Anchored Entrepreneur

The game-changing client I'd chased for months just walked away. Fear flared into anger as I white-knuckled the steering wheel and yelled, "God, where are You?" A mile later the anger settled into sadness. God hadn't left. I'd been too busy for Him. Could I ever feel close again?

This is what Disconnection from God feels like for Christian entrepreneurs.

How We Disconnect From God

Reaching that moment in my car felt sudden but it was the culmination of months of neglecting my relationship with God. I “knew” He was the creator and in control, but I wasn't acting like it. I trusted myself more than God, made decisions without thinking about Him, put off quiet time, prayed less frequently. I was "too busy" building my business to maintain my relationship with God.

The burden of work weighed heavier, fear became more real, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd genuinely spent time with Him.

Maybe you've been there too. A crisis hits: "Oh God, where are you! You've left me!"

Or maybe success comes, you get what you've been striving for and find it empty:

"Is this it? Where are you, God?"

Both scenarios ask the same question: we've been avoiding Him, yet we're surprised by our lack of relationship.

Abiding in Christ

But there's another way. When I'm Abiding in Christ and a game-changing client walks away, I still feel disappointment. But I can move forward knowing my identity is in Christ, not in how many clients I have.

God has uniquely designed me with skills and passions to tackle the problems before me. I can work hard knowing I can control my effort but I remember that God controls the outcome.

This makes me less fearful about business outcomes and more able to focus on serving the person before me.

I can endure life's ups and downs, content in all circumstances, because I am anchored in Christ. The difference is stark.

Moving from Storm to Anchor

So how do I move from Disconnected to Abiding?

The Bible describes our relationship with God as intimate family relationships: God is our father, Christ our Brother, the Church is the bride of Christ, and we are friends of God.

Think about what a good relationship with family and friends looks like: you care about what they care about, you seek time with them, you actually listen to them, you're focused on being present with them.

It takes effort to build and maintain relationships. But here's the beautiful truth: it's not our work that saves us, only God's grace and Jesus' sacrifice. And this sacrifice gives us the ability to be in the presence of God, to actually be in relationship with Him! Our lives were redeemed and debt paid for. But what an over abundance of blessings that God also longs to walk with us.

So because of this great sacrifice, we desire to work to know God in a deeper more intimate way.

So what are practical steps we can take to actually deepen our relationship with God?

Five Ways to Deepen Your Relationship with God

Prayer - This is the way we communicate with God. We are able to humbly come before the creator of the universe and be in his presence.

If you need help understanding prayer and how to pray, I’ve previously created a 40 Day Prayer guide walking through the significance of prayer and a practical way to implement.

Study - How do we know what God cares about? God gave us the Bible to better know and understand his heart and mind.

You can start with simply joining your church's reading plan or work through a book in the Bible a chapter at a time and after reading ask yourself:

• What does this teach me about God?

• About Jesus?

• About Man?

Community - We weren't meant to do life alone. Being connected with other believers helps you grow and encourages you when you walk through your hardest times. It’s also a method of accountability and as iron sharpens iron you develop in your walk with Christ.

This starts with your local church. Join in with Sunday service and then get plugged in to a community group.

Confession - As we grow closer to God, we better recognize our wrongs against Him. He promises to forgive our sins when we ask. Being willing to examine ourselves, admit our sin before God, and accept his forgiveness frees us to enjoy God’s presence.

Obedience - It’s fantastic to know who God is and what he cares about but it’s even more important to put our knowledge to practice. Taking the courage to follow Jesus brings an intimacy and a trust that God knows what’s best for me.

Your Next Step

Sometimes it feels easier said than done to set Anchors to withstand these Storms.

If you need help working through your own Storms, feel free to reach out or schedule a quick call with me. Let’s get you Anchored.

May you be Anchored in Christ
Jacob Dyke