The Supreme Analyst and Sovereign Forecaster
God Is the Supreme Analyst and Sovereign Forecaster: He Designed Situation Analyses
You may be surprised to learn that situation analyses including market reports and competitive assessments are not just modern-day inventions and practices endemic to the business world. They are not new to God. He designed them!
When Moses led the Israelites into the land that God promised them, he was directed by God to be proactive in assessing the situation, including the environment, or market, as well as the competition. The Lord told Moses:
“Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
Numbers 13:1-2 (NIV)
Moses, being obedient to God, promptly instructed his men to go out and:
“See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”
Number 13: 18-20 (NIV)
After observing the land, the men returned. They brought samples of “the fruit of the land” and reported that although the towns were large and the land was fruitful and flowing with milk and honey, the people who lived there were much stronger and powerful than them (Numbers 13: 21-28).
God, the Supreme Analyst and Sovereign Forecaster, then instructed Moses to send a few men to go into the land, ahead of the broader team, to evaluate and analyze the market before the entire team proceeded to enter it. In these ways, the disciples were actually conducting a situation analysis. In order to be prepared for the market situation and position themselves for success, they were doing preliminary research, gathering data, assessing the external threats and opportunities, and evaluating their own internal strengths and weaknesses.
God-Ordained Seasons in Business
God has a term for the constant market fluctuations and industry trends we see every day in the business world. He calls them “seasons.” A season is generally defined as events taking place over a period of time. The Bible says that “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV) and that there are signs and seasons for everything (Genesis 1:14), including the ebb and flow of the business world.
But Jesus tells us in Acts 1:7 (NKJV): “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Applied to the commercial arena, this scripture asserts that it’s not necessary for us to know or understand all of the times and seasons we go through in business. We just need to know the Father—the Supreme Analyst and Sovereign Forecaster.
Jesus lectured His disciples about the importance of being able to discern the time and seasons (Luke 12:54-56). He admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees, saying, “Hypocrites! You know how to discern
the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3, NKJV). Similarly, we as Christian business leaders must also discern the signs of the times relative to our commercial endeavors. Are you in a season of sowing and planting? Or one of reaping and harvesting?
God controls the course of world events. He gives us knowledge and wisdom and “He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though He is surrounded by light” (Daniel 2:21-22, ESV). God knows exactly when social, political, and economic shifts will occur as well as their potential impact on your business both positively and negatively. He knows about the upcoming technological advancements, international market shifts, consumer trends, government regulations, and corporate alliances that are not even at the conceptual stages of development today but will prove to be major forces impacting your business in the future. God knows the real financial future of the companies with which you are interested in investing or partnering. And He can reveal all of this to you if you look to Him first.
Primary Versus Secondary Data Sources
When we think of primary versus secondary data sources, we typically think of marketing research. Primary research consists of experiments, investigations, or tests that involve data observed or collected directly from firsthand experience. Secondary research, on the contrary, involves a review or study of published data that has been collected in the past. Let’s consider the notion of primary and secondary data sources from a spiritual perspective.
As Christian business professionals, we must ensure that we keep the conventional aspects of business research and support systems in the proper perspective. From a spiritual standpoint, they are all secondary data sources and tools. Our primary focus must be on God and His divine plan for our business. He should always be our Primary Data Source and Ultimate Resource for industry and market information because He is the Supreme Analyst and Sovereign Forecaster. God is our Source. Everything else is simply a resource.
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[ Photo by Mark König on Unsplash ]