Kairos Consultancy Group

There are two types of visions we need to consider in the marketplace:

Generic – these are human-made, human-driven and focus solely on achievement by human standards; however good the ideals may seem in the eyes of the world, as believers we cannot afford to settle for what the world has called good at the expense of what God considers good. Unfortunately, most businesses in the marketplace including a good number of Christian ones and those run by Christians subsist on generic visions.

Organic – these originate from God, are Spirit-driven with the aim of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God; however simplistic and outlandish these models may be, we must remember ours is the God who gave Noah the vision of the ark in a time when no one had ever experienced rain much less flooding. The foolish things of God will always supersede the wisdom of human beings.

Organic visions exist within the overarching vision of God to reconcile with humanity through Jesus. This goes beyond salvation (accepting Christ as Saviour) and extends to living as sons and daughters of the Most High – bring restoration over all areas of creation including the 7 gates that the marketplace falls into. This is where God wants us to build as believers in the marketplace – we need more organic visions that are wholly pursuing the purpose of God above all else.

Discernment

You cannot serve a vision you are ignorant of.

If you don’t know the reason why a company/organization exists, then how can you help it grow? What is informing your service? How do you know what to do and what not to do?

If you don’t know why you’re there in a specific time and season, then how can you be effective in the mandate God requires of you during the duration of your stay there?

You cannot serve a visionary you have no honour for.

God does not give a vision to a multitude. Throughout Scripture, we see examples of men and women God entrusted with His vision for that time and season and how these men and women, with the help of God, co-opted others to help them fulfill what was required.

God gives a vision to one. He chooses that one intentionally taking into consideration everything they are and everything they’re not.

It is folly to despise the one God has chosen. Inherently, it means elevating the counsel of your opinion above the counsel of God. This doesn’t mean that you cannot disagree with or have a contrary opinion to the visionary. However, it informs how you handle your disagreement in light of their appointment by God; there are things that God will show them that you may be unaware of that are informing the decisions they make for the vision. There is a unique burden they carry as the ones bestowed with the vision by God.

But what if there is no vision?

There are many businesses – including ones that are run by Christians and/or are referred to as Christian businesses – that are either operating with a generic vision or have no vision at all.

Businesses with no vision, the wrong vision or that have lost sight of their vision are rudderless. Plenty of activity abounds with little progress made forward. The work put in only seems to benefit a handful not the majority.

If you find yourself in such a situation – where there is no vision, the wrong vision or a vision that has been forgotten – first ask the Lord – why am I here? What does He want you to do there? What is His vision for your being there?

If you aren’t meant to be there, or your season there has come to an end, ask Him for wisdom to transition to your next assignment.

If you’re exactly where God wants you to be in this season, serve the vision of the Lord. He sends us into wildernesses that we make them refreshing oases. Establish your assignment in your workplace and serve as unto the Lord. Honour they that are in leadership notwithstanding their vision that is amiss. Weakness in a leader is a poor excuse for dishonour.

Digging Depths

God doesn’t assign you to a vision to wow at it and speak endlessly of its marvel.

Neither does He send you to a vision to pick apart everything that is wrong and endlessly whine and complain about it.

You’re there to work.

You’re there to help make the vision work.

Oh, that we would learn how to roll up our sleeves and get on with what needs to be done.

Too many of us are busy complaining about everything that is wrong in our workplaces completely oblivious that not only is God aware of the issues at hand, He put you there intentionally to provide solutions.

What good is it for us to boast of a God and a faith that we present as inadequate to meet the needs of those in the marketplace. Because that’s what has happened. We have generations of believers and non-believers alike who don’t know what God looks like in the marketplace because they’ve never seen Him in that context. They don’t even know where to begin looking for Him. And that needs to change.

If we indeed know our God, then our strength is found in Him and we have the divine ability to do great exploits in the marketplace.

Does your work speak of a great God or an irrelevant one?

Not just in the magnitude of your achievements but more so, in your heart for service as witnessed by those around you.

If there is no distinction between how you operate as a believer in the marketplace and how non-believers operate, then you need to ask yourself which side of the divide you’re really on.

Departure

There is a time and season for everything under the sun including how long we serve a vision.

There are certain visions God may call us into for a lifetime. But more often than not, before you even get to where you will plow for the rest of your life, you go through transitory visions that God intends to create capacity in you and mould your character all the while furthering His purpose for those visions through you.

We see this exemplified in the life of Joseph who first served in his father’s house, then in Potiphar’s house, right into prison up until he got to Pharaoh’s throne room where he served for the rest of his life.

At every stage he learned something new about himself and God, he grew in wisdom and stature as did his diligence and faithfulness to those he served under. So much so that he experienced promotion and favour in the least likely quarters notwithstanding his status as a slave.

Sometimes departure happens on good terms – where you discern that it is time for you to move from one vision to the next and you are released by your leader in the workplace. Good leaders – particularly those truly led by the Holy Spirit – know when it’s time to let people go and will send you off with a blessing.

Unfortunately, given the kind of culture resident in many workplaces, most departures are tenuous at best. While you may not have any control over how the person you’re serving under or those your serving with handle your departure, you do have plenty of control over how you handle yourself and them during your transition.

You have a choice to extend kindness and faithfulness even where you may experience hatred and disregard.

The easiest time to drop the ball is in the middle of a transition. Anyone can be nice (or make a good show of it) to the hand that is still feeding them. But how you treat people when you no longer “need” them is the true test of your character in the workplace.

Wherever God has planted you, He has given you ability to bear the fruit of His Spirit there. Work as unto the Lord not as unto men and women who will most assuredly disappoint you at one time or another. Follow His leading in how you work and relate with others. Become the vessel God can use to bear witness to your leaders and colleagues that He is still God, He is still good and He is very relevant in their work lives.

Steward the vision of others the way you would want someone to someday steward your divine vision. Because that day will come. Sooner than you think.