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
