Making Preparations for Success

"Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own." (Joshua 1:11, Emphasis Added)

After Moses' death, God immediately commissioned Joshua to "get ready" to cross the Jordan and take the Promised Land of Canaan. Without hesitation, Joshua passed the message on to the Israelites to begin making preparations for their coming conquest, and to "get the supplies ready" for the journey across the Jordan.

Looking back on the story thousands of years later, with the luxury of knowing the end of the story at the beginning, we may not always consider the level of faith that it took for Joshua to give these marching orders. He had spent decades hearing of this "promise" without any real progress towards seeing it fulfilled, and though he had earlier led the army of Israel in a resounding victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17:9), Moses was no longer around to stand on top of the hill raising his hands.

Joshua had plenty of reasons to allow fear and doubt to creep into his Spirit, and prevent him from reaching the land of promise and provision. Yet when God gave the word, Joshua jumped to attention without hesitation and said to the Israelites, "Ok, let's go! Pack up your stuff and make your preparations, because my God has said success if ahead of us! Hallelujah!

When God gives us a promise, whether it relates to our finances, business, family, or relationships, he expects us to begin taking action & making preparations as if it's a done deal. It's an act of faith that illustrates to God your full and unwavering belief that he is going to do exactly what He said he would do, exactly when He said He would do it.

However, all too often our church members live with a "wait and see" approach. If God comes part of the way, then I'll go the rest. If I begin to see things moving, then I'll start really making preparations for the blessing that's coming. That's not faith! Even the world can believe in something once it's already started happening. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we DO NOT SEE!

Joshua didn't stay up at night peering over into Canaan with binoculars waiting for the enemy to just drop dead of a collective heart attack. He didn't sit back and wait for some mysterious "sign in the sky" or "check in the mail." He received a promise from God, and he immediately began to make preparations for the fulfillment of that promise.

Have you recently received a promise from the Lord? Do you have dreams and visions that you believe God is bringing to fruition this year? If so, what have you done to make preparations for the wave that's coming? Have you built the larger storehouses (metaphorically speaking) to contain the increased crops, created a contingency plan for how and to whom you would delegate tasks when your business explodes, or laid out a budget to utilize the increased profits in the most productive manner? Are you truly acting in a manner that displays unwavering faith in the promise you've received, or will it be just another year of lip service void of any action?

Five Principles of Biblical Stewardship for Your Small Business

Stewardship is a biblical perspective that can be applied to your business. Stewardship simply means managing possessions and property that are not yours. You may say, "My business belongs to me." According to Psalm 24:1, the earth and everything on it belong to the LORD. The world and its people belong to him (CEV). Based on this scripture, your business belongs to God; therefore, you are a steward managing his business. He has blessed you with the talents, time, and treasures that you need to properly manage that which you are responsible for.

There are five principles of biblical stewardship: persistence, planning, proportionate, pleasantness, and purpose. Let's see how we can apply them to your (God's) business.

Persistence: Scripture teaches us that faithfulness is a necessary quality to possess as a steward. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2 KJV). Being persistent and dependable is viewed as being faithful. If you have any doubts, you can't move forward in your business. You have to believe it to achieve it. You have faith that you can be a successful entrepreneur and small business owner; therefore, you are persistent in making it happen.

Another symbol of your faith is your dependability. Your business is not fly-by-night; you are in it for the long haul. Your clients can depend on you being there and not skipping town. Also, they can depend on you to be faithful in completing their projects and tasks.

Planning: God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order (I Corinthians 14:33 CEV). Planning goes without saying in any size or type of business. It is highly advisable to have a business plan as entrepreneurs and small business owners, as well as a marketing plan. A plan will keep you focused and on track; therefore, your business plans will be accomplished peacefully and in order.

Proportionate: If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better (I Corinthians 16:2 CEV). The proportion of talents, time, and treasures God blesses you with will determine what services and/or products you will offer to your target market. Remember, He gives you what you need to be good stewards. At the same time, you are serving God by providing your clients with excellent service and/or products, which come from your proportion of talents, time and treasures that He has given you.

Pleasantness: Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give (II Corinthians 9:7 CEV). Be pleasant in your business dealings, especially with your clients. It's what's known as providing excellent customer service. Don't force it, give your pleasantness freely. Your clients would much rather conduct business with someone who is pleasant rather than with someone who is rude. Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31 NIV). When completing their projects and tasks, do it cheerfully. God sent you that client as a way of providing you with treasures.

Purposeful: When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God (I Corinthians 10:31 CEV). As a steward over God's business, it's important to honor Him by operating it with honesty and integrity. I remember reading in "The Prayer of Jabez," written by Bruce Wilkinson where Bruce was having a conversation with some business executives. One of the executives asked Bruce, "Is it right to ask God for more business?" Bruce responded, "Absolutely! If you're doing your business God's way, it's not only right to ask for more, but He is waiting for you to ask."

Conclusion: Biblical stewardship deals with use of your money; however, it is a perspective that covers your entire life, including your business. As I have pointed out, the five principles of biblical stewardship can be applied to your business. This should be our business plan as entrepreneurs and small business owners. From time to time, we need to refer back to our plans to ensure we are on the right track. God has entrusted his business to you by appointing you as steward to manage it. The more God bless your (His) business, the more He wants you to bless individuals, the community and the world at large. This style of stewardship will bring honor and glory to His name. It is also a manner of serving God.

*This post provided by one of our guest bloggers, Rita Cartwright. Rita Cartwright has been owner and sole proprietor of RJ's Word Processing Services (rjswordprocessing.com) since 2002. She is a professional administrative expert offering virtual assistant services.

The Entrepreneur's Great Mistake (MSI, Pt 2)

Warren Buffett’s Rules of Money:

#1 – Never Lose Money

#2 – Never Forget Rule #1

Warren Buffett’s rules of money are incredibly simple and succinct (and of course a little comical), yet unfortunately many entrepreneurs today don’t heed the wise sage’s advice. Tens of thousands of dollars in personal income is often lost by many small business owners because of one major flaw in their business model. In part 1 of this series, I pointed out the importance of generating multiple streams of income in your business. It is essential to your financial well being that you develop numerous revenue streams, preferably diversified across different business classes. This helps to minimize risk and create a safety net for times of economic contraction or uncertainty. However, one major caveat must be included in this conversation to make sure you never violate Buffett’s #1 rule (or #2 for that matter).

Every entrepreneur starts out with good intentions, armed with an optimistic vision for the future and a fresh commitment to self-reliance. After years of working for “the man”, they are ready to experience the freedom and invigoration of this brave new frontier. In the beginning, grinding out long & arduous hours with little sleep is considered the norm. It’s seen as a necessary “short-term sacrifice” for the chance at the “long-term gain” of owning their own business, being their own boss, and achieving great prosperity.

After successfully getting the fledgling business off the ground, many entrepreneurs see the need for an additional income stream, and begin pursuing other opportunities. This requires working even longer hours in an attempt to maintain the momentum of the 1st business, while making the necessary sacrifice to see the 2nd business through the inevitable “growing pains” of start-up. Though from outward appearances it looks as if all is going according to plan, there is an ugly secret lurking around the corner, just waiting to be discovered.

At the end of another long work day, our entrepreneurs suddenly look up and realize that 5 years have gone by, and the term “short-term” sacrifice now seems like an unbelievable misnomer. Both revenue streams are providing a steady source of income, but the once optimistic visionaries have now become tired and disillusioned. Upon careful reflection and self-examination, our entrepreneurs realize that their “multiple streams of income” are nothing more than 2 full time jobs in which they have grown to hate their new boss worse than their old one.

After years of pounding out 80 hour weeks, and teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, our small business case studies learned a valuable lesson that I hope you can grasp long before they did. The secret to financial freedom is not just multiple streams of income, but multiple streams of passive income. More on that in part 3…

To Your Success, Matt Robinson