“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NKJV
Starting your own business is not for wimps. It is hard. It takes a lot of work and sometimes a significant amount of our resources.
More than anything, it takes a piece of our heart and a pound of our soul.
It isn’t possible to start a business that God gave you a vision for and not put your heart and soul into it. However, since we are human, our heart and soul translates at least a little to our pride and ego.
Think about it. Fear of failure exists many times because of our pride and ego. Sometimes it is a need to put food on the table, but almost always there is an element of embarrassment and shame.
Stopping Before You Start
Satan has this human game down. He makes us feel those feelings of embarrassment and shame before we even start. He creates the fear of failure in us, which can be debilitating for some starting a new business. It leads to stopping short, feeling helpless, and finding reasons for not even trying – let alone for not succeeding.
- You started a home-based business but use a busy home as a reason to not really work on it
- You hung out your business shingle, have something great to offer, but do not take action to sell or gain clients.
- You tried that sales/marketing tactic once, and didn’t get good result. You assume it doesn’t work
- You constantly change strategies because that didn’t show immediate results, so you never gain any traction.
- You need to be sure it is going to work before I put all that time and money into it.
- You are frozen in fear that causes indecision and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Whenever you struggle with your self-confidence, when you feel stuck by the fear of failure or embarrassment, read this Bible verse to yourself. There will be times in your business when you need to force yourself to think beyond what you think is possible.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NKJV
The Success That Really Matters
So what can you do when you are feeling uncertain and afraid – when you’re tempted to stop short and throw out the nearest excuse for why you are not succeeding?
Remember, God doesn’t measure success as the world does. Success in God’s eyes probably is more along these lines:
- You showed up every day and tried, really tried.
- You treated others in your business with love and respect.
- You were a wise steward regarding your resources and didn’t waste them on unimportant things.
- You persevered even when it was uncomfortable.
- You did an excellent job for the customers and clients you do have.
- You kept God at the forefront and prayed and looked to Him for wisdom, guidance and strength – even in your business.
Then, remind yourself that ultimately He is the one in control. Trust Him that your business will be what He wants it to be. Commit to Him that you will walk in obedience to Him.
I know we all have a different walk with God, but I have found that whenever I do the things that would satisfy God’s measurement, not the world’s, He dissipates my fear significantly and provides for my needs faithfully. I remember that with Him, I am strong enough.
You can do it. I believe in you.
But more importantly, the God of the Universe believes in you!
I cannot possibly agree more. Our distribution / manufacturers’ rep business is a little over 5 years old. That means it was started in a very scary economic time. It took (and continues to take) an enormous commitment of time, energy, faith and love.
I spent more than forty years in the corporate community. Contrast that with the satisfaction of running a Christ-centered small business. What I’m now doing cannot be beat by anything I previously experienced.
I read those 7 items you listed as fears…..and come away with a very, very different take on it. Those are not fears in my world…they are “rubber-meets-the-road” concrete realities. So I struggle with the implication that those are “fears”…that they are fabricated in my mind or satanically inspired. They are things I have lived with and had to deal with a in a very real sense. My business is going on 20+ years now. We’ve seen good times and Bad. Though God may well smile upon the person that endeavours to follow the hallmarks of Godly success that you outlined….He also expects us to pay our debts. How do you reconcile that Truth with the reality that so many Christian business go broke alongside their secular peers? Rarely , does a business close it’s doors and the folks not owe a large amount of debt. In our industry..the profit margins are so very , very small that it only takes one mistake on the part of an employee to knock you back several months. Before you know it…you are working to honor your debts…and keep your obligations to your employees…as opposed to having any hope of earning a living.
I agree with the tone of your article but struggle with the reality of the world I live in.
Hey Jeff, Business has all kinds of real challenges. I work with so many businesses in a wide variety of industries. Truly what I was referring to was when we let our fears keep us from doing the practical things we need to do to “do our part” in helping our business succeed. This is where I believe that Satan exaggerates the fears and tells us we can’t do it and we aren’t worthy just to keep us from doing the necessary things. It becomes a form of self sabotage.
I think we need to turn to God for our strength and recognize that if we have feelings of unworthiness or fear to try, that comes from Satan because God loves us no matter what and measures our success differently. If we believe this and we are confident, not in our own strength, but in God’s strength and who we are in Christ, we will have the courage to use our abilities and resources proactively to follow-through on the business we started.
Reading your post it seems like you do what is practical and necessary to try to maximize your business. We may still have trials and struggles, but if we show up and do the work, we have a chance. If we believe Satan and his lies, we don’t even try, and then we are certain to fail.
I hope this helps explain where I was coming from. I actually modified the bullet points to my original draft as it better explained the perspective I was trying to share.
Thanks so much for the open engagement! I pray for blessings in your business!
I can so identify with all this!
I’ve been struggling to get my design business off the ground for the past four years, and met with so much resistance, there were tons of times when I lost hope and wondered if I’d ever “amount” to anything.
I particularly had a rough time the first half of this year, when I was so downtrodden and wanted to do anything BUT work on my business. Finally in these past few months, as I’ve drawn nearer to God through regular church attendance, Bible study, and prayer, I’m finally getting up my confidence and really putting in the work — even when I don’t “feel” like it. (And I find that, once I get started, I DO “feel” like working, I just had to get that momentum going!)
The mental shift that I’ve experienced, it’s often referred to as “going PRO”…basically taking my business SERIOUSLY, showing up and doing the work. And I’m finding that when I do that, God takes care of the rest.
Hi Barbara, I have read about “Going PRO” too and it is a good way to think of it! To me it is kind of like us doing our part…stepping out in faith, desiring God’s will, and trusting in God’s faithfulness. When we do our part, to the best of our abilities, it glorifies God. Then He becomes the strength we can count on in our business. God bless!