“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Peter 4:11

In the dictionary, worship means “to show reverence and adoration“. A true understanding of the worship of God is that it’s more than just showing reverence and adoration in a religious ceremony, but it’s a lifestyle of acknowledgement, adoration, and alignment with His plans and expectations. That lifestyle includes the work you do on a daily basis.

So as you go to work everyday as an employee or entrepreneur, the best way to view your work is that it should be…Worship Of the Real King!

(MORE: Passion @ Work Career Planning Resources)

Here’s some practical examples of what this looks like…

• Work in spirit and truth – Work while continually acknowledging God for the strength, creativity, and ability He gives you to work (John 4:23)
• Work in the beauty of holiness – It’s a beautifully holy act to work with excellence and dedicate your work to the Lord, not just as something to do to make a living or please someone else (Psalm 96:9)
• Work in your lane – Stay true to His purpose and calling for your life (Proverbs 4:25)
• Work with excellence - Be the best. Set the standard of leadership (Daniel 5:14)
• Work with diligence – Work hard and smart (Proverbs 10:5)
• Work with creativity – Use the ideas, strategies, and concepts God provides through prayer and revelation (Proverbs 8:12)
• Work with integrity – Let all your dealings be above reproach (Proverbs 11:1)
• Work with passion – Let your zeal for God energize your work (Romans 12:11)
• Work toward reconciliation – Take advantage of daily opportunities for life on life discipleship (2 Corinthians 5:19)

(MORE: Passion @ Work Leadership Development Programs)

Today is a marvelous day for you to be transformed in the way you think about your work. Honor God in your work and you will experience Him in a whole new way!

What are your thoughts about your work being worship? Leave your comments below...

Have you have ever felt like, "God I know you sent me out here to start this business (or ministry), but now it seems like everything is against me… Why can’t you just make me successful?... Where is the prosperity your Word promised me?" I know I have. I'm sure Moses felt the same way too.

Sometimes it appears that God-designed dams seem to block the flow of our blessings. Could it be that He keeps us from succeeding in the very thing that He called us to do? Would He cause your business to fail if He gave you the idea to start it? What’s that all about?! 

I'll tell you in my Kingdom Business column in the latest edition of Brotha Magazine.

Also, as with each article we have posted an accompanying video. Click the image below to enjoy this powerful teaching...

"If an ax is blunt and the edge isn't sharpened, then one has to use more strength. But wisdom prepares the way for success." - Ecclesiastes 10:10

With all the challenges that entrepreneurs are facing today, we desperately need God-inspired, Biblically-based strategies to continue to grow our businesses. Kingdom Business U. is committed to providing top-notch educational experiences that give Christian entrepreneurs, non-profits, and churches the spiritual strategies and practical tools you need to succeed in spite of what's happening in the economy or community around you.

These dynamic Boot Camps will focus on two critical areas for entrepreneurs and non-profits - finances and marketing. Our expert KBU faculty along with some special guests will teach you how to use the most recent innovative concepts and resources in finance and marketing to get maximum results for your business or ministry. Click each of the links below to learn more about the upcoming Boot Camps:

1. Dual Domination Boot Camp for Pastors & Entrepreneurs - "Master Money and Ministry in the Marketplace"
2. Finance and Funding Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs & Non-Profits - "Alternative Strategies to Generate Capital for Your Business”
3. Social Media & Marketing Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs & Non-Profits - "Enlarge Your Territory!"

Don't miss these great learning opportunities to exponentially grow your business, ministry, or non-profit! 

Contact us today at (678) 310-3017 or [email protected] for special group rates for your church or organization.

Do you think of God as creative? It amazes me how some Christian entrepreneurs, when looking for a creative jolt, don't initially seek the Creator of the universe for ideas, innovations, and inventions. Further, you were created in the image of God so creativity should be oozing out of you. In fact He expects you to be clever, imaginative, and resourceful, because it reflects some of the brilliant aspects of His character. 

One necessary attribute of entrepreneurs is that we must be creative in dealing with the myriad of challenges that are thrown at us. This post is just a small reminder for you not to overlook or underestimate the most creative force in the universe the next time you need a spark of ingenuity for your business. Here's seven scriptures to help spark your entrepreneurial energy:

1. "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts." - Exodus 31:3
   


2. "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." - Psalm 139:14
   


3. “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of ingenious inventions.” - Proverbs 8:12
   


4. "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Proverbs 22:29
   


5. "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" - Isaiah 43:18-19
   


6. "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." - Ephesians 2:10
   


7. "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you..." - 2 Timothy 1:6
   

God cares about your and your business. You can ask Him for all that you need, including creative energy, and He will help you.

What scriptures do you use to spark your creativity? Comment below...

Check out this video I created a few years ago about God-given creativity...

There's a big difference between working hard and working right. 

As we pass through the Labor Day season and many people celebrated a day off from their intense work lives, a thought came to me about how hard Christians work in their businesses. I wonder if we're working TOO hard as entrepreneurs... 

Now that's a strange idea for typical entrepreneurs to embrace, because most of us have been drilled with ethic of hard work all our lives. We have been taught that without hard work we won't accomplish our goals. We also have been taught to "work smart versus working  hard." However, we haven't always been taught as Christian entrepreneurs that the smartest way to work is to engage God more intentionally in our work. The truth is if God is not intimately involved in working smarter, you really aren't working all that smartly and you won't achieve the results that you desire.

Grace works by faith, not by works. 

We are not just saved by grace, we are supposed to work with grace. After salvation grace empowers us to do what God has called us to do in the way that He wants us to do it.

God doesn't want you to work hard just for the sake of working hard, especially if it involves stress, anxiety, health issues and anything else that steals the joy from the work for which God purposed you to do. He wants you to work right. And the right way to work in the Kingdom is through faithfulness, diligence, and trusting Him to direct your business activities and decisions. You don't have to waste a lot of time, energy, and effort toiling to get things done, when He can open doors in moments versus the years it took you to get them open by yourself. That's called favor.

I don't recall Jesus sweating to get much of anything done. As a matter of fact we never hear of anything related to him running, rushing,  or anything else related to many of the behaviors we experience as we operate our businesses. Jesus wasn't just speaking figuratively in Matthew 11:30 when he said, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

The reason Jesus could be so calm in his business was because he spent so much time in prayer that the "work" he did was made much easier. The less you pray the harder your work will be. The more you pray the easier your work will be because God will give you revelation, insight, and wisdom to work more efficiently and effectively. In 1898 pastor Andrew Murray said it like this...

"Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work it's worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God's messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us."

Unfortunately, many Christian entrepreneurs don't trust this principle and spend a lot of time in a nose-to-the-grind, trial-and-error, blood-sweat-and-tears mode, mainly because we don't know any better. The ways of the world are not the ways of God.

The less you allow God to direct your decisions, the harder you will have to work. The less you depend on God, the more you will have to depend on your own talent, resume, network, money, resources, etc. Now God can use all those things if He desires, but He will show how to use them so that your results are so much greater than you could have done on your own.

Working without God is toil. Working with God is worship.

I'm not saying that following God's instructions will always result in "easy" work, but what I am saying is that following God's instructions will keep you from unnecessary mistakes, detours, and u-turns. Many of these delays - that cost you time and money - could be avoided by acknowledging God in all your ways. Don't you think that if God gave you the business idea, He wants to see you succeed and will tell you everything you need to know to make that happen? I'm just sayin'...

Many scriptures speak to how success is accomplished in God's eyes. Very few of them relate to working hard in the natural. Most of them relate to "work" that happens in the Spirit.

• "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." ~ Joshua 1:8
• "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain..." ~ Psalm 127:1
• "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
• "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." ~ Proverbs 14:12
  
• "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." ~ Proverbs 16:3
• "... I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." ~ Isaiah 48:17
• "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:5
  
• "... My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness..." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

God wants to be your board chairman, CEO, CFO, partner, operations manager, advisor, coach, angel investor, virtual assistant, and so much more. He gives your business the best competitive advantage that you could have in the marketplace. If you trust Him and the work He wants to do through you, He will be all that you need to succeed.

What are your thoughts about how hard Christian entrepreneurs work? How do you engage God in your business?

Learn from your yesterday to make decisions for your today that benefit your tomorrow.

Last week I wrote Part 1 of How to Achieve Successful Setbacks. Here's Part 2...

One of the things that keeps me going after a setback is that I don’t run my business just for the sake of money, fame or success. I see a much bigger purpose for my business and my life. I am living a legacy, so that I can leave for the next generation. Therefore, when I am confronted by challenges, I need to see beyond myself in terms of how I handle them.

I love the quote from the movie Gladiator, when Maximus tells his men who are about to go into battle that “what we do today will echo into eternity“. The focus of your life should not be just what happens to you today, but the legacy that you will leave tomorrow.

I operate from the perspective that the things that happen in my life aren’t just about how they impact me. I consider how my experience could benefit the people that I will meet later in life who could be facing a similar situation. I think about how life lessons that I learn through difficult tests will help me to be a resource to my children as they confront comparable challenges. Therefore, when I am faced with setbacks, I know that I can’t quit because someone important to me is waiting for me – even depending on me – to succeed. And that person may not even be born yet. Whether you realize it or not, someone is waiting on you to succeed also.

Perseverance is a key component of a successful setback. And while persevering for your own goals is great, persevering to help others reach their goals is even better. I believe the human spirit comes alive when we fight to help others achieve a better life. A great sense of fulfillment awaits those who persevere for the benefit of others.

A key question to ask yourself is “What are you a part of that’s bigger than you, that can’t be accomplished by only you?” If your vision for your business or life is not on that grand of a scale then it needs to get bigger. When you discover and embrace the fact that your purpose in life incorporates more people than just you, you will adjust how you see life and how you respond to the things that happen to you.

One of the critical roadblocks that keeps people from extending themselves to others is fear. Fear paralyzes people, keeping them from stepping outside of their comfort zones, either to get help or to give it. It also prevents them from bouncing back quickly from their setbacks, because often it takes connecting with those outside of our comfort zones to get us back on track. We can learn a lot from others’ experiences that will help us get back on our feet after a setback. Your relationships will determine your results in life. If you try to do life alone and self-focused, you will fall far below your success potential.

As you finish strong in 2012, think about somebody (or somebodies) into whom you can invest your time, talents and resources. Let that person or group of people be part of what drives your determination when you encounter frustrations. Don’t let fear or anything else prevent you from connecting with the people who you need… or the ones who need you.

Remember that a setback is a set-up for you to develop the character and internal fortitude you need for the journey that lies ahead of you. If you’re going to fail, then fail while moving forward toward your goals and dreams. Keep learning and keep growing. I look forward to your success!

How do you successfully overcome setbacks in your life?