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Have you ever pulled out a loaf of bread to make a sandwich, only to find that it's covered in nasty green mold? Moldy bread is only good for the trash can - it's a disappointment and a waste. The shelf life of bread is very short, and Jesus warns us not to work for food that spoils.

In John 6:27, Jesus tells us not to work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. This statement is a powerful reminder that the things we often pursue in this life are temporary and will not satisfy us in the long run. Instead of putting our efforts into accumulating material possessions and fleeting pleasures, we should prioritize the things of God and seek eternal life through Him.

The curse of Adam, described in Genesis 3:17-19, illustrates the consequences of living in a fallen world. We struggle and toil as we work to provide for ourselves, often feeling like our efforts are in vain. However, through Christ, we can find hope for something better. We can have eternal life, which is a gift that cannot be earned but can only be received through faith in Him.

In John 6:29, Jesus tells us that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He has sent. This means making a commitment to follow Him and to prioritize His Kingdom above all else. It means living a life of love and service to others, seeking to bring glory to God in all that we do.

Lastly, in Matthew 6:11, Jesus reminds us to ask for our daily bread. This is not just about physical food, but also about trusting God to provide for all of our needs as we seek first His Kingdom.

The story of moldy bread serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of many things we work so hard for in this life. We should not work for things that will perish, but for things that have lasting value. By prioritizing the things of God and trusting in Him to provide for our needs, we can experience the abundant life that He offers and find true fulfillment in Him.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.

Maslow says that we need our physical needs met first. Love, esteem, and self-actualization become possible once our basic needs are met. From Maslow’s viewpoint, we all start at the bottom, checking the box for each level in order to move up toward self-actualization. His premise is that if our basic needs are not met we will be too consumed with worry and anxiety to focus on the deeper things of life. 
As Jesus often does, He flips the script. “For this reason, I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25‬, ‭33‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬)
It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You have heard it said that you should be worried about your physical needs first, but I say to you seek My Kingdom and My right relationship with the Father and the rest of this is going to be provided for you.”
How much of any given day is spent worrying about how our needs will be taken care of? As business owners with staff on payroll, we face the potential for worry to be magnified as we think about not only our own physical needs but also the needs of our team and their families.
What do we do with this worry? Jesus kindly says, “Stop it!” Instead, focus your attention on My Kingdom as you love Myself and others. Let Me add the provision. As Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Interestingly, while Jesus tells us to not worry about our own physical needs, He teaches us that bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth requires meeting the physical needs of other people.  Jesus leads the way in taking the form of a servant and meeting the needs of other people. These needs range from a cup of water to being an incarnation of His love. Instead of worrying about our physical needs to be met, we are to trust Jesus to meet these needs for us and join Him in being concerned about the needs of others.
There is something beautiful here when it comes to business. As business owners, we are stewards of the business and servants to those who work in the business. As we seek to serve the employees and vendors who ultimately serve the clients, we are creating a conduit for physical, social, and spiritual needs to be met.
Maybe Maslow was right. It does start with the provision of basic physical needs. Jesus flips the script by telling us to be concerned about meeting the needs of others as we let Jesus worry about meeting our physical needs.
As business owners, when we are worried about how our basic needs are going to be met, in essence, we are insisting that the people in our business serve us. Instead, we are challenged to trust the Father for our needs as we serve others.  In the words of Jesus, “Whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭26‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.

Oh give us help against the adversary 
For deliverance by man is vain.
Psalm 108:12

“We live in a love story set in the midst of a world at war,” John Eldredge so eloquently observes. There is an epic clash between two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
The things of God are opposed. This is an important reality to remember as we step into the business world.
How do we navigate in a world at war? 
1. Ask for Interpretation
Not every challenge we encounter is from the enemy. When adversity surfaces we have the opportunity to pause and ask for interpretation. King David modeled this well. Throughout the story of his life before he engages in battle we find the phrase, “David inquired of the Lord.” We can inquire of the Lord as well, asking questions like:
What is going on here?What do you want me to do?2. Remember Who The Enemy Is
The enemy may seem like a person. The message may come through an intimidating letter printed on the letterhead of a law firm. It may come through a negative statement on social media. It may show up in an unexplained shutdown of revenue. The important thing to remember here is that our enemy is not flesh and blood. The enemy is a set of spiritual forces of darkness. We are to love people. As usual, Jesus ups that game and tells us to pray for those who persecute us.  
3. Take Authority
We can take authority over the enemy. Jesus says, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” (Luke 10:19) He goes on to tell his disciples to not rejoice that they have power over the enemy, but to rejoice that their names are recorded in heaven. It’s almost as if Jesus assumes that taking authority over the enemy is a routine thing for those who follow Him. Maybe it should be a routine thing for us to do in our businesses. 
We do have an adversary. That adversary is not people. 
When we forget that we have an adversary we end up assigning blame to the wrong places. If there isn’t an enemy, blame gets assigned to other people, ourselves, and even God. 
Let’s recognize that we live in a world at war. Adversity, confusion, discouragement, diminishment, and depression may be coming from the enemy. If this is the case, we can recognize it and take appropriate action. 


Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.

"Create." This is the label on the button that I just pushed in Google Docs to open up a blank page to write this article.
God is a creator. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Later in the story with the setting of the landscape of the earth with all of its plants and animals, God says, “Let Us make man in our image.”
What parts of God’s image do we bear? There are many, but one of the most obvious is creativity.
Creativity expresses itself in so many ways. Immediately I think of the arts. My son is a musician. Whether he is playing French Horn in an orchestra or jamming on a guitar, he is displaying the creative nature God put in him. 
Likewise, my oldest daughter is preparing for an art show next week as she finishes her degree to become an art teacher. In the years to come, she will be a catalyst to draw out the creative nature of the students in her classes.
Creativity seems obvious for those in the arts. What about those of us who live in the world of commerce?
There are many ways we display the creative nature of God.
We create businesses. The process of transforming the dream of a new business into an actual enterprise requires tremendous amounts of creativity.
We create products and services. We create processes to sell and deliver those products. We create promotion plans to brand and market our business.We create solutions to issues that arise.We create partnerships with suppliers, vendors, and financing companies. In the process of all of this, we create jobs. Then, we create training for the employees. All of this creates profit, some of which can be generously given to people and organizations who are creating change in the world. 
Business is an incredibly creative endeavor. In fact, few things require more creativity than starting and running a business.
Who is the source of this creativity? God. He set creation in motion. His nature is creativity. We get to participate.
As we go about starting businesses, launching new products, expanding into new areas, and hiring new people, we function in the creativity of our God. Like God says at the end of each day of creation, we can look back at things we have created and say, “It is good.”
Need more creativity? Recognize that creativity is part of your nature. It comes from God who is an ever-present help. He loves the creative side of you and how it expresses itself in business as you reflect His image..

Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.

One who neglects discipline rejects himself,But one who listens to a rebuke acquires understanding.Proverbs 15:32Having started my career in sales almost three decades ago and now working as an entrepreneur, I am familiar with rejection. Every salesperson expects to hear the word “no” many times on the journey to success.

Many salespeople struggle with the fear of rejection. Good sales coaches will remind them that the prospect is not rejecting them, they are rejecting the offer. So pick your chin up and keep at it!

Nobody likes rejection from other people. However, the real issue with rejection is when we internalize rejection and start rejecting ourselves. 

External rejection becomes internalized. Rejection from others becomes self-rejection. This is a hard place to live.

How can we know if self-rejection has taken root?

This proverb says we can know based on our level of discipline. “One who neglects discipline rejects himself.” Proverbs 15:32. 

If you flip this around, you could say that one who rejects himself neglects discipline.

I love the way this one statement calls out the problem and identifies the solution. The problem of self-rejection can be identified by a lack of discipline. Areas, where we find ourselves undisciplined, are dashboard lights warning that there may be a deeper heart issue of self-rejection.

The solution is also contained in the wisdom of this proverb: Self-rejection is overcome by discipline.

We can think of discipline as a kind of punishment. We can also think of discipline as habits.

Let’s think of habits. 

I like to define discipline as doing hard things consistently.

Last year as I trained to trek to Everest Base Camp at 17,500 feet above sea level, I realized that I was going to need to do hard things consistently to prepare. If I didn’t, I wasn’t going to make it.

The goal of getting to base camp (and the fear of failure if I wasn’t prepared) drove me to discipline myself to train hard and eat well. 

Over the 12-day trek to base camp, there were several times when I thought to myself, “I can’t do this!” With my legs screaming and lungs gasping for more air, I was able to remember the discipline. I knew from experience that I could push through and keep going. Ultimately, this led me to hit my goal.

The solution to self-rejection is to do hard things consistently. If we find our hearts stuck in an area we can look to our disciplines. Then, we can take action.

Discipline can also be interpreted as a rebuke. The verse that follows contains a critical key to overcoming self-rejection. It says, “But one who listens to a rebuke acquires understanding.”

Sometimes we need a cold glass of water in the face. I like to say, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” This could come from a friend. Or, it could simply come from a hard consequence of our self-rejection and lack of discipline.

While nobody enjoys these wake-up calls, these are a gift. This is where we acquire understanding.

If one who neglects discipline rejects himself, the opposite is also true. One who embraces discipline affirms himself. 

The beauty of wisdom is that it integrates the heart with action. When we identify issues of the heart, we don’t just stare at our navel, we take action. Conversely, when we struggle to take action, we can look at the core issues of our hearts.

If you are feeling self-rejection, where do you need discipline? Where do you need to do hard things consistently?


Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got it right in their hit song: The waiting is the hardest part.

Business involves many times of waiting. We get a verbal approval from a prospect and wait for the order. We interview a great potential employee and wait for them to come on board and get up to speed. We create a new offering and wait to see the fruit. We send a large invoice and wait for the check to arrive. 

I heard one of my favorite pastors, Kris Vallotton say that there are two areas we need faith. The first is faith for breakthrough. Second is our faith as we wait for the breakthrough. 

I’ve discovered that I’m good at the first part. I can believe for breakthrough. I can see a vision and take action. 

Where I struggle is in the second part. How do I wait in a posture of faith that the breakthrough will come? 

Where is my heart in the session of waiting? My heart can become wobbly. There are moments of confidence that things will come together. Then, there are moments of doubt that can become times of despair. These moments can become habitual. Then we can end up sabotaging the breakthrough we so deeply want. 

How can we wait well?

In the famous chapter of Proverbs on wisdom we get some solid advice:

“If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭34‬ ‭TPT‬‬)

Wait at wisdom’s doorway.

What if the key to waiting well is less about how we wait and more about where we wait?

What if we could literally wait at wisdom’s doorway?

Over the years I’ve heard it taught that Jesus is the personification of wisdom. When you go to the earlier parts of Proverbs 8 you discover that wisdom was present and actively involved when the world was created. It makes me think of Colossians where Paul talks about Jesus’ role in creation: “For by Him all things were created.” (Colossians 1:16) It’s not a big leap to see that wisdom’s door is actually Jesus’ door. If it’s not the same door, I bet they are at least neighbors.

When we are sitting at wisdom’s door, we are waiting for Jesus to invite us in to speak to us during the waiting.

The proverb goes on to say that joy will break forth inside me as I listen to what wisdom has to say. 
That’s incredibly helpful. Let’s be honest. In the times of waiting, joy is often the last thing I’m feeling. Worry and anxiety are simmering right below the surface. While I usually do a decent job at suppressing these emotions, they still simmer in the background. What if I could neutralize them with joy? 

Being filled with joy in the waiting is purely radical. And, it is possible!

How do I get there? Listen to God during the times of waiting. When worry bubbles to the surface, wait at wisdom’s door and listen for the voice of God. 

I stumbled into this the other night at 3:30 a.m. After waking up to use the restroom, I found thoughts about the success (or let’s be honest, failure) of a new business initiative bubbling to the surface of my heart. It was a moment to choose to go full steam into a sleepless hour of anxiety. Or, I could sit at wisdom’s door.

A few minutes later as I settled into my heart to wait, I heard the following: “Set your face like a flint. Keep moving forward. This is going to be great. Go back to sleep!”

Thank you, Wisdom!

When the waiting becomes the hardest part, we are invited to sit at wisdom’s doorstep and listen. In doing this, we have the opportunity to be filled with joy as Jesus speaks into our situation.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Revenue Growth Engine. To scale your impact you need to scale your business. To do this, you need a powerful Revenue Growth Engine. Listeners to Surrendered Business can get a free copy of the Revenue Growth Engine audiobook at www.revenuegrowthengine.com/book.