The First Battle: the conflict in own hearts and minds. This battle is pivotal because if it is not won, it will sap our time, energy, and joy, keeping us from focusing on a deeper level of spiritual conflict. We will constantly be fighting the alligators instead of draining the swamp.
How are we attacked on this level?
- Our Identity. God says, “You are mine, deeply loved and a reflection of Me.” (Eph. 3:19) Hell wants us to believe that we are dirty rotten sinners deserving of the disregard and condemnation we receive. Satan tell us that our identity comes from the worst mistakes in our past. God says that it comes from our bright and glorious future and what we are becoming.
- Our Value. God says, “I have placed great talents in you that you can trade in the marketplace to make profit. You are a person of deep value to Me and others.” (Eph. 2:10) Hell tells us that no one wants what we have to offer. No one will ever recognize our worth nor profit from it.
- Our Hope. God says, “Your future is assured because of my good plans for you.” (Jer. 29:11) Satan tells us that this is the best that life will ever be; things will get worse, people will desert us and we will fail.
- Our Vision. God say, “I will lead you and guide you to places of blessing and fulfilment.” (Ps. 23) The demon of hell whisper in our ears that we are going nowhere and have no direction nor reason to look for one.
What are you going to believe? To win this battle, soak in the Word of God. It will change you. It will equip you to win the first battle, the battle of the mind.
Resources for the Battle: check out Biblical Entrepreneurship I. It will help you uncover the truth that you are valuable to the world and have something great to give them.
The Second Battle: the conflict of our circumstances. Once we have begun to overcome in the first battle, we face the second. Satan wants to keep us from blessing by messing with our circumstances–the stuff of our lives and livelihoods. Think about how many people around us, who impact the necessary details of our businesses, can be easily influenced by the demonic voices they are bombarded with constantly. Recently, one of our BE alumni talked about how his business was hurt because of spiritual forces working through others. Even Paul the Apostle had to admit that he was kept from extending his ministry into a new city because of the spiritual resistance.
So what do we do?
- Act Wisely. Have you heard the statement, “Don’t give Satan a stick to beat you with?” Obey the laws. Do things right. Be wise in conducting business. Read Proverbs and put it into practice.
- Pray with Fervency. God has given us, as business owners, a unique place of spiritual authority as the head of our businesses. That means that our prayers for the safety and protection of our businesses is uniquely powerful and effective. We must not shirk this responsibility.
Resources for Battle: Check out Biblical Entrepreneurship II. The wise practices you will learn in this course will keep you from giving Satan that stick!
The Third Battle: the conflict of business value systems. After you have engaged the personal battle and the tactical/practical battle, it is time for the final battle, the battle for other’s hearts and minds. It is, in a real sense, the battle for a culture.
In this titanic fight, we have on one side the cultural mentality about business that it is right and proper for it to be all about the greed and dominance of the owner of the business. It is, in BE terms, a single bottom line approach: just about the money. God has given us the name of the spirit behind this force. He calls it “Mammon”, the spirit of the love of money.
On the other side, God is revealing a new way of doing business. An approach based on the cooperative use of talents that are on loan to us from Him. They are not based on the concept of greed but on the concept of blessing; a recognition of God’s great free blessings to us (which we get to trade for profit) and our desire and opportunity to be a blessing to others. It is a multiple bottom line approach that looks for a wide circle to share that profit with–employees, communities, suppliers etc.
And so we see these two forces, greed (Mammon) and blessing, challenging one another for dominance in our culture. We get to make a difference, by our business practices, showing that a blessing economy, with a multiple bottom line, can produce profit and sustainability in a multi-dimensional way. Building a Kingdom Business God’s way is fighting this final battle.
Resources for Battle: Check out Biblical Entrepreneurship III. Learn how to build a business plan that has a multiple bottom line–caring for people, planet, profit with eternity in view.
– posted by Randall Sanford