My husband Wayne and I have been contemplating some major decisions that have kept me in a prayerful mode these past few months. We are big believers that one should never make major moves without a LOT of prayer. As I thought about the importance of prayer in my life, I thought about the times when it had a big impact on my business, and subsequently me.

Prayer affects me in three main ways relating to my business and personal life.

The first way: Changing Me.

Sometimes when I am praying about a situation, difficulty, or challenge, something interesting happens that I have now come to expect. For many years I ran a nonprofit, which by its very nature was a people business. At one point I became frustrated with my board. Money was tight and I was thinking of closing programs.

In my desperation, I felt that the board could do more, but I kept hitting dead ends. Eventually, I did what I should have done earlier; I entered a time of desperate prayer. The Lord answered my prayer by revealing to me that my heart was not right, that I was being ungrateful, and that I needed to look to Him and not people as the true source. I felt internally ashamed and repented of my ways. Instead of "blaming" my board, I genuinely thanked and appreciated them for the sacrifice of their time. Prayer changes you.

The second way: Changing others.

In addition to running a nonprofit, I also ran a law firm with my husband and partner Wayne. One of the pitfalls with business is that sometimes you have to change your staff. Some employees are a good fit, and some are not. It is never easy to terminate someone, especially a good person who may be ill-suited for the job. This act always brought me to my knees for wisdom. On more than one occasion while I was praying through these tough decisions, the Lord suddenly opened a door of opportunity for the employee and they left without me asking them to. This was always a welcome resolution to a somewhat difficult employee matter. Prayer changes others.

The third way: Closing doors.

A final way that prayer impacts me in business is when God closes a door of opportunity. Many moons ago, Wayne and I embarked on publishing an exciting Caribbean magazine. It was fun, but it required a lot of capital upfront before you saw any returns. Early in the startup phase we ran out of money and applied for an SBA loan. We needed that money to keep going. We were so close to success we thought.

We prayed fervently to the Lord asking Him for favor with the bank and for a good result. When the bank finally answered, it was a NO. The loan officer told us that he could have granted us the loan, but he knew that the loan would only hurt us because our business plan was not a solid one. He was right. It did not feel good at the time, but it was the right decision. God closed the door for our good.

When you pray, remember that God will answer in the best way for you. Trust Him in the process. What are you praying for these days? God is able!

Would love to hear your thoughts on integrating faith and prayers at work.

Also, please contact me for a free 30-minute coaching call if you feel you're ready to take your next step!

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With love,

Sharon

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