Increasing Your Spiritual ROI as CEO
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
The way to achieve financial dominion and prosperity is by allowing God to serve as the ultimate Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your life and business and by following His spiritual economics. God’s spiritual economics are sometimes referred to as “kingdom economics.” But what’s the difference between conventional economics and spiritual economics? The difference lies in your mentality.
Conventional economics is based on a scarcity mentality as it seeks to understand behavior that, given scarcity of means, arises to achieve certain ends. God’s spiritual economics, on the contrary, is based on an abundance mentality as God makes it clear that He sent His Son Jesus so that we might have abundant lives (John 10:10). And Jesus makes it clear that it is our Father’s pleasure to give us the entire kingdom (Luke 12:32).
Given today’s global challenges around COVID-19, economic decline, and civic and social unrest, it is quite easy to focus on negativity and scarcity. But, “the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17, NLT). In order for us to achieve financial dominion and prosperity in business, you and I must incorporate and follow God’s principles of spiritual economics as outlined in the Bible. This requires that we make the commitment to begin cultivating “good ground” or a rich and fertile foundation for our commercial initiatives as Jesus declares:
But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Matthew 13:23 (NKJV)
When the financial plan for your business is based on godly principles, your business will often flourish to a level of success that is beyond one you could ever fathom. This is because “the blessing of the Lord makes one rich” (Proverbs 10:22, NKJV). The favor, mercy, and grace of God are worth more money than you can ever imagine because they are the blessings of God that allow us to generate wealth and prosper. As Jesus observes: “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21, NLT).
The world economy has no impact whatsoever on God’s spiritual economy. Commercial market fluctuations have no bearing on His spiritual economics. The principles of spiritual economics are based on the never-ending abundance and all-sufficiency of God Almighty. The Bible says that “those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10, NLT; 37:16-19). There is no lack in God. There’s no concept of “not enough” or “being broke” or “down on your luck.” God doesn’t operate in the realm of luck and insufficient funds. There is abundance in God.
What are some of these Biblical examples of kingdom economics? The classic Bible story of Jesus feeding a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves of bread and two fish is an example of spiritual economics at work (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-39).
Another example involves the story of the prophet Elijah who came across a widow in the city of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16). When Elijah asked the widow for some bread to eat, she replied that she didn’t have as much as a biscuit to give him! She told him that all she had was a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil. She explained to Elijah that this was all she had to feed herself and her son and that they planned to eat their last meal together and die because they had no more food.
Elijah told the widow not to worry and to go and do as she had planned, but first make a small biscuit for him, bring it to him, and afterward go and make some biscuits for herself and her son. Elijah explained: “This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought'" (1 Kings 17:14, MSG). The widow did as she was instructed, and Elijah was right. God miraculously multiplied the flour and oil, and she and her household ate for many days.
You may be wondering: What do these ancient miracles mean for me and my business now? How can spiritual economics help me with my revenue goals today? The key point in sharing these miracles of spiritual economics is to show you that as God’s child, the world economy doesn’t control your supply. When you are obedient to God, He will bless you even during the most difficult of times (Malachi 3:12). He will allow your business to grow during an economic recession. He will allow you to prosper during a national depression. When times are tough and the economy is weak, God is still strong (Job 9:19; Isaiah 40:26; Joel 2:11; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Society is ever-changing, but God remains the same (Hebrews 13:8).
Dr. K. Shelette Stewart is an author, global speaker, consultant, and graduate of Harvard University with over 20 years of leadership experience with prominent organizations including Harvard Business School, The Coca-Cola Company, and BellSouth/AT&T. She is a Fulbright Foreign Specialist with a Doctorate in Business Administration and the founder and principal of Stewart Consulting, LLC, a strategic planning firm serving companies, non-profits, and higher education institutions. Dr. Stewart is the author of the award-winning book, Revelations in Business: Connecting Your Business Plan with God’s Purpose and Plan for Your Life© which has been formally endorsed by several industry leaders including Dan Cathy, Chairman and CEO of Chick-fil-A. Learn More: www.shelettestewart.com. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelettestewart/.