At times, it looks like the Non-Believers are getting ahead faster than the believers. Is this true and why could this happen?  by Gary Shotton #000231

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Non-Christians Prosper

By Gary Shotton

Hello, my name is Gary Shotton and we are here as a part of Inspiring Better Business. Today we are going to talk about the subject of why do some people that are not Christians seem to get ahead in their business and financial life when the Christians seem to fall behind. We were asked that question from some of our discussions in East Africa in the last several weeks and I think it’s a very good question. Well, first we’ve got to realize that we do serve two different powers of it be the Christians serve a power of God and prosperity and provision. And the non-Christians are on their own I’ll just say or they’ll basically not serving the God openly.

So, in our case I just want to tell you that we do serve a good God and God does want us to prosper. It doesn’t always come up overnight or right away. So, there is a process that is beneficial more important to go through the process than to have the end result. Here would be example, maybe you inherit a large sum of money unexpectedly or through gambling or through a wager or through some unexpected means. You win a large sum of money at once. Well, you have the money in that situation but many times and I’ll say most times that person that obtains it quickly and easily with no effort is actually broke. Or has much difficulty. Or life is harder for them than if they ever had the money come at one time. You see God is interested in a process. He’s interested in you personally. The money is just a very side benefit. Or it’s a medium of exchange. It’s something that we can count but we would never want to think that the amount of money that we have somehow equates to our godliness. That would be totally false. I’m just telling you that I would rather have a life with many things that money can’t buy than to have money and those things that they cannot buy. I like to have my health. I like to have my wife. I like to have my family. I like to have good neighbours. Good friends. I like to have a future. Those things money can’t buy.

And many times money gets in the way. Well, why do they prosper? Well, there could be a number of reasons they prosper. That means the people that are not honouring God with their life, they could be prospering because they have just wonderful business experience. They are good at business. I’ve discovered that many Christians kind of slack off sometimes when they think oh I’ve got God on my side. So, he’s going to make up the difference. He’s going to do it all for me. He’s the one God, I’m just kind of ride along on his coattail and I’m going to be blessed. Well, it doesn’t work that way. God is waiting for us to take the action, to us take the steps and then he comes along and helps us. He’s our helper. The Spirit of God is our helper. So, the individual that is expecting a free ride easily is just mistaken. The Spirit of God is going to come by and be of help to us as we roll forward.

Sometimes money is appears to be in someone’s hand and it’s not even there. I mean sometimes people on the other side are living beyond their means. Or their borrowed a lot of money. Or they have a one of those inheritances and they didn’t earn the money. And you know you want to be able to handle money by earning the money. You want to be able to be prosperous with more than money. So, money is not the count. Ask yourself, am I considering money as the most important thing in my life? I hope you say no as I said. Then our number two discussion is am I learning the lessons of life? That’s much more important. You see, I had situations where I wished I had money. I wished I had a larger sum of money but I hadn’t actually paid my dues. I hadn’t actually worked hard. I hadn’t learned my lesson. And so, the lesson is more important than the reward. You see by going step by step, starting small, ideally you’re learning lessons at every step. Ideally you actually start so small that many people might even laugh and think well this is not a business. Well, yes it is. You’re just on your first step. And as you grow from that step ideally you’re going to have some profit or income and be able to reinvest some of that money. And go step by step by step and you’re going to learn the business skills.

You see there’s the technical side of any business of how to raise the chickens. Or how to bake the cakes. Or how to have a transport company. I mean those are things you need to know. Those are the technical things like raising the chickens. What kind of food? What kind of medicines? How do you take care of a sick chicken? Those are technical things. Or making a cake, what’s the right ingredients? Those are the technical things. But we want to teach you the business things. The things that are going to take you through any time and you could even change businesses if once you learn the business skills. Once you learn how to do business it’s transferable to other occupations or other endeavours. Other ways you’re able to use this business in a way that you can go through any time. Ask yourself, am I willing to learn the lessons? Am I faithful to learn those lessons? It’s very important. Now Biblically God says in James chapter one verse one and two and three right in that section that the testing of your faith first produces patience; and patience then can be transferred or is a next step to have endurance. And then after having endurance is when you have the faith. It’s right there that says ask of God and he’ll give you anything that you want. Well, that’s the sandwich. The mid of it is those first three steps being willing to be patient, learn from those steps and then learning to have endurance.

You know right now I’m going through a little tougher time in my business. You would like to think all the time my business is going so good. I kind of got caught off guard. I was kind of back a little bit. I wasn’t paying enough attention. And right at the moment we’re pretty tight on our cash flow. Right at the moment our profit is not where we want. Well, I’m not going to move into fear. I’m going to be sure that we’re moving forward but I’ve got to make some Corrections. Well, I’m going to pray to God that’s right, but you know what? I’m having meetings with my staff and my members, my workers and I’m making corrective actions. I’m asking them to do things a little better, at a higher level. And I’m going to come through this and we’re going to come through this as a better company. We’re going to have more stability. We’re going to have more customers. We’re going to have more profit. We’re going to have a better business for years to come not because things were going easy but because we went through the tests. Ask yourself, are you willing to be patient? Are you willing to learn the lessons? Are you willing to take patience to endurance? And then a endurance to the level of faith that God wants you? There’s no limit in this. God wants you to go from step to step and at each step learn the lessons. And at each step go to the next level and there’s no end.

I know people that started from absolutely nothing, and they have multiple locations with millions and thousands of dollars. It’s amazing. Well, are you willing to be patient? Are you willing to endure? Are you ready for faith? Well, I’d like to give a few examples. Well, my dad was a bit in that same spot. I know I referred to him a lot. I looked back I didn’t know what was happening, but you know he worked almost 20 years for someone else just renting the farm. He didn’t own the farm. And after 20 years through his own diligence with his hands, with his own mind and his ability he was able to secure the first purchase of some land. Then he purchased some more land and some more land. I have been blessed because my dad was one of those that wanted to be and was patient. Now he wasn’t always happy. He wasn’t there. Those are different. Being happy and being joyful and giggling and laughing I’m not talking about that. Just a steady work ethic that wouldn’t give up. And his patients switched in and became his endurance, and his endurance became his faith, and his faith turned to sight and we had land and a lot of it. I’m so proud to have learned those things from my dad. Again I’ve seen this many times in my home country and I’m seeing it in East Africa and I believe God will bless you and guide you and lead you to be one of those people that God will bless you and your finances. Don’t worry about those other people. Don’t compare yourself with these other people. Compare yourself with what God has for you. Thank you.