I’m balancing different clients, services, vendors, employees, on top of my personal life.

Crucify our flesh – Our fleshly desires for personal satisfaction come at the expense of people around

Sometimes I think about how easy it would be to have a 9-5 job. Just tell me what to do, and I do that one thing. Set me on my path, lay out my duties and responsibilities for me, and make sure that check is in my bank account on the 1st and the 15th. But this is a big fat LIE, and I know it! This lie is really just a sub-lie of one of the enemy’s other favorite lies that “easy is better than hard.” Whenever I’m struggling in business, I sit down and look at the vision board I created for my future and realize that it could never happen with a 9-5 job. I picture myself standing in front of audiences teaching them about business. I imagine myself signing books, leading big paying consulting gigs, and in a cool office environment I co-created with God. And then I have a fake conversation with myself: “remember back in the day Alex, when you wanted to quit, when you were anxious about the business surviving, when you wanted to go back to working in an easy environment? Thank goodness you didn’t, bro!” Honestly, easy is seldom better than hard. The truth is that entrepreneurship is one of God’s best ideas, and a good business is an inexpressible joy. Work? Yes. Pain? Yes. Blood, sweat, and tears? Yes, all of that too… but it’s worth it. The bible says "From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward." —Proverbs 12:14 At some point I made new business with the mindset that I promised to stick through it all. I reaffirmed my commitment to follow through it, and agreed to engage fully to restore and build the business that God had for me. As He works in me today, I consciously look at how I’m changing into God’s image through my business. It’s a process and it will never be perfect (don’t expect that), but I know that I’m in God’s will, and that my business is worth every bit. The lie is that entrepreneurship isn’t worth the bother. The truth is that your business is worth the effort. God, renew my mind according to Your Truth. Take my worn-out heart and strengthen it. I can’t fix this on my own, so I ask You to be at work in my business life. Use it all, good and bad, to conform me to Your Son and give me the conviction that it is worth it. Amen! #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance 8 Lies of Entrepreneurship In this course, I show you 8 lies that keep Godpreneurs bogged down in feelings of inadequacy, insecurities of owning a business, and 8 truths to combat lies. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

Some years back, I realized that I didn’t like entrepreneurship anymore. I knew I couldn’t just stop and close up my shop . I wasn’t just going there and getting a job. But I knew I couldn’t stay where I was. So, I looked at my business model and said to myself, “Do I really want to live like this for another 10 years?” When I get pounced and tossed by these thought of quitting, I picture Paul from the bible. Paul learned the lesson of contentment in extenuating circumstances. As he wrote Philippians, he was in jail, had no money, and was near execution; but he still found joy in Christ. Paul’s joy didn’t come from improved circumstances. It came from living according  the truth rather than buying into the lies of the world, the flesh, and Satan. It’s the same for you and your business. Remember, the secret of Godpreneurship is you walking the marketplace like Christ – in the Spirit, worshiping God by doing what you were born to do. Let’s do something about that, following the pattern Paul laid out in Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will." LIES Out of the eight entrepreneurial lies we’ve uncovered, identify the ones that are most pressing on your business right now: Entrepreneurship is irrelevant Owning a business is the only way to be happy Your business will complete you You can handle it on your own Getting a 9-5 is an option Working more is better for your children Your business is hopeless Godpreneurship isn’t worth it TRUTHS Read the truths that replace the lies that you find directly affecting you: Entrepreneurship is divine, timeless, and significant Solo-preneurship is a gift to cherish or a season to enjoy Christ is the only one who can complete you You need outside help to handle your business Getting a 9-5 is only an option in certain extreme cases Time with kids is far more important than time in the business God offers hope and restoration for your business A godly entrepreneur will bring Him glory and bless the business immensely Now, take both the lies and the truths to the Holy Spirit and ask that He would do the work that only He can do. Spirit, show me, right now, the lies that are oppressing my business. In the name of Jesus, I rebuke Satan who is the father of those lies. I reject the lies as destructive and wrong. Renew my mind. Replace the lies with life-giving Truth. Reveal to me now specific changes that You want to make in my attitude and my actions. I surrender to You now. Live through me, moment by moment today, according to Your truth. Amen!!! Reflection: What lies about business and entrepreneurship have I believed? What is God specifically saying to me about these lies? What will I do about it? What does God want me to share with someone who’s struggling in their business? #BusinessBibleStudy 8 Lies of Entrepreneurship In this course, I show you 8 lies that keep Godpreneurs bogged down in feelings of inadequacy, insecurities of owning a business, and 8 truths to combat lies. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

Going back to when I first got into a partnership with my friends to start the marketing agency, we did everything on our own. I didn’t seek advice. After all, I had just paid $130,000 for an Ivy League education at Cornell. It wasn’t until after the partnership displaced and I went on my own that I came across the notion of “mastermind” and forming communities of advisors to help bounce ideas with. Even though my partnership was 3 of us, like marriage, I considered myself one in business with them. We couldn’t handle the struggles on our own. The enemy’s strategy is to divide and conquer. He wants me to think that I’m the only ones going through financial issues and employee crisis. He wants me to feel more embarrassed about my failure than I feel motivated to get help. He wants me to avoid the people who speak truth and love into my life. He wants me to disobey one of the foundational principles in Scripture: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching." —Hebrews 10:23-25 I need that. I need it even today as I’m writing this. It’s a lie to think otherwise. It’s called loving biblical community. Ironically, the worst I’m doing in business, the more I retreat and put up a front that everything is all good and I don’t need to meet with my counselors. That’s the enemy winning. This is the moment I actually need to stop everything I’m doing to meet up with another entrepreneur for advice. What’s going on in your key relationships? What’s up in your marriage? Are you trying to handle it on your own? If you want to go it alone, I suppose you can try, but why? Maybe it’s time to flush some pride and ego and get connected like God designed it? The lie is that you can get through the tough times in your business alone. The truth is that a Godpreneur surrounded by a wise biblical community will do better than a business owner in isolation. God, I accept that I am not an island. I need You in my business. I need what You provide through others when business is tough. I confess my prideful, independent flesh patterns. Make me willing to accept Your grace, wisdom, and support through other Godpreneurs. Show me whom You want me to connect with today. Amen. #BusinessBibleStudy #ArticulatingMyIdeas 8 Lies of Entrepreneurship In this course, I show you 8 lies that keep Godpreneurs bogged down in feelings of inadequacy, insecurities of owning a business, and 8 truths to combat lies Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

It was early 2016 and I found myself all alone at my office. I had just let go of a bunch of staff to “restart” my business in a new direction. The conversation in my head went like this Okay Alex, we really need to talk. You got all these clients, but you can barely stand them. Managing employees is a drag, having this rent is a burden, and the attacks from clients is unbearable You know you can get a job and go work for someone for waaaaay more than you’re making trying to do it on your own. No, no, no… There has to be a way to keep going! I stared more at the blank screen, hoping all my problems would go away. Then the conversation started again. What if I’ve been doing it all wrong. I’m great at what I do. I love what I do. I just don’t exactly love who I’m doing it for, and in the way I’m currently doing it. What are my best clients? What were my best experiences? I just stared at my screen in silence. It was a defining moment for my career as an entrepreneur. The future on my business hung in balance. I realized that the business I had constructed was a poor imitation of what God really had for me. I also knew I was locked into the journey of entrepreneurship because it’s what I was born to do. Would I just sit there and let my business continue to die? I’ve learned a lot since then, and I’ve become more and more convinced of a simple truth: The enemy divides, and the Holy Spirit unites. The enemy is at work in our businesses, our nonprofits, and our campaigns to further our causes, and some of his favorite tools are his lies. The enemy is a stronger business man than you’ll ever be alone, he’s out to make sure you don’t accomplish your Born to To identity. Through deception and deceit, his lies will convince us of many things that God has already declared ‘NOT TRUE’. If you believe those lies, your business can disintegrate before your eyes and you’ll wonder what happened – at least, that’s what happened to me. Paul laid out a counter attack: "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” —Ephesians 5:11-14 That night alone at my office was a turning point. I didn’t know how I got where I was, and I didn’t know where I was headed. But I decided that I was going to put in the hard work, learn to be painfully honest with myself and my clients, and ask Christ to give me the business that He longed for me to have. As I journeyed out, I became acutely aware of several lies of the enemy that are rampantly believed in businesses that are in trouble, like mine was. Feeling trapped like I did? The truth can set your business free. Father, right here, right now, begin to expose the lies of darkness that I have accepted as true. Expose them with the light of Your Word. Wake me, elevate me, may the light of Jesus shine on me, my business and my relationships with my clients and coworkers. Amen. Start experiencing God in your business daily! Click here to get daily biblical wisdom from Alex Miranda delivered to your inbox. #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus #ShareYourTestimony 8 Lies of Entrepreneurship In this course, I show you 8 lies that keep Godpreneurs bogged down in feelings of inadequacy, insecurities of owning a business, and 8 truths to combat lies. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

You get Entrepreneurial Personal Confidence I have people on social media who hit me up all the time When you have integrity in your business life, you become the kind of person that employees, vendors, There's a great feeling I get because my children's children will be able to read about the person I The Bible says "A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity.

I’ve read a whole lot of books on wealth, attracting money, getting rich, thinking rich, etc. None of them made me rich. I’ll admit that I have more SKILLS now that can give me a leg up on being wealthy, but the author or its strategies and tactics don’t make me wealthy. Wealth is acquired through the gaining of wisdom.  That’s why you can be rich, but not wealthy.  We can all be rich at moments in our lives, but wealth is a state of mind, a state of being.  It’s only gained through experience and the ups and downs of life. True financial wealth comes from learning from our past financial circumstances and making adjustments to the plan to continue gaining in the future. Students are rich with knowledge right before they take a test.  But wealth is determined by what they’ve retained for long-term usage. Deuteronomy 8:18 says “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:19 NIV What I’ve learned from the bible has made me rich at times.  But what I’ve retained from the bible has made me wealthy in wisdom.  The wealth in wisdom, over the long run, translates to financial wealth as well because I make better decisions in light of everything God is teaching me. Godpreneur Rule #56:  Godpreneurs seek to be wealthy, not rich. #GainConfidence #MakeMoreMoney #SharpenLeadership

Through life, we’ll have relationships in our business and personal life that we’re going to lose. We’ve all lost a relationship both in our business and personal life, and that loss tore a piece of our

We Godpreneurs are God’s witness here on earth of what a relationship Christ can do for our personal development.

take on projects we’re not meant to do right now, sacrificing the launch and focus of our God-First personal How do we develop the skill of easily dropping projects that, if we were honest, probably wasn’t the You have a calling from God to launch and grow your personal influence in business. When you’re entangled in other projects or businesses not related to your personal brand calling, you In order to start on the journey of our personal brand calling in business, something else has to stop

This was when I became aware that personal development was an integral part of human living. I was so excited that I tried to bring my business partners alongside the personal development track Though I had legitimate reasons to be frustrated at my partners’ ambivalence towards personal development That was certainly true regarding our ongoing discord about personal development. My business partner’s uncaring attitude with personal development uncovered my unresolved pain and amplified

Being in a partnership always to some degree involves each person fighting for control. When your business partner has an issue with something you did or didn’t do, develop the habit of stopping Easier said than done, but imagine if we all operated from this mindset of self-reflection and personal I personally teach you the method. 

And as you’re developing a daily habit of reading the Bible, you’ll notice that God used circumstances

If you call yourself a: Christian entrepreneur Kingdom-minded business owner A God-first brand And you walk hand-in-hand with God, following His purpose for you, you have no reason to be anxious for anything…for an extended period of time. The reason you make God your CEO, the reason we metaphorically "walk" with God and the reason Jesus died for us on the cross has to do with a transferring of our worries, stress, sins, concerns, and anxiety over to God so we can think clearly and remain in our zone of genius to keep pushing our companies forward. The Bible says: do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) The key to overcoming anxiety in business is simply to not let yourself be caught in a state of PERPETUAL anxiety. You can't remove anxiety, but you can TRANSFER the anxiety to Him so you don't have to carry it. When we do this, the apostle Paul continues with "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " (Philippians 4:7) Jesus takes our anxiety so we can be free to move about the marketplaces doing what we were born to do. Godpreneurs, it’s impossible to lead a life free of anxiety, but we can discover a life that is void of perpetual anxiety. #GodpreneurRule: Anxiety comes with business, but doesn't have to dominate us in our businesses.