Photo: David Woo
By: Frank Atkins
Frank Atkins is best defined by his declared purpose; “To bring glory to God by helping people to get from where they are in life to where they really want to be.”
Ever-since the “separation of church and State”, there has been a mindset that there needs to be a division between all spiritual matters and government and business. I believe this to be a serious mistake if not the primary reason for the lack of business success for the majority of faith based believers. If you understand that God is who He says He is, then everything is spiritual, and to approach business from any other stand-point is therefore ill advised.
If you are not a person who believes, this will probably not make sense to you. However if you are a person of faith and have been deceived into believing that there is no place for your spirituality in your business- listen up!
Maybe the Lord is speaking to you today.
First off- let us not confuse the present day concept of ‘religion’ with spirituality or faith. There is not necessarily a connection. Now that folks, is a discussion that would merit and entire book on its own merits. For now, suffice to say that in this discussion concerning the integration of your spiritual life with your business life. How you came to believe, the label associated with your chosen denomination, are all of no significance.
The only thing that matters for this discussion is that if you are a believing person who tries to divorce your business from your spirituality, you are making a big mistake. Why would you do that anyway? Do you imagine for a moment that you are better equipped alone to do the work necessary for success in business?
Rather than provide you with a long dissertation using Scripture references to substantiate this position, I propose a more simple action oriented approach.
Here is a suggested course of action. For the next 30 days, make a commitment to accept the possibility that everything could in fact be spiritual.
Make the decision that you will do the following things every day for 30 days regardless of how you feel about the issues of spirituality and business and regardless of what conventional wisdom tells you is correct.
Start and finish each day with some ‘quiet time’ with just you and the Creator
Set your goals by writing them down in the present tense as though you have already achieved them, but.. always start with the phrase ‘If God will’
Example: “It is January 1st 2010 and if God will, I am so grateful that we generated x-amount of $ in December of 2009.
Pray about every business decision you make before you make the decision. Don’t know how to pray? It is not a difficult thing- just start to talk to the Lord as though He is actually right there in the room with you- as He is!
Example: “Now Lord, I have to decide today about whether to do A,b or C. Guide me by the direction of your Spirit which is the right decision to make”.
You know how business people talk about ‘gut feel’. When you are guided by the Spirit of God, you will have a prompting in you- so be receptive and act.
Put yourself in a state of gratitude. Keep reminding yourself of how fortunate you are to be alive, to have hope and opportunity, look to see the good side of things, and thank God for what you have. Start a ‘gratitude book’ and write in it each day at least one thing that you are grateful for.
Be a giver.
Give freely of your time, talent and treasure. Give 10% of your income, these are the ‘first fruits’ that God talks about. Ask God where to give it- He will direct you. There is so much need in the world, you will never be short of options. This concept of giving is the universal law of ’sowing and reaping’ Just give because you can- don’t expect to get anything back and watch what happens.
So there it is ..a simple formula to follow for 30 days. If you do it, there are likely to be some dramatic changes in your business…
Recap:
Spend time with God ( more time, more wisdom and the list is endless of the benefits)
Prefix your written goals with ‘ if God wills’
Pray before every decision
Be constantly grateful- start a gratitude book
Give at least 10% of your income to needs God directs your attention to.
Start by seeing if you can follow it for one day. Then for a week, then for 30 days.
Then look back and be amazed!
About the Author:
Frank Atkins is best defined by his declared purpose; “To bring glory to God by helping people to get from where they are in life to where they really want to be”
http://mynewthinking.com
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Spirituality and Business Yes or No?
