Monday 17 March 2014

Influencers in the Business Realm

God champions the heart of business owners; we are called in God’s Kingdom to influence the business realm in its many varied forms.  One of my favourite stories in the bible is that of Nehemiah: God put on his heart a burden for a city and then took him and showed him the plan.  Nehemiah had to go to action and press on in faith when so much seemed against him. 

Yet in the midst of being told by outsiders that he was wasting his time (heck it was just a pile of rubble after all) and told by insiders (his colleagues as it were) that maybe he needed to just pull back a little and reshape some things because it wasn’t all going to a nice tidy streamlined plan. 

Oh I love the heart of God who places us as business men and women amongst a pile of rubble, puts a plan in our hand and pours out his favour and grace in measures way beyond what we understand.  In 52 days the city was rebuilt because of our incredible God who is so faithful to every word He has promised.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote the following poem.

IN THAT MOMENT

Glory, glory, I sense the glory
And I am brought to my knees
For His love is so intense
Yet so refreshing as He wraps around me

I bow my head in awe
As He reaches out to me
But who am I but a battle-weary soldier
As I kneel before my King

But in that MOMENT
All my fears and anxieties are swept out
His eyes of warmth and of fire still me.
He whispers close: “Warrior do NOT doubt”

For His glory as it rises
As it swirls, as it dances upon me
My soul knows well: I can be strong in the One I have found
For indeed I am standing on holy ground.

As a woman in business to find a moment can be one of the most challenging things to do.  There is always the juggling act; and yes we have to continually think about ways we can work smarter and not harder – what can I outsource, who can I train up, what are creative ways I can get some help?  We do need to literally diary those slow moments and sometimes we just have to toss the list out the window. 

My life can look somewhat hectic at the best of time and the good old guilt starts to creep in that I am not spending enough time with family, or that the windows of the house do need a good clean; or if I don’t put my name down on a church roster I may be considered a heretic – LOL! 

I am real, I am passionate and I know this that God has called me to do life through the vehicle of my business to the glory of His name.   I need Him to remind me to take deep breaths and to not shoulder the burden: for in Him I live and breathe and have my being.

Ask God to take your business [or your community initiative, or your book you are writing or the music you are composing and so on] and explode it upon the nations for His pleasure and goodwill.  Ask God to place a marketing plan [or book chapters or notes and lyrics] in your hand that will astound any social media marketing guru.  God delights in us and the filing cabinets of heaven are open wide to those who would call out to him in prayer – conversations as you drive the car on the school run, as you go down the grocery isle, as you walk in to the business negotiation meeting and so on.  

Soak yourself in the Word, listen to podcasts, read and study in the area of your business industry; be at the forefront of what is happening in your business sector.  Put the prophetic trumpet to your lips and blow it loud – take those ideas nestled in your heart and give it a go.  Apply wisdom, get advice, put it to prayer, but don’t hesitate, take action, take a step and then another step. 

Being in business as a women is not about filling in time because you can’t think of anything better to do; but it is the Father’s heart for you to minister to many through your business – ministering to people does not mean ending every sentence in thus saith the Lord, but it is the way in which you speak to your clients, the integrity of your products and services; how conflict is handled when it arises among employees and so on – these are just a few examples.  

Your business is forging a legacy, a path for the next generation to stand on.  You are building for the sake of the Kingdom and even though you will feel at times like that battle-wearied soldier, take that MOMENT to remember as you put together both faith and action – both the sword and hammer as it was in the times of Nehemiah - that momentum will build.  Many will marvel and will exclaim surely only the Lord could have done this.

To your business growth and success!


Maree Cutler-Naroba
Ideas 2 Propel U
Igniting Dreams | Evoking Action



5 comments:

  1. Hi Maree - Thanks for that inspiring post. It was timely for me as my husband and I have just started our own freelance writing and editing business (web site should be up soon). We felt God leading us in this direction, but it has been a huge leap of faith and a steep learning curve. It's good to be reminded that it's His business and we just need to be faithful to His calling (though sometimes easier said than done). I Iove your idea that we should take our business, book, music etc and explode it upon the nations for His pleasure and goodwill. What a great image. May God continue to bless you in all of your business endeavours.

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  2. Thanks for your inspiring post Maree. Love your passion and loved your poem. Thank you for the clarion call. We will respond. Yes, may He use us in all we do to bring glory to Him - through our writing, our music, our work for Him whatever it may be.

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  3. Thanks so much for taking the time to inspire us with your words, Maree. I particularly love the sentence: 'I am real, I am passionate and I know this that God has called me to do life through the vehicle of my business to the glory of His name.' That sure resonates with me! God bless.

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  4. Maree, this was so encouraging. What we do in the market place does have value and significance for the Kingdom of God! Bless you! Rhonda Pooley.

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  5. Thanks Maree. A good reminder that everything we do should be done for the glory of God. I need to involve God more in my work. When I walk into that office it is so easy to leave my relationship with God at home, but by doing that I'm cutting myself off from the one great advantage I have in that place to help me get through my day.

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