Tonight, Lord Alan Sugar will choose between two hopefuls hoping to go into business with him.
For Luisa and Leah, Lord Sugar is the ultimate business partner. For us in the States, it’s Donald Trump that would-be entrepreneurs are queuing up to go into partnership with.
But neither Lord Sugar nor Mr Trump have anything on God. Sure, God is our Father. But He’s also our business partner
Now, that doesn’t mean that He is out for money or wants to work with you to turn a profit. But, you can look at His role in your life as being a mentor who is there to give you direction and guidance, and help you make decisions since He knows what is best for you. God wants to ensure your success and will – if you let Him. 1.
In my own career, first in the NBA and now as an entrepreneur, God has served multiple roles as coach, counselor, protector and spiritual guide. Here’s what you can do to go into partnership with God —both at home and in the workplace:
1. Let go
As human beings, it’s in our nature to want to force things to happen when we are waiting for an opportunity to come to fruition, be impulsive when we want something, or get anxious when things go wrong. With God as your business partner, He asks that you let go and let Him handle it for you. Otherwise, we could sabotage an opportunity or get into something that God knew was not good for us. In fact, it could be that He even has something better planned for us that we are not ready for if we are focused on situations not made for us. Lean back, relax, and let God take the wheel. That doesn’t mean that you should do nothing; just do what you can and not try to take it all on.
2. Remain strong
The fear of the unknown in life and business impacts all of us. Operating through fear and panic gets us nowhere and leads to bad choices. When you have the strongest force in the universe as your business partner, you have every reason to stand firm and not be afraid of whatever is thrown at you. Often, God has put us into precarious or unpredictable situations to help us learn. Commit to God, and He will do the rest.
3. Renew your mind daily
To get rid of any fear and doubt that creeps in, you must renew your mind daily and continually apply what you learn from these mind renewal sessions. Whether it is a podcast from your pastor or Bible passages, these daily moments of affirmation renew your faith in your business partner and remind you of what is really important. This fills you with the supernatural faith that you need to remain steadfast.
4. Undergo tests
As your business partner, God is there to test you and put you into situations that help you hone your skills. For example, if He knows you’re impatient or quickly lose your temper when faced with irritating people, He will put more of those irritating people into your life to test you until you can pass with patience and respond calmly to them. He wants you to succeed and improve your performance.
5. Listen
Having a partner means considering their point of view and hearing what they say rather than butting in and completing what you think they are about to say. With God, it means giving Him the room to operate in your life and actively listening for the signals He is providing to achieve success.
6. Be discreet
In business, much of what you discuss with your business partner is confidential. Therefore, God many not want you to talk about what you are doing. Instead, He may want you to hold it and practise sound judgment about what should be shared with others.
7. Show respect
In all your dealings, show respect. You may be representing Him as a business partner in a meeting or other situation, so you want Him to be proud of your behaviour, not embarrassed. Let your Christian traits shine through as you give glory to God through your business and personal dealings, providing a fine witness for all.