(Part Two)
Having concluded the first part of this series, we shall now embark on a deep exploration of the second part below.
2. PURPOSEFUL PLANNING AND PERSISTENT PURSUIT OF SET GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE YEAR 2027, IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
a. Uncommon Business Ideas for God’s Children
b. Financial Breakthrough and Prosperity for Diligent Christians
c. Partnership with Christ in Church Growth and Financing
A. UNCOMMON BUSINESS IDEAS FOR GOD’S CHILDREN
Exodus 35:30-35; Daniel 1:1-21; Proverbs 4:5-9.
“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 8:18.
One particular Sunday during fellowship in my local assembly, Jesus Christ our Lord spoke through prophecy and promised to “prosper anything you lay hands on…”
It is amazing that the prophecy came a few days before this study. This is no coincidence; it is just proof that God is in full control of what we preach and teach here. He knows that the next Bible study will be centered on acquiring good and uncommon business ideas that God will use to turn our finances around in the right direction for prosperity. So, He has promised beforehand to bless those business ideas we shall receive from Him, as well as the existing ones we presently already have.
If God has to bless anyone, there has to be a medium through which He would cause the blessings to flow. Below are some instances:
- The widow of one of the sons of the prophets and her empty vessels. 2 Kings 4:1-7.
- The widow of Zarephath and her scanty meal. 1 Kings 17:7-16.
- The little boy with his five loaves and two fishes. John 6:5-13.
From the instances above, the LORD used what was available to the people to cause enough blessings to flow into their lives. Most of the time, we ask for God’s blessings without first making available the means by which He would cause us to receive the blessings. It is our duty to present what we want Him to bless.
It is very easy for God to bless us once we have the right platform through which we can receive the blessings because all the riches of heaven and earth belong to Him. Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:6-8; 1 Chronicles 29:13-16.
By the term “right platform,” we mean a legitimate, honest, and achievable business plan or idea. The problem most people have is that they conceive a business idea that is not workable, either because it is not viable in the area where they ply their trade, or else it is beyond the purchasing power of their targeted customers. We must understand that God will not force anyone to buy from us what they do not want, or make them go bankrupt because His children must sell stuff! No! More likely, He will cause you to find favour and enjoy patronage from them above your competitors if you sell what they want and at the price they can afford.
It doesn’t really matter how small your capital may be at the beginning; what God wants is just a medium for your blessings to come through. Once your ways are right with Him and your platform for His blessings is ready, you should expect the following:
- Divine guidance in making wise business or investment decisions.
Isaiah 30:21. - Steady growth of your capital base as you diligently serve Him with true commitment.
Job 8:5-7; Proverbs 13:4; Romans 12:11. - Divine favour and patronage above your competitors.
Genesis 30:25-43; 26:12-22; 39:1-6. - Divine protection for your investments even where others have failed.
Malachi 3:11. - New visions and fresh ideas whenever the current business fad or trend tends to go out of vogue.
Isaiah 43:19.
B. FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH AND PROSPERITY FOR THE DILIGENT CHRISTIAN
Proverbs 6:6-11; 13:4; Romans 12:11.
Our Father in heaven wants us, His children, to be like Him.
When our Lord, Jesus Christ, said, “…therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” He meant more than just moral perfection because, besides moral perfection, God is also perfect in all His ways. So, we can broaden that scripture to include other areas of our lives where God demands that we strive for perfection. However, for the purpose of this study, we shall focus on just three of these areas. They are as follows:
A. Moral Uprightness
B. Vocational Ingenuity
C. Attitudinal Excellence
Before we treat the points above piecemeal, we would first draw some inspiration from the life of our Father, Almighty God, and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is all too easy to conceive of the members of the Godhead as sitting leisurely in the glorious domain of their heavenly kingdom, with angels and heavenly saints hustling about to do their bidding.
Yes, angels wait on God and His Son, Jesus Christ, but none of the angelic beings even gets to be as busy as the Godhead. See John 5:17-21.
“…But He answered them, My Father is working until now, and I myself am working.”
John 5:17.
We understand from the testimony of Jesus above that the Godhead is always at work, taking care of celestial administrations and running over the affairs of mankind on earth. See 2 Chronicles 16:9; Hebrews 4:13; Daniel 2:20-22; 4:17; Psalm 50:1-23; Genesis 18:20-21; Matthew 28:19-20.
The industry that goes into the perfect coordination of all the beehive of activities in all the realms of existence reveals to us how hardworking our God and His Son have always been. In fact, Psalm 50 aptly captures God’s administration of governance over all of His creations, in all their realms, in this single verse:
“He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people.”
Psalm 50:4.
As His children, God has ordained that we also should exhibit a likeness of the same diligence, industry, and hard work in all that we do, because that is the guarantee that He would crown our efforts with success.
“The Soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing. But the soul of the diligent is made fat.”
Proverbs 13:4.
Heaven does not celebrate sluggards or encourage laziness. Proverbs 6:9-11; 21:17. God will not help you with things you obviously can do well yourself; He would more likely offer help to the helpless, but even at that, the helpless person must be ready to seek for and accept this help from God.
As earlier said, we would be looking at just three areas of our lives which, if well groomed to acceptable standards with God, can enhance our capacity to achieve financial breakthrough and prosperity. They are as follows:
A. MORAL UPRIGHTNESS
Matthew 5:43-48
One of the secrets of success in business is moral integrity; people want to trust whosoever they would do business with. It follows, then, that a businessman or woman who is morally corrupt would sooner or later lose customers. Below are some critical areas of our lives that should be subjected to strict discipline so as to achieve the moral uprightness that could win the trust of both existing and potential customers:
a. Trust:
If you make God your trust, then people will trust you. Wealth and riches come from God, and He gives them to those He can trust. Therefore, avoid all corrupt practices in business. Proverbs 15:6, 27. Do not help customers to defraud their employers (or anyone, for that matter) in any way.
b. Politeness:
Proverbs 15:1, 28; 1 Kings 12:1-19. A Christian must be polite to both the well-behaved and the unruly customers. When it comes to doing business, the buyer has more options than the trader. So, endure them politely in order to keep them and enjoy their patronage.
c. Love:
Matthew 5:43-48. Have genuine love for everybody. Be concerned for your customers’ well-being more than you are for their patronage. Naturally, people respond to love by wanting to be where they get it.
d. Integrity:
Proverbs 20:6-7. Be dependable. Be transparent in all your business dealings with your customers. They will come again.
e. Truthfulness:
Proverbs 12:19, 22. Do not lie about your selling prices. Give people the right to buy where it is cheaper for them.
B. VOCATIONAL INGENUITY
Proverbs 6:6-8; 24:3-4.
Do not go into any kind of business simply because other people have succeeded in that field. Rather, choose a business field that you are well suited, trained, or qualified for. Selling goods and/or services successfully would take more than just finding the right market; you must also be able to beat your competitors to enjoy more patronage. This is where professional ingenuity comes in handy. Be good at what you do, and you too will enjoy good patronage. Like the proverbial ant, know the difference between seasonal and all-weather goods.
“Which having no chief officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, her provision in the harvest.”
Proverbs 6:7-8.
You must also know where to source for goods at a cheaper rate and how to convey them at less cost in order to maximize your profit. You must also be wary of goods and products that are considered banned or contraband by the law; they could be susceptible to seizure and litigation, thus bringing about loss in business income and capital.
C. ATTITUDINAL EXCELLENCE
Your attitude (or disposition) towards running your business is equally as important as your set goals for achievement in that business.
Your attitudinal excellence or liability can make or mar your business in the following ways:
a. Laziness
This can come in two ways, namely:
i. Physical Laziness:
This is the lack of diligence or determination in carrying out any daily or periodic physical actions required to achieve set goals and/or objectives, like rising up early at the proper time to pursue your spiritual, family, or business goals for the day. A lazy person will not do these things in good time. They may just lie or sit idle and waste away precious time. Proverbs 6:9-11; 20:4; 21:25; 26:15.
ii. Mental Laziness:
This is the lack of diligence in carrying out a good plan or decision, like unnecessary procrastination of good business plans.
Examples: Investing in stocks when the prices are good or starting a small business which could help economically.
Generally speaking, mental laziness is the failure to put good plans or thoughts to work until the opportunity to do so is lost or past its season. Proverbs 26:14, 16; 13:4. All forms of laziness must be dealt with in order for us to achieve good results in our businesses.
b. Lateness
Opening our shops or offices late for business can have some negative consequences on our sales. Once existing or potential customers get fed up with such an attitude, they are bound to leave and seek more diligent sales outlets.
c. Customer Satisfaction
Do customers leave your shop satisfied, bored, disappointed, or even angry? The state of mind in which a customer leaves your shop will determine whether they will come back or not. If your attitude towards serving them is charming, you’ll not only put the goods they want in their hands, you’ll also put a smile on their faces. Proverbs 27:17, 19.
Below are some principles to follow to help you give your customers maximum satisfaction:
- Have a welcoming smile for every customer, whether they’re big-time spenders or just penny-worth spenders; who knows in which direction the tides might flow tomorrow?
- Try and manage your disappointment with customers who ask endless questions about prices of goods, end up not buying anything, and leave you with the frustrating task of returning your goods to the shelf. If you wish them good luck at the next shop they go to (you might just be the only one doing this!), I bet they’ll come again next time and buy to please you too.
- Do not let your shop run out of stock. You must keep a good record of goods supplied and sold so as to know when to start the process of replenishing stocks before they are exhausted. In the event that you do not have what a customer needs, it would be more prudent to send and fetch it from a neighbour’s shop than to let them go there themselves, because that might just be their last visit to your shop.
- Take proper care of the expiry dates of your goods and set an alarm in your mobile device’s calendar to give you an advance warning. Selling an expired product to a customer might harm them and make you liable to litigation and/or loss of patronage.
- Finally, put God first in all your business dealings. His place in your life must never be occupied by any business pursuit at all. There must be time for everything: time for your business, time for your family, and time for your God. Ecclesiastes 3:1.
“…. Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11.
The End.