At first glance, faith and business carry the same separation as church and state. In reality, however, many entrepreneurs see their businesses as a faith walk. For these entrepreneurs, business is an opportunity to trust God with the unknown by using the unique gifts He placed within you. In this #FaithInBusiness series, we connect with entrepreneurs who are unapologetic about submitting their businesses to God and walking in full alignment.
Meet Blogger and Inspirational Speaker Brittany Barber, owner of the Undercover Blog and host of the Mondayest Tuesday ever.
In five months, Brittany went from quitting her job without a plan to relaunching a platform that garnered 1,000 views in 12 hours, getting booked for multiple speaking engagements, and being in negotiation for a lucrative long-term contract. Considering herself a professional disrupter, Brittany takes pride in disrupting the way people think by sharing the raw truth of her own walk with God.
Here are some lessons from her courageous dive into entrepreneurship.
Lesson One: Faith requires an ongoing yes and leaving room for God in day to day activities.
After a year of battling internally, Brittany left her job of five years with just a word from God. She had no business, no additional savings, just faith and ideas. Even with the support of her husband’s income, she felt the pressure of having to provide because their family was dependent on both salaries.
“I spent the first month working like a crazy rabbit trying to do everything I remembered hearing. I was supposed to work on a book, planner, blog, YouTube, etc. But, when we got to a place where we couldn’t pay our rent, that made me slow down and turn to more intense prayer. That’s when I knew that God really wanted me to trust Him.
When I quit, I thought that was enough to show God I trust Him. I never thought I wasn’t going to have a job, but when opportunities came, God would tell me no. Prayer and the Word are my biggest swords now.”
Business Practice: Get up every morning to sit with God and submit your plans. It’s important to get up early enough to avoid rushing. Use this time to journal, read the Bible, or sit silently.
Lesson Two: Adversity is meant to grow you; some lessons are only learned through living.
Not being able to make rent left Brittany in a very humbling position. Per God’s direction, she turned down one job and wasn’t accepted for another. Opportunities were not coming in and to make matters worse, their ceiling flooded. Finding herself in tears often, she knew God would work it out but still felt the pressures of having a family to provide for.
“God puts you in a place where no one else can hear. He didn’t tell my husband I would quit my job. He didn’t send me a mentor. I had to really move forward without craving confirmation. I had to be completely satisfied in what God said.
I said yes to God and my life fell apart. He wanted to exam how deep my love was. Is it mouth work that I’m giving, or is it life work? Have I really truly mortified my flesh and followed Him? A lot of times, you really don’t know until you’re living it. Everything can’t be journaled and discovered, some things have to be lived.”
Business Practice: Get a growth mindset. If you are led by God, you are never losing; you are always learning and growing.
Lesson Three: When you seek first the kingdom of heaven, God will provide what you need.
After giving her anxiety to God, Brittany started working on one task at a time. She disconnected from social media, finished her book, and faithfully served at church. Though she spent many days uncertain and in tears, her faithfulness was rewarded.
“That Sunday, we decided to go to church. No one knew about our rent but two friends. My pastor called my husband and me up, and I’m like, ‘Oh this never happened before.’ He said he believed that they needed to bless us and asked the church to raise an offering. They raised $1000. I could not believe it. $1000 was short of rent, but I knew it would sustain us until my husband got paid.
Days later while hanging with a friend, she asked if we raised enough. I told her no and she proceeded to share her Christmas plans which included giving us $1000 which I was not allowed to give back. I collapsed. I’ve seen God do incredible things, but this came at a moment of chaos.”
Business Practice: When you are walking by faith, don’t get distracted by what it looks like. Work on what you can and leave the rest to God.
To strengthen your faith for your own journey, check out Brittany’s blog posts every Thursday, or tune in to The Mondayest Tuesday Ever every Tuesday at 7AM CST.
