Three Ways To Let Your Faith Drive Your Business

With the turn of the new year, it’s a great time to evaluate things.  Business Strategic Plans, Personal Goals, Bucket Lists…. 

How about a check up on how deeply your Faith is driving your business?  

As a business owner with a family and a few years on me, I know how easy it is to get distracted.  Distracted from your deeply held beliefs by the loud noises of everyday responsibilities and life.  Our very nature is to drift; to allow ourselves to act in ways we regret. It only takes three chapters into Scripture to read of man’s fall to temptation.

“…the serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 
– Genesis 3:13

If you relate, I encourage you to not feel defensive nor guilty about drifting from the “true north” of your Christian Faith when it comes to all things business.  You are in good company and humbly recognize the need to let God guide your business life.  

Three Ways To Let Your Faith Drive Your Business:

1. Pray over your whole business.  

As obvious as this action is, too often we take it for granted.  The emphasis here is “the whole business.” Start with praying for wisdom, humility and discernment in self-reflection on your leadership.  

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” 
– 1 Peter 4:10-11

Ask how your witness is reflected through your leadership.  What tangible things can you do use your gifts to serve your brothers and sisters through the management of your business?  How is your witness reflected in your strategic direction? 

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”
– Proverbs 29:18

It is critical to pray over your leadership and ask the Spirit to guide you and your business.  

2. Pray over how you are serving your employees. 

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” 
– 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

The most concrete evidence of honoring the value of your employees is how you invest in Performance Management and Employee Development.  

The hustle and bustle of running a business can act to push robust employee reviews or development plans down on the priority list.  It is so tempting to focus on the hot customer issue; and there is always a hot issue.  You need to invest in recognizing the “varieties of gifts” amongst your team and help them develop to best utilize those gifts.

Another area to consider is your personal relationship with your staff as individuals.  Showing love for people who work with or for you, includes having a relationship where you care about and for one another.  It’s harder to show love for people in your life when you don’t know them.  

3. Pray over how your business is a witness to your customers.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” 
– Luke 16:10

Consider the fundamentals of what your business is doing and how it represents your Witness of Faith.  Always be testing your business mission against your business actuals.

• Is our quality where it should be?
• Are our customers delighted to work with us?
• Is our business plan sustainable?
• Do our internal and external customers see us as having high integrity?

I’m an advocate for growing your business through excellent execution.  Of course the financials must work for the business to be sustainable, in addition the quality of your products and service should represent your character.  

Cutting corners or delivering sub-par quality can be akin to “being dishonest in a very little.”    

Pray on how you can lead your business to be faithful in all things and demonstrate integrity to its’ core for your customers.  

The new year is under way and we are all building our momentum.  Let your Faith be an asset that drives results for your business.  

Praying over the key elements of your business will move you to lead in such a way as to glorify God in your business by letting your Faith drive your business for success… to lead a business that you are pleased to see as a big part of the Witness of Your Faith.