March 5, 2025 • 33 mins
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Are you struggling to find direction as a business leader? Join me, Harold Milby, on this thought-provoking journey where we explore how the timeless principles found in Scripture can shape our approach to leadership and success. Discover the transformative power of the Bible and learn why integrating these teachings into your daily business practices is vital for achieving true, godly success.
In this episode, we illuminate the core theme of how Scripture provides a crucial foundation for understanding one’s identity and purpose in the business world. With heartfelt discussions about ethical leadership, you will hear compelling real-world examples of influential leaders who attribute their success to their faith.
We delve into actionable steps for effectively incorporating biblical principles in your daily routines, such as daily engagement with Scripture, accountability with fellow Christian leaders, and ways to foster a God-centered workplace culture.
By shifting perspectives from mere profit margins to aligning with God’s purpose, you can lead with integrity and establish a more profound impact in your professional life. Subscribe, share, and begin a transformative conversation on how God's Word can lead to lasting success!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome everyone to this week's Christian Business
Concepts podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm humbled and so very glad
that you've tuned in to thisweek's Christian Business
Concepts Podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm humbled and so very glad
that you've tuned in to thispodcast and I really hope that
you'll become a permanentlistener and just be a part of
the CBC community and family.
(00:39):
And each week here, what I tryto do is I try to share biblical
principles that are businessprinciples, but yet, you know,
the Bible has so much to say andcan help us in so many ways,
and especially in business.
I want to do is I want to helpyou as a leader, as a person, to
(01:09):
not just find success, but tofind true godly success, and we
want to help you to grow inChrist and in the power of his
might.
You know, 2 Peter 1 and 3through 4 says his divine power
has granted to us all things,all things that pertain to life
(01:30):
and godliness, through theknowledge of Him, who called us
to His own glory and excellence,by which he has granted to us
His precious and very greatpromises so that through them,
through those promises, thatthrough them, you may be
partakers of the divine nature,having escaped from the
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corruption that is in the worldbecause of sinful desire.
You know this passage.
You know it says that, quitesimply, it says that he gives us
all things that pertain to lifeand godliness.
So if you have a business, youjust need to understand that
God's already provided theinformation.
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He has given us everything thatwe need in this life, no matter
what part of your life, whetherit be your personal life, your
career.
If you're a business owner,your business God has given us
everything that we need, and theWord of God gives us so many
principles to live by, andespecially in the business
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community and business world.
And each week, what I try to dois I try to do all that I can
to present a topic and abiblical principle that will
enlighten you and it willencourage you and empower you to
find that true godly successthat we talk about.
(02:58):
Help us to grow this podcast bysharing this with four or five
others and by placing the linkto this podcast on your LinkedIn
or Facebook pages.
Now, before we jump intotoday's podcast, let me give a
big shout out to the country ofJapan for having so many
(03:21):
downloads here in the last fewweeks and you know, we just hope
that Christian BusinessConcepts is being a blessing to
you.
We hope that for everybody wholistens.
So we just thank you for that.
And I also want to encourageyou.
At the top of the description ofthis podcast is a link and you
(03:43):
can send us a message throughthat link.
You just got to click on it andit will allow you to send a
message to us.
Now we can't respond backdirectly to that link.
It doesn't let us know ifyou're using your cell phone or
anything.
It doesn't give us your cellphone number or anything like
that.
But you can share some things.
We'd love to hear your words ofencouragement.
(04:04):
We'd love to hear your words ofencouragement.
We'd love to hear how God'susing this podcast to help you.
And if you have a prayerrequest, you can certainly send
that along and we willdefinitely be praying for
whatever that particularsituation is for your life.
So let's get into today's topic.
I think this is one that is soimportant and it's really at the
(04:24):
center.
It's at the center of what wedo here at Christian Business
Concepts.
As a Christian business leader,your calling is really beyond
profit margins, it's beyondmarket share.
You are entrusted with being agood steward over the resources,
(04:48):
over leading people and makingdecisions that reflect who God
is.
It reflects his character, andwhen you look at success in this
context, it's not merelyfinancial or professional.
It's about aligning your lifeand your leadership with God's
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purpose and central, the verycentral part to this alignment
is the Word of God, the Bible,and today I want to speak to you
about why scripture isfoundational to your success as
a Christian business leader andhow it provides practical
(05:33):
guidance for you to integrate itinto your daily life and your
daily work.
You know, I think about Tom'sShoes.
You know Blake Mikowski, whofounded Tom's Shoes.
He really, you know, he kind ofrevolutionized what I would
(05:55):
consider to be this socialentrepreneurship with this
one-on-one model that he had.
So for every pair of shoes thathe sold, he donated a pair of
shoes to a child who didn't haveany, a child that was in need,
whether it be in the UnitedStates or across the world.
(06:17):
And this was all inspired tohim by his Christian faith, his
faith in God, and he integratedcompassion and generosity into
his company's core values and hedemonstrated how business can
serve really as a platform forpositive change, you know, for
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positive change.
So why does the Word of Godmatter?
Well, the Bible is more thanjust a historical or even
spiritual text.
It's God's living and activerevelation to mankind.
You know, the Word of God saysin Hebrews, chapter 4 and verse
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12,.
It says For the Word of God isliving in action and full of
power, making it operative,energizing and effective.
It is sharper than anytwo-edged sword, penetrating as
far as the division of the souland spirit, the completeness of
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a person and of both joints andmarrow, the deepest parts of our
nature, exposing and judgingthe very thought and intentions
of the heart.
Now, that's the amplifiedversion, but it says the word of
God is living and active.
That just means it is real,it's powerful, and so that's why
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the Word of God matters,because this is a power that you
possess, and the way youpossess it is by reading the
Word of God and finding out whatGod says.
You know, when you believe theWord, when you literally believe
the word of God, you know whatyou're doing.
You're taking the limits off.
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You're taking off the limits,you know.
I remember when I had a go-kartand I had a motor on it and it
had a governor on it and thatgovernor limited the power of
that motor so that she wouldn'tgo too fast.
But I want you to understandthat when you believe the word
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of God, you've basically takenthe governor off.
You're removing the limits, thelimitations.
Psalm 78, 40 and 41 in theLiving Bible again says says oh,
how often they rebelled.
He's talking about the childrenof Israel when they were
wandering in the wilderness.
He says how often they rebelledagainst me in those desert
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years and grieved my heart.
Again and again they turnedaway and tempted God to kill
them and limited the Holy One ofIsrael from giving them his
blessings.
They limited God.
And I'm telling you just in myexperience of my life, from the
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time that I've given Jesus mylife and accepted him as Lord of
my life, I have done everythingI can to learn about what his
word says and to learn what itmeans for me personally.
You know, in Genesis 3 and 1,you know it kind of explains
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that the moment that you doubtGod's word you become vulnerable
.
You know it's hard to trust Godif you're questioning his word.
You know, for a Christianbusiness leader the Bible really
serves as a guide.
It's a source of strength.
It's a framework fordecision-making.
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You know, the enemy came andthe devil came to Eve and
tempted Eve, and one of thethings that he said was has God
said, did God really tell youthis?
And what he was trying to do isto bring doubt in her heart.
And he did about what God hadsaid.
And I encourage you, don'tdoubt what God said.
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It's in black and white, it'sbeen written.
There's been more Biblesprinted than any other book in
the world and here's why Ibelieve that it's so so very
indispensable.
Number one it provides afoundation for our identity and
our person as a person, and ourpurpose as well.
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So, again, it provides that.
It gives us that foundation,because our identity is not in
what you own, it's not in whatyou do for a living, it's not
your career, it's not your title.
That's not your identity.
Your identity, the Word of Godreminds us, is rooted in Christ.
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It's not rooted in yourachievements or your failures or
where you went to school.
You know, galatians 2 and 20says I have been crucified with
Christ.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist who lives in me, in the
life that I now live, in theflesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gavehimself for me, so as a leader,
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and gave himself for me, so as aleader.
This anchors you.
It anchors you, keeps you fromdrifting.
It's what an anchor does right,keeps you from drifting and it
gives you the ability to dealwith the pressures that you have
in business.
It reveals God's purpose foryour work.
In Colossians 3 and 23 and 24,it says whatever you do, work
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heartily as for the Lord and notfor men, knowing that from the
Lord you'll receive theinheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christand it just gives us that
purpose, and we're to glorifyhim.
Serve other people that's partof everybody's purpose, but God
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will hone that in even a littlebit more detailed for each of us
individually.
So understanding thistransforms your business from a
mere enterprise to really anoverall and overreaching
ministry.
You know Norm Miller, who wasthe founder of Miller's Ale
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House, said I came to Christunder duress.
I realized that I had become analcoholic and all of the life
trappings I acquired were nolonger satisfying to me.
I was an empty person and ontop of that I was anxious with
the fear of failure.
It was around that time that afriend of mine told me that I
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needed to read the Bible.
It was God's word and it wastruth.
I simply asked God to provethat his word was true.
I simply asked God to provethat his word was true, and he
found that it was, and he becamesuccessful.
And he became successful inGod's eyes.
So you know, as we go on to thenext thing, it's important to
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understand that God's wordoffers so much wisdom,
especially when we're makingdecisions.
You know, because businessdemands that we have discernment
.
Whether we're negotiating deals, whether we're managing teams
or navigating ethical things.
It helps us with that decisionmaking.
Proverbs 2 and 6 says for theLord gives wisdom, from his
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mouth comes knowledge andunderstanding.
The word really equips you tomake choices that really align
with eternal principles ratherthan just trends.
We can say that.
So a practical example is whenyou're tempted to cut corners in
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your business for profit.
You know you don't want to dothis.
You know Joshua 1 and 8 sayskeep this book of law always on
your lips, meditate on it dayand night.
It encourages us to haveintegrity in our lives and in
our businesses.
In our lives and in ourbusinesses.
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You know Masiyawa was a herfirst name is actually Strive,
strive Masiyawa.
She was from Zimbabwe and shewas an entrepreneur and she was
a founder of a company calledEconet Wireless there in Africa.
And she's a very devoutChristian person and he actually
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attributed success to faith andbiblical guidance.
You know he had spoken abouttrusting God through challenges
and he referenced Proverbs 3, 5,and 6 a lot.
You know trust in the Lord withall your heart, lean not to
your own understanding, he'lldirect your path.
And so his ethical approach toeven telecommunications in
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Africa.
And then, of course, when youadd that to his philanthropy
like he funded education for alot of orphans, thousands of
orphans it just kind ofdemonstrates how he leaned on
God's word to navigate businessand to bless others.
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The word of God also.
It builds resilience whenyou're challenged, when you have
challenges in your life.
You know, business man, thereis all kinds of uncertainty,
there's market shifts, there'scompetition, there's possible
burnout personally.
But the Word of God providesstrength, it provides hope.
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Jesus himself relied onScripture to overcome temptation
.
When we talk about Matthew,chapter 4 and verses 4.
It starts because it was thenthat he went into the wilderness
and he was tempted of the devil, it says and every time the
devil tempted him, he quotedscripture and that's how he
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overcome it, so it can sustainyou through your trials, because
it did for Jesus.
And maybe, you know, maybethere's a financial downturn,
maybe you're struggling becauseof that, maybe things are not
looking as bright as they were,you know, a couple of years ago.
But just remember Romans 8 and28 says all things, all things,
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everything, all things worktogether for good to those who
love God.
So that scripture really canoffer you a reassurance that God
is sovereign, even when youhave had a setback.
The word of God also it kind ofshapes your ethical leadership.
So you know, the marketplacecan actually sometimes those
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moral lines that we're trying tolive by, they get a little
blurred sometimes.
But you know Scripture providesa very clear standard.
You know Micah 6 and 8, youknow it says Act justly, love
mercy, walk humbly with your God.
That's what God expects from us.
And so it helps to really shapeour ethical person and ethical
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leadership.
And when you root yourleadership in biblical values,
you're going to build trust withemployees, you'll build trust
with clients and partners andthen you'll develop long-term
success.
So, for example, you know whenyou're drafting a contract.
You know, because Matthew 5 and37 says let your yes be yes and
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your no be no, and that justmeans you're reliable.
You know you're reliable, soyou know.
I think it really helps us tounderstand ethical leadership.
But also, it also aligns again,which is what we're about here.
It aligns success with God'sdefinition.
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You know, the world measuressuccess by wealth and maybe your
position or status or how muchpower you have.
You know, but Scripture definesit as faithfulness,
fruitfulness, obedience to God.
That's what you see in Matthew25 and 21.
And a business that's rooted inGod's word.
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It prioritizes eternal impactover temporary impact or
temporary gain.
Even so, what's a practicalexample?
Well, instead of hoarding allthese profits, you know, 2
Corinthians 9 and verses 6 and 7encourage us to be generous in
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our giving, that we trust God tomultiply what you sow.
Listen, god is not worriedabout money.
You know the people always wantto say well, the Bible says
that money is the root of allevil.
No, it doesn't.
It says the love of money isthe root of all evil.
Listen, god owns the cattle ona thousand hills.
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The Bible says God's notworried about money, he's
worried about not so much thatyou have money, but that money
has you.
And the way that you prove thatmoney doesn't have you is by
being generous with the moneyand the resources that you have.
So be generous in your giving,be trusting in what God has for
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you and realize that he willmultiply what you sow, whether
it be in a local church orwhether it be in a ministry or
some organization.
You know, zig Ziglar said onetime if you're not living in the
will of God, you areuncomfortable in the word of God
.
So when you refuse to do whatGod's word says, then God's word
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will become uncomfortable toyou.
You know Zig Ziglar.
He believed that God wanted toremove obstacles and heal the
wounds that limited people.
That was his purpose in lifeand he did everything he could.
Now, how do you integrate theWord of God into your leadership
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?
Well, you got to understand itsimportance.
That's just the beginning.
That's what we've been talkingabout is why is it important?
But that's kind of like thefirst step.
You've got to understand itsimportance and then here's how
you make scripture a practicalcornerstone of your life and
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business.
So first you have to have dailyengagement.
You need to start your day withScripture, even just 10 to 15
minutes today, in a passage likeProverbs or the Gospels.
It helps you to set your mindon God's priorities.
You know you can choose a verseeach week, you know.
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For example, you know, maybeyou just pick Philippians 4.13,
and then you just kind ofreflect on that and how it
applies to your currentchallenges, your current
situations and in your personallife, in your business life.
The next thing that you need todo is meditate, meditate and
memorize.
So Psalms 119 and 11 says Ihave hidden your word in my
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heart that I might not sinagainst you.
So you need to meditate onGod's word.
But then memorize God's word,spend some time and memorize
some very special scriptures toyou, whatever those may be.
Memorizing key verses it reallykind of helps you to recall
them when you get into acritical moment and that's when
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you want to call out on God'sword.
You know a good one is, youknow, if you memorize Proverbs 3
, 5, and 6, because it saysTrust in the Lord with all your
heart, lean not to your ownunderstanding, but in all your
ways acknowledge him and he willdirect your path.
That is such a great passage tomemorize and then you can
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recite that.
You know when you're prayingYou're asking God for direction,
because the Bible says Godwatches over his word to perform
it.
So you know you can share.
When you're praying God, youknow I'm praying today, your
word declares, and then you canshare that scripture and you
know.
Then the next thing you can dois you need to apply it in your
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decision-making.
So when you're faced with achoice, you need to apply it in
your decision making.
So when you're faced with achoice, you need to ask yourself
some questions.
First of all, what does thescripture say about it?
What does the Bible say aboutit?
And you can use a concordanceor even an app off your phone.
I use an app on my phone.
It's a concordance, so I canlook up words, I can look up
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phrases of words and it'll findthem for me in the word of God.
It also has Greek and Hebrew,so you can actually find out
what specific words mean.
It's very easy to do with thisapp.
So I encourage you to lookthrough some of those things.
But before, even in business,you can take it this far that
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even before you're going tolaunch, let's say, a new venture
.
You know.
Study Matthew, chapter 7 andverses 24 through 27.
It talks about the wise builderwho built his house upon.
You know, a strong rockfoundation, and the one who
didn't.
But you want to meditate onthat before you launch a new
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business or a new venture, justto make sure your plans rest on
God's truth.
The next thing is beaccountable.
Have community Surroundyourself with Christian leaders
who value the Word of God anddiscuss how it shapes their
businesses too.
You know you can join or maybeeven form your own monthly Bible
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study group with, maybe, peersin your industry or peers in
other industries.
Maybe you want to have avariety of people, but these are
all business leaders, maybebusiness owners.
That's something that you cando.
The other thing that you want todo is you want to prayerfully
depend upon God's word, you know.
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Ask God to reveal how itapplies to you and your work and
your profession applies to youand your work and your
profession.
You want to make sure.
Psalms 25, 4 and 5 says make meto know your ways, o Lord,
teach me your paths, lead me inyour truth and teach me, for you
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are the God of my salvation.
For you I wait all the day long.
So pray, pray, throughColossians 3.17, which we shared
earlier about whatsoever you do, whether it be in word or deed,
do it all in the name of theLord Jesus.
Make sure that you're doing thatand then have faith and
dependence on God's word foryour business.
It'll help you to overcome yourfear.
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It'll help you to overcomeanxiety.
You know, philippians 4, 6-7says do not be anxious, don't be
fearful about anything, but ineverything, in prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known
unto God, trusting in God'sprovision.
When you trust in God'sprovision and I mean you really
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trust in God's provision it Imean you really trust in God's
provision it'll remove fear ofany kind of financial
instability or any kind ofeconomic downturn, because
you're trusting that God is yourprovider and you learn that
through his word.
So you know, seek God's will inyour business for growth, seek
his will.
You know, james 4 and 13through 15, it just kind of
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reminds leaders to commit theirplans to the Lord.
And so you know, realize thatyou don't want to assume that
what you're doing is what Godwants, but you want to get God's
mind on it and make sure it is,and so that you want to do that
.
So then you want to usescripture to shape your
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workplace culture.
You know that's something elsethat you want to do there.
You know create a God-centeredworkplace.
You can incorporate prayer,bible study and godly values
into your workplace culture.
There's no law that keeps youfrom doing that.
Make sure you know what the lawis, because there's so many
people, so many Christianleaders in business that feel
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like they can't do anythingbecause it's against the law.
No, you're protected by law.
Now, you can't force employeesor force people you work with to
participate, but you can makethem available.
So I would do that to helpcreate this culture in the
workplace.
You know Matthew 7 and 12 saysso whatever you wish that others
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would do to you, do also tothem.
Well, that's the golden rule,so you can demonstrate that.
You know it's not just aboutyou know speaking the word of
God.
It's about living the Word ofGod and let your people see that
.
Let them see that that's howyou operate and that's, again
how you create this God-centeredworkplace and how you treat
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your employees and how you treatyour clients and you treat them
with compassion and fairnessand respect.
What that does is it buildsstronger relationships and it
builds business growth.
And then, like I said, youwitness through what you're
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doing.
Let people see what you do, notjust what you say.
A Christian business can be apowerful witness when you
demonstrate God's word in yourlife.
So here's our choices.
With the word of God, we eithercan ignore it, we can reject it
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, we can obey it and we canstand on it.
So you can stand on the word ofGod, it's going to sustain you.
You know the secret toreceiving God's promises and
there are over 30,000 promisesin the Bible.
But the secret to receivingthose promises is found in John
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15 and 7.
It says if you abide in me andmy words, abide in you, ask
whatsoever you wish and it willbe done for you.
You know practical steps forapplying the word of God in
business.
Those things that we've talkedabout are so very, very
important, so very important,and you know I just think it's
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very, very powerful.
You know, when you begin to seethe fruit of a word-centered
business and word-centeredleader, you root that leadership
in Scripture and when you dothat, the outcomes are
tremendous.
They're so profound.
You'll have personal growth,you'll have a stronger business
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impact and you'll have aneternal legacy.
Your work really contributes toGod's kingdom, and then you'll
have an eternal legacy.
You know your work reallycontributes to God's kingdom and
then you'll have true godlysuccess.
You know, 1 Corinthians 3,verses 12 through 14, says Now
if anyone builds on thefoundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay,straw, each one's work will
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become manifest, for the daywill disclose it, because it
will be revealed by fire, andthe fire will test what sort of
work each one has done.
If the work that anyone hasbuilt on the foundation survives
, he will receive a reward.
So I think it's so foundational.
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But I wanted to share with youhow important the Word of God is
for your business.
It's so important.
So what are the top threethings I would suggest you do?
First, choose one verse tomeditate on this week and maybe
journal I believe in takingnotes and just journal the
impact that that scripture hason your leadership this week.
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And then I would share thispodcast with maybe some of your
team or other Christian leadersto maybe get some discussion
started about the power of God'sword in your business.
And then, thirdly, I would pray.
I would pray this.
I'd say Lord, let your worddwell in me richly as I lead.
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You know, the word of God is notan optional add-on for
Christian business leaders.
It is the bedrock, I believe,of true godly success.
It shapes your character,guides your decisions, aligns
your business with God's will.
And as Jesus said in 15 and 5,apart from me you can do nothing
.
So I believe that by abiding inhis word you tap into this
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source of wisdom and strengthand power and purpose that no
MBA, no strategy can replicate,it can't reproduce it.
So when you prioritize Scripturein every aspect of your
leadership, you not only achievebusiness success but also
eternal success and eternalimpact and you bring glory to
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God.
You know Matthew 6.33 says butseek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and allthese things will be added unto
you.
And in verses 31 and 32, itkind of explains what these
things are.
So commit today.
Commit today to makingScripture your compass and when
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you do that, you watch how Godtransforms both you and your
business for his glory.
Lord, we thank you for the powerof your word today, lord, and I
thank you for those who havelistened today and have a better
understanding of how it canimpact their personal lives and
their business lives.
Lord, I pray they will takeseriously the importance of
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applying your word to everyaspect of their life.
In the name of Jesus, amen andamen.
Well, thanks again fordownloading and listening to
this week's podcast.
I hope you're blessed by it.
Please remember to share CBCwith others and help us grow
this community and help us reachone million business leaders
(32:42):
and organizational leaders andindividuals with this message of
finding true godly success.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today.
So remember Jesus is Lord andhe wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go toChristianBusinessConceptscom for
more information and resources.
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success.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome everyone to this week's Christian Business
Concepts podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm humbled and so very glad
that you've tuned in to thisweek's Christian Business
Concepts Podcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm humbled and so very glad
that you've tuned in to thispodcast and I really hope that
you'll become a permanentlistener and just be a part of
the CBC community and family.
(00:39):
And each week here, what I tryto do is I try to share biblical
principles that are businessprinciples, but yet, you know,
the Bible has so much to say andcan help us in so many ways,
and especially in business.
I want to do is I want to helpyou as a leader, as a person, to
(01:09):
not just find success, but tofind true godly success, and we
want to help you to grow inChrist and in the power of his
might.
You know, 2 Peter 1 and 3through 4 says his divine power
has granted to us all things,all things that pertain to life
(01:30):
and godliness, through theknowledge of Him, who called us
to His own glory and excellence,by which he has granted to us
His precious and very greatpromises so that through them,
through those promises, thatthrough them, you may be
partakers of the divine nature,having escaped from the
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corruption that is in the worldbecause of sinful desire.
You know this passage.
You know it says that, quitesimply, it says that he gives us
all things that pertain to lifeand godliness.
So if you have a business, youjust need to understand that
God's already provided theinformation.
(02:12):
He has given us everything thatwe need in this life, no matter
what part of your life, whetherit be your personal life, your
career.
If you're a business owner,your business God has given us
everything that we need, and theWord of God gives us so many
principles to live by, andespecially in the business
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community and business world.
And each week, what I try to dois I try to do all that I can
to present a topic and abiblical principle that will
enlighten you and it willencourage you and empower you to
find that true godly successthat we talk about.
(02:58):
Help us to grow this podcast bysharing this with four or five
others and by placing the linkto this podcast on your LinkedIn
or Facebook pages.
Now, before we jump intotoday's podcast, let me give a
big shout out to the country ofJapan for having so many
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downloads here in the last fewweeks and you know, we just hope
that Christian BusinessConcepts is being a blessing to
you.
We hope that for everybody wholistens.
So we just thank you for that.
And I also want to encourageyou.
At the top of the description ofthis podcast is a link and you
(03:43):
can send us a message throughthat link.
You just got to click on it andit will allow you to send a
message to us.
Now we can't respond backdirectly to that link.
It doesn't let us know ifyou're using your cell phone or
anything.
It doesn't give us your cellphone number or anything like
that.
But you can share some things.
We'd love to hear your words ofencouragement.
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We'd love to hear your words ofencouragement.
We'd love to hear how God'susing this podcast to help you.
And if you have a prayerrequest, you can certainly send
that along and we willdefinitely be praying for
whatever that particularsituation is for your life.
So let's get into today's topic.
I think this is one that is soimportant and it's really at the
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center.
It's at the center of what wedo here at Christian Business
Concepts.
As a Christian business leader,your calling is really beyond
profit margins, it's beyondmarket share.
You are entrusted with being agood steward over the resources,
(04:48):
over leading people and makingdecisions that reflect who God
is.
It reflects his character, andwhen you look at success in this
context, it's not merelyfinancial or professional.
It's about aligning your lifeand your leadership with God's
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purpose and central, the verycentral part to this alignment
is the Word of God, the Bible,and today I want to speak to you
about why scripture isfoundational to your success as
a Christian business leader andhow it provides practical
(05:33):
guidance for you to integrate itinto your daily life and your
daily work.
You know, I think about Tom'sShoes.
You know Blake Mikowski, whofounded Tom's Shoes.
He really, you know, he kind ofrevolutionized what I would
(05:55):
consider to be this socialentrepreneurship with this
one-on-one model that he had.
So for every pair of shoes thathe sold, he donated a pair of
shoes to a child who didn't haveany, a child that was in need,
whether it be in the UnitedStates or across the world.
(06:17):
And this was all inspired tohim by his Christian faith, his
faith in God, and he integratedcompassion and generosity into
his company's core values and hedemonstrated how business can
serve really as a platform forpositive change, you know, for
(06:44):
positive change.
So why does the Word of Godmatter?
Well, the Bible is more thanjust a historical or even
spiritual text.
It's God's living and activerevelation to mankind.
You know, the Word of God saysin Hebrews, chapter 4 and verse
(07:04):
12,.
It says For the Word of God isliving in action and full of
power, making it operative,energizing and effective.
It is sharper than anytwo-edged sword, penetrating as
far as the division of the souland spirit, the completeness of
(07:26):
a person and of both joints andmarrow, the deepest parts of our
nature, exposing and judgingthe very thought and intentions
of the heart.
Now, that's the amplifiedversion, but it says the word of
God is living and active.
That just means it is real,it's powerful, and so that's why
(07:49):
the Word of God matters,because this is a power that you
possess, and the way youpossess it is by reading the
Word of God and finding out whatGod says.
You know, when you believe theWord, when you literally believe
the word of God, you know whatyou're doing.
You're taking the limits off.
(08:11):
You're taking off the limits,you know.
I remember when I had a go-kartand I had a motor on it and it
had a governor on it and thatgovernor limited the power of
that motor so that she wouldn'tgo too fast.
But I want you to understandthat when you believe the word
(08:34):
of God, you've basically takenthe governor off.
You're removing the limits, thelimitations.
Psalm 78, 40 and 41 in theLiving Bible again says says oh,
how often they rebelled.
He's talking about the childrenof Israel when they were
wandering in the wilderness.
He says how often they rebelledagainst me in those desert
(08:54):
years and grieved my heart.
Again and again they turnedaway and tempted God to kill
them and limited the Holy One ofIsrael from giving them his
blessings.
They limited God.
And I'm telling you just in myexperience of my life, from the
(09:15):
time that I've given Jesus mylife and accepted him as Lord of
my life, I have done everythingI can to learn about what his
word says and to learn what itmeans for me personally.
You know, in Genesis 3 and 1,you know it kind of explains
(09:37):
that the moment that you doubtGod's word you become vulnerable
.
You know it's hard to trust Godif you're questioning his word.
You know, for a Christianbusiness leader the Bible really
serves as a guide.
It's a source of strength.
It's a framework fordecision-making.
(09:57):
You know, the enemy came andthe devil came to Eve and
tempted Eve, and one of thethings that he said was has God
said, did God really tell youthis?
And what he was trying to do isto bring doubt in her heart.
And he did about what God hadsaid.
And I encourage you, don'tdoubt what God said.
(10:19):
It's in black and white, it'sbeen written.
There's been more Biblesprinted than any other book in
the world and here's why Ibelieve that it's so so very
indispensable.
Number one it provides afoundation for our identity and
our person as a person, and ourpurpose as well.
(10:44):
So, again, it provides that.
It gives us that foundation,because our identity is not in
what you own, it's not in whatyou do for a living, it's not
your career, it's not your title.
That's not your identity.
Your identity, the Word of Godreminds us, is rooted in Christ.
(11:06):
It's not rooted in yourachievements or your failures or
where you went to school.
You know, galatians 2 and 20says I have been crucified with
Christ.
It is no longer I who live, butChrist who lives in me, in the
life that I now live, in theflesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gavehimself for me, so as a leader,
(11:33):
and gave himself for me, so as aleader.
This anchors you.
It anchors you, keeps you fromdrifting.
It's what an anchor does right,keeps you from drifting and it
gives you the ability to dealwith the pressures that you have
in business.
It reveals God's purpose foryour work.
In Colossians 3 and 23 and 24,it says whatever you do, work
(11:57):
heartily as for the Lord and notfor men, knowing that from the
Lord you'll receive theinheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christand it just gives us that
purpose, and we're to glorifyhim.
Serve other people that's partof everybody's purpose, but God
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will hone that in even a littlebit more detailed for each of us
individually.
So understanding thistransforms your business from a
mere enterprise to really anoverall and overreaching
ministry.
You know Norm Miller, who wasthe founder of Miller's Ale
(12:40):
House, said I came to Christunder duress.
I realized that I had become analcoholic and all of the life
trappings I acquired were nolonger satisfying to me.
I was an empty person and ontop of that I was anxious with
the fear of failure.
It was around that time that afriend of mine told me that I
(13:01):
needed to read the Bible.
It was God's word and it wastruth.
I simply asked God to provethat his word was true.
I simply asked God to provethat his word was true, and he
found that it was, and he becamesuccessful.
And he became successful inGod's eyes.
So you know, as we go on to thenext thing, it's important to
(13:22):
understand that God's wordoffers so much wisdom,
especially when we're makingdecisions.
You know, because businessdemands that we have discernment
.
Whether we're negotiating deals, whether we're managing teams
or navigating ethical things.
It helps us with that decisionmaking.
Proverbs 2 and 6 says for theLord gives wisdom, from his
(13:46):
mouth comes knowledge andunderstanding.
The word really equips you tomake choices that really align
with eternal principles ratherthan just trends.
We can say that.
So a practical example is whenyou're tempted to cut corners in
(14:09):
your business for profit.
You know you don't want to dothis.
You know Joshua 1 and 8 sayskeep this book of law always on
your lips, meditate on it dayand night.
It encourages us to haveintegrity in our lives and in
our businesses.
In our lives and in ourbusinesses.
(14:33):
You know Masiyawa was a herfirst name is actually Strive,
strive Masiyawa.
She was from Zimbabwe and shewas an entrepreneur and she was
a founder of a company calledEconet Wireless there in Africa.
And she's a very devoutChristian person and he actually
(14:54):
attributed success to faith andbiblical guidance.
You know he had spoken abouttrusting God through challenges
and he referenced Proverbs 3, 5,and 6 a lot.
You know trust in the Lord withall your heart, lean not to
your own understanding, he'lldirect your path.
And so his ethical approach toeven telecommunications in
(15:18):
Africa.
And then, of course, when youadd that to his philanthropy
like he funded education for alot of orphans, thousands of
orphans it just kind ofdemonstrates how he leaned on
God's word to navigate businessand to bless others.
(15:39):
The word of God also.
It builds resilience whenyou're challenged, when you have
challenges in your life.
You know, business man, thereis all kinds of uncertainty,
there's market shifts, there'scompetition, there's possible
burnout personally.
But the Word of God providesstrength, it provides hope.
(16:01):
Jesus himself relied onScripture to overcome temptation
.
When we talk about Matthew,chapter 4 and verses 4.
It starts because it was thenthat he went into the wilderness
and he was tempted of the devil, it says and every time the
devil tempted him, he quotedscripture and that's how he
(16:22):
overcome it, so it can sustainyou through your trials, because
it did for Jesus.
And maybe, you know, maybethere's a financial downturn,
maybe you're struggling becauseof that, maybe things are not
looking as bright as they were,you know, a couple of years ago.
But just remember Romans 8 and28 says all things, all things,
(16:45):
everything, all things worktogether for good to those who
love God.
So that scripture really canoffer you a reassurance that God
is sovereign, even when youhave had a setback.
The word of God also it kind ofshapes your ethical leadership.
So you know, the marketplacecan actually sometimes those
(17:08):
moral lines that we're trying tolive by, they get a little
blurred sometimes.
But you know Scripture providesa very clear standard.
You know Micah 6 and 8, youknow it says Act justly, love
mercy, walk humbly with your God.
That's what God expects from us.
And so it helps to really shapeour ethical person and ethical
(17:31):
leadership.
And when you root yourleadership in biblical values,
you're going to build trust withemployees, you'll build trust
with clients and partners andthen you'll develop long-term
success.
So, for example, you know whenyou're drafting a contract.
You know, because Matthew 5 and37 says let your yes be yes and
(17:53):
your no be no, and that justmeans you're reliable.
You know you're reliable, soyou know.
I think it really helps us tounderstand ethical leadership.
But also, it also aligns again,which is what we're about here.
It aligns success with God'sdefinition.
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You know, the world measuressuccess by wealth and maybe your
position or status or how muchpower you have.
You know, but Scripture definesit as faithfulness,
fruitfulness, obedience to God.
That's what you see in Matthew25 and 21.
And a business that's rooted inGod's word.
(18:36):
It prioritizes eternal impactover temporary impact or
temporary gain.
Even so, what's a practicalexample?
Well, instead of hoarding allthese profits, you know, 2
Corinthians 9 and verses 6 and 7encourage us to be generous in
(18:58):
our giving, that we trust God tomultiply what you sow.
Listen, god is not worriedabout money.
You know the people always wantto say well, the Bible says
that money is the root of allevil.
No, it doesn't.
It says the love of money isthe root of all evil.
Listen, god owns the cattle ona thousand hills.
(19:19):
The Bible says God's notworried about money, he's
worried about not so much thatyou have money, but that money
has you.
And the way that you prove thatmoney doesn't have you is by
being generous with the moneyand the resources that you have.
So be generous in your giving,be trusting in what God has for
(19:41):
you and realize that he willmultiply what you sow, whether
it be in a local church orwhether it be in a ministry or
some organization.
You know, zig Ziglar said onetime if you're not living in the
will of God, you areuncomfortable in the word of God
.
So when you refuse to do whatGod's word says, then God's word
(20:05):
will become uncomfortable toyou.
You know Zig Ziglar.
He believed that God wanted toremove obstacles and heal the
wounds that limited people.
That was his purpose in lifeand he did everything he could.
Now, how do you integrate theWord of God into your leadership
(20:26):
?
Well, you got to understand itsimportance.
That's just the beginning.
That's what we've been talkingabout is why is it important?
But that's kind of like thefirst step.
You've got to understand itsimportance and then here's how
you make scripture a practicalcornerstone of your life and
(20:46):
business.
So first you have to have dailyengagement.
You need to start your day withScripture, even just 10 to 15
minutes today, in a passage likeProverbs or the Gospels.
It helps you to set your mindon God's priorities.
You know you can choose a verseeach week, you know.
(21:08):
For example, you know, maybeyou just pick Philippians 4.13,
and then you just kind ofreflect on that and how it
applies to your currentchallenges, your current
situations and in your personallife, in your business life.
The next thing that you need todo is meditate, meditate and
memorize.
So Psalms 119 and 11 says Ihave hidden your word in my
(21:29):
heart that I might not sinagainst you.
So you need to meditate onGod's word.
But then memorize God's word,spend some time and memorize
some very special scriptures toyou, whatever those may be.
Memorizing key verses it reallykind of helps you to recall
them when you get into acritical moment and that's when
(21:52):
you want to call out on God'sword.
You know a good one is, youknow, if you memorize Proverbs 3
, 5, and 6, because it saysTrust in the Lord with all your
heart, lean not to your ownunderstanding, but in all your
ways acknowledge him and he willdirect your path.
That is such a great passage tomemorize and then you can
(22:15):
recite that.
You know when you're prayingYou're asking God for direction,
because the Bible says Godwatches over his word to perform
it.
So you know you can share.
When you're praying God, youknow I'm praying today, your
word declares, and then you canshare that scripture and you
know.
Then the next thing you can dois you need to apply it in your
(22:37):
decision-making.
So when you're faced with achoice, you need to apply it in
your decision making.
So when you're faced with achoice, you need to ask yourself
some questions.
First of all, what does thescripture say about it?
What does the Bible say aboutit?
And you can use a concordanceor even an app off your phone.
I use an app on my phone.
It's a concordance, so I canlook up words, I can look up
(22:59):
phrases of words and it'll findthem for me in the word of God.
It also has Greek and Hebrew,so you can actually find out
what specific words mean.
It's very easy to do with thisapp.
So I encourage you to lookthrough some of those things.
But before, even in business,you can take it this far that
(23:20):
even before you're going tolaunch, let's say, a new venture
.
You know.
Study Matthew, chapter 7 andverses 24 through 27.
It talks about the wise builderwho built his house upon.
You know, a strong rockfoundation, and the one who
didn't.
But you want to meditate onthat before you launch a new
(23:42):
business or a new venture, justto make sure your plans rest on
God's truth.
The next thing is beaccountable.
Have community Surroundyourself with Christian leaders
who value the Word of God anddiscuss how it shapes their
businesses too.
You know you can join or maybeeven form your own monthly Bible
(24:07):
study group with, maybe, peersin your industry or peers in
other industries.
Maybe you want to have avariety of people, but these are
all business leaders, maybebusiness owners.
That's something that you cando.
The other thing that you want todo is you want to prayerfully
depend upon God's word, you know.
(24:30):
Ask God to reveal how itapplies to you and your work and
your profession applies to youand your work and your
profession.
You want to make sure.
Psalms 25, 4 and 5 says make meto know your ways, o Lord,
teach me your paths, lead me inyour truth and teach me, for you
(24:57):
are the God of my salvation.
For you I wait all the day long.
So pray, pray, throughColossians 3.17, which we shared
earlier about whatsoever you do, whether it be in word or deed,
do it all in the name of theLord Jesus.
Make sure that you're doing thatand then have faith and
dependence on God's word foryour business.
It'll help you to overcome yourfear.
(25:17):
It'll help you to overcomeanxiety.
You know, philippians 4, 6-7says do not be anxious, don't be
fearful about anything, but ineverything, in prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known
unto God, trusting in God'sprovision.
When you trust in God'sprovision and I mean you really
(25:38):
trust in God's provision it Imean you really trust in God's
provision it'll remove fear ofany kind of financial
instability or any kind ofeconomic downturn, because
you're trusting that God is yourprovider and you learn that
through his word.
So you know, seek God's will inyour business for growth, seek
his will.
You know, james 4 and 13through 15, it just kind of
(26:01):
reminds leaders to commit theirplans to the Lord.
And so you know, realize thatyou don't want to assume that
what you're doing is what Godwants, but you want to get God's
mind on it and make sure it is,and so that you want to do that
.
So then you want to usescripture to shape your
(26:23):
workplace culture.
You know that's something elsethat you want to do there.
You know create a God-centeredworkplace.
You can incorporate prayer,bible study and godly values
into your workplace culture.
There's no law that keeps youfrom doing that.
Make sure you know what the lawis, because there's so many
people, so many Christianleaders in business that feel
(26:43):
like they can't do anythingbecause it's against the law.
No, you're protected by law.
Now, you can't force employeesor force people you work with to
participate, but you can makethem available.
So I would do that to helpcreate this culture in the
workplace.
You know Matthew 7 and 12 saysso whatever you wish that others
(27:05):
would do to you, do also tothem.
Well, that's the golden rule,so you can demonstrate that.
You know it's not just aboutyou know speaking the word of
God.
It's about living the Word ofGod and let your people see that
.
Let them see that that's howyou operate and that's, again
how you create this God-centeredworkplace and how you treat
(27:27):
your employees and how you treatyour clients and you treat them
with compassion and fairnessand respect.
What that does is it buildsstronger relationships and it
builds business growth.
And then, like I said, youwitness through what you're
(27:48):
doing.
Let people see what you do, notjust what you say.
A Christian business can be apowerful witness when you
demonstrate God's word in yourlife.
So here's our choices.
With the word of God, we eithercan ignore it, we can reject it
(28:09):
, we can obey it and we canstand on it.
So you can stand on the word ofGod, it's going to sustain you.
You know the secret toreceiving God's promises and
there are over 30,000 promisesin the Bible.
But the secret to receivingthose promises is found in John
(28:30):
15 and 7.
It says if you abide in me andmy words, abide in you, ask
whatsoever you wish and it willbe done for you.
You know practical steps forapplying the word of God in
business.
Those things that we've talkedabout are so very, very
important, so very important,and you know I just think it's
(28:55):
very, very powerful.
You know, when you begin to seethe fruit of a word-centered
business and word-centeredleader, you root that leadership
in Scripture and when you dothat, the outcomes are
tremendous.
They're so profound.
You'll have personal growth,you'll have a stronger business
(29:18):
impact and you'll have aneternal legacy.
Your work really contributes toGod's kingdom, and then you'll
have an eternal legacy.
You know your work reallycontributes to God's kingdom and
then you'll have true godlysuccess.
You know, 1 Corinthians 3,verses 12 through 14, says Now
if anyone builds on thefoundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay,straw, each one's work will
(29:41):
become manifest, for the daywill disclose it, because it
will be revealed by fire, andthe fire will test what sort of
work each one has done.
If the work that anyone hasbuilt on the foundation survives
, he will receive a reward.
So I think it's so foundational.
(30:01):
But I wanted to share with youhow important the Word of God is
for your business.
It's so important.
So what are the top threethings I would suggest you do?
First, choose one verse tomeditate on this week and maybe
journal I believe in takingnotes and just journal the
impact that that scripture hason your leadership this week.
(30:24):
And then I would share thispodcast with maybe some of your
team or other Christian leadersto maybe get some discussion
started about the power of God'sword in your business.
And then, thirdly, I would pray.
I would pray this.
I'd say Lord, let your worddwell in me richly as I lead.
(30:45):
You know, the word of God is notan optional add-on for
Christian business leaders.
It is the bedrock, I believe,of true godly success.
It shapes your character,guides your decisions, aligns
your business with God's will.
And as Jesus said in 15 and 5,apart from me you can do nothing
.
So I believe that by abiding inhis word you tap into this
(31:10):
source of wisdom and strengthand power and purpose that no
MBA, no strategy can replicate,it can't reproduce it.
So when you prioritize Scripturein every aspect of your
leadership, you not only achievebusiness success but also
eternal success and eternalimpact and you bring glory to
(31:34):
God.
You know Matthew 6.33 says butseek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and allthese things will be added unto
you.
And in verses 31 and 32, itkind of explains what these
things are.
So commit today.
Commit today to makingScripture your compass and when
(31:56):
you do that, you watch how Godtransforms both you and your
business for his glory.
Lord, we thank you for the powerof your word today, lord, and I
thank you for those who havelistened today and have a better
understanding of how it canimpact their personal lives and
their business lives.
Lord, I pray they will takeseriously the importance of
(32:19):
applying your word to everyaspect of their life.
In the name of Jesus, amen andamen.
Well, thanks again fordownloading and listening to
this week's podcast.
I hope you're blessed by it.
Please remember to share CBCwith others and help us grow
this community and help us reachone million business leaders
(32:42):
and organizational leaders andindividuals with this message of
finding true godly success.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today.
So remember Jesus is Lord andhe wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go toChristianBusinessConceptscom for
more information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!