Stephen Covey wrote his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he was on a quest to truly understand the nature of success when he came upon this same behavior vs character phenomenon. He discovered that, generally speaking, there are two ways to strive for improvements to your life: Change a Behavior Experience a Character Change The first method is to work on the skills necessary for the behavior you desire. For instance, if you want to win more clients or have greater influence over employees, you might work on skills like memorizing people's names or remembering to show more appreciation. The author calls this method the "personality ethic." Despite its sounding like a solid path for growth as business leaders, it’s actually just a shortcut. The personality ethic lets us avoid working on the fundamental character traits that are holding us back in our business growth, promising that some easily learnable technique will be the silver bullet for all our problems. Unfortunately, this promise is usually empty, and it almost never results in lasting personal growth. The author stresses that the second method is far more effective: working on your character – that is, the fundamental habits and belief systems that form your view of the world. Only behavior stemming straight from your character will endure over time, because, sooner or later, your true character will shine through. Mr. Covey calls this the "character ethic," and it emphasizes things like courage, integrity and the golden rule. For example, if I have a problem with always being late to meetings, dropping the ball on projects, and never finishing what I start, then people aren't going to trust me and I'll have a difficult time succeeding as an entrepreneur. I can try techniques like setting my alarm for meetings or the Pomodoro technique for working on projects, but my real problem is that I have integrity issues. Unless I work to become a person of more integrity, I'll always suffer from certain personality flaws. The personality ethic vs character ethic answers the question of how entrepreneurs could start out being so nice and perfect in a relationship, and then become jerks over time - it's because, eventually, a person's true character will show. The author concludes if we really want to change, we need to work from the inside out - we must focus our personal development work on our character. What Does this Mean for Christian Entrepreneurs? The good news for us Christian entrepreneurs is that this is exactly how God designed transformation to come about in us. God isn't interested in a few temporary behavior changes, he's looking for us to make total character changes - a transformation of the mind. It is not through our works, our goodness, or our own self-righteousness that we are reconciled to God (Ephesian 2:8-9). We cannot clean ourselves up (behavior ethic), thinking somehow our works will earn us favor with the Father. The Pharisees tried, but Jesus condemned them (Luke 11:37-44). So how does one go about working on character changes? How do you improve integrity, dependability, kindness, empathy, or courage? How long does this take? When do you know you've changed for sure? First, let's be clear that it's the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christ-like character in you. The Holy Spirit produces character traits that are representative of Jesus. The apostle Paul referred to these characteristics as the fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT) This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification. You can't reproduce the character of Jesus on your own or by your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. And it doesn't happen overnight and there is no magic pill. It takes faith alone - for the rest of our lives. So how does God use the Holy Spirit to work on our character? You do it by forming Christ-like habits. Over the next series of posts, we'll explore this through the author's identification of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Stay tuned.

Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son Aiden about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Business Plan for Success Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Aiden. Aiden loved to ride his bike with his dad to a secret lake to find and collect snail shells. They would bring the shells home and spend hours painting them all types of cool colors and doing different arts and crafts with them. One day, Aiden decided that he wanted to start his own business finding and selling snail shells. He was so excited to get started, he went out and collected a whole bunch of shells without giving much thought about how he was going to make it happen. As he began to work on his snail shells, he realized that he needed a plan. He didn't know how much to charge for his shells, where to sell them or even how to ship them to people who lived far away. Aiden felt overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. He remembered a lesson his Sunday school teachers taught him about Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." And he knew he needed to pray and ask God for guidance. Aiden sat down and wrote a business plan. He listed out his goals and objectives, the supplies he would need, and the steps he would take to make his business a success. He also set aside time to pray and ask God for His guidance and wisdom. With his business plan in hand, Aiden was able to organize his thoughts and put his ideas into action. He was able to make beautiful snail shell air plants that people loved, and he was able to sell them at fair prices online and through stores in his neighborhood. His business was a great success, and he was able to give back to God, his community, and save up for stuff he wanted. Aiden learned that just like a roadmap guides us on a journey, a business plan guides us on the journey of growing and managing our business. And with God's guidance and wisdom, we can make our dreams a reality. PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for giving us the ability to think and create. Thank you for the gift of writing and the ability to put our thoughts and ideas into a plan. We are grateful for the opportunity to work hard and be successful in our business ventures. Help us to use our talents and resources to bring good to the world and to those around us. Amen. BIBLE VERSE "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3) BIBLE APPLICATION If we pray and ask God for guidance in whatever we do, he will help us with the plans and help us achieve our goals for our lives and make our dreams come true. With God's guidance, we can make our plans a success. #childrensdevotional #kidpreneur #proverbs Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils

Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son, Aiden, about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Employee vs Entrepreneur Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Aiden who loved to collect snail shells. He enjoyed painting them and using them to make cool decorations from scratch. As he grew up, Aiden had to make a decision about his future. He could either become an employee, or he could become an entrepreneur. One day, Aiden went to visit Papa Jose, his wise old grandfather who was known for giving good advice. Aiden asked his papa, "What should I do with my life? Should I be an employee or an entrepreneur?" His papa smiled and said, "Aiden, both being an employee and an entrepreneur are important in their own way. As an employee, you can learn to be responsible and follow instructions, like me and your grandma. And as an entrepreneur, you can learn to be creative and take risks, like your Dada." Aiden was a little confused, so his Papa continued. "God has given us all gifts and talents to use for His glory. It doesn't matter if you are an employee or an entrepreneur, you can always serve God and help others. The Bible says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."God has special plans for you and wants to see you happy and successful. So, why don't you pray and ask God what He wants you to be?" Aiden prayed and thought about what his Papa had said and decided to become an entrepreneur like his Dada. With the help of his dad, he started his own business and used his love for collecting empty snail shells to make unique and beautiful creations. His business was a great success, and he used his profits to save money for Nintendo games, give to God, and help those in need. Years went by, and Aiden became known for his kindness and generosity. People would often ask him how he was able to be so successful, and he would always answer, "God's plan for me is to serve God and use my gifts for His glory." And so, Aiden learned that it didn't matter if he was an employee or an entrepreneur. What mattered was that he served God and used his talents to make a positive impact in the world. The end. PRAYER Dear God, thank you for loving me and having special plans for me. I trust in You and know that You want me to be happy and successful. Help me to have hope and a bright future. Thank you for always being with me and guiding me. BIBLE VERSE "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) BIBLE APPLICATION God has special plans for you and wants to see you happy and successful. He wants you to have hope and a bright future. Just like a loving parent who has a plan for their child's future, God has a plan for you too, and it's always good! You can trust in Him and know that He loves you and wants the best for you. #childrensdevotional #kidpreneur Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils

Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son Aiden about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Budgeting, God’s Way Aiden loved to buy Nintendo games and candy, but he always seemed to run out of money from his business before the end of the month. His dad noticed this and decided to teach him about budgeting. First, he showed Aiden how to make a list of all his business and personal expenses, such as toys, candy, Nintendo games, business supply costs, and giving to God and charities. Then, he helped him figure out how much money he had coming in from his snail shell business. Next, he taught him to separate and save for his expenses by making an envelope for each item on his list. Like, he had an envelope for God, for charity, for vacations, for toys, and Nintendo games. Finally, he showed him how to make sure he put money in each envelope and save up enough money until he had enough to buy what he wanted. From then on, Aiden always made sure to budget his the money coming in from his business. He was able to give to God, buy the things he wanted, and save up for vacation money! He learned that budgeting is important because it helps you make sure you save up money for the things you need and the things you want. Just like Aiden, we all need to learn how to budget our money so we can make sure we have enough for the important things and still have some left over for the things we want. PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the blessings of money from our businesses and all that it can provide for us. Help us to be wise stewards of all that you have given us. Amen. BIBLE VERSE: Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” BIBLE APPLICATION: Talk to your kids to explain that budgeting is taking care of the money that comes in so that God can trust us with more! Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils

Have you ever had an incredibly selfish business partner? I have, and it's a terrible relationship to experience. This person only lived for himself. Whatever decision was made for the business, it was made with only his interests taken into consideration. The very few times he "seemed" to help someone else, it was because he had something to gain from it. To him, every relationship and move was transactional, and I was sitting front row to experience it all. Imagine being a Christian entrepreneur like myself and getting into business with someone like this. The entire time I thought about how self-destructive his behavior was and how opposite we are in business. I would see how he talked to contractors, employees, vendors, and even his business partner, and I would cringe. It was the opposite of a peaceful working environment. Ultimately, the business fizzled away in less than four months, and we went our separate ways. After dismantling the business, I saw this person sink into the darkest depression and extreme debt. It was painful to watch because I truly have a love for this person. I genuinely wanted to see him grow and succeed as an entrepreneur. He has great potential. We've all experienced someone like this in business. Whether it was a client, employee, or business partner, we've come face to face with this kind of selfishness, and it's terrible to be around. Some of us have even been this selfish person. I know I used to approach business selfishly. We all fall into one of three categories. Like my business partner, we operate a completely selfish entrepreneurial lifestyle, A growing Christian that is leaving a selfish lifestyle and the Holy Spirit is taking over, or A mature Christian who walks a Holy Spirit-led entrepreneurial journey alongside Christ for the glory of God. How do we change from putting ourselves first to becoming the loving, Christ-centered Godpreneurs we are created to be? I believe we all start selfish until the true work of the Holy Spirit begins to change us. God's word holds the key to achieving selflessness in business relationships: we must serve one another as if we're serving Jesus. The Bible says "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) Ephesians gives several practical ways Christians can express being filled with the Spirit. In verse 21, Paul brings out another, which is mutual submission. Submission in the context of a Christian's business relationships includes the idea of putting others, and their needs, above yours. This is not for personal benefit but somewhat out of "reverence for Christ." When you serve employees, clients, and business partners, you serve the Lord (Matthew 25:35–40). It's a mutual submission because you submit to both simultaneously. This approach, however, stands in stark contrast with worldly marketplace wisdom. I suspect because money is involved, the principle is often taught to put ourselves first or help others so that you can benefit. Yet Paul offers us, Christian business owners, a higher and better way, noting that our service to others is service to the Lord. This is an essential principle in Godpreneurship. This is an integral part of kingdom-driven leaders following the example of Christ, who submitted to the will of the Father and gave Himself as a sacrifice for us. Imagine if we all accepted the open invitation to have Christ's attitude towards others in the business world - LOVE! Prayer for Today Lord God, we thank you for sending your son Jesus to save us. Jesus is the example of life, and we want to lead our businesses with the same attitude that He did. We want to empty ourselves and humbly obey You until the end. Fill us with Your love, Lord. Give us Your eyes to see our employees, clients, vendors, business partners, and even competitors the way you do. Give us Your ears to hear them. Give us your heart to love them. In the name of Jesus, amen. #DifferentiatingMyself

Today, I want to talk about how important it is for entrepreneurs to develop an attitude of gratitude. Many of us think naturally grateful people were born with it - like it's a DNA trait. That's wrong. Gratitude is something that is cultivated over time through the Holy Spirit, and I'm going to explain precisely how it happens. I was always jealous of people that were cheerful, joyful, encouraging to others, and outwardly grateful in life. Usually encountering them in church, I had convinced myself that they were born with this, that this is THEIR spiritual gift, and I'm just not wired that way. For me, I had to set reminders on my phone to remember to show appreciation to my employees. Yup, I'm that guy. However, as I grow deeper in my relationship with God, I become more grateful to God and appreciative of those around me. It's becoming more natural for me to be thankful. As entrepreneurs, we're part of many communities, and as Christians, our public testimony must reflect God to others. It's our responsibility to live and operate well in our work atmosphere, industry circles, and social environments. Becoming a grateful Godpreneur is not only a good idea; it's BIBLICAL. How did I go from not showing gratitude to waking up every morning and starting my business day in gratitude? The Bible says Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20) In verse 18, Paul instructs believers to be controlled by the Spirit. He frames this in contrast with being controlled by alcohol, naming drunkenness as something Christians are to avoid. Verse 19 offers several expressions of being spiritually filled. Verse 20 now adds another expression: an attitude of universal thanksgiving. Being controlled by the Spirit includes gratitude. The Spirit-filled Christian entrepreneur is a person who is regularly thankful for what God has done in his or her business and personal life. There's a 3-part formula to becoming a consistently grateful entrepreneur. COMMUNITY: Recognizing you don't operate the business in a silo. Instead, you work and transact in a community and recognize that your overall attitude affects others positively, negatively, or neutrally. HOLY SPIRIT FILLED: Realizing that what you fill yourself with will eventually pour out into that community. For example, if you fill yourself with alcohol, your attitude and behavior will change however alcohol affects you. In the same way, being filled with the Holy Spirit would change your behavior in a more Christ-like way. It's your responsibility to choose wisely. GIVING THANKS TO GOD: Develop a habit of praising God for everything He's doing in your business. I underline habit because we have to attach it to things like waking up in the morning or going to be at night. The habit mechanism is key. When we are grateful to God for all things along our entrepreneurial journey, we always remember in our hearts the benefits He has given us. As business leaders influencing others, when we appreciate each other, we reinforce the value of gratitude. When we share our gratitude to God with employees, clients, business partners, and other entrepreneurs, we glorify His name, and this is a testimony for others to come to know the God of wonders in whom we believe and serve. Imagine if all of us Godpreneurs glorified God through our thanksgiving. Just as kindness breeds kindness, gratitude breeds gratitude and improves business life! Prayer for Today Lord God, how grateful we are to You for everything. You present us with business and teach us how to operate it well. We want to make the most of the time you give us on our entrepreneurial journey, always with our hearts grateful because great things YOU do for us, Father! We praise you, Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen. #DifferentiatingMyself

My branding agency does brand management for charter schools. We have year-long contacts with schools to do all their graphics and help with marketing. During our monthly meetings, they tell us all the things that have been planned, and my team helps them bring those visions to life. Meeting clients to learn about their needs and asking questions about their community helps give us insight and wisdom in helping guide their brand's growth. We business owners need to frequently meet with our clients or customers to gain wisdom and knowledge about their needs and wants. Having a relationship like this with our customers feeds us the ideas we need to innovate and provide better solutions for the marketplace. In the same way, God wants us to meet with him frequently so that He can give us the wisdom and knowledge to be better business owners in this world. How often are you meeting with God? How often are you stopping to analyze how you're living your days here on earth as an entrepreneur? Ephesians 5:15 warns us, "Look carefully, then, how you walk!". The Bible not only warns us but also guides us on how business owners should live: "not as unwise but as wise." You may ask yourself, "What does it mean to be a wise business person? What does it mean to live and operate our company as a wise man?" The Bible has a clear answer: "understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17) In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul urged readers to recognize God's will. He speaks about God's will throughout the letter. Paul saw himself as an apostle by the will of God. All believers are adopted as sons through Jesus by His will (Ephesians 1:5). God's revelation contains the clear will of God. Those who study God's Word will become familiar with God's perspective on life's issues (2 Timothy 3:16). For Godpreneurs, this shows that when we seek to understand the will of God for ourselves and the companies we start, we seek to live and operate like wise businessmen or women! God is the creator of wisdom. When we know God and have a relationship with Him, it's natural to invest time in learning His teachings and seeking to know and practice His will for our entrepreneurial journey, which is good, perfect, and pleasant. Today, the invitation remains: Be intentional in how you live and operate your company. Ask God for wisdom and seek to understand His will for your business life. Prayer for Today Lord God, we thank you for being so generous and deliberately giving me the wisdom I need to live a good business life. Today, we choose to live as wise Godpreneurs, and we ask for Your wisdom. We want to know and live Your will for us because I know it is good, perfect, and pleasant. In the name of Jesus, amen.

I want to talk to you today about running a business that pleases God. In business, we're taught to constantly be testing products, examining customer response, and measuring profitability so we can please others. We know what pleases our investors is more return on investment. We know what pleases our social media followers by measuring the likes, comments, and views. We know what pleases our customers by their willingness to buy more and pay more. So often, measuring and testing, and examining business initiatives allows us to make wise decisions and so to run healthier, more flourishing entrepreneurial lives. However, when we are so focused on measuring and testing everything in business, we end up valuing the things that we can easily measure - and not valuing what we don't measure. The danger here is that we could be so focused on getting the numbers right that we forget about the most important kind of test: does this decision please God? This happens to me with this blog, Daily Godpreneur. In the monthly operations of this business (yes, this is a business), my team and I can easily place a high value on those things that are easy to measure and see. How many website visitors did we get this year versus last year? How many blogs did I write this month? How many minutes do I spend writing each day? How many people took my YouVersion devotionals this month? How many followers do we have on our social media platforms? How do I appear to others around me? Do people look up to me and praise me? These things are easy to test, and so my team and I value them. The danger is that if I get into the routine of measuring these numbers, I might not pay attention to something else the Lord wants me to see. We all have metrics to measure our effectiveness and success in various ways in our businesses. However, we must ensure those numbers don't become the idols that could lead us instead of God leading us. What we should do is start the other way around. We should first work out what matters and then test our businesses against what matters. But that’s the challenge. What does matter? What are the standards we should test our God-first businesses by? In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us Godpreneurs to test our Christian walk. Paul gives us a standard - a measure - to use when doing that testing. But the measure he gives us is not something we might naturally use in our day-to-day business operations. The Bible says Test to see what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10) Paul brings up two themes in this brief verse. First, a Godpreneur is to be discerning. Romans 12:2 says, "that by testing you may discern what is the will of God." Second, a Godpreneur is to please the Lord. Christian business owners can't be "people-pleasers," though we are to serve the marketplace well. We are to live to uplift and serve others. However, the Kingdom entrepreneur's ultimate aim is to please God, not people. Do your products or services please the Lord? Does your social media please God? Do your operations please the One who allows you to run a business in the first place? Will hiring that potential employee please God? Does that new revenue stream opportunity please the Lord? “What is pleasing to the Lord”: this is the standard and mindset you run your business by. This is the measure that gives value to everything in your God-first business. And this is what you need to scrutinize and examine your decision-making by — not what is easily seen or even measured in your accounting or marketing reports, but what is pleasing to the Lord. WHAT IS PLEASING TO GOD? How, then, do we know what pleases the Lord in our business today? Paul always instructs his readers on how to live out the Christian faith. Ephesians 5:1–21 has priceless instructions on how we Christian business owners can operate in a God-first manner in our respective marketplaces. Rather than imitating the business world or being controlled by worldly success, Godpreneurs are to be filled with the Spirit. Specific flaws like sexual immorality, crude speech, and wasting of time are discouraged (we've all seen publicly what it looks like for a celebrity or successful business owner to have his or her entire business life fall apart by some kind of scandal). Instead, believing business owners should submit to one another out of respect for Christ, providing a powerful witness to the world. In a nutshell, this is what will please God. However, I'm going to apply the Godpreneur Method to Bible verses so you can do your own research on what will please God in your business. Again, I've edited these verses to apply to MY business life, and you can do the same for yours: These verses are examples of the standard of what is pleasing to the Lord in the day-to-day operations of our business. HOW TO TEST EVERYTHING In light of the standards that please God laid out by Paul, we are also instructed to TEST everything about our business ways and leadership style. We don't just test ourselves by what people can see or easy to measure; we test things by what is pleasing to God in all areas of our business. And my blog is called DAILY Godpreneur because the testing we must do is….DAILY! Every morning, I'm in the Word, thinking and deliberating and scrutinizing my entrepreneurial walk. I'm reflexing on myself and the way I lead, and I'm asking the hard question: what does the Bible say about (insert problem here)? How do you think I've written over 800 blog posts? I'm deliberate about testing. I'm committed to operating my business under God's will - what is pleasing to Him. We all need to understand that reading the Bible every morning has a very important result relevant to Ephesians 5:10 - we're testing what is pleasing to God in our businesses and not letting these things remain unexamined. And our search isn't just about whether things are effective or productive for our business, or even whether they are personally fulfilling. The questions to ask are: Are they good? Are they right? Are they true? What is pleasing to the Lord? Imagine if we all had the confidence that God would work in our business lives, helping us to become more and more who we are in our respective marketplaces: a new creation before him. And as all of us are changed and transformed along our entrepreneurial walk, there’s something we're all doing collectively and daily: testing to see what is pleasing to the Lord. Questions What areas of your business life are pleasing to the Lord? What areas are not? Bring these things before God. How can you arrange your life so that you are regularly taking time to examine your life and to test to see what is pleasing to the Lord every morning? What needs to happen so you can become a daily Godpreneur?

I want to talk to you today about being careful who you imitate in business. It's natural for us to imitate. We've been imitating our parents since birth. We have our parent’s nature, their behavior, and their actions. Chances are you walk, talk, and do things like your parents. Imitating is a survival mechanism we can't unlearn; we'll always imitate. The question becomes: once we leave our parent's home and start to do life on our own, who will we imitate next? When I started my first business in 2005, I imitated some of my "seemingly" successful clients in their leadership styles and ways of doing business. My parents weren't entrepreneurs, so I was learning to do business alone. As social media grew and access to content on YouTube and online courses became more prevalent, I started imitating entrepreneurs worldwide and learning from their tips and tricks. Then, in 2008, I started going back to church and deepening my relationship with God. As I grew in my faith, I noticed that some of the things I learned from so-called business gurus weren't always in line with God's ways. Even strategies and tactics I learned from clients and associates that I admired turned out to be somewhat contradictory to the ways I was learning in the Bible. As success-driven entrepreneurs, we're always looking for an edge in business, so we're out there at conferences and webinars learning the latest in sales, marketing, leadership, and every other topic in business. And while most of it is practical information we can apply in our businesses, we must be careful to separate the content from the person and not fall into the trap of idolizing and imitating the teacher. As followers of Christ, we are to become imitators of God alone. Our parents did their best to be an example because they knew we would be imitators of their ways. And now that we don't live with our parents - by design - God is now in their place to become the example of how to live and run our businesses. In his letter to Ephesians, Paul calls on the children of God to be imitators of Christ. The Bible says Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; (Ephesians 5:1 AMP) Paul commands those who follow God to imitate Him. This means striving to do as He would do. Paul also explains the mindset which ought to motivate Christians towards obedience. Believers in Christ enjoy a Father-child relationship with God. A child naturally seeks to copy what he or she sees in a loving father. Believers in Jesus are to likewise copy what they learn about God. Your entrepreneurial journey is meant to bring you near your Heavenly Father so that you might learn His ways and become more like Him. How do you learn His ways? You can’t imitate a person you know nothing about, so you must learn all you can about the Lord from His word. As you run your day-to-day business operations, you must put into practice everything you continue to learn about Him. You are to do the things you see Him doing, and you are to avoid the things He avoids. You are to be like God in every respect in your respective marketplace. In reality, God is commanding you to do something impossible on your own. Left up to yourself, you could never be an imitator of God. You simply cannot imitate God through your own power. While we Kingdom-driven leaders can’t be holy on our own, as redeemed children of God, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Him at the office, act like Him in meetings, walk like Him along our entrepreneurial journey, and talk like Him to all the people we do business with. God has empowered us and enabled us to live holy lives and operate God-first businesses for His glory. We aren't imitators of our parents or some New York Times best-selling business guru; we are the sons and daughters of God. We have been redeemed by His grace, adopted into His family, and partakers of His very nature. If you’ve been idolizing or imitating someone else in your business life, pray to God that you will learn to become an imitator of Jesus Christ - like beloved children who are ever near the parent, learning, observing, and growing. Imitators of Christ can turn the business world upside down for His glory!

As a former nightclub promoter, I'm well aware of the culture of alcohol as a social lubricant. Not only was I a party promoter, but my branding agency also serviced nightclubs, bars, and strip clubs with graphic designs and websites. However, when I came into a relationship with God, I realized that alcohol had a way of changing someone's mindset to the point of total disregard for sober decision-making. I had to flee from everything where alcohol was involved. I couldn't take my employees out to the club. I had to cancel my yearly trips to Las Vegas. I didn't want to promote that lifestyle to my friends, family, co-workers, business partners, or clients. In short, I didn't want to influence those around me to drink and party anymore. Instead, I wanted to be Jesus to those around me and promote a Christian lifestyle free from alcohol. How can we operate as Christians in a business world that promotes happy hours, trips to Las Vegas, and alcohol-induced outings as we network and strike deals? As Godpreneurs, we can't say that we do not care what others think about how we operate our businesses and live our personal lives. That would be rather selfish on our part, as we do not exist alone in this world, but we share our lives with employees, clients, business partners, and the marketplace around us. As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor. Our intention should be for God to think good things about how we conduct ourselves as Christian business owners, but there is no way to please Him without loving people. How do Christian business leaders living in the world show the most love? God's word says we must learn how to live well in our business communities. Paul's letter to the Ephesians has guidelines for living a wise life in our community. The Bible says: "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." (Ephesians 5:18-19) Paul's intent is not merely a reference to alcohol. Anything that can control, harm, or hurt a Christian needs to be handled with extreme care. Paul's positive alternative to being drunk is to "be filled with the Spirit." Just as drinking a great deal can cause a person to be controlled by wine, focusing on the Spirit can cause a person to be filled or controlled by the Spirit. What does being filled by the Spirit look like? It doesn't seem to be some highly charismatic display of emotion. Instead, Paul says to share psalms, sing, be thankful, and submit to one another. Ultimately, being controlled by the Spirit is living in a manner worthy of God's calling. Godpreneur, it is far better for you to enjoy God's presence than earthly pleasures. Instead of taking clients out to drink or getting drunk with co-workers at happy hour and doing what leads to depravity, you should come together to enjoy God's presence to bring God's love. What does this look like in the practical sense? I went with my partner to pray over the new construction of a client's building I prayed over an employee's move to a new country I ministered to one of my employees about her marriage I went to the movies with the men from church (which included clients of mine), and we enjoyed ourselves without alcohol As Christian leaders, we need to be filled with what brings life and strengthens our faith. The Holy Spirit will help us walk our entrepreneurial journey with Christ and lead those around us to walk with Christ. #DifferentiatingMyself

Today, I want to talk about how we should operate in our businesses, making the best use of our time. If God (your CEO) came to you every hour of your business day and asked what you were doing, what would be your response? Trivial pursuits or Kingdom building actions? Sometimes I catch myself in the middle of the day checking my social media for fun or reading the news. There's nothing wrong with the technology of catching up with friends or current events. I had to ask myself: what's my purpose for checking into these platforms? Am I going into "zombie mode" and escaping my work, or do I have a Kingdom purpose for checking into my phone? We all have certain "time-wasting" habits that we've baked into our business days. Whether we recognize them or not, they are there. Some of us are working to eliminate them; others struggle to know where to start. The opportunity to waste time versus making good use of our time leaves us with a choice: we could choose to disconnect from God's mission and purpose for us, or we could spend time on personal development, building our Kingdom businesses, and/or developing relationships with others. The Bible says, "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.(Ephesians 5:15-16) After Paul instructs us to live a life of wisdom, he continues with a command regarding how we utilize our time. This could be thought of as "making the most of every opportunity." Paul was familiar with the perspective that each day could be his last. He had been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, and imprisoned, not knowing if he would live to see another day. In addition, he taught Christ would return at any moment. He felt believers should live holy lives and share the gospel in preparation for our inevitable departure. Paul also notes another purpose for believers to make the best use of time: the time he lived in was rampant in sin. Just as Noah lived a godly life before judgment, Paul urged his readers to live holy lives in obedience to the Lord, knowing the evil days they lived indicated that judgment could come soon. In those days, invaders could have destroyed your city overnight. The brains of the people back then were in uncertainty mode. The fact that Jesus could come any day was very real because that's how life operated back then. Today, we don't live in so much uncertainty, so our brains aren't programmed to think, "Jesus could come tomorrow, and my life on earth could end." This makes it a little more challenging for today's developed societies to "make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." However, despite the times changing, Paul's point is still very applicable to becoming a successful Godpreneur. As a Kingdom business owner, you have a clear orientation to take advantage of every opportunity and use your time best. You are called to be productive with your time at the office, not with trivial things, but in the way of God and with things that are important for the Kingdom of God in your marketplace. You are called to use your business days for eternal purposes, not for the earthly nor the things which pass. You must intentionally make the most of every opportunity for God's glory and manifest His Kingdom to your employees, clients, vendors, competitors, partners, and business relationships. Your brand must be….Godpreneur….and you have to live it out full time. Going back to wasting time on social media, I can take a different approach to the platforms. For example, I have a private group on Facebook for Godpreneurs where I interact with my followers and provide Bible-based insight and wisdom on business topics. In this case, checking my social media is a good use of my time because it's what I feel God has called me to do. The same goes for my checking of the news. Instead of checking Fox News, I can spend time getting updated on the news from my industry, which helps me become a better branding guy and entrepreneur. We all have the invitation from God to make the most of our business days, make the best use of our time at work, and live out the will of God for our entrepreneurial journey, in His way, for His glory! #DifferentiatingMyself