April 2, 2025 • 29 mins
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Harold Milby explores the biblical principle of waiting on God as an essential leadership practice for Christian business leaders seeking true success and wisdom. He distinguishes this active, faith-filled posture from passive patience, demonstrating how it can transform decision-making and business outcomes.
• Waiting on God is not passive inactivity but an active faith posture that aligns decisions with God's divine will
• Biblical foundation includes God's perfect timing (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and the promise of renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31)
• Better clarity in decision-making comes when leaders resist pressure to act quickly and seek God's wisdom
• Avoiding expensive mistakes happens when leaders take time to evaluate risks and seek counsel before making decisions
• Waiting builds resilience, models faith to teams, and aligns business with God's eternal purposes
• Practical steps include prayer and listening, studying Scripture, seeking wise counsel, and practicing patience
• Common challenges include impatience, stakeholder pressure, fear of missing opportunities, and doubt
• The fruit of waiting includes peace, wisdom, and divine provision that leads to sustainable success
Share this podcast with others and help grow the CBC community as we raise up Christian businesses and leaders around the world.
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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 (00:20):
Thanks, kelly, and welcome everyone to Christian
Business Concepts.
And for those of you that arelistening for the very first
time, let me welcome you to theCBC family.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and each week, I discuss
biblical principles, especiallybiblical business principles,
that can help you find true truenow true and powerful godly
(00:44):
success in your career and inyour personal life.
Each week, it's my hope toencourage you, enlighten you and
empower you to apply theseprinciples and for you to grow
as a leader and as a person.
Now, please be sure to sharethis podcast with four or five
other people and be sure to postthe podcast link on your
(01:08):
LinkedIn or your Facebook pages.
Help us to grow the CBCcommunity.
You know God is raising upChristian businesses around the
world and he's raising upChristian business leaders as
well, and we hope that you'llmake Christian business concepts
(01:28):
a part of your journey tosuccess.
We really do.
Now, before we get started, letme give a big shout out to the
country of Angola, and weappreciate you, angola, and we
appreciate you folks.
Thank you so much fordownloading so many podcasts,
(01:51):
but we just want to recognizeyou and thank you and thanks to
all of you who listen to thispodcast on a regular basis.
Now in our weekly businessspotlight, I'd like to draw your
attention to a company calledSeven Weeks Coffee.
They happen to be here in theUnited States.
They're based in Washington DC.
Seven Weeks Coffee started in2021.
(02:12):
So they're just four years oldby a man by the name of Anton
Kresik, and he moved to DCactually to pursue a political
career, but God had other ideas.
And you know part of theirmission statement says it aims
(02:33):
to promote godly values, provideexcellent coffee and protect
every beating heart.
You know it donates 10% ofevery sale, which equates to
about 50% of their profit, topro-life pregnancy centers.
You know, anton was reallyinspired.
(02:55):
He heard Billy Graham preachone time and he was really
inspired by Billy Graham asBilly Graham began to call on
believers to begin to influencethe marketplace.
And as of this month nowremember they're only four years
old, but as of this month theyare approaching $1 million in
(03:17):
donations to these pregnancycenters.
So we applaud them.
We appreciate the leadership ofthis company.
What a great company that hassuch a God-centered vision and
mission.
I say keep it up, seven WeeksCoffee.
We sure are glad that you're inthe marketplace and we need
more people like you.
(03:38):
Well, let's get into today'stopic.
As a Christian business leader,you know you're called to
navigate the what I would callthe complexities I think of
leadership.
But as a Christian businessleadership, you're called to
navigate those complexities withfaith, with wisdom and
(03:58):
integrity.
You know, in a fast-paced,results-driven world that we
live in today, the concept, Ithink, of waiting on God, just
waiting on God, may kind of seemcounterintuitive, you know.
But let me say this Scripturesactually consistently teach that
(04:23):
waiting on God is not a passiveinactivity.
I'm not talking about patience.
There's a difference betweenpatience and waiting on God.
Waiting on God is not a passiveactivity.
It's a very active,faith-filled, I guess we could
say posture that aligns yourdecisions and your timing, your
(04:46):
purpose, with God's divine willfor your life and for your
business.
And so today we want to explorewhy waiting on God is so
essential.
It's biblical foundation.
We're going to look at that andwe're also going to look at
some practical benefits inbusiness and then we're going to
(05:07):
talk about how to cultivatethis kind of discipline, as far
as waiting on God, into yourleadership journey.
And in the business world,leaders are really faced with
constant pressure.
You're faced with pressure toperform, to compete, to deliver
(05:29):
immediate results, and reallywaiting on God really provides
such a good counterbalance, if Icould say it that way.
And the way it can do this isby waiting.
You know, just waiting on God.
It really just helps you tobegin to lead with confidence
(05:52):
and knowing that your decisionsare grounded in faith because
you're waiting on God.
So what is the biblicalfoundation?
You know, waiting on God is,just like I said, a reoccurring
theme in the Bible.
Waiting on God is, just like Isaid, a reoccurring theme in the
Bible.
It's modeled by a lot ofleaders throughout the Word of
(06:12):
God and it's also affirmed by alot of God's promises.
So here are some key biblicalinsights.
So, first of all, the thing youneed to understand God's timing
is perfect.
He's never late, he's neverearly, he's always right on time
.
Ecclesiastes 3.1 says there isa time for everything, anda
(06:35):
season, for every activity underthe heavens.
God operates outside of humanconstraints of time.
God doesn't see time like we doand his plans will unfold
according to his wisdom and nothave anything to do with our
urgency.
You know, as a leader, you knowtrusting God and his timing, it
(06:57):
really will kind of protect youfrom making hasty decisions
that can really kind of becounter-production to your
business or it can derail yourbusiness.
And so God's timing, realize,is perfect.
Next, strength and renewal comethrough waiting on God.
Strength and renewal comesthrough waiting on the Lord.
(07:20):
You know Isaiah 40, 31,.
You know.
But those who wait on the Lordshall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wingslike eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
Waiting on God replenishes.
It replenishes your emotional,your spiritual and even your
(07:40):
physical being, your reserves.
It equips you to lead withendurance so that you don't burn
out.
So that's important.
Next, waiting on Goddemonstrates your trust in his
sovereignty, right.
So Psalms 27, 14, wait for theLord, be strong and take heart
(08:02):
and wait for the Lord.
Be strong and take heart andwait for the Lord.
Leaders like David, king David.
He faced a lot of trials, buthe learned that waiting on God
was an act of surrender andconfidence in his control and
not their own.
And we see this in so manydifferent characters in the
(08:24):
Bible, from Genesis toRevelation.
So waiting it aligns your heartwith God's purposes when you
wait on him.
So here's a question for you.
Can you recall a time when yourushed a decision and you later
regretted it?
I know probably everybodythat's listening to me today
(08:46):
would say, yes, I can rememberone, at least.
Many of you've had many others,I've had many others.
And if we had waited on God,how would it have changed that
outcome?
In my case, I can think ofseveral good things that would
have come out of that if I justwaited on God, and so that's
(09:13):
important.
So why does it matter to you asa godly business leader?
What does it matter to you?
What's important about waitingon God?
Because waiting on God is notjust a spiritual exercise.
It has some very practicalimplications that can really
help you to be more effective.
So let's look at them.
Number one there's going to bebetter clarity in your decision
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making.
You know business leaders facea lot of that pressure.
I shared that before.
A lot of pressure, and it's toact quickly, whether it be like
launching a new product orhiring staff or resolving
conflicts.
Waiting on God allows you toseek his wisdom and ensures that
(09:55):
your decisions will line upwith his will and then your
long-term vision rather thanshort-term pressures.
If you look at Abraham, abrahambecame impatient, refused to
wait on God's promise and thatled to the birth of Ishmael in
Genesis chapter 16.
And that caused all kinds ofcomplications.
(10:17):
So waiting could have sparedhim and his family a lot of
unnecessary strife, which wedon't want.
So it really can help you inyour clarity and decision-making
.
Number two it'll help you toavoid very expensive mistakes,
right so rushing intoopportunities without any kind
(10:39):
of discernment at all, that canreally hurt you financially.
It can cause strainedrelationships, can cause all
kinds of ethical problems.
You know waiting on God acts asa safeguard.
You know it kind of gives youtime to evaluate your risk and
gives you time to seek counsel.
You know Proverbs 19 and 2 saysdesire without knowledge is not
(11:03):
good.
How much more will hasty feetmiss the way?
So it's very important becauseit'll help us to avoid a lot of
bad mistakes.
Number three it buildsresilience and patience.
You know, in the business worldas a whole, you know when we
look at all the markets andeverything, it's very
(11:23):
unpredictable.
We're dealing with marketshifts, employee turnover,
economic downturns.
All these things tend to testyou.
It tests your resolve.
Waiting on God.
It really kind of cultivatesyour patience and trust
(11:50):
no-transcript assurance, ratherthan just being reactive and
panicking all the time.
So you wait on God for that andI'll be honest, some of the
biggest things I've had to waiton in my life, even recently in
recent years, I should say I'verated 20, 25 years and we've got
things that God's beginning toshow us right now that we've
(12:11):
been waiting on and waiting on,and waiting on.
But you know God has perfecttiming.
Number four modeling faith toyour team.
You know your employees, yourpartners, your customers, your
suppliers, you know they allobserve how you handle things.
(12:33):
If it's uncertainty, they watch, they see it.
They can't help but see it.
And waiting on God demonstratesa very faith-driven leadership
style.
And when you have a reallystrong faith-driven leadership
style, it really inspires trustand it fosters a culture of
integrity and purpose.
(12:55):
All right.
Number five it helps you toalign your business with the
eternal purpose that God has foryou and your business.
You know, as a Christian leader, you know your ultimate goal
should go beyond profit becauseit should be about glorifying
God and advancing the kingdom ofGod.
(13:16):
And waiting on God ensures thatyour business decisions will
reflect his values and not justworldly success metrics.
What does the world say issuccessful.
Well, some of the things thatthe world says makes you
successful is not necessarilythe same as those that God says
(13:37):
will make you successful.
And I think that you knowwaiting on God helps us to align
our business and our mission,our purpose, with God's eternal
purpose.
All right.
Number six you know fosteringethical integrity when you wait
on God it fosters that.
It helps to create a lot ofethical integrity.
(13:57):
You know prioritizing what isright, in other words, over what
is, you know, maybe moreexpedient, even when it requires
patience.
And then, number seven buildingresilience.
You know we talked about thatbefore.
It helps you to buildresilience.
Number eight it encourageslong-term success.
(14:19):
You know trusting that God willprovide opportunities is a
long-term way of looking atthings, because God's growth is
perfect and his timing's perfect.
And then, number nine hiring andteam building.
You know building a strong teamis really critical to business
success, and waiting on God inthis area means that you resist
(14:41):
the urge to just go out and fillpositions really quick.
Rather than hiring the firstavailable person, I would say
leaders should pray for theright person and that person
should align with both yourcompany's needs and its values.
You know trusting God'sprovision.
(15:02):
I mean when you believe thatGod will bring the right people
at the right time.
Even if it means that you'vegot to sit through maybe some
short-term gaps, I think youfind out that it works out
better.
For example, there might be abusiness leader that might delay
(15:24):
in hiring for a really key andimportant role, but he just
trusts that God's going toprovide that candidate who not
only has the skills but alsoshares the company's vision and
their values, and I think justwaiting on God is important for
that.
And then number 10, businessgrowth and expansion.
You know, in a world thatreally kind of looks to or even
(15:45):
celebrates scaling a businessquickly, you know waiting on God
encourages you to focus on verysustainable and very ethical
growth.
So I think that's important.
So you need to prioritizeintegrity over speed.
You've got to trust in divineopportunities.
(16:08):
You know, as a business owner,maybe you might feel pressure to
maybe start franchising quickly.
Maybe you might feel pressureto maybe start franchising
quickly, but by waiting on Godmaybe instead you focus on
strengthening the core of youroperations, the core of your
business, and it leads to a lotmore stable and more impactful
growth later.
(16:28):
It also helps you to handleadversity and uncertainty
Because, as I said, there's alot that goes on in the business
and market world.
So it provides peace to you.
You know, it encourages reallyvery slow, methodical responses
(16:49):
instead of reactions, and so youdon't.
You're not so impulsive.
So I think that's important.
An example would be maybeduring a financial crisis, maybe
a leader might be tempted tokind of lay off employees right
away.
But if you wait on God,sometimes you may find very
creative solutions that not onlypreserve the jobs but it also
(17:15):
strengthens that team loyalty.
So how do you wait?
How do you wait on God and beeffective in it?
Well, waiting on God, first ofall, let me be clear, it's an
active process and it'sintentional, and it's not just
sitting back, folding our armsand just, you know, kind of
(17:35):
tapping our foot, waiting on Godto do something.
That's not what waiting on Godis.
It is a very active process.
So what are some of the thingsthat we need to do if we're
going to be effective in waitingon God?
Well, first of all this is veryimportant, we should all know
this and that is prayer, and notjust prayer, because that's us
talking to God.
(17:56):
But we need to listen.
We need to take time out tolisten to God.
To listen to God, we need tospend time in prayer, not just
asking for God to give usdirection and guidance and maybe
presenting a bunch of requeststo him, but then listen for his
voice, listen for God's voiceand then write down your
(18:17):
thoughts.
Write down any insights you maythink that you're hearing from
the Lord as he speaks to you.
Philippians 4, 6, and 7 says donot be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, byprayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present yourrequest to God.
It's important that we spendtime in prayer and we listen.
(18:37):
We listen for God to speak tous when we're learning to be
effective in waiting on God.
The next thing is you need tostudy the Word of God.
You need to study Scripture.
You know a lot of times Godwill speak to you through His
Word, and you may have read apassage a hundred times, but for
some reason, as God is speakingto you, that scripture jumps
(18:59):
out at you and becomes veryimportant direction for you, and
so I would encourage you tostart studying passages in the
Bible about waiting, aboutwaiting on God, like Psalms 37
and 7 and Habakkuk 2 and 3.
And that'll really help you inyour perspective.
(19:20):
And number three is seek wisecounsel.
You know, surround yourselfwith godly people who can advise
you, who can give youencouragement, who can
strengthen you.
You know, just take and workfrom that aspect.
You know, work from that aspect.
(19:40):
So study the Word of God, studythe scriptures and then seek
wise counsel.
Number four practice patience,even in just little things.
In little things.
Start by waiting on God forminor decisions, maybe a meeting
agenda that you've got tocreate or response for an email,
(20:03):
just kind of practice usingthese small things.
But what it does is it reallyhelps to build discipline for
you for the larger things.
And then this is a big one youhave to trust, even when God is
silent.
You have to trust him even inhis silence, you know, because
sometimes God's answer is notimmediate.
(20:23):
Like I said, I've spent 20 and25 years waiting to get
direction from God and I'm justnow starting to get some of
those things I've been prayingfor and looking for for over 20
years.
So silence, god's silence,doesn't mean he's absent.
It doesn't mean that he's notthere.
It's just really, if you wantto look at it this way, god's
(20:46):
silence sometimes is just aninvitation to trust him a lot
more deeply.
Right so, next number six youwant to act in faith.
Right so next number six youwant to act in faith.
You want to act in faith.
Once you discern God's direction, then you move forward with
confidence, knowing that he'sprepared the way.
You've been waiting for him andhe's prepared the way.
(21:07):
So make sure that you applythese steps while you're waiting
on God because, like I said,it's not something where you do
nothing.
It's a very active thing whenyou're waiting on God.
I mean, look at Joseph.
Joseph waited for years inprison but he rose to become the
second in command in Egypt,according to Genesis, chapter 39
(21:29):
, through chapters 41.
And his faithfulness duringthis waiting period is what
prepared him to really savenations.
He literally saved nations andmaybe ask yourself, how can you
remain faithful in your waitingseason?
So there's going to be somechallenges that come up when
(21:53):
we're talking about waiting onGod, because waiting is not easy
, especially if you're aresults-oriented person, or
maybe your company and theenvironment in your company is
very results-oriented.
So it's not that easy andhere's a few common obstacles
that you're going to have toaddress.
All right, first of all isimpatience.
(22:13):
You can become impatient.
So you've got to remindyourself God's track record in
your life.
Reflect on the past momentswhen his timing was proved
perfect, that it was much betterthan your own.
So that's a challenge.
Another challenge is justpressure from other people.
So I think in those times Idon't think there's anything
(22:37):
wrong with you communicatingwhat your process is.
Just tell them look, I'm takingtime to pray and consider this
real carefully.
You know most people willrespect that because that's a
conviction that you have.
Another challenge is fear ofmissing out on something you
know.
So you're afraid if I don'tmake a decision quickly, if I
(22:57):
don't move quickly, then I'llmiss out on something.
That's not true.
If you want God's very best,then you need to wait on God
sometimes.
So you have to trust that God'splan won't pass you by.
You're not going to missanything and if it's his will,
the opportunity is going toalign and it's going to be
perfect timing.
And then another is doubt.
(23:18):
It's just plain doubt.
We doubt that anything willcome.
So why wait?
I'm just going to move on.
No, continue to wait on God.
You know, you go back and youlook at God's promises in the
Word of God and you just pray toGod and say, god, help me,
renew my faith, renew my faith.
So you know, when you wait onGod, there's some great fruit to
(23:39):
it.
There's great fruit when youcommit to waiting on God, you're
going to experience sometangible, actually tangible
benefits in your leadership andin your business.
You're going to experiencepeace, you're going to
experience wisdom, you're goingto experience provision, because
(24:03):
the resources and theopportunities is going to come
to you, because they're going toline up with God's plan.
You know, I'll give you anexample.
You know Christian's CEO.
He kind of delayed a merger.
He had a lot of investors thatwere pressuring him to merge,
but he just didn't have God'speace and he waited.
And then months later the othercompany they found out had a
(24:25):
lot of hidden debts that theydidn't disclose and it really
kind of saved that company froma big disaster.
So waiting on God proved to bevery protective.
So you know again some of thesemisconceptions that we talk
about, about waiting on God.
Again, it's not passive, it'ssupposed to be very productive,
(24:46):
especially when you're in aresults-driven business.
So waiting is active, it's notpassive.
Waiting enhances productivitybecause as we move forward with
God's plan as he begins to sharewith us, it'll be perfect.
And waiting on God buildscharacter.
It builds character, itcultivates patience, it
(25:13):
cultivates humility and it helpsyou to become dependent on God
more.
It really does, and these arequalities, I think, that
strengthen leadership it reallydoes, and I think it inspires
trust from other people.
So, in short, I believe thatwaiting on God is a very dynamic
(25:35):
process and I believe it leadsto wiser, more impactful
leadership.
So we have this opportunity inour community, in our
marketplace, to really be moreimpactful.
So for Christian businessleaders, waiting on God it's not
a hindrance to success.
It's a pathway to success.
(25:57):
By trusting in God's timing,seeking his guidance, aligning
your decisions with his will, Ibelieve leaders can navigate all
of the complexities that we'vetalked about in the business
world, and you can do it withintegrity, wisdom and peace.
And it fosters not onlyspiritual growth but also
(26:19):
long-term business success.
As you prioritize what is rightover what's easy.
So as you lead your business,remember the promise of Psalms
37 and 7.
It says be still before theLord and wait patiently for him,
because it's really in thatstillness that you find the
(26:40):
strength, the clarity and, a lotof times, the direction that
you need to really be effectiveas a leader and then honor God
in everything that you do,because the world really demands
speed.
I mean, man, we move at thespeed of light.
Man, in the business worldthere's so many things that
happen so fast, but you've gotto be courageous to wait.
(27:02):
You know, psalms 130 and 5 saysI wait for the Lord, my whole
being waits and in his word Iput my hope.
So this is so, so, veryimportant, lord.
Thank you for those specialpeople today who've downloaded
and listened to this podcast.
Father, I ask you to help themunderstand that waiting on you
(27:26):
is an active endeavor, lord.
It's active.
It's not something we just sitback and wait.
There's things we should bedoing and, lord, help them to
recognize that there are thingsto do, what those specific
things are to do while they'rewaiting on you, and that
patience is different thanwaiting on you.
And, lord, help them to applythese principles that we've
(27:48):
talked about today in theirlives and in their careers.
Lord, I ask for favor, I ask forstrength for those that are
actually right now in a waitingperiod.
Lord, I ask you for strengthand favor and, lord, minister
them in a special way.
Lord, in the name of Jesus, Ipray Amen.
(28:10):
Well, thanks again for being apart of the Christian Business
Concepts family and community,and I hope today's topic has
helped you as you learn to waiton God, and I hope that you'll
do all that you can in helpingus grow.
The Christian Business Conceptsministry and podcast Help us to
(28:33):
grow and help us to do all thatwe can to make our mission
happen, to make it come intofruition, because our desire is
to help people find what truegodly success is through
applying biblical principles.
Well, thanks again.
I really appreciate you being apart of the CBC family and
(28:56):
community and I hope today'stopic has helped you.
And I think that's all the timewe have for today.
So until next time, rememberthat Jesus is Lord and he wants
you blessed.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
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.
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 (00:20):
Thanks, kelly, and welcome everyone to Christian
Business Concepts.
And for those of you that arelistening for the very first
time, let me welcome you to theCBC family.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and each week, I discuss
biblical principles, especiallybiblical business principles,
that can help you find true truenow true and powerful godly
(00:44):
success in your career and inyour personal life.
Each week, it's my hope toencourage you, enlighten you and
empower you to apply theseprinciples and for you to grow
as a leader and as a person.
Now, please be sure to sharethis podcast with four or five
other people and be sure to postthe podcast link on your
(01:08):
LinkedIn or your Facebook pages.
Help us to grow the CBCcommunity.
You know God is raising upChristian businesses around the
world and he's raising upChristian business leaders as
well, and we hope that you'llmake Christian business concepts
(01:28):
a part of your journey tosuccess.
We really do.
Now, before we get started, letme give a big shout out to the
country of Angola, and weappreciate you, angola, and we
appreciate you folks.
Thank you so much fordownloading so many podcasts,
(01:51):
but we just want to recognizeyou and thank you and thanks to
all of you who listen to thispodcast on a regular basis.
Now in our weekly businessspotlight, I'd like to draw your
attention to a company calledSeven Weeks Coffee.
They happen to be here in theUnited States.
They're based in Washington DC.
Seven Weeks Coffee started in2021.
(02:12):
So they're just four years oldby a man by the name of Anton
Kresik, and he moved to DCactually to pursue a political
career, but God had other ideas.
And you know part of theirmission statement says it aims
(02:33):
to promote godly values, provideexcellent coffee and protect
every beating heart.
You know it donates 10% ofevery sale, which equates to
about 50% of their profit, topro-life pregnancy centers.
You know, anton was reallyinspired.
(02:55):
He heard Billy Graham preachone time and he was really
inspired by Billy Graham asBilly Graham began to call on
believers to begin to influencethe marketplace.
And as of this month nowremember they're only four years
old, but as of this month theyare approaching $1 million in
(03:17):
donations to these pregnancycenters.
So we applaud them.
We appreciate the leadership ofthis company.
What a great company that hassuch a God-centered vision and
mission.
I say keep it up, seven WeeksCoffee.
We sure are glad that you're inthe marketplace and we need
more people like you.
(03:38):
Well, let's get into today'stopic.
As a Christian business leader,you know you're called to
navigate the what I would callthe complexities I think of
leadership.
But as a Christian businessleadership, you're called to
navigate those complexities withfaith, with wisdom and
(03:58):
integrity.
You know, in a fast-paced,results-driven world that we
live in today, the concept, Ithink, of waiting on God, just
waiting on God, may kind of seemcounterintuitive, you know.
But let me say this Scripturesactually consistently teach that
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waiting on God is not a passiveinactivity.
I'm not talking about patience.
There's a difference betweenpatience and waiting on God.
Waiting on God is not a passiveactivity.
It's a very active,faith-filled, I guess we could
say posture that aligns yourdecisions and your timing, your
(04:46):
purpose, with God's divine willfor your life and for your
business.
And so today we want to explorewhy waiting on God is so
essential.
It's biblical foundation.
We're going to look at that andwe're also going to look at
some practical benefits inbusiness and then we're going to
(05:07):
talk about how to cultivatethis kind of discipline, as far
as waiting on God, into yourleadership journey.
And in the business world,leaders are really faced with
constant pressure.
You're faced with pressure toperform, to compete, to deliver
(05:29):
immediate results, and reallywaiting on God really provides
such a good counterbalance, if Icould say it that way.
And the way it can do this isby waiting.
You know, just waiting on God.
It really just helps you tobegin to lead with confidence
(05:52):
and knowing that your decisionsare grounded in faith because
you're waiting on God.
So what is the biblicalfoundation?
You know, waiting on God is,just like I said, a reoccurring
theme in the Bible.
Waiting on God is, just like Isaid, a reoccurring theme in the
Bible.
It's modeled by a lot ofleaders throughout the Word of
(06:12):
God and it's also affirmed by alot of God's promises.
So here are some key biblicalinsights.
So, first of all, the thing youneed to understand God's timing
is perfect.
He's never late, he's neverearly, he's always right on time
.
Ecclesiastes 3.1 says there isa time for everything, anda
(06:35):
season, for every activity underthe heavens.
God operates outside of humanconstraints of time.
God doesn't see time like we doand his plans will unfold
according to his wisdom and nothave anything to do with our
urgency.
You know, as a leader, you knowtrusting God and his timing, it
(06:57):
really will kind of protect youfrom making hasty decisions
that can really kind of becounter-production to your
business or it can derail yourbusiness.
And so God's timing, realize,is perfect.
Next, strength and renewal comethrough waiting on God.
Strength and renewal comesthrough waiting on the Lord.
(07:20):
You know Isaiah 40, 31,.
You know.
But those who wait on the Lordshall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wingslike eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
Waiting on God replenishes.
It replenishes your emotional,your spiritual and even your
(07:40):
physical being, your reserves.
It equips you to lead withendurance so that you don't burn
out.
So that's important.
Next, waiting on Goddemonstrates your trust in his
sovereignty, right.
So Psalms 27, 14, wait for theLord, be strong and take heart
(08:02):
and wait for the Lord.
Be strong and take heart andwait for the Lord.
Leaders like David, king David.
He faced a lot of trials, buthe learned that waiting on God
was an act of surrender andconfidence in his control and
not their own.
And we see this in so manydifferent characters in the
(08:24):
Bible, from Genesis toRevelation.
So waiting it aligns your heartwith God's purposes when you
wait on him.
So here's a question for you.
Can you recall a time when yourushed a decision and you later
regretted it?
I know probably everybodythat's listening to me today
(08:46):
would say, yes, I can rememberone, at least.
Many of you've had many others,I've had many others.
And if we had waited on God,how would it have changed that
outcome?
In my case, I can think ofseveral good things that would
have come out of that if I justwaited on God, and so that's
(09:13):
important.
So why does it matter to you asa godly business leader?
What does it matter to you?
What's important about waitingon God?
Because waiting on God is notjust a spiritual exercise.
It has some very practicalimplications that can really
help you to be more effective.
So let's look at them.
Number one there's going to bebetter clarity in your decision
(09:34):
making.
You know business leaders facea lot of that pressure.
I shared that before.
A lot of pressure, and it's toact quickly, whether it be like
launching a new product orhiring staff or resolving
conflicts.
Waiting on God allows you toseek his wisdom and ensures that
(09:55):
your decisions will line upwith his will and then your
long-term vision rather thanshort-term pressures.
If you look at Abraham, abrahambecame impatient, refused to
wait on God's promise and thatled to the birth of Ishmael in
Genesis chapter 16.
And that caused all kinds ofcomplications.
(10:17):
So waiting could have sparedhim and his family a lot of
unnecessary strife, which wedon't want.
So it really can help you inyour clarity and decision-making
.
Number two it'll help you toavoid very expensive mistakes,
right so rushing intoopportunities without any kind
(10:39):
of discernment at all, that canreally hurt you financially.
It can cause strainedrelationships, can cause all
kinds of ethical problems.
You know waiting on God acts asa safeguard.
You know it kind of gives youtime to evaluate your risk and
gives you time to seek counsel.
You know Proverbs 19 and 2 saysdesire without knowledge is not
(11:03):
good.
How much more will hasty feetmiss the way?
So it's very important becauseit'll help us to avoid a lot of
bad mistakes.
Number three it buildsresilience and patience.
You know, in the business worldas a whole, you know when we
look at all the markets andeverything, it's very
(11:23):
unpredictable.
We're dealing with marketshifts, employee turnover,
economic downturns.
All these things tend to testyou.
It tests your resolve.
Waiting on God.
It really kind of cultivatesyour patience and trust
(11:50):
no-transcript assurance, ratherthan just being reactive and
panicking all the time.
So you wait on God for that andI'll be honest, some of the
biggest things I've had to waiton in my life, even recently in
recent years, I should say I'verated 20, 25 years and we've got
things that God's beginning toshow us right now that we've
(12:11):
been waiting on and waiting on,and waiting on.
But you know God has perfecttiming.
Number four modeling faith toyour team.
You know your employees, yourpartners, your customers, your
suppliers, you know they allobserve how you handle things.
(12:33):
If it's uncertainty, they watch, they see it.
They can't help but see it.
And waiting on God demonstratesa very faith-driven leadership
style.
And when you have a reallystrong faith-driven leadership
style, it really inspires trustand it fosters a culture of
integrity and purpose.
(12:55):
All right.
Number five it helps you toalign your business with the
eternal purpose that God has foryou and your business.
You know, as a Christian leader, you know your ultimate goal
should go beyond profit becauseit should be about glorifying
God and advancing the kingdom ofGod.
(13:16):
And waiting on God ensures thatyour business decisions will
reflect his values and not justworldly success metrics.
What does the world say issuccessful.
Well, some of the things thatthe world says makes you
successful is not necessarilythe same as those that God says
(13:37):
will make you successful.
And I think that you knowwaiting on God helps us to align
our business and our mission,our purpose, with God's eternal
purpose.
All right.
Number six you know fosteringethical integrity when you wait
on God it fosters that.
It helps to create a lot ofethical integrity.
(13:57):
You know prioritizing what isright, in other words, over what
is, you know, maybe moreexpedient, even when it requires
patience.
And then, number seven buildingresilience.
You know we talked about thatbefore.
It helps you to buildresilience.
Number eight it encourageslong-term success.
(14:19):
You know trusting that God willprovide opportunities is a
long-term way of looking atthings, because God's growth is
perfect and his timing's perfect.
And then, number nine hiring andteam building.
You know building a strong teamis really critical to business
success, and waiting on God inthis area means that you resist
(14:41):
the urge to just go out and fillpositions really quick.
Rather than hiring the firstavailable person, I would say
leaders should pray for theright person and that person
should align with both yourcompany's needs and its values.
You know trusting God'sprovision.
(15:02):
I mean when you believe thatGod will bring the right people
at the right time.
Even if it means that you'vegot to sit through maybe some
short-term gaps, I think youfind out that it works out
better.
For example, there might be abusiness leader that might delay
(15:24):
in hiring for a really key andimportant role, but he just
trusts that God's going toprovide that candidate who not
only has the skills but alsoshares the company's vision and
their values, and I think justwaiting on God is important for
that.
And then number 10, businessgrowth and expansion.
You know, in a world thatreally kind of looks to or even
(15:45):
celebrates scaling a businessquickly, you know waiting on God
encourages you to focus on verysustainable and very ethical
growth.
So I think that's important.
So you need to prioritizeintegrity over speed.
You've got to trust in divineopportunities.
(16:08):
You know, as a business owner,maybe you might feel pressure to
maybe start franchising quickly.
Maybe you might feel pressureto maybe start franchising
quickly, but by waiting on Godmaybe instead you focus on
strengthening the core of youroperations, the core of your
business, and it leads to a lotmore stable and more impactful
growth later.
(16:28):
It also helps you to handleadversity and uncertainty
Because, as I said, there's alot that goes on in the business
and market world.
So it provides peace to you.
You know, it encourages reallyvery slow, methodical responses
(16:49):
instead of reactions, and so youdon't.
You're not so impulsive.
So I think that's important.
An example would be maybeduring a financial crisis, maybe
a leader might be tempted tokind of lay off employees right
away.
But if you wait on God,sometimes you may find very
creative solutions that not onlypreserve the jobs but it also
(17:15):
strengthens that team loyalty.
So how do you wait?
How do you wait on God and beeffective in it?
Well, waiting on God, first ofall, let me be clear, it's an
active process and it'sintentional, and it's not just
sitting back, folding our armsand just, you know, kind of
(17:35):
tapping our foot, waiting on Godto do something.
That's not what waiting on Godis.
It is a very active process.
So what are some of the thingsthat we need to do if we're
going to be effective in waitingon God?
Well, first of all this is veryimportant, we should all know
this and that is prayer, and notjust prayer, because that's us
talking to God.
(17:56):
But we need to listen.
We need to take time out tolisten to God.
To listen to God, we need tospend time in prayer, not just
asking for God to give usdirection and guidance and maybe
presenting a bunch of requeststo him, but then listen for his
voice, listen for God's voiceand then write down your
(18:17):
thoughts.
Write down any insights you maythink that you're hearing from
the Lord as he speaks to you.
Philippians 4, 6, and 7 says donot be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, byprayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present yourrequest to God.
It's important that we spendtime in prayer and we listen.
(18:37):
We listen for God to speak tous when we're learning to be
effective in waiting on God.
The next thing is you need tostudy the Word of God.
You need to study Scripture.
You know a lot of times Godwill speak to you through His
Word, and you may have read apassage a hundred times, but for
some reason, as God is speakingto you, that scripture jumps
(18:59):
out at you and becomes veryimportant direction for you, and
so I would encourage you tostart studying passages in the
Bible about waiting, aboutwaiting on God, like Psalms 37
and 7 and Habakkuk 2 and 3.
And that'll really help you inyour perspective.
(19:20):
And number three is seek wisecounsel.
You know, surround yourselfwith godly people who can advise
you, who can give youencouragement, who can
strengthen you.
You know, just take and workfrom that aspect.
You know, work from that aspect.
(19:40):
So study the Word of God, studythe scriptures and then seek
wise counsel.
Number four practice patience,even in just little things.
In little things.
Start by waiting on God forminor decisions, maybe a meeting
agenda that you've got tocreate or response for an email,
(20:03):
just kind of practice usingthese small things.
But what it does is it reallyhelps to build discipline for
you for the larger things.
And then this is a big one youhave to trust, even when God is
silent.
You have to trust him even inhis silence, you know, because
sometimes God's answer is notimmediate.
(20:23):
Like I said, I've spent 20 and25 years waiting to get
direction from God and I'm justnow starting to get some of
those things I've been prayingfor and looking for for over 20
years.
So silence, god's silence,doesn't mean he's absent.
It doesn't mean that he's notthere.
It's just really, if you wantto look at it this way, god's
(20:46):
silence sometimes is just aninvitation to trust him a lot
more deeply.
Right so, next number six youwant to act in faith.
Right so next number six youwant to act in faith.
You want to act in faith.
Once you discern God's direction, then you move forward with
confidence, knowing that he'sprepared the way.
You've been waiting for him andhe's prepared the way.
(21:07):
So make sure that you applythese steps while you're waiting
on God because, like I said,it's not something where you do
nothing.
It's a very active thing whenyou're waiting on God.
I mean, look at Joseph.
Joseph waited for years inprison but he rose to become the
second in command in Egypt,according to Genesis, chapter 39
(21:29):
, through chapters 41.
And his faithfulness duringthis waiting period is what
prepared him to really savenations.
He literally saved nations andmaybe ask yourself, how can you
remain faithful in your waitingseason?
So there's going to be somechallenges that come up when
(21:53):
we're talking about waiting onGod, because waiting is not easy
, especially if you're aresults-oriented person, or
maybe your company and theenvironment in your company is
very results-oriented.
So it's not that easy andhere's a few common obstacles
that you're going to have toaddress.
All right, first of all isimpatience.
(22:13):
You can become impatient.
So you've got to remindyourself God's track record in
your life.
Reflect on the past momentswhen his timing was proved
perfect, that it was much betterthan your own.
So that's a challenge.
Another challenge is justpressure from other people.
So I think in those times Idon't think there's anything
(22:37):
wrong with you communicatingwhat your process is.
Just tell them look, I'm takingtime to pray and consider this
real carefully.
You know most people willrespect that because that's a
conviction that you have.
Another challenge is fear ofmissing out on something you
know.
So you're afraid if I don'tmake a decision quickly, if I
(22:57):
don't move quickly, then I'llmiss out on something.
That's not true.
If you want God's very best,then you need to wait on God
sometimes.
So you have to trust that God'splan won't pass you by.
You're not going to missanything and if it's his will,
the opportunity is going toalign and it's going to be
perfect timing.
And then another is doubt.
(23:18):
It's just plain doubt.
We doubt that anything willcome.
So why wait?
I'm just going to move on.
No, continue to wait on God.
You know, you go back and youlook at God's promises in the
Word of God and you just pray toGod and say, god, help me,
renew my faith, renew my faith.
So you know, when you wait onGod, there's some great fruit to
(23:39):
it.
There's great fruit when youcommit to waiting on God, you're
going to experience sometangible, actually tangible
benefits in your leadership andin your business.
You're going to experiencepeace, you're going to
experience wisdom, you're goingto experience provision, because
(24:03):
the resources and theopportunities is going to come
to you, because they're going toline up with God's plan.
You know, I'll give you anexample.
You know Christian's CEO.
He kind of delayed a merger.
He had a lot of investors thatwere pressuring him to merge,
but he just didn't have God'speace and he waited.
And then months later the othercompany they found out had a
(24:25):
lot of hidden debts that theydidn't disclose and it really
kind of saved that company froma big disaster.
So waiting on God proved to bevery protective.
So you know again some of thesemisconceptions that we talk
about, about waiting on God.
Again, it's not passive, it'ssupposed to be very productive,
(24:46):
especially when you're in aresults-driven business.
So waiting is active, it's notpassive.
Waiting enhances productivitybecause as we move forward with
God's plan as he begins to sharewith us, it'll be perfect.
And waiting on God buildscharacter.
It builds character, itcultivates patience, it
(25:13):
cultivates humility and it helpsyou to become dependent on God
more.
It really does, and these arequalities, I think, that
strengthen leadership it reallydoes, and I think it inspires
trust from other people.
So, in short, I believe thatwaiting on God is a very dynamic
(25:35):
process and I believe it leadsto wiser, more impactful
leadership.
So we have this opportunity inour community, in our
marketplace, to really be moreimpactful.
So for Christian businessleaders, waiting on God it's not
a hindrance to success.
It's a pathway to success.
(25:57):
By trusting in God's timing,seeking his guidance, aligning
your decisions with his will, Ibelieve leaders can navigate all
of the complexities that we'vetalked about in the business
world, and you can do it withintegrity, wisdom and peace.
And it fosters not onlyspiritual growth but also
(26:19):
long-term business success.
As you prioritize what is rightover what's easy.
So as you lead your business,remember the promise of Psalms
37 and 7.
It says be still before theLord and wait patiently for him,
because it's really in thatstillness that you find the
(26:40):
strength, the clarity and, a lotof times, the direction that
you need to really be effectiveas a leader and then honor God
in everything that you do,because the world really demands
speed.
I mean, man, we move at thespeed of light.
Man, in the business worldthere's so many things that
happen so fast, but you've gotto be courageous to wait.
(27:02):
You know, psalms 130 and 5 saysI wait for the Lord, my whole
being waits and in his word Iput my hope.
So this is so, so, veryimportant, lord.
Thank you for those specialpeople today who've downloaded
and listened to this podcast.
Father, I ask you to help themunderstand that waiting on you
(27:26):
is an active endeavor, lord.
It's active.
It's not something we just sitback and wait.
There's things we should bedoing and, lord, help them to
recognize that there are thingsto do, what those specific
things are to do while they'rewaiting on you, and that
patience is different thanwaiting on you.
And, lord, help them to applythese principles that we've
(27:48):
talked about today in theirlives and in their careers.
Lord, I ask for favor, I ask forstrength for those that are
actually right now in a waitingperiod.
Lord, I ask you for strengthand favor and, lord, minister
them in a special way.
Lord, in the name of Jesus, Ipray Amen.
(28:10):
Well, thanks again for being apart of the Christian Business
Concepts family and community,and I hope today's topic has
helped you as you learn to waiton God, and I hope that you'll
do all that you can in helpingus grow.
The Christian Business Conceptsministry and podcast Help us to
(28:33):
grow and help us to do all thatwe can to make our mission
happen, to make it come intofruition, because our desire is
to help people find what truegodly success is through
applying biblical principles.
Well, thanks again.
I really appreciate you being apart of the CBC family and
(28:56):
community and I hope today'stopic has helped you.
And I think that's all the timewe have for today.
So until next time, rememberthat Jesus is Lord and he wants
you blessed.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
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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