192 Partnering with God in the Nitty, Gritty Details of Business and Life

Episode Summary:  Have you ever thought about the fact that God doesn’t need us to accomplish things in this world, but that he offers the opportunity for us to partner with him? Have you ever pondered what partnering with God means, or how to go about it? In this episode, I chat with Kim Avery about partnering with God in the nitty, gritty details of business and life. Quotables from the episode: I took a long, hard and honest look at my business and my client’s businesses and had to ask myself these questions: if our business partner is the Almighty, all-knowing, all-providing God why don’t our businesses look any different than the businesses of those who don’t know God? More than that, we don’t we look any different than entrepreneurs who don’t know God? We are just as hurried, worried, and stressed as they are. We try to do things for God, but the invitation is to have God with us. That’s a totally different game when we make God our CEO. I’m so thankful to be learning that God really does care about all the details of my life and that He is available and waiting to help me with it. As Christ-centered entrepreneurs, God wants us to be bold, humble, joyful, peace-filled, so that what overflows out of us onto others will be consistent with His character. Partnering with God in prayer doesn’t have to be complicated, fancy, or heroic. Instead it can be BRIEF: Business-Related: Abandoning our default mindset of if it’s going to be, it’s up to me, we invite God into our daily work, seeking his supernatural presence, purposes, and power. Relevant: Exchanging our typical global requests, “Bless this business, Lord,” for our granular reality, such as “Help me to be humble and self-forgetful in today’s meeting with Bob,” we ask God to work in and through every specific attitude, activity, and engagement of each particular day. Inside out: Shifting our prayer focus from a results-only orientation, we pray in cooperation with the way God most likes to work—from the inside out: In us In our relationship with him In our relationships with others In our relationship with our business The results our work has in the world   Expectant: Acknowledging that God is always at work, even when things are not what we’d hoped, each day we watch for his moment-by-moment movement, trust his promises, and celebrate his answers. Frequent: No longer compartmentalizing our relationship with him to discrete times of the day, we practice the presence of God throughout each day, ceaselessly interacting with him as we partner with him to change the world. We all have a head knowledge that God is for me, but we need to take God’s grand principles into our small, granular reality. The failure rate in small business is so high because we need to shift our focus to what God is doing in us rather than because of us. Failure comes when our contribution outpaces our character. We live in a largely unchurched world, so as entrepreneurs, God gives us the opportunity to reach those who might not otherwise be reached because they don’t set foot in a church. When we are not trusting God with every aspect of our business, and instead default to worry and hurry, we are essentially being a functional atheist, because we are believing God will not provide. Start super small with very specific requests that you know God also wants for you, then walk expectantly through your day watching for how He is at work. It’s a treasure hunt and a grand adventure. Scripture References: Jeremiah 33:3 NASB ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Isaiah 28:16 ESV “Whoever believes shall not be in haste.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NASB "And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;" Recommended Resources:  The Prayer Powered Entrepreneur by Kim Avery www.prayerquiz.com Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Trusting God Through Cancer 1 Trusting God Through Cancer 2 Revive & Thrive Women's Conference Subdue Stress and Anxiety: Fifteen Experts Offer Comprehensive Tools in Ten Minutes a Day. Use my link plus discount code BENG99 to save $90 on course (course will be $99.) Free Download: How To Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide  Free 7-Day YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Kim Avery: Website / Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails  /  Website  /  Blog  /  Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn  /  Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube   Guest:  After leaving her career as a counselor to become a Professional Life Coach, Kim also became an accidental entrepreneur. Coaching was in its infancy then, so it took her years of trial and error and training to create a path to success. Since that time, she’s made it her goal to help other Christian coaches and entrepreneurs shorten and streamline the business building process.  Kim is now a successful business coach, Vice-President of Marketing at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute, co-host of the Professional Christian Coaching Today podcast, author of The Prayer Powered Entrepreneur: 31 Days to Building Your Business with Less Stress and More Joy.  Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.