Why I pray all day, every day!

Have you ever felt like you were missing something in your life?

All the time right!

As you know I grew up in a Christian house,  mom went to church every Sunday and Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) during the week.  Her bible was always out on the table.  Dad could quote scriptures without even trying.  

But that’s not the reason I pray.  

While I want to make sure that my parents know that they were instrumental in my faith, they aren’t the only reason I pray.  

It was about a year and a half after we started Eclipse DOT that my wife and I were talking on one of our many road trips. I told her that I was frustrated that the business wasn’t really taking off and I couldn’t figure out why or how to make it go faster.   

She asked if I had prayed about it?

To be 150% honest, the answer was,

NO!

Why would I ask God to help with a business?  That involves making money, and the bible says that “the love of money is the root of evil”

She was 100% right though.  Why hadn’t I prayed about it?  Why was I keeping all this fear and doubt to myself?

We prayed right then and there. 

That was the turning point in the business.  I stepped down as CEO and we named God as the CEO. 

We decided that no matter how big the company grows, God will always be a HUGE part of it.  

At that point, I stopped worrying about the growth of the company and started thinking about how we can use it to help God?  We started a weekly devotional God First.  I went back and added verses to the bottom of every webpage.  

Personally, I started praying even more about every decision and every meeting. 

Before a meeting, I always try my best to send a quick, “God we know that you are in control and that you have all this handled, but please guide our words to make this the best meeting possible.  Let your will show through every situation.”

Oh my goodness what a HUGE changed happened almost instantly.  

We made the decision to change our CEO in July, and by September we were being pushed to step out on our own and leave my other employer.  

We still keep our faith strong in the company.  Before any functions, we pray.  Before any large meetings, we pray. 

We ask for God to continue to guide us, for him to show us how we can help him grow this company in his way.  

We know that sometimes, like any good CEO when we bring up a hair-brain idea he has to tell us “no.” That’s ok, we understand.  

Within the first year of stepping out on our own, we grew so much (like over 2000%). 

I can still remember our accountant going over that first year’s taxes with us.  She was very encouraging, but I could see the doubt in her eyes as we talked a little about goals for the next year and the next 5 years.

This last year she called me to ask if I knew how good we were doing?  I told her what I thought we made over the last year, and she was awe-struck.  How did you know that?

My response shocked her, “I prayed and listened with all my heart, I listened to what God said about what we make and I trusted him. So how close was he?”

“Within a few thousand dollars” she replied.

All too often we remove God from the business.  We have been brainwashed that God and business don’t go together.  God belongs in your personal life.  

Well to me God is my life, and he belongs in every aspect of it.  

That’s why I pray constantly. 

Before every meeting, before answering the phone, before I send an email, after I hang up, after a meeting, after that email is sent.  

God is in full control of every aspect of my life from my marriage (Love you Jenna), my kids (HUGE shout out to Billy, Nathen, Brianna, Jacob), the business (Eclipse DOT, Eclipse Training), the non-profit (God First Life Next), and everything I do.  

Today I want to encourage everyone who reads this to take a moment right now and think, what part of my life have I not invited God into?  Is there anything that I’m trying to keep all to myself because “God doesn’t belong there”

God belongs in every aspect of your life.  He loves and wants us to succeed.

Pray continually, Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18