26/08/2026
BUSINESS, PROFIT AND GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
There is a reality every business owner and leader must understand: you can only do what God permits you to do.
James 4:15 says, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
This does not mean we should become passive or careless in business. It means that while we make plans, pursue opportunities, build systems, and make decisions, we must never forget that our lives and the outcome of our plans are ultimately in God’s hands.
James was addressing people who were confidently saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, continue there for a year, buy and sell, and make profit.” The problem was not their desire to do business. The problem was their assumption that tomorrow was completely under their control.
Then Scripture says:
«“For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
— James 4:15»
There is therefore a difference between planning with wisdom and planning as though God does not exist.
And when it comes to profit, Luke 12:16–20 gives us another important lesson. Jesus tells the story of a rich man whose land produced abundantly. His concern was, “What shall I do?” He had more than enough, but his entire calculation revolved around his barns, his goods, his comfort, and his future.
He said, “I will pull down my barns, and build greater.”
Notice the repeated “I.”
His problem was not that he had a successful business. His problem was that his success had become disconnected from God and His purpose.
Business is not merely about making money.
Profit is useful, but profit is not the ultimate purpose.
A business can make money and still lack wisdom. A person can become successful and still lose sight of the One who gave him the capacity to create.
This is why leadership requires more than strategies, skills, and expertise. You need wisdom.
And here is the encouragement:
There is no difficulty in your business that God does not have a solution to.
The fact that you have encountered a problem does not mean there is no answer. The fact that you cannot presently see the solution does not mean God cannot provide one.
Sometimes the solution is a new strategy.
Sometimes it is a new relationship.
Sometimes it is correcting an old mistake.
Sometimes it is patience.
Sometimes it is innovation.
Sometimes it is simply wisdom to recognize what was already available to you.
The leader's responsibility is therefore not merely to ask, “How do I make more profit?”
Ask:
“Lord, what are You saying?”
“What should I build?”
“What should I change?”
“Who should I work with?”
“What should I stop doing?”
Because when leadership is submitted to God, business becomes more than the pursuit of profit—it becomes an opportunity to exercise wisdom, stewardship, service, and purpose.
Plan.
Build.
Innovate.
Make profit.
But never forget:
“If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
