Business leaders make important decisions every day.

Should I hire this person? Should I pursue this opportunity? Should I make this investment? Should I expand now—or wait?

Data, experience, and wise counsel are important. But sometimes the numbers alone cannot tell you what to do.

You need wisdom from God.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV)

So how can a business leader consistently seek God’s direction?

I use a simple six-step process called the SPIRIT Framework:

S — Set a Clear Goal
P — Pose a Specific Question
I — Incline Your Ear
R — Receive the Answer
I — Implement the Answer
T — Track the Outcome

Use this process whenever you are facing an important business decision and need God’s wisdom and direction.

S — Set a Clear Goal

Start by defining the result you are seeking.

Instead of:

“Lord, what should I do with my business?”

Get specific:

“I need to determine whether hiring a Chief Operating Officer is the right next step for our company.”

Clarity about the goal helps you ask God a clear question.

Write the goal down.

P — Pose a Specific Question

Turn your goal into a specific question for God.

For example:

“Lord, should I hire this person as our COO?”

Other questions might include:

• Should we pursue this opportunity?
• Is this the right investment?
• Should we expand now?
• What am I not seeing about this decision?
• What would You have me do?

The purpose of prayer is not to persuade God to approve a decision you have already made.
It is to seek His wisdom before you decide.

I — Incline Your Ear

After asking, listen.

“I will hear what God the LORD will speak…”
— Psalm 85:8 (KJV)

Business leaders are accustomed to analyzing, talking, planning, and solving. But hearing requires listening.

Remove distractions. Quiet your thoughts. Put aside your preferred answer and give God your attention.

You might simply pray:

“Lord, I am listening. What do You want me to know?”

Don’t force an answer. Give God room to speak through Scripture, conviction, wise counsel, circumstances, or continued prayer.

R — Receive the Answer

Write down what you believe you are receiving.

It could be:

WAIT.

MOVE FORWARD.

DON’T HIRE YET.

GET MORE INFORMATION.

CALL THIS PERSON.

Then test what you believe you heard.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (KJV)

Ask:

Does it agree with Scripture? Is it consistent with God’s character? Is there confirmation? What does wise counsel reveal?

Receiving an impression does not eliminate discernment.

I — Implement the Answer

Once you have prayerfully discerned God’s direction, obey.

If the direction is wait, wait.

If it is investigate, investigate.

If it is move forward, move forward wisely.

If it is decline, decline.

Hearing without obedience produces little value. The purpose of hearing God’s voice is not simply revelation. It is obedience.

T — Track the Outcome

Finally, record what happened.

Write down four things:

What did I ask God?
What did I believe I heard?
What did I do?
What happened?

Tracking helps you learn.

Over time, you may recognize when fear, urgency, personal preference, or emotion affects your discernment. You can also recognize patterns in how God has guided you.

Tracking the outcome helps you become a more mature listener.

SPIRIT in Action

Suppose your company is considering purchasing a $500,000 piece of equipment.

SET: Determine whether buying the equipment now is the right investment.

POSE: “Lord, should we purchase this equipment now?”

INCLINE: Set aside uninterrupted time to pray and listen.

RECEIVE: You believe you hear, “Not yet. Protect cash.”

You don’t stop there. You test it through Scripture, financial analysis, and wise counsel. Your CFO discovers the purchase would reduce cash reserves below a prudent level.

IMPLEMENT: You postpone the purchase.

TRACK: Three months later, a major project is delayed. Because you preserved cash, the company can continue operating without expensive short-term debt.

You record what happened and what you learned.

Prayer Does Not Replace Due Diligence

Hearing God’s voice does not mean ignoring sound business judgment.

If you are making an investment, pray and analyze the numbers.

If you are hiring, pray and check references.

If you are considering an acquisition, pray and perform due diligence.

If you are entering a partnership, pray and understand the agreement.

Seeking God should make us wiser decision-makers, not careless ones.

Use SPIRIT Before You Decide

Before your next important business decision, use this process:

S — Set a Clear Goal
P — Pose a Specific Question
I — Incline Your Ear
R — Receive the Answer
I — Implement the Answer
T — Track the Outcome

Don’t seek God’s voice only when your business is in trouble.

Develop a system of seeking Him before you decide.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

Need Prayer About a Business Decision?

If you’re facing an important business decision and would like someone to pray with you, I offer a 15-Minute Executive Prayer for business leaders.

We will focus on your situation and pray for God’s wisdom and direction.

Click here to Schedule your 15-Minute Executive Prayer

— Benson Agbortogo