Strategic planning and God

"David continued to succeed in everything he undertook, for the Lord was with him."- 1 Samuel 18:14, The Living Bible

Business journals and mbas are convinced that strategic planning is important, a vital key to success. But for the business person who takes the promises of God’s Word at face value and is serious about making God his senior partner, is business success simply a matter of finding out what the need is and how he can fill it? Where does the leadership of the Holy Spirit fit into the equation of success?

Scripture promises us that God is involved in the success or failure of our lives. For example, ponder the impact of Psalm 1, where David talks about the blessings of the man who walks according to God’s direction and adds, "Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:3).

Take a concordance and notice how the word success is used in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. You will discover a consistent relationship between God’s blessing and man’s success.

Let’s now look at failure on our business ledger. If God has something to do with success, then does ignoring Him, leaving Him on the sidelines or at the door of the church, have something to do with failure? Again, there is a correlation. Repeatedly you find in the Bible the phrase, "He consulted not the Lord!" Work as though everything depends on you; pray as though everything depends on God, and you will never go wrong. Often we think of God as a court of last resort, approaching Him as a last-ditch effort to prevent failure. We wait until the ship is sinking before we pray for a miracle, but had we taken God into our confidence at the beginning, we might never have ended up in distress. God will be there in the day of disaster, but He is also there to guide your steps at the beginning of the journey.

Trusting God is never an excuse for doing less than your very best. It is never a substitute for hard work nor supreme effort. Trusting God, however, is acknowledging that no matter how wonderful your plan is or how hard you work, there are factors known only to God.

Don’t think of God as the passport to health, happiness and riches. But consider Him a loving Father who walks with you through the ups and downs of life, including changing markets and our successes and failures. Our Heavenly Father knows best.- Resource Reading: Psalm 1