Dave Kier is a highly successful businessman and investor in the United States, as well as across Asia and Africa. He writes a daily devotional that integrates Christian living and profitable business. He has served on the IBEC Board for more than a decade.
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com
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“Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 132:10 NASB®
I doubt there isn’t one of us who hasn’t been faced with decisions that we ask the Lord for wisdom to make. One would think as we get older, the decisions would come easier, but I haven’t found that to be the case. The older we are, the more family we have, the more relationships we have, the more decisions need to be made, and the mind doesn’t work as fast as it once did. We have decades of experiences up there to sort through. When young, you have the gift of time to correct a course, but as you age time isn’t on your side, as your body reminds you. Still, decisions need to be made. What is the Lord’s will in making decisions?
When I was young, I dug deep into God’s word as I prayed for wisdom and then plunged into decision-making with great confidence. I felt that God and I were a team. He opened doors and I ran through them, but these were business decisions of “do I build this?” or “do we expand here?” The relational decisions are more difficult. I could modify a feed mill, but I couldn’t and still can’t “modify” people.
Business decisions are based on facts, and the better you know the cold hard facts, the easier it is to make a decision. If you consider expanding, you study the market as you run the cash flow projections, and then you honestly evaluate if you desire to expand out of ego or as a strategic decision. All decisions impact people, so you evaluate the staff to ensure you can handle the expansion. It’s not that difficult, especially when you know you are applying biblical principles toward decision-making. Issues always come up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you misunderstood the Lord’s will. Besides, does the Lord really care about how big the business becomes, or does He care about the impact the business makes on you, your staff and the community, in other words – will He be honored in all that we do?
The decision-making principles for business decisions apply to all aspects of life. First, commit yourself unto the Lord. This commitment is revealed by how much we depend upon the truths in His word, which tells us to have a clean heart or seek forgiveness for our sins. We must have humility to admit we have sinned, and humility is an important aspect in decision making. Then, as Solomon advised, trust the Lord to direct your path. Finally, step out or take action. This is where we get hung up. It is this final step that reveals the posture of our faith.
When we seek the Lord’s will in making a decision, we tend to think there is one perfect answer, or if things don’t turn out perfectly, we must have misunderstood the Lord’s will. Sometimes, what seems to be the wrong decision turns out to be the best teaching moment. The main point is to make a decision based upon biblical principles and trust the Lord for the outcome. The overarching question to be asked in decision-making is – “Will the Lord be glorified?”