REVISED AND REPOSTED:
ORIGINAL BLOG POSTED ON 6/1/2021
A couple of years ago, I was on an interview and I was asked, “What do you think is the difference between a good idea and God’s idea?” The interviewer felt like all good things come from God so if it’s a good idea then move forward with it.
At the time, I didn’t have a clear point of view of a good idea versus a God idea, but several months later it became crystal clear what the difference was. So in this blog post, I will share the revelation that I received regarding a good idea v. God idea.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, we usually have more ideas than the average person, and many ideas could be considered good ideas. The question then is, as believers in business how do we determine whether to move forward with a good idea and whether the idea is a God thing or simply a good thing!
The biggest way to know the difference is to recognize the difference between a good idea and a God idea:
A Good Idea
1. Logical– A good idea is logical and it actually makes sense for your business. It’s probably a solid concept that many have found success doing in your industry.
2. Makes sense- It may even be a brand new concept that others may not have done before, but it makes sense as the next best step for your business.
3. A great opportunity– It seems to be a great opportunity that could bring in more revenue and clients for your business.
4. Calculated risk– It’s something that may be risky, but it’s a calculated risk. This means it’s a carefully considered decision that exposes a person to a degree of personal and financial risk that is counterbalanced by a reasonable possibility of benefit.
So a good idea is logical, makes sense, appears to be a great opportunity, and may have some calculated risk.
A God Idea
1. Unrealistic– If we look at the stories throughout the Bible a lot of the God Ideas, build an arc (Noah), leave your family and go to an unknown place (Abram), ask a powerful leader to free his slaves (a profitable asset) (Moses). None of these God ideas seem logical or even realistic, but it was a direct request from God.
2. Nonsensical– Not only do God’s ideas tend to be unrealistic, but they also tend to be nonsensical. Think of sending a flood to destroy the Earth and the fact that rain had never been seen on the Earth before the flood, so it was nonsensical to even think it was going to rain, much less flood!
3. In alignment with your assignment– A God idea is in alignment with the assignment that God is currently giving you. For example, Moses had the assignment of leading the Israelites out of Egypt, so the idea of approaching Pharaoh and requesting that he let God’s people go was a part of his God-given assignment.
4. Not Risky– According to Hebrews 11:1, the definition of faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Therefore, what God is calling us to do will require faith even though we may not see any evidence of it working out, we move forward in faith. In the book, “Get Unrealistic” the author explains that true biblical faith is not risky; it is rooted in authentic relationship with a God who cannot fail.
So a God idea can be unrealistic, nonsensical, it’s not risky because He can’t fail and it’s in alignment with your God-given assignment.
The Key to Identifying a Good Idea vs. a God Idea
Because God’s ways are higher than our ways, a God Idea may look very different from a simple good idea for your business. The key is to be Spirit-led and to know and understand that sometimes a God idea will be unrealistic, nonsensical, but it’s not risky. It won’t necessarily look like the way the world does things so it might not come in the package of a logical idea that makes sense and involves a calculated risk that results in a great opportunity for your business.
This requires believers to activate their faith and be obedient to what God is saying instead of what they are seeing. It is during the decision phase that we choose to lean on our blessing blockers (fear, indecisiveness, people pleasing, distractions, etc.) instead of standing on God’s word and His promise. Leaning on the blessing blockers feels easier because we most times we find comfort there. However, we don’t realize that is the path of most resistance experienced. We have a smoother route if we trust God and be obedient.
This is a difficult concept, but a concept that I believe more believers should understand and step into when identifying what God is calling them to do in the marketplace.
What are your thoughts? How do you identify whether something is a good idea or a God idea?
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