To most people, prayer and
business are at opposite ends of the productivity and profit spectrum. We naturally
associate prayer with our spiritual lives.
But when it comes to our everyday business and career affairs, we tend
to limit our resources strictly to our mental capacity.
Prayer is a greater resource
than capital, consultants and contacts! Why? Because prayer removes human toil
and accesses God’s grace and wisdom to assist us in every area of our
entrepreneurial pursuits. Prayer does not substitute for the due diligence and
hard work required to make a business successful. (Some might even say laboring
in the Word and in prayer [spiritual work] takes greater effort than natural
work!) Prayer just connects us with God’s wisdom and power, making work more
productive, fulfilling and profitable.
Let me share some real life
business-related scenarios of how we have used prayer as a resource:
Property Purchase
When Dr. Winston pursued the
purchase of the Forest Park Plaza mall, for months, prayer was going forth
almost daily, using specific scriptures, confessing and thanking God for our
mall. He mentions that at the signing of the contracts he was so “drunk in the
spirit” he needed assistance to his car! There was fervent prayer taking place
during the closing to ensure a smooth closing and no last minute delays.
Funding
There was a time in BWM where
funds were stagnant. We went into prayer boldly and passionately, determined to
get a financial breakthrough. After about 45 minutes of prayer, we got a call
that a significant donation had just been received.
Workspace
Many businesses begin in the
home office, and space is usually limited to an extra bedroom, the basement or
even a corner of a room. Our home offices are only as big as the average
bedroom, so every time it looks like we have maxed out our space, we go into
prayer. Spending time praying in the Spirit has always revealed better ways of
arranging furniture, making room for more file cabinets, book shelves, desks,
office equipment and travel bags!
Life Management
For the entrepreneur, life
can get complicated trying to manage a lot of moving pieces, hoping nothing
will fall through the cracks. Praying in the Spirit helps draw wisdom from God
to organize our thoughts, tasks and time. Prayer helps the mind to receive
wisdom from our spirit. The times where an idea just dropped in my spirit (in
contrast to figuring it out with my mind) are too numerous to mention!
Stress
Luke 18:1 says men ought
always to pray and not to faint. When the pressures of life come, from work,
home or people, prayer pulls us away from the temptation to handle things in
the flesh. Time in prayer gives us perspective, and restores that peaceful and
unshakable equilibrium to address the challenges that come.
We would love to hear from you, our readers, on how
prayer has helped you and your business.
Send us your testimonies!
Dr. Veronica B. Winston