Dealing With Non-Christian Business Relationships

I had a close friend and business partner that I couldn't be around for a long time because we'd always end up in an argument. I still can't be around him for too long because something mysteriously doesn't click between us...anymore.

I say "anymore" because we used to be on the same page about the nightlife, partying, women, and drugs, but not anymore. As I began to leave that world, disconnecting my mind from the enemy's control and becoming more spirit-filled, he and I simply weren't getting along anymore.

After I studied the opposing forces of the enemy's control of the mind versus the present holy spirit in us, I've come to realize that it's not my friend and former partner that I couldn't be around; it’s that darkness and light don't mix.

When we Godpreneurs grow in our relationship with God and commune more with the Holy Spirit, we become able to do business in the present and are no longer completely dependent on the enemy in our mind.

Naturally, this conversion will cause changes in our daily routines. Our interactions with people will begin to change.

How do we manage this change, especially if you're already in a business partnership with someone who won't change? How do we handle clients and employees who are not in our same mindset?

As I encountered with my former partner, it’s extremely difficult for a “non-spiritual” person to interact daily with someone who lives entirely in the presence of their spirit. The enemy's control of the mind of the non-present person feeds on problems, while the person who is present, calm, and at peace with their spirit is experienced as a threat. The non-present person’s ego (enemy) reacts by creating further problems – for instance, by debating a trivial issue in the business to disrupt the peace, insulting the other person, or continually referring to past incidents to pull them out of the present.

Why would they do that?

The Bible says

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9-11 ESV)

Just as the darkness cannot survive near the light, it is difficult for a person whose mind is still controlled by the enemy to be near a person living in the present for very long.

Strong opposites cannot exist in close proximity. If you put water on the fire, the flame extinguishes. If you place a candle in the darkness, the darkness disappears.

However, if you do it correctly, entrepreneurship in the spirit can also significantly improve your relationship: you’ll be able to stop judging, criticizing, or trying to change people. Furthermore, the insight you gain by operating in the present can be used to disrupt otherwise endless cycles, like debates that never conclude. The inner peace that being present with your spirit brings enables you to hear your partner without judging.

God wants us to see someone else as an independent person who is ALSO in need of a savior who will tip the balance from the enemy's control to the Spirit's control. Acts 26:18 ESV says, "To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

If we live in the present, the day-to-day operations can be complicated on our closest relationships. It's why the Bible says not to be unequally yoked. It can even become a new test of the relationship. In the long run, however, it can offer an excellent opportunity for positive change – for all parties involved.

Imagine if all Godpreneurs were like Paul, recognizing the depths from which we have been rescued, and therefore be willing to testify to the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ so that by His grace, many minds would be turned from darkness to light and be rescued from the clutches of Satan and brought into the present with their holy spirit and personal savior, Jesus.

#DifferentiatingMyself