Faithful vs. Willful
Surrendering to God’s Will
Too often people slide into doing good things through their business without actually changing themselves. The life of a Faith Driven Entrepreneur has to start with heart transformation and complete devotion to the Gospel.
An entrepreneur needs to be on guard about being willful vs. faithful. But what’s the difference? Here’s an example: looking to raise money at all costs rather than asking God to give (or not give) you exactly what you need when you need it. Or being set in your business plan because you’re positive that it’s what God wants you to do without actually praying in the first place…
It can be hard to separate these two, especially when you think you’re doing the right thing. But here’s the litmus test. If you find yourself thinking, “I want to do God’s will, I just want to do it this way,” you might be in trouble.
Willful happens when you mistake your will as God’s will. Faithful happens when you surrender your will to God’s will.
Another way to look at it is the difference between “contending” for the faith (what God has directed you to do), and “striving.” Contending means I bring all that I am in obedience to the Lord Jesus but the outcomes are His—it’s a position of dependency and entrusting the results, timing, and funding etc. to Him. Striving is characterized by an internal pressure that “I have to make this happen” in my energy, in the timeline I believe is necessary and in many cases by the means that I think is best.
Contending is accompanied by peace and dependency. Striving is accompanied by anxiety, and pressure. You choose …
Initiatives:
Spend time in prayer daily, asking God to show you where to be faithful.
Remind yourself that you are not in control but that everything—both success and failure—are in God’s hands.
Ask others to speak truth into your life, letting you know where you might be leaning more toward willful behavior than faithful.
Scripture references:
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” - Matthew 26:39
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. - Hebrews 11:6