Success and Prosperity: What Does the Bible say About This?

I want to write to you today about finding success and prosperity in business, God's way.

We are living in unprecedented times abound with business opportunities that many of us have never encountered before.  With the onset of social media, we experienced a drastic change in our daily business lives.

We now have instant access to the lives of others and the variety of ideas of reaching success, from social media influencers living their best lives to coaches and business gurus offering the next secret to getting rich.  The overwhelming variety about how to effectively generate leads, what prices to charge, and how to run a profitable business leaves many of us entrepreneurs more insecure and anxious than what was probably intended.

Even as we navigated these challenges, another breakthrough has struck: the launch of ChatGPT, which has transformed the way we do business, sparking a new revolution in opportunities for success and prosperity.

The power of social media has pushed these challenges even deeper, not knowing what is true and what is a distraction.

GODPRENEURS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

How do we Christian entrepreneurs achieve success and prosperity when everything around us pulls us in 100 directions?  How do we break free from the shackles of discontentment and envy we experience on social media so we can experience “the good life?”

These questions led me down a quest:  what does the Bible say about success and prosperity?

What the Lord revealed to me has unlocked a whole new paradigm shift in my walk with God along my entrepreneurial journey.  I leveled up to a whole new playing field where the wisest like David and Solomon operate - two figures who epitomize and quite literally wrote the books that provide the definition of success and prosperity, God's way.

And although there are many passages between Proverbs and Psalms that give clues to unlocking the secrets to success and prosperity for Christian entrepreneurs, the spirit led me to these two:

From Solomon's wisdom, Proverbs 2:1-15 NIV reads:

[1] My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, [2] turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— [3] indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, [4] and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, [5] then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. [6] For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. [7] He holds success (my emphasis) in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, [8] for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. [9] Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. [10] For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. [11] Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. [12] Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, [13] who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, [14] who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, [15] whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

And, from David's wisdom, Psalms 1:1-6 NIV reads:

[1] Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, [2] but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. [3] That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers (my emphasis). [4] Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. [6] For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

HOWEVER, THERE'S A PLAN - GOD'S PLAN

The good news is that God has already created a clear path for Christian entrepreneurs to succeed and prosper - and it's NOT in the next New York Times best-selling business book or the next big idea from the business gurus on social media.

In these overly opportunistic times, it is crucial to turn to God’s Word for guidance in entrepreneurship. Proverbs 2:1-15 offers much wisdom on the subject of Discernment. The passage encourages us to seek Wisdom and Understanding as one would search for hidden treasures. By doing so, we gain the fear of the Lord that results in success for the upright.

Then, David's Psalm 1 captures what we’ve explored in Solomon’s Proverbs. The Psalm portrays the blessed and prosperous life as one deeply rooted in God's Word.

As you reflect on these verses and the subsequent blog posts I'll be writing, it will become evident that DISCERNMENT is essential for navigating the complexities of our business world and that you can achieve success and prosperity along that journey, not at the end!

Christian entrepreneurs, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to God’s Word, even as platforms like Instagram and Facebook continue to figure out better ways to subconsciously target our greatest desire and business goals: the desire for success and prosperity. We've also seen rapid changes in recent years in how entrepreneurs can generate fame and fortune in countless ways. These shifts are often accompanied by a push to conform to the patterns of the world, even amongst us Kingdom driven entrepreneurs.

Yet, Godpreneurs must resist the temptation to fit into the world’s mold of doing business. The Bible warns us that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). The world’s business wisdom is flawed and often contrary to God’s Truth. As God-first business owners, we are called to be distinct, to uphold Biblical Standards, and to demonstrate Godly Wisdom in our respective marketplaces.

God's pathway of success and prosperity in business requires discernment – the ability to see through the overwhelming confusion and remain grounded in God's Word.

The current social media revolution, whether used to generate leads, build authority, or produce income, underscores the need for discernment. It’s easy to get caught up in the next big trend and lose sight of Biblical Truths. However, our call as Godpreneurs is to think Biblically, to seek Wisdom from above, and to apply it in our business lives.

As you think about your current entrepreneurial season, consider where you might need more discernment. Where are you finding your sources of truth? Reflect on how you process the information at your fingertips and react to other people's portrayal of success. Are you grounded in the Word of God? Are you seeking Wisdom like hidden treasure? 

Take time to pray and ask God for discernment in all areas of your business life. Let His Wisdom guide you through these overwhelming times, so you can stand firm in faith and be a light in a marketplace full of worldly confusion.

Over the next series of blog posts, I'll unpack the wisdom of Proverbs 2 and Psalm 1 as a framework where we can use discernment as our guide to true success and prosperity, God's way.