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How to Build a Kingdom Business as a Christian Entrepreneur

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This episode covers the topics of faith, innovation, biblical revelation, Christian business, entrepreneurship, marketplace ministry, faith and work, business as mission.

.ugb-2019249 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}Episode Transcription

Well, hello again, thank you for joining us for lunch break.

I am Pierce Brantley, co-host of the Eternal Entrepreneur.

And today we’re going to talk about innovation, revelation and the power of Kingdom impact.

Big stuff, so what are we really talking about?

We are talking about how to partner with God effectively. It’s something that I’m really passionate about, because I think it’s an area that even for the most seasoned Christian business leader, it’s an area of confusion, sometimes doubt, sometimes frustration, we don’t really like to talk about who focuses on what in the business, meaning, what do you focus on? What does God focus on, so we’re going to break that down.

So if you are particularly what I’d say, visionary, kind of business leader, if you feel like God has given you a mandate, you might say, use that language to operate your business in a certain way, if you got what I call fire in the bone syndrome, you’re gonna want to really focus into this episode, because I think it’s gonna really impact some good, good stuff for you.

So what’s the problem?

Here’s the thing, I think for business leaders, particularly if you are visionary, particularly if you feel like God has given you a vision for something, we run into problems we really do, because we don’t always know where to sail the ship. And we want to do so in a way that’s honoring to the Lord. And that can look like a lot of different things, of course.

So I call this the faith versus the function dilemma.

We’re gonna break it out into two different definitions, Revelation, and innovation, and talk about how the two kind of work together and where they’re kind of mutually exclusive. So I think many Christians get stuck in the cycle of praying, and powering through the sort of creates, like what I call is a tug of war, where we don’t really know which part of the business we own in which part of the business God owns.

And though we never really say so I think it can make us wonder how do we partner with God effectively, you ever felt like that? I don’t know. We’re kind of God, you let off and I pick up and vice versa.

Alright, so definitions.

Let’s start with Revelation. Revelation is previously unknown knowledge. It’s knowledge that is made known in a dramatic way in a way that only God could have made it known as God disclosing something to humans, for something about humans or something that the world at large. So revelation is an outcome of prayer. Revelation is just getting insight when you’re in the secret place when you’re praying about with God about something specific as it relates to the company that you own. Innovation is different. Innovation is creating new value and or capturing value in a new way.

I like Peter Drucker’s definition. He says, for innovation, to be effective it has to be simple, and it has to be focused. It should do only one thing. Otherwise, it confuses.

Love it.

Revelation reveals. Innovation impacts. Revelation gives you new insight. Innovation implements the insight you received. So see kind of the delineation, that reality is, you need both.

You can’t rewrite the playbook until you know how the game is played, guys.

You might say, hey, well, listen, I want to change the game, I want to, you know, do something different with my business. You can’t do that boss, you got to have both of these things in order to make some movement. You might actually have vision. I’m not saying you don’t, maybe coming down from the mountain with two tablets. And I told you so you know, I’m saying but you still got to get people out of the wilderness, right?

You still got to get your business to be effectively doing something in the market. You can’t just be going off of what you believe the Lord has told you, although you need that as a starting point. But at some point, you know, there’s got to be some practicals revelation always has practical at some point.

So, alright, let’s look at this steak and shake from the Apostle Paul. He’s talking to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 3:2 if you want to go look it up.

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

1 Corinthians 3:2

Some harsh stuff, Paul. What are we talking about here?

So with slight frustration, I would say, we find Paul coming back to people that he is already taught about things which they’ve already previously discussed, and ideas which should have already been implemented.

But these adults, these mature Christians, they needed a Gerber Baby God, they needed to be spoon fed practical ideas, basic ideas about how God works in their lives, and everything else associated with the Christian walk. But Paul’s pain really had to do with the latter part of his post.

These Christians wanted meat, right? They wanted a heftier spiritual protein. And yet they were unwilling to care for nurture the basic spiritual awareness and understanding when he wasn’t around.

We know this because of the way Paul responds, right?

So what did this mean? So really, they wanted revelation. But they didn’t want the responsibility that came with it. T

hey said, Paul, hey, man, give us the good stuff, give us the best you got. And he goes, What good is it to give you like, you know, more heavy things, more meaty things to use his language, when you’re not even really playing around with the basics. And we run into this, I think, as Christians, we think, Hey, you know, in order to really run a spiritual business, or when it’s honoring to God, nothing wrong with that, right?

I need to get better revelation on how to do so. And you do need revelation, but there’s a point where revelation drops off, and you don’t need to go past it, it doesn’t unpack the box anymore for you, so to speak. And that’s kind of what Paul was, was getting that, you know, I think often in life, God will happily give us a dream I’ll be it might be the form of an innovative idea, some kind of new career or, you know, your business venture. And, you know, we want to take that idea to bigger and grander and more pronounced places.

And we’ll expand on it.

And we’ll might even go to places even dare, you know, daydreams don’t really typically go to will go as big as we can, as we can go, we’ll go big or go home, so to speak.

But really, if we’re not careful, the dream never becomes a reality, meaning we can get so focused on regulatory insight that it never actually gets implemented.

Sound familiar?

Okay, enough theory, let’s talk about someone who’s actually lived this stuff out. You probably know this guy’s name: George Washington Carver, he was a chemist scientist in the late 1880s.

But this guy is cool.

I mean, when you look into his life, he really modeled both of these components. Really, really well. Faith was a big part of how he did all of his inventing.

But cool story, though, Carver actually really did desire revelation like the rest of us.

So it’s actually said that once he asked God, to tell him all, all the secrets of the universe, he wanted to know everything, you know, why is grass green? Why is Jupiter so far away? You know, is it possible to travel to other planets, he was like “God, give me a download.”

And the Lord answered him, but he did in a really ironic way. He wasn’t going to start him out with meat, so to speak, he started straight with milk; kind of funny.

So God pointed him something much smaller than the universe.

He pointed him to the peanut, and Carver come up with incredible inventions, which, you know, kind of mentioned here in a minute. But out of all of, you know, the world changing stuff that he did, the most amazing thing was his kind of grounding, and how God led him to everything that he accomplished, in fact, so this one time, he was speaking at a university, and he was only supposed to have a short amount of time.

But it was really, really kind of motivating. And so they let them speak for longer. And afterwards, the Chairman was so impacted by what he spoke on. He said, Hey, listen, how did you learn all this stuff?

About the peanut and Carter goes, Yeah, he said, Well, I learned about it from an old book. And the Chairman goes, What book? What book is this in?

George say “The Bible.”

And the chairman says, “Does the Bible tell you about peanuts?”

“Like, do you actually know all this stuff from looking in that that book?”

And Carter says “No, sir.”

“But it tells about the God who made the peanut, and I asked Him to show me what to do with the peanut and He did.”

He was really matter of fact about it.

But the secrets that Carver discovered led to hundreds of new inventions, I mean, you think about the cosmetics, paint plywood, the dye that we use in crayons, I mean, and the list goes on and on and on.

But he got it from Revelation.

So the Lord spoke to him about something he wanted to actually give supernatural knowledge about something and the Lord revealed it to him, but he still had to take that knowledge and then innovate on it, create a product out of it, and then use that in a way that was going to add value to the world.

And it has I mean, the entire world has changed because of all the countless things that he was able to commit to the marketplace.

So, some practicals. How do we do this for ourselves? Two things.

For Revelation, Revelation is just asking God: “What do you think about this problem, the situation this hole in the market, Revelation is the intimacy that proceeds innovation?”

It comes first, I think it should come first, not to say that sometimes one doesn’t kind of come before the other when you’re in the mess of things.

The world is messy.

But revelation typically proceeds innovation in a Kingdom kind of sphere.

Innovation is providing value with what you learned about the problem, the situation, the hole in the market, that God talked to you about.

Innovation is how you live out the Christian discipline of stewardship out in the marketplace.

So that’s how revelation and innovation work together for the good when you have both. When you’re doing both in a consistent manner. That is when you begin to have Kingdom impact, because you have the supernatural knowledge of God guiding you. And you have the innovation of how to work on that or how to make it accessible to people working itself out in the marketplace.

And that’s how you become competitive.

That’s how you become disruptive.

That’s how you change the world.

Like our man, Carver.

So, Alright, guys, this is the end of this episode of the lunch break. I hope you enjoyed it. hope you got something good out of it. If you did, why don’t you let Joe and I know we’d love to hear from you.

Until then, catch you next time.

The post How to Build a Kingdom Business as a Christian Entrepreneur appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Learn to Hear God’s Voice as a Christian Business Owner

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This episode covers the topics of Christian business, entrepreneurship, marketplace ministry, faith and work, business as mission, the Holy Spirit, confidence and prayer.

.ugb-ed8a83e hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}Episode Transcription

Hello, and welcome back to the Lunch Break.

My name is Joe Newton, and I am the co-host of the Eternal Entrepreneur.

Now Today, we’re gonna talk about confidence.

How can you have confidence and tough times? How can you have the confidence to continue moving forward in your business, even when you look out and things don’t seem to be working right?

Now, I believe that the best way to grow and confidence and to keep moving is knowing what God has or has not said for you, your family and your business.

This is the best point of leverage that the average person doesn’t have is having confidence that the God of the heavens and the earth has actually spoken to you and wants to partner with you in your business.

Now, I think there are four different types of people when it comes to confidence of knowing God has or hasn’t spoken. And I’m just going to go through those four types of people real quick. And then we’re going to go into what can we actually do to become more confident that we are hearing from God and knowing that he has or hasn’t spoken in an area?

Okay. So type number one, I believe this is the person who has had a third heaven, open vision, audible voice of God, kind of an encounter.

Let’s be honest, this probably isn’t most of us that say, “Oh, yeah, last Thursday, the audible voice of God spoke to me, he told me to release this new product line.”

Simple as that…right after I had the open vision and saw Paul on the third happened.

All right, I wish that we had more of those encounters.

But unfortunately, or fortunately, however you want to see it…that’s not most of us.

And that’s totally fine.

Now, the second type of person is those who have specific revelations and repeated confirmations. So they’ve gone about and they have heard for themselves probably in the secret place.

They’ve had friends come and confirm what they’ve heard. They’ve read specific verses that God started to highlight and unpack for them. Maybe they went to church, and the pastor started speaking exactly what they heard God say to them, while they are reading a verse.

So again, this person might not have had an angelic visitation…

But they’re pretty confident that they have heard God because there are confirmations consistently.

He’s speaking to them in different ways.

Now, to number three..

I would venture to say that this is probably the vast majority of us most of the time, and this is the type of person that says, I think I’ve heard, maybe, maybe I’ve heard, I might not have heard, although I think I think, I think maybe, maybe I did.

So this is the person who is out there. And they’re listening for God, they know that God speaks, but they’re just not confident for sure that he has or hasn’t said something.

And again, that’s most of us.

And that is totally fine to be there, as long as we recognize that, right? Because we want to move up that ladder, at least to the number two. But beginning, a lot of us are sitting in that type three spot.

Now, type four is the person who says Nope, I got nothing, I maybe haven’t even asked. So type four can be either really good, or really bad.

So it might be good. If you know for sure that God has not spoken to you about something specific, that sometimes can be just as good as him speaking to you about a specific area.

Because if he hasn’t said anything, you can start to dig into whether that means you should or shouldn’t do something. You know, sometimes as a parent, you tell your kids, you can do this, you can’t do that you can do this, you can’t do that. But as they get older, you start to trust them more, and you don’t give them specific direction in every area of your life.

So if he hasn’t spoken to you sometimes that can mean hey, I am here with you go step out if that’s where your heart is, and I’m going to father you if something changes.

But that can also mean that that number four spot can be you haven’t asked and I would say that is the area that we want to change. We want to be intentional because if we just haven’t asked God we haven’t invited him in to speak To us about our business about our families, then we are again missing a great point of, and I’m half heartedly saying this point of leverage. we’re leveraging the almighty the voice of God.

So I want to get us from that type three, type four, to a type two person. And I believe the first step and knowing what God has or has not said, is simply paying attention and being intentional. So, being intentional one, and listening for his voice, and to being intentional and documenting what you think he might be saying. So simply pay attention and be intentional.

So, when it comes to being intentional about his voice, this just comes down to taking time out, whether that’s of your day, every day, or even out of your week, and just sitting with him, asking him to speak and keeping our ears perked open for ways that he might be speaking to us, again, looking for things in the word expecting that confirmations are going to come expecting that he wants to speak to us. And that second part being intentional about documenting, I think this is the big one that we might miss. So if we’re out there, and we’re looking, we’re looking for confirmations from friends from the word, the pastor, and then we’re not writing them down.

This, this, I think, is what keeps a lot of us in that type three, the I think I’ve heard, maybe, because God has spoken to us, He has sent confirmations.

But if we haven’t been intentional about writing those down about documenting them, then when times get tough, when you start walking out and things look different than you expected, you’re going to lose confidence because then you start doubting yourself saying, Well, did I hear did that person hear?

I don’t remember exactly what he said, Did he say it like that? Did he mean this?

And this is where we’re, that lack of confidence can be just eroded into our heart. So we want to make sure that we’re not only being intentional to listen, but that we’re asking, listening and putting it in writing.

.ugb-52d3ae6 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}Episode Action Items

Alright, so I want to give you two action items, you can do either one.

So first, is just start a journal. And a journal isn’t anything special, it can be a piece of paper that you go back to consistently, and start writing down what you feel like God is saying, the confirmation that he might be speaking, again, we’re not committing to anything here.

We’re just saying, Hey, I felt my heart kind of come alive. When I was reading this verse, my friend came in, and they spoke this, which kind of confirmed what I was feeling there. The pastor spoke on this topic consistently, and my heart came alive, or it matched what I was reading in, in the secret place. So just write those down journaling is just document what you think God might or might not be saying, and what you’re feeling at that time what you’re thinking at that time. So if you just started journal, that’s an amazing step. Because now at least we have something documented something on paper that we can go back to when times get tough.

Now, the second action item, I want to give you a specific method for journaling. This is actually a method that my wife used to use back in college. And when we first got married, she would use this for making big decisions. And what she would do is she would take a piece of paper, and at the top, she would write one question that she’s asking from God. So in business, this can be something like, should I launch this new product line? And you’d write that at the top of the paper? Then you just go, right? Ask God, should I write this? Should I release this new product line? Or what do you want to tell me about releasing new products in the business, and then right, don’t judge it.

Don’t think about it. Don’t critique it. Just write until you feel like he stopped speaking, then set that paper aside.

Don’t go back to it, set it aside. And do this for at least five days.

If you can do it for longer, awesome, but do it for at least five days. Then go back and read through those day by day by day.

And now you’re probably going to see some confirmations, some patterns. Some days, there might be something totally out of blue. And you know, you know what, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. We’ll just set that one to the side. But if you see consistency there, now you’re made, as we talked about before you’re made to hear God’s voice. You’re made in His image, you are His child, he wants to talk to you. So you’re going to start seeing some confirmations there and then if you’ve also started journaling and documenting the other confirmations, you’ll see those start popping up as well. And now you have two places to go back to, to either make big decisions, or to have confidence again when times get tough, or when things aren’t working out the way that you thought they should.

Well, I hope that was helpful for you. Thank you for joining us today on the lunch break.

Have an amazing week, and we can’t wait to connect with you again.

The post Learn to Hear God’s Voice as a Christian Business Owner appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Top 50 Podcasts for Christian Business in 2021

Here is my list of the top christian business podcasts for 2021 — if you are a successful christian business owner or entrepreneur! I love Christian radio stations, but if you really want to accelerate your business, then you need lots of on-demand content to continually grow. To help you grow, we went out and found the very best inspirational business podcasts available. You won’t just find old favorites like Andy Stanley, Entreleadership, or the Faith Driven Entrepreneur either — you’ll also find some great up-and-comers, along with some helpful niche content too. Happy listening and enjoy!

#1 Eternal Entrepreneur

With Joe Newton, Pierce Brantley

Imagine your profits, your employees, your customers — every aspect of your business experienced an increase in freedom, both in commerce and Christ. This is what a Christian business owner has that others do not. Eternal Entrepreneurs can solve problems in the spiritual realm and manifest those outcomes in the physical world.

Are we biased? Oh yes. Is the show awesome? — you betcha!

The podcast has two episode formats: 

Lunch Breaks — short, easy to digest episodes on business skill and spiritual discipline. Typically 10-20 minutes. 

Interviews — smart, curated discussions with the best spiritual and business thinkers in the Kingdom. Typically 45-60 minutes. 

The podcast covers topics like:How to be a successful christian businessperson How to apply the theology of businessHow to be a Christian accelerator for goodWhat Christian work should look likeListen to Podcast.ugb-fb371b9 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6b7f719 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#2 Next Level Podcast

With Michael McIntyre
Michael built a $3 Billion dollar agency from scratch and has helped many C-Suite executives and entrepreneurs transform their lives. His podcast is alive to provide a spark to business leaders, entrepreneurs and dreamers.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-423d6bb hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-f6f597c .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#3 Christian Women In Business

With Sarah-Jane Meeson
The show created a platform where women can come to be inspired, to learn from women who have been there and done that and know what it’s really like to run a business as a Christian and what it means for them.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-4c3c1ba hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8b4745c .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#4 Christianity in Business

From Archie W. Dunham College of Business at HBU
Christianity in Business is a show that helps Christian business professionals integrate biblical values into business. The show goes deep on applying theological principles to the work force.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-75d79de hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-acde56e .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#5 Created For This

With Danielle Roberts
A podcast for Christian business owners and entrepreneurs, Created for This, weaves together business and Christian living. Hosted by Danielle Roberts, author of Created For This. She knows what it’s like to wrestle with the feeling of wanting to go deep with Jesus but not feel like there are hours in the day to make it happen.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-96c4fad hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-19a48f4 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#6 Kingdom Business Podcast

With Wez Hone
Wez activates Christian entrepreneurs to change culture, build businesses, and fund the Kingdom. In his podcast, Wez brings together Christian principles and biblical teachings with highly practical business advice.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-6f8332f hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-862a598 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#7 Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast

With Andy Stanley
Andy has real wisdom that is applicable to leadership in any industry. The episodes are bite-sized and full of amazing content designed to help leaders go further, faster. Andy Stanley is a pastor, communicator, author, and the founder of North Point Ministries in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-0e955dc hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-a789ba9 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#8 Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Faith Driven Entrepreneur brings incredible business leaders from around the world to share how their faith affects their work. The podcast encourages, equips, empowers, and supports Christ-following entrepreneurially-minded people.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-5924928 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-355ba1e .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#9 Christian Women’s Business Academy

With Damita McGhee
The Christian Women’s Business Academy Podcast is a show for God-fearing, high achieving women entrepreneurs. The show will challenge your view of what you have been taught business should look like and help you tap into business the way God designed it.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-88e8dd4 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-3d84a7d .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#10 The Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur Podcast

With Shae Bynes
The Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur will inspire you to do business completely yielded and in partnership with God. Shae speaks with business owners around the world about their experiences doing business led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-4c5ec14 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-04d7fd9 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#11 Entreleadership

With Daniel Tardy
The EntreLeadership features lively discussions and tips on leadership and business by some of the top minds in the business, like Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, and Jim Collins.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-0c638d0 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8aaff98 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#12 Bottom Line Faith

With Ray Hilbert
This 30 minute weekly program, produced by Truth At Work, provides a unique look at how high-capacity Christian leaders live out their faith in the marketplace, how their faith influences how they deal with the issues they face as leaders, and how they address all the demands they face.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-481fa3b hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-010f2f2 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#13 Nine to Five

By WorkLight
Nine to Five podcasts are conversations with Christians who are actively seeking to align their careers with God’s mission. Each show is meant to challenge and encourage you through the testimony of other believers.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-9411e54 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-e0f0f13 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#14 iWork4Him

with Jim and Martha Brangenberg
This daily 30 minute broadcast, geared at business owners, will challenge the way you think about your faith and work. You’ll get practical, tactical, factual and healthy biblical challenge.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-27b22eb hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-0c582a6 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#15 Good Deads

with Dr. Renee Sunday
Dr. Sunday is internationally known as “The Platform Builder.” She helps faith-based entrepreneurs get their message out into the world through the media. Listen to her show for practical self-help and business advice.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-e47a0f9 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7c644ac .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#16 Business, Jesus and Sweet Tea

with Heather Heuman
A faith-based business podcast with a social media bend — listen to case studies, best practices and real stories of christian business owners and entrepreneurs just like you and learn how they overcame struggles and use social media marketing to grow their businesses.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-2d67a2f hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-de51265 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#17 Theology of Business

with Darren Shearer
If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God, this show is for you. “ToB” helps marketplace Christians partner with God in business to help you make disciples of your co-workers, your company, and your industry.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-e14f5ae hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b06839f .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#18 Thrivepreneur

with Marta Samson
Marta has a show with everything you need to level up and thrive in the marketplace. Tune in weekly for solo and interview-based episodes for thriving development, marketing and business tips, motivation and success stories.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-a71a030 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-fdf476f .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#19 Building a StoryBrand

with Donald Miller
Don and the StoryBrand team are the world’s leading experts in harnessing the 2,000 year-old proven power of story formulas to get people talking about your brand. Fans of the podcast love the fun and entertaining way the show brings practical advice about clarifying your message so customers will listen.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-a69474a hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9d896f0 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#20 Work Love Pray

with Diane Paddison
Diane’s show is full of real conversations about real issues women in the workplace face at work, at home, or in their church communities. The show shines a light on a much-needed aspect of the workforce in this generation.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-2deb540 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-bd06ceb .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#21 Convene Podcast

with Mark L. Vincent
Are you looking to learn from seasoned business executives? The Convene Podcast takes deep dives into a variety of Christian business leaders’ fields of expertise. Tune in to learn more on how to integrate better business practices and faith into your current work.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-7bed3de hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9e0327f .ugb-img{width:900px;height:auto !important}}#22 10 Talent LeaderTalk

with Michael Sipe
Christian business leaders share wisdom and inspiring stories of God at work in their lives, with their families, in the companies they run, and in the lives of those they employ.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-bea8812 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-c35619c .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#23 Kingdom REI

with Ellis Hammond
We’ve had Ellis on the Eternal Entrepreneur show and he was fantastic! On his show, he brings on amazing Christian entrepreneurs to talk about godly ambition, what it takes to be successful in business, using capital as a means for influence, how to stay grounded in your faith while growing in business, and so much more!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-0a4e56f hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-85d3e9a .ugb-img{width:224px;height:auto !important}}#24 Thriving Christian Business

with Pete Mitchell & Dave Negri
Self-dubbed “The most valuable podcast on the planet for Christian Business Owners who want to honor Christ with their business!” — Pete and Dave bring a culture of honor and christ-centeredness to their show.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-4a8b045 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-cff01bd .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#25 Christian CEO

with Kelly Baader
Kelly helps Christian Entrepreneurs and High Achievers create profitable businesses by establishing their preeminent positioning in the marketplace, so they can finally become the influential change-makers they are called to be!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-688f8fe hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-3a2718a .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#26 Making it Work

with Leah Archibald, Mark Roberts
Through conversation, scripture and stories, the Making it Work podcast invites God into work’s biggest challenges, so that you can live out your purpose in the workplace.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-33f861b hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b8461cb .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#27 The Theology of Work

with Dr. Clint Le Bruyns
The original ToW (Theology of Work) podcast! They don’t update the show as often here, but the topics are still solid! True to their name, they bring a theological perspective to the work life.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-6447f50 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-a5cbdb1 .ugb-img{width:268px;height:auto !important}}#28 The Ray Edwards Show

with Ray Edwards
Edwards’ show is one of the top-rated business podcasts on iTunes created for small business owners, and those who want to start a business. The podcast episodes are published Wednesday morning each week. Check it out!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-c0090ae hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d03d20f .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#29 The Christian Woman Business

with Esther Littlefield
As a successful christian business women, you want to grow your business, but you struggle with feeling like you have to do #allthethings, and you’re not sure where to focus. The show will help you focus and make an impact without compromising your faith.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-41bca59 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-f274ef1 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#30 Faith Collides

from Lux Mundi
This show dives into the career stories of leading industry leaders, and how faith has played into their life at work. Each episode has a carefully crafted storytelling format, leaving listeners with industry insight and career aspirations for the work week ahead.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-96f967b hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6978778 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#31 Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

with Carey Nieuwhof
Carey’s show is all about leadership, change and personal growth. The goal? To help you lead like never before—in your business. The podcast features a mix of well-known and everyday leaders whose insights bring tremendous value to your development as a leader.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-cb874df hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-62d619e .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#32 The Redemptive Edge

with Andy Crouch
Andy talks with founders about the way their backgrounds have uniquely prepared them to work on the problems and opportunities they’ve chosen; and about how their Christian imagination and practices have shaped their work.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-0e3a2d9 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-3fd1a17 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#33 Kingdom Success

with Tyler H. McCart
With over 100,000+ downloads, the Kingdom Success podcast will help you maximize your Kingdom potential in life and at work. If you are a business owner and you desire to be successful in life and at work God’s Way, then please tune in each week as you discover HOW to be a success God’s Way.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-41ae212 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9607430 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#34 God Centered Success

with Mia Rene
Mia designed a show for leaders in the business world who want to fulfill God’s calling on their life. Tune in each week for topics that are relevant to your life as a Christian entrepreneur and will fuel your faith with God’s word and truth for the week ahead.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-84af923 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b447ab6 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#35 The Mompreneur Mastermind

with Stefanie Gass
Stefanie helps moms uncover their God-led callings, find clarity, launch successful businesses. She is obsessed with the idea that moms on a mission can create passive income businesses that light them up while creating more time and space.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-2387138 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2a3d675 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#36 The Thriving Christian Artist

with Matt Tommey
Check out the official podcast of internationally recognized artist, speaker, author and mentor Matt Tommey. The Thriving Christian Artist Podcast is for artists who want to bust through roadblocks that have held them back and live as an artist in God’s Kingdom.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-c5e7a91 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8d06b6c .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#37 BecomingCEO

with Kay Hillman
Kay has put together a great show for female entrepreneurs and business owners to help improve their marketing and social media strategy. Every week she shares tips and tricks about social media marketing, mindset, and sales strategy. You’ll learn how to start, grow, and scale a service based or coaching business — God’s way.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-8f361d2 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-a60f897 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#38 Christian Business Insights

with Dave Kahle
CBI serves ‘out-of-the-box’ views on how to operate a Christian Businesses — designed to help you build a powerful business, expand your impact, and grow closer to God in the process.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-c7f2c00 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-bdc13c6 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#39 Faith Driven Investor

from Faith Driven Entrepreneur Faith Driven Investor is a growing movement of business leaders, fund managers, investors, and pastors that are driven by their faith and who believe that God owns it all and that he cares deeply about how we steward our investments. This is a second podcast from the great folks at FDE! 

Listen to Podcast.ugb-d580932 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8ec045a .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#40 Your Purpose is Calling

with Dawn Sadler
Dawn has a wonderful podcast featuring conversations with Christians that are finding purpose, redefining work, and changing their world. She has over 20 years of corporate experience, 10 years as the owner of an award-winning marketing firm, and 5 years in Christian business ministry. Check out her show!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-a2149b8 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-c203501 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#41 The Entrepreneur’s Summit

with Roman Randall
The Entrepreneur’s Summit Podcast is for entrepreneurs and creatives who want to be successful in life, in business, and for the Lord Jesus Christ. The show includes interviews, Q&A’s, and “content jacks” — inspiring content to motivate your day.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-1331918 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-ffa6752 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#42 Success Habits of Christian Entrepreneurs

with Mike Holmes
Mike’s podcast focuses on this single idea: an entrepreneur is someone who “swims out” to the unknown to “grab hold of” unseen opportunities. A Christian Entrepreneur is one who does this to the glory of God!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-5d75e0f hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-ef40fd0 .ugb-img{width:268px;height:auto !important}}#43 Exploring Series

with Shawn Bolz, Bob Hasson
On Exploring the Prophetic, Exploring the Industry, and Exploring the Marketplace co-hosted with Bob Hasson, Shawn interviews some of his close friends, entrepreneurs, and leaders from all different industries on how God’s voice has caused great change in their lives and the world around them.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-3539e28 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-c868cd1 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#44 Business Done Right

with Seth Buechley
Do you want to grow a valuable business and avoid wasting years learning every lesson the hard way? Then discover the strategies and insights of winning leaders and organizations is critical to your success. Seth brings you these strategies in his premiere show.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-b7ce9a2 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-477baae .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#45 Christian Entrepreneur Podcast

with Annemarie Crossy
The show features daily conversations with Christian entrepreneurs to inspire and empower you to walk strongly in your faith, while you build a thriving business that honors God.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-34f6fc3 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9fc3d91 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#46 Faith-Full Business

with Steve Schramm
Steve has cracked the code on how to be a high achiever while honoring and serving God, his guest’s stories will inspire you to do the same. The show desires to honor God above all, while recognizing that we can be high achievers, motivated leaders, and intensely passionate Bible-believers.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-21a9996 hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-e32e8c3 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#47 The Faith and Work Podcast

from DIFW
The Faith & Work Podcast explores our everyday work in God’s world, and is produced and hosted by Denver Institute for Faith and Work.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-3cea6ad hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-505a80c .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#48 The Portfolio Life

with Jeff Goings
Jeff shares his thoughts and ideas to help you to pursue work that matters, make a difference, and discover your true voice. Give the show a listen!

Listen to Podcast.ugb-627b4bc hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-75dd935 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#49 Lead to Win

With Michael Hyatt, Megan Hyatt Miller
From personal productivity to personal development, self-leadership to team leadership, and intentionality to influence, Michael’s show gives great insights and tools to win at work and succeed at life.

Listen to Podcast.ugb-7d2efbc hr.ugb-divider__hr{margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9d501d2 .ugb-img{width:300px;height:auto !important}}#50 Love and Respect

With Emerson Eggerichs, PhD and Jonathan Eggerichs, PsyD
Last, but not least! This podcast highlights discussions between pastor and clinical psychologist, father and son, that is certain to serve and encourage males and females alike. No one and no relationship, whether inside or outside the home, is off-limits. In a world where emotional intelligence matters more than ever, this show will serve your business well!

Listen to Podcast

Best Christian Podcasts Summary

As a Christian Entrepreneur in training, we hope you’ve found this list of podcasts helpful for building your business in the new year. 2021 is full of potential, and with the right knowledge and spiritual perspective, I have no doubt you will succeed at what you do. In closing, consider a favorite verse of mine — Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” As you build your business, aim to establish it on the relationship you have with God, and dedicate your work to him. No amount of knowledge replaces the foundation you have in Christ.

The post Top 50 Podcasts for Christian Business in 2021 appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Find an abundant life at work

Our work lives can mess with our christ-mindedness.

This means our goals at work can get in the way of Godly ambition and desire. Case in point: everything around us says to measure who we are and the success of what we do by the accolades we receive or the connections we have. These ideas can affect the abundant life we were meant to experience in Christ.

Fulfillment at Work

…but there are empty men with many accolades and full men with none.

Fulfillment has little to do with trophy rooms.

Think of your labor as a holy container.

Your work is a vessel full of love, whose sole purpose is to be poured out as an offering back to Almighty God. The way you work is your response to God for giving you work in the first place. The more you respond to God in love, the more meaningful your work will become.

If you feel an emptiness or lack of meaning in your work, consider whether you see your labor as a love offering to God. 

Evidence of Abundance

Do you want evidence that your work has become worshipful? Assurance that your calling is manifest? Confidence that your work-purpose is being redeemed? If you do, then pause to assess what meaning you presently receive from your work. This is your barometer. 

You were designed to increase in good work. Your sacrifice and your success, spiritually speaking, are intimately tied together.

You were designed to increase in good work. Your sacrifice and your success, spiritually speaking, are intimately tied together.

Pierce Brantley
Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your WOrk

You’ll bring new power into your day when you live from this kingdom dynamic. The sovereign principles that govern your calling and the work connected to it will be unlocked. The unique blend of anointing and Spirit-talent the Lord has given you will be unleashed, as well. In fact, if you learn to labor in this special type of love, to work out your salvation in your work, you will bring a new measure of abundance into both your life and your career. 

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). 

Put another way, he came to break the eight-to-five.

Portions of this post are excerpts from the book Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your Work

The post Find an abundant life at work appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Can a “dead-end” job still have a calling?

You know how people say, “Hey, shut the door—were you raised in a barn?” 

Well, I really was raised in a barn. (But I do shut the door after myself. Usually.)

I grew up in the East Texas “piney woods.” Literally in a barn.

The living situation was supposed to be only temporary, of course. We thought we’d live in the barn on the property until our family’s ship came in, and then our house would quickly be built. For seventeen years, we waited on Providence to provide, but that ship never did come in. 

Houses, I learned, rarely build themselves.

That barn was completely exposed to the elements. The summers were sweltering, and it wasn’t uncommon for a snake to be found in a shaded corner of a room.

One summer, a hive of bees paused their migration and spent three days in the rafters.

Winters, conversely, were colder than your fridge.

A Thankless Job

One of my first jobs was mowing.

That always struck me as odd. At first, I thought that mowing the grass around the barn would keep the grasshoppers out of our living areas.

But it didn’t.

I mean, the barn was surrounded by knee-high grassy acreage, and cutting the grass didn’t keep the critters out. In fact, many of them would jump toward the barn to avoid the blade. But what else does one do with so much grass and time?

In those early years, as I worked our fifteen-acre yard, something surprising happened: a bond grew between me and the Lord. As I mowed, I worshiped and I listened. And God met me in my work. 

A relationship grew out of a seemingly pointless task, and that made all the difference in what I was doing. It might be hard to believe about a young boy and yardwork, but I actually began to look forward to cutting paths in the wilderness. To spending that work time with God. It was an exodus for an East Texas boy.

Most Christian men who long for purpose in their work lives start by praying for Sunday to spill over into Monday. Our hope is that we’ll be able to splash a little sanctification from our time at church onto those around us at the workplace. For many men, this lasts only until things just need to get done. Then it’s back to business as usual. Whatever he got from Sunday morning is helpful all the way up until crunch time, when he may find himself trading in the pew for pragmatism. 

Praise God that our work story doesn’t have to end there.

Here’s what’s possible for your work: you will be clay in the Holy Potter’s hand, you will know that everything you commit your hands to will result in his divine craftsmanship. You will come to the place where you’re not pushing yourself to go to work, but that the work itself will be propelling you. You will see that the vessel you want to be is exactly the vessel you are being molded into. 

If that sounds good to you, the question you must ask yourself is: Am I engaged with what he’s molding me to be? 

God has a work-life for you

Knowing the answer removes every condemning thought and doubtful question. Is this the right job? Did I make a wrong turn in life? Is there a reason so-and-so is more successful? A man given to the Lord will be used for a higher purpose, because he’s being made into his Maker’s desired image. You are uniquely made for the task at hand.

We have to understand that “work” is not a job—it is an attitude toward a job. Hopelessness comes when you confuse the two. 

“work” is not a job—it is an attitude toward a job. Hopelessness comes when you confuse the two. 

Pierce Brantley
Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your Work

There are no dead-end jobs in Christ. You haven’t missed your calling.

We need to have our minds renewed by Christ until we can see this. When this renewal happens, we see meaning grow from the mundane. We find joy in a job description. Our calling isn’t the work itself but is the kingdom purpose in it. God has a specific assignment for you in whatever it is you do as your job—a mission within your work.

Portions of this post are excerpts from the book Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your Work

The post Can a “dead-end” job still have a calling? appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Have you missed your calling?

The best I could do was a Sharpie marker. 

It wasn’t shoe polish, but it would get the job done. Besides, you could really only tell the difference when the sun shone down on them directly. My other shoes had had the soles re-glued a handful of times and they still kept falling apart. The separating backs made an obnoxious clapping sound as I walked and would introduce me anywhere I went. So, old as they were, these shoes and their sharpie-spotted polish would have to do for the time being.

Perfect or not, I had places to go. 

For a kid of thirteen, this felt like a lot of resolve. My circumstances were not going to dictate my actions, even if I had been raised in a barn. I was going to control the situation as best I could. The personal pride was genuine too—it was as if my ability to mend my shoes translated into the power to keep life knitted up, as well. 

Our work lives can feel like that. Work is forward momentum in the face of uncertainty.

We step boldly into our work, even if the work itself is not exactly what we’d like it to be.

We can imagine a better future, sure.

We might even believe God himself has a better idea in mind.

But how do we find it?

Maybe it’s best just to keep walking forward, hoping things will get better.  

After all, a little bit of spit-shine will go a long way to polish your outlook. 

Yes, work is a part of life.

But there’s a secret to work that most Christian men haven’t discovered. 

Paul knew this secret. Elijah and David too. But most men never find it. Many can identify the itch, but they simply can’t scratch it.

The itch troubles you like a gentle prod, a niggling little thought that the work you do during the day isn’t everything it’s meant to be. You feel as if you’re missing something when you clock in and clock out. Your work doesn’t get the job done spiritually, you could say. Nor is it very fulfilling. 

That’s the itch, and it can lead to a great discovery. But it’s also really easy to dismiss, even if it’s right. 

So, men continue to endure the daily grind, missing out on the faith and secret strength that could overflow in their work. This results in a whole generation of Christian men who work hard but don’t know why. Or, worse, who never learn the real work they are called to do. 

Which is a tragedy.

There is so much at stake and so little time to stake a claim on a calling too. 

There is hope, however, for the man who wants to know what God might give him to do with the few days he’s been given. So long as you haven’t stopped working, it’s never too late to find the purpose of your work.

Our ancient fathers of the faith had learned the secret of meaningful work. They knew what was required of them. They could see the purpose in their work a mile away. This faith gave them a life of biblical proportions. In part, because they knew how to focus their energy. They knew the work they were meant to do. This assurance gave them all the courage and foresight they needed during the day. It helped men like Moses, Daniel, and Joseph be diligent in everyday jobs and to participate in more eternal outcomes than the average Joe. 

The secret can be yours, as well.

The principles of work they employed are available to you. My prayer, brother, is that you learn them, love them, and use them to partner with the Almighty in incredible new ways.

You can discover the special and specific work God has for you. Best of all, you can move into your calling at any job, with any boss, at any place in life as well. 

Pierce Brantley

God hasn’t passed you by. He has a race for you to run—and that’s true even if you feel disconnected from the race. Neither is God upset with your circumstances. Just because you might feel hopeless now or unsure about the future, it does not mean that the Almighty doesn’t have a great work life for you. 

He is for you, after all.

There is no end to God’s kingdom, no shortage of his strength. God has a massive treasury of power and goodness, and He draws freely from that supernatural bank account to support his sons and daughters. These riches are meant for more than Sunday mornings or a few mountaintop moments over the course of a lifetime. The goodness of God has practical, eight-to-five implications for every man who wants to know what it looks like to live in partnership with the Lord. 

And no, you don’t need to become a pastor, worship leader, or minister to get access to this supernatural bank account. The agency of the Almighty extends to any man who wants the joy of gainful employment with the Lord. 

There are no “collar colors” in Christ.

Only men who work with the Lord and those who don’t. The men who don’t can only wish for great stories.

The men who do actually have them. 

Portions of this post are excerpts from the book Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your Work

The post Have you missed your calling? appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Chocolate Crosses for $6.99

Recently, I went to the store to buy some Easter candy for my wife.

This was a serious mission. I don’t have to tell you that Peeps weren’t going to get the job done.

As I skimmed the aisle for some Christ-centered Cadbury, I was struck by a small box of chocolate crosses. The crosses were competitively priced at $6.99.

That’s $3.49 per cocoa crucifix. A bargain.

What struck me, however, was not the price, but that the cross was consumable.

All the torture was taken out of it. The cross was perfectly packaged, ready for me to enjoy.

I could enjoy two crosses if I wanted.

It’s unnerving. If only for the fact that it made me reflect on what I consume.

There are many parts of Christ’s life of which I could partake.

But often, it’s easier for me to do the opposite.

I can simply consume Christian *things* for lack of preparation.

I can have a meal without Jesus at the table.

I can have a kind of fast-food faith.

I’m provoked by Jesus’s own words about what to eat:

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

John 6:53

Christ invites us to partake of him entirely.

No discounts. No bit-sized beatitudes. Only Christ, fully consumed.

There is an open invitation at His table; to enjoy his presence and power. Christ will enrich every part of your life. Even the simple things. But there are no chocolate crosses in the Christian life.

We must take up our cross and follow him — undiscounted and undeserved.

Ready to Awaken Your Calling?Discover it just like Joseph, David, and Paul.

[convertkit form=1235104]

The post Chocolate Crosses for $6.99 appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

How to Access The Fruit of The Spirit at Work (7 Revelations)

On my 13th birthday, I had to dig a sewer line for the barn into which my family was about to move. The job was supposed to be a rite of passage. Some tribes make young men go out in the desert, some make them fast in a deep pit or get bitten by killer ants, but mine decided to combine all these things into one, man-making experience. If this didn’t put hair on my chest, nothing would (it did burn the hair on my nostrils but that’s a different story).

The pole-barn-home had no restrooms to speak of, unless you wanted to take a walk into the woods, and we were too far out in the country to access any kind of city water tower. This meant our only option was to get access to a conduit, a source, that would flush the negativity from our lives. So, armed with my Sony Walkman and a fresh sense of resolve, I got to digging.

This digging process is how most of us approach the fruit of the spirit — i.e. the virtues that exhibit Christlikeness. We know we need something to move the negativity from our lives, but we’re in the worldly wilderness; so most of us do what we know: we start digging, searching, and praying for those virtuous attributes so we can navigate our day and work-life in a godly manner.

But here’s the rub:

We want the fruit of the Spirit.

We need the fruit of the Spirit.

Often times, though, we do not feel as if we have a good grasp on the fruit of the Spirit.

That’s what I want to talk about today.

In my experience, there are seven “growth spurts” we go through before we truly exhibit a nature that looks like Christ. Consider them mini revelations. Lowercase R.

I want to share them with you because I believe they have the power to transform how we see the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). Most important though, they let us walk in grace at our jobs.

Okay, let’s jump in. I think you’re going to enjoy this.

Consider Galatians 5. This is our proof text.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

 

1st Revelation — Asking & Producing

In most circles, we identify being a good Christian with the fruit of the spirit. Perhaps that’s no surprise. We know that If we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, or self-control than we can infer that we must be doing something right.

In this way, we see the virtues as a “beatitude barometer.”

It’s how we measure whether we are in-tune with the Christian walk.

When work is hard, when we get stressed, or when the boss yells at us, we start asking God for “the fruit” instead of producing “the fruit” — in part, because we know a good Christian is supposed to act “Christian.”

Needles to say, this thinking, while well-meaning, won’t get us very far.

Asking for the virtues or trying to produce the virtues will only leave you drained. So drained you might not even feel like trying anymore if the situation is intense enough.

 

2nd Revelation — Law Making

Notice the end of Galatians 23: “Against such things there is no law.”  When we try to produce these virtuous attributes by forcing them, we make the fruit of the Spirit a law for ourselves, contradicting scripture (against such things there is no law). This is the crux of it all. This approach actually gets in the way mentally of living out the virtues.

Consider this: if you focus your energy on whether you have “spiritual fruit” you will end up feeling condemned; you will tell yourself you don’t measure up. You will ask yourself why you are not more virtuous than you are presently.

This is true of asking for virtue as well. Asking God for virtue, while not evil, is not effectual. He doesn’t want grin-and-bear-it workers who’s only real connection to him is whether they are virtuous. That’s not a relationship. Of course, that’s not to say he doesn’t want us to live a moral life. He does. But the approach is what’s important.

Asking God for virtue, while not evil, is not effectual. He doesn’t want grin-and-bear-it workers who’s only real connection to him is whether they are virtuous.

When we abide in Christ, the true vine, there is only one natural outcome: the fruit of the Spirit. When we don’t abide with him, we spend our entire Christian life trying to be good instead of letting good work flow through us.

Said another way, the “sap” of the Savior is what gives ongoing life to your calling. See John 15:5. We can’t turn the fruit of the spirit into a spiritual law. It just won’t work.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

 

3rd Revelation — Ends and Means

I think we all get that…but it presents another problem.

Joy can’t pour concrete. Self-control can’t give a sales presentation. Goodness won’t get the job done.

And this is the heart of the problem.

We tend to think (almost subconsciously) that both the means and the end of the fruit of the Spirit is the fruit itself. Meaning, if we are virtuous, we’re winning. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Spiritual fruit, which is the evidence of the Holy Spirit, is the residue of God-connected life and work.

4th Revelation — Good Work, Good Fruit, Good Testimony 

This cart-and-horse mentality is the reason Christian testimony will often fail in the workplace.

We’re actually supposed to be focused on the work!

Which, granted, can feel counter intuitive.

Let me explain: most Christians strive to demonstrate God is within them by their virtue (just trying to be kind or gentle), but then the actual work they do does not testify to knowing God. Their daily work ends up being lack luster because they’re pre-occupied with being a good Christian (forgetting that good work only comes from the wisdom of God and insight from the Holy Spirit).

Consider this analogy: If we think of our relationship between virtue and vocation as a car, the work you do is actually the engine. Not the fruit. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is the paint job on the vehicle’s body. (Hold on..don’t stone me for heresy yet… )

The virtues make your daily life and work attractive to those outside the car.

But…if you’ve ever tried to drive a car without an engine, it doesn’t matter how good-looking or attractive the vehicle is.

The car cannot take you where you might want to go. Even if you wish it could.

This is exactly what many non-christians think of the Christian lifestyle. They don’t understand how the Christian virtues make that much day-to-day difference. And without those spirit-filled activities demonstrating the power of the Christian walk, you can see how they sort-of have a point.

Someone who doesn’t know the Lord can only measure what they know.

They don’t have a grid for the Christian life. But they sure do for daily work.

 

5th Revelation — Fruitful Work

From an outside perspective, Christian testimony often falls short.

To the lost, there may be something attractive about Christianity, but the stuff under the hood, the work we do, can often lack excellence; let alone be Godlike.

So believe it or not, it is hard for people to take the “church stuff” seriously.

And here are the facts: we aren’t a light if the light in us can’t illuminate, with revelation, the daily work in front of us to do.

For that matter, if our focus is on virtue, on trying to have a peaceful, patient, joyful disposition here’s what will happen:

You will communicate to the world that you’re trying to be a good Christian. And no one wants you to try and be a good Christian.

You end up looking like a washcloth wrung for water. There’s nothing left to drip out.

 

6th Revelation — Divine Inspiration

So how do we let the fruit of the Spirit come as a result of testimony? And not a burden or barometer? Consider what God says about himself:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

There’s something under the surface of this verse. Simply put: God has a completely different perspective about our work than we do. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways (his approach) higher (more insightful) than ours.

He has wondrously different wisdom, knowledge, and perspective about how to go about daily life and work.

But normally, we don’t ask him.

Or we only bring him into the situation when we feel anxious.

This isn’t really “abiding” as scripture encourages us to do.

 

7th Revelation — Abide With God

So how then, do you abide with God at work? How do you stay in the vine, so-to-speak?

Two ways: 1) Ask God for his ways (i.e. his approach) towards how he would help you go about your work. 2) Then, ask God what his thoughts are concerning your work.

How does he see you and this particular work situation in light of what he’s called you to do, and the way in which he wants you to love other people? Remember James 1:5:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

James 1:5

This is the key!

In Christ, you have full access to God’s ways and perspective and he is more than happy to help you with practical, day-to-day stuff. You can receive his divine revelation on how to do you work when you cast your cares to him and intimately involve him. You are sharing your life with him after all.

AND THEN what will happen?

You can’t help but be peaceful. You have a plan.

You can’t help but be joyful. You know how to do the job.

You can’t help but be kind. You’re a better leader than everyone in the room because you have empathy for a situation which only God could have shown you.

As scripture says: “Against such things there is no law.” Against such testimony of divinely inspired work, so full of both the wisdom and the way of God, there is no objection. There is no condemnation. There is no judgement. Your work is a self-evident truth and testimony to the nature of God!

Hey guys! If you’d like to grow more in your calling and discover the specific work that God has for you, I want you check out my new book Calling: Awaken to The Purpose of Your Work. You’ll unwrap the hidden work God has for you to do, the calling on your life, and you’ll also hear how I left the barn (physically and spiritually).

Awaken to the hidden purpose of your work!Pre-order “Calling” today.

The post How to Access The Fruit of The Spirit at Work (7 Revelations) appeared first on Pierce Brantley.

Do Christians who commit suicide go to hell?

Jarrid Wilson was an inspiration to me. He and I worked on Sermons.com together, he helped me launch Power Love Sound Mind, and he taught me a lot about the publishing industry and marketing. He was generous, authentic, and kind. He never kept secrets and would pick up the phone whenever you needed him. If anyone had a pastoral heart, he did. His passing is a shock to me. The world has lost one of the greats — a Christian who didn’t need to lie about their struggles. A man who was happy to know God and simply trust him to do what only God can do — namely, save us.

Which is why the subject of suicide gets me so worked up. Forgive me if I get a little passionate in this post. I’m going to take some liberty. Call it righteous anger if you want — or don’t. I don’t really care. Quite frankly, there is a lot of mis-information and very bad theology about suicide, and for me, there is one, and only response that is appropriate. For this reason, any time we lose someone to this horror, I believe it deserves the full weight of our attention.

So I want to set the record straight with a question that comes up every time this happens. It shouldn’t, but it does.

The question is this: Do Christians who commit suicide go to hell?

In order to answer this question, we need to start at the very beginning of God’s story of redemption.

So let’s begin. The Bible sets a bar:

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

That bar, for everyone, is high. Very, very high.

This bar is high in the past. This bar is high in the future. This bar is always unobtainably high. Even a virtuous person, by virtue of not being God, would fall short of God’s standard and glory. They’re not God. How could they share in something that doesn’t belong to them?

Which is where the concept of sin comes in to play.

For the record: sin, in shorthand, is anything that cools the kiss of freedom in our lives. The “size” of the sin is not significant. Each and every one of them, without Christ, separates us from our Maker in similar ways.

So for this very reason, a gift was given for the sole purpose of mending separated souls. And that gift is free. It always has been. It always will be.

Most of the time, we call this gift salvation. This is the name given to God’s good gift, through his son, Jesus.

We could talk a lot about how wonderful this gift is. But the heart of the matter is this: “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.”

Here’s The Full Verse

There are some things that simply can’t be earned by a Human. We call one of those things grace. Grace is one of the favorable conditions of Christ’s contract with us. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” as the Good Book says. You can’t earn it. You can only receive it.

But let’s be clear…

If you never got frustrated in traffic again, if you never lied again, if you never did another bad thing AGAIN it would remove no less doubt in the mind of God about the lack of his glory you possess without him.

At best, we’re drowning in our own dogma.

But to God’s credit, we’ve all been given a life raft called “love” to keep us from sinking.

“God is Love” as scripture says. Subject and verb.

In this sense, dog paddling in the middle of the ocean is only impressive if it gets me to shore. Which it wouldn’t. In the same way, I don’t argue my goodness with God based on my ability to swim around sin. I simply enjoy the raft for what it is.

In the same way, we don’t waste time measuring sin.

We’re awash in it without Jesus.

Sure, we could say otherwise. We could say that one bad thing is worse than another bad thing. But what good would that do? If we really do believe the Genesis story, then we know that eating the wrong fruit was enough to condemn a man and woman to death and to hell. So if we do want to compare apples to oranges, it’s best not to measure the fruit of our own lives.

The bar, my friend, is high. Most High.

So on to the subject of suicide.

There is one sin that the Bible says is different. Just one.

Not murder. Not sex. Not stealing.

Jesus tells us about this sin in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke.

We’ll stick with Matthew for now.

For sure, I tell you, all sins will be forgiven people, and bad things they speak against God. But if anyone speaks bad things against the Holy Spirit, he will never be forgiven. He is guilty of a sin that lasts forever.” Jesus told them this because they said, “He has a demon.”

Mathew 3:28-30

If I’m in the raft, there is only one thing that pokes a hole in it. And even then, Jesus never says what the consequences are. After all, his nature, as a loving God, doesn’t suddenly change.

But let’s say, as some do, that suicide is murder. And that you can’t say “I’m sorry” or repent after the act (since no one ever has mixed emotions about anything).

Which by the way, is saying that correlation is causation. Which we would never say. But let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that the cause is correlated correctly.

It’s a jump. But who doesn’t like a trampoline?

Okay. So, the next important question is this: what is the biblical definition of murder?

Jesus had some thoughts:

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:15

I’m no gymnast, but that bar seems really high.

Does that mean that gossip is attempted murder?

By Jesus’s measurement, I’d say so. But I’m not a Levitical-law-lawyer. That’s a different bar exam.

Someone who was, however, is King David. David “a man after God’s own heart,” who gave Christ the honorary name Son of David, killed a man in order to sleep with his wife. And then he lied about it. But we’ll just ignore this for now.

No, wait. Let’s go a step further.

Let’s run a scenario. Let’s say that two people, in full knowledge and belief of the gospel, died.

One person committed suicide.

The other gossiped, and was hit by a bus.

Neither one had a chance to apologize for their actions. Is Saint Peter turning both of them away at heaven’s gates? (Since when is Peter a lobby boy anyway?)

Since we aren’t measuring the amount of wild oats someone sowed, I’ll let you answer the question for yourself.

New question.

Which verses say that I have to name every sin before I die in order to be saved? Which amendment to the Christ-constitution do I need to be aware of? Also, what does this perspective imply for people who died in a coma, or who were medically sedated when they passed? Is Alzheimer’s capable of undoing the Almighty’s work? Does being scared while one is drowning mean they are without faith?

Should we write new sin rules for every edge case? We can…but there are LOTS of them.

Where then, do we draw the line? I’ll ask it again, where do we as Christians draw the line?

Jesus, if you’re interested, did draw a few in this account.

But I digress…

We are told God never “leaves us or forsakes us” here. And also here. I personally don’t think we need a verse to know that, but it’s nice of scripture to say so nonetheless. Is there another lost gospel where I can find an exception? Perhaps the Q Document or some lost Dead Sea Scroll?

We could just take this from an entirely different angle too and look at the verses that cover the sin of suicide. But…there are…drum roll….zero.

Zero verses that address the topic.

Zero ancient laws for it.

Zero Sermon-on-the-Mounts about the magnitude of the subject.
Which, by my guess, is probably by divine design.

In fairness, the Bible does tell us a few stories where suicide is mentioned. Let’s take a look at them real quick.

One was with a King named Saul. One with Judas Iscariot. The Bible never takes a position on their behavior though.

Saul killed himself because he was about to be killed. Judas, after he realized what he had done to Jesus, gave back his blood money and killed himself in sorrow. Which no one would ever say was an appropriate response except for the fact that some do because of what he did. So. That’s awkward.

But these guys have tainted stories. So let’s look at someone whom we consider a saint. Samson.

Samson, Israel’s judge, killed himself.

He intentionally made a building fall on himself as a last-ditch effort to settle a score with some Pagans. He killed himself on purpose – with the purpose of killing other people. Double whammy. We could argue that he was forcibly blind and imprisoned so it was justified – but we won’t. We could also say he was a kamikaze. But we won’t say that either.

Hebrews 11, The famous Hall of Faith chapter of the Bible, mentions Samson as one of the great people who model faith in action. Because, in general, he was. Also awkward. When Romans says that “neither life nor death” can separate us from the love of God I guess it applies to Samson too.

So where does this idea that suicide is the Chutes-and-Ladders of Hell (horrible game idea) come from?

Since it’s not in the Bible, we have to look somewhere else.

Specifically, Augustinian and medieval theology. The latter was a mix of superstition with Greek and Roman ideas neatly packaged into something we call cultural bias.

In point of fact, during the time of the Roman Empire, Christians sometimes had a habit of committing suicide if they thought they were going to be martyred or if their community was being martyred. These Christians were honored and celebrated. Not that this is an appropriate response, but it was a very normal one at the time.

For example, in the martyrdom of Bishop Carpus, a by-standing woman named Agathonike, saw the elder executed while his friend, Papylus, was burned. This woman was not, however, under arrest or even thought to have committed a crime. But as she watched her Church family die, she exclaimed “this is the meal that has been prepared for me!” and throws herself onto the fire. Agathonike’s self-immolation is not a one-off event either.

When a Christian philosopher named Ptolemy was executed, two other Christians volunteered to die with him — just to show support. One of them, named Lucius, is even celebrated with his own feast every October 19th. Again, no one in today’s modern church would support this behavior, and I for one, would never condone it either. However, before the church made new rules and traditions about suicide, it was not always seen as it is today.

The reality is that the religious lie that suicide is a one-way ticket to hell is evil. It’s not supported by scripture and it doesn’t have a leg to lean on. Surely, dying in sin is one thing, but in Christ, you are a new creation.

Again, this doesn’t make light of suicide. It is tragic and damaging and wrong. But it is also hateful to pass judgement on someone who loved the Lord, led many to Christ, and pastored the Church.

One more thing. Just to put a nail in the coffin of this evil idea. If someone, who knew and loved the Lord, who genuinely struggled with mental health, who prayed to be healed, who was prayed over to be healed, who battled and surrendered their life to Christ and believed him for restoration, was not healed — who, who, who would be to blame? Would you blame God? Of course not. Or maybe you would. But either way you slice it, many people, even many people I know have asked God for healing in the area of depression or severe anxiety and he does not remove it.

This does not make God uncaring. Nor does it belittle the faith of the person seeking God. It simply means that God is in control, knows those who know him, and has made his grace sufficient. The thorn may be in their side, but death has no sting.

Ultimately, there is one thing we do know about suicide. Suicide is a tragedy. A tragedy that happens to 34,000 people a year. *Nearly* once every 15 minutes.

Like you, I would forgive my friends of any tragedy – whether they caused it or not. I’m sure I speak for most when I say that you would likely do the same. So then, are we more forgiving than God? Or is God a calculator – continually moving numbers to settle our balance sheet? If God is a calculator, then so is salvation. And everything is a game to get on God’s good side.

Which as we know, is the opposite of what scripture tells us:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

So are we convinced that death doth not part? I think we have to play some serious mental games to say it does.

Julie Cerel, a board chair of the American Association of Suicidology and a psychologist told USA today:

“Having depression and being in a suicidal state twists reality. It doesn’t matter if someone has a wife or is well loved, they get so consumed by the depression and by the feelings of not being worthy that they forget all the wonderful things in their lives.”

The Bible has two thoughts regarding how we should act towards those who have a twisted state of reality. One is in the New Testament; the other, is in the Old.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15

You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

​Leviticus, if you’re curious, is not being literal. Israel didn’t have a problem with people cursing other people who had Otosclerosis. They also didn’t have a problem with people putting Stumble BlocksTM in front of the blind. These phrases are idioms. Idioms which ask us to have a practical empathy for each other; to make an effort to understand the pain and depression other people feel.

For the person who struggles with severe depression, they are in many ways blinded by the way they feel. They are also, in many ways, lied to by the enemy. It is not something they can stop stumbling over any more than a deaf person can be told to simply listen up.

The position of the Christian, is always to try and be the hands and feet of Jesus. This doesn’t change, if heaven forbid, someone passes from this life by their own hand. At the very least, we don’t speak ill of them. At best, we pray for and support their families in the wake of their absence. Mourning with those who mourn.

The Almighty knows those who know Him. If ever there was a time when someone needed a loving God, you can imagine it would be in their darkest moment. Much like many of us.

My heart breaks for Jarrid, his wife, and his family. The church has lost a dear brother and friend of the faith. He will be sorely missed. But we will see him again. You can be sure of it. Pray for his family during this difficult time and hold those you know who struggle with depression a little closer. In this way, you honor his life and what he stood for.

Also, please consider giving a gift to Anthem of Hope, the non-profit Jarrid started to bring awareness to mental health.

http://anthemofhope.org

If you or someone you know struggles with thoughts of suicide, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255

Ready to Awaken Your Calling?Discover it just like Joseph, David, and Paul.

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What was Solomon’s smartest decision?

Solomon was a smart guy. He built Jerusalem’s first temple. He wrote three books of the Bible (this one, this one, and this one). He was also the wisest and wealthiest (estimates say up to $2.1 trillion ) King in the Old Testament. Solomon, by all accounts, was a capable decision maker. He was a guy who knew how to get things done.

But he didn’t start out this way. He was a man who grew in maturity just like the rest of us. He had to lean on the Lord and others throughout his life in order to be effective.

Which is why I like him.

I’m a big believer in stewarding the small stuff. Sweeping the edges of the floor as much as the center. I believe if you can’t be accountable for small things, then the big dreams are just that — dreams.

If you can’t be accountable for small things, then the big dreams are just that — dreams.

Solomon started with a similar posture. At the beginning of his kingly-career, he asked the Lord for wisdom instead of wealth. He stewarded a “step one” decision.

“Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” Solomon said.

His humble request set him up for a lot of success in life – and some very surprising management decisions too.

Let’s look at one now.

As wise as Solomon was, he had one particular trait that outshone the rest. If you were to ask me, it held all the rest of His wisdom together. This was a “one ring to rule them all,” type of thing.

It starts in the Sheba story – wherein a foreign Queen decides to see for herself just how smart this Solomon guy actually is. A fair question between royalty, I’m sure you’d agree.

Let’s start here:

“And when queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.”

1 Kings 10:4-5

We could spend hours talking about someone’s breath being taken away based on food and clothing. I was at Walmart the other day and I had a similar reaction. The jury is out on whether it was the Holy Spirit.

But let’s focus on the list. The Queen of Sheba (Shelby for short), was most affected by the way the King managed his house. Out of all the ways he demonstrated leadership, the most surprising one was that he had officials.

Which begs the question: why does the smartest, wealthiest, wisest man in the world need advice?

He was literally the “smartest guy in the room.”

It’s fascinating. But there is actually a very profound reason to account for why he made this decision.

The reason begins with good counsel.

Regardless of our roles or jobs in life, we are all in need of good counsel. This is true whether we are owners of a business, entry-level employees or executives in ivory towers. Placing ourselves under authority, under someone’s else’s oversight, is the quickest way to promotion, protection, and long-term success.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” Proverbs tell us. Ironically, these could very well be the words of Solomon – echoing his life to us from the pages of his personal experience.

Solomon’s posture towards people and the authority they could lend him was what made him wise. He knew what he didn’t know. Not only that, he also had the humility to let others inform his ignorance.

His posture towards authority is what made him the wisest man on earth.

Solomon’s posture towards authority is what made him the wisest man on earth.

There is a myth that promotion equals less oversight – that the higher we go up a ladder, the more decisions we can make in isolation.

This is how great men fall.

If you’re a manager, if you own your means of income, or if you oversee a venture of any size…even just your cubical, you must seek to be under authority. Even if you simply lead yourself – a profound urgency should rest in you until you’ve found the right counsel to place yourself under.

If you haven’t done so yet, start building a master list now – an inner circle of confidants that can support you both spiritually and practically.

Find other men that can Father you and inform your decisions making process. Ideally, find one man for each type of authority you have over others.

If you shepherd people, find someone to shepherd you.

If you lead in business, place yourself under the counsel of someone that knows the market better than you do.

It doesn’t matter what you do…do not rest until you find good counsel.

Failure to do so is the reason why some men’s blessings become Basheba’s. Case and point.

We all need someone who can tell us “no.” A person who can call our bluff and inform our ignorance. This side of heaven, no one outgrows the need for it. And this becomes truer the more successful we become.

The ability to accomplish a job is not the same as walking in humility. But the inverse is true. Walking in humility is what makes us capable of more capacity.

The ability to accomplish a job is not the same as walking in humility. But the inverse is true. Walking in humility is what makes us capable of capacity.

The more we understand, and the better we are at what we do, the lower we must become.

Make a list of men you can trust today.

Ready to Awaken Your Calling?Discover it just like Joseph, David, and Paul.

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