Thursday, July 3, 2008

Christian Businesses From Home: Praying for Your Clients and Colleagues

Christian Businesses From Home: Praying for Your Clients and Colleagues
By: Denise Willms
Possibly the most effective way to share God’s love through your home business is by doing something your clients and colleagues might never see you do. It won't happen in an email, a newsletter, a phone call, or at your next meeting. It won't show up on your timesheet, your FAQ page, or your business proposal.

Your clients and others you work with may never even know you do this for them. If they did know, they might tell you not to bother – you're just wasting your time. In fact, they might even ask you to stop.

However, the results of this one action could have a dramatic impact on their lives and businesses.

You might have guessed that I'm talking about prayer.

I'm one of those people who pray about everything – small or big. I pray I'll find a parking stall in a busy lot. I ask for enough space to merge my minivan into a heavy lane of traffic. I pray for the success of my business, prosperity for my family, and that my children will learn to love Jesus as passionately as I do. Every day I pray that my life will be a blessing to others.

I believe the Bible when it says "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (John 5:16) I know it's true. I've seen the life-changing power of prayer in my own life and in the lives of those close to me.

Praying for my own needs is easy. Praying for others, especially others I don’t know well, is a little more difficult. Their needs just aren't as obvious to me. Sometimes, I don’t know exactly how to pray for them. I'll probably never know what results my prayers had in their lives. So why bother?

One event in my life has convinced me that, in spite of my own doubts and selfishness, it is definitely worth my time and energy to pray for those I meet in my business. Even though I don't know exactly what to pray, and I may never know what results my prayers had, it doesn’t make those prayers any less effective.

A few years ago, a close family member was hospitalized with a chronic illness. He spent almost a full year in one of our local hospitals. Because of space and staff shortages, he was moved to different wards several times.

One ward stood out from all the others. It was as old as the rest of the building. It had the same paint, but its walls were a little brighter; same windows, but more light; same ventilation system, but fresher air. We were fighting the same disease, and for some inexplicable reason, we felt more peace while we were on this ward.

My family didn't understand how one part of the hospital could be so different from all the rest until we met the Patient Care Manager for this ward. She told us she began each day by praying for every single patient in that ward by name.

"Do you know how long that takes?" she laughed.

Probably a really long time. But I was very grateful she took that time each morning. Suddenly the cleaner air, the brighter rooms, and the indescribable peace all made sense to me. I believe it was her prayers that made that difference and made her ward a more pleasant place to be.

She couldn't possibly have known the difference her prayers made in her patients' lives while they were in her care and after they went home, but she was convinced it made a difference all the same. And she was right.

Your prayers can make a difference in the lives of your clients and business colleagues as well. If you're not sure how to start praying for them, here's a quick guide.

Begin by making a list of all your current clients and people you regularly have contact with for your business. If that's too long of a list to start with, break it down into smaller lists so you can pray for one list of names each day.

Set aside time each day to pray for each name on your list. Early morning works best for my prayer time, before the kids get up and I get involved in my business day. Choose a time that works with your schedule. You may need to get up a bit earlier or go to bed a bit later to fit it in.

Here are some ways you can pray for those on your list. Ask God to reveal any other ways He would like you to pray for them.

* The success of their business
* That they will experience God's love that day
* Their, and their family's safety
* That they will develop their own personal relationship with Jesus, if they haven't already

Do I know how much time this takes? Yes, I do. But I also know it's time well spent. The prayer of a righteous work-at-home-mom is powerful and effective.
Denise Willms,a homeschooling mother of two, helps work-at-home-moms get targeted traffic to their websites through copywriting, article writing, and press releases. Subscribe to her newsletter, WAHM-Articles Ezine, and receive 105 Power Tips to Get Your Online Business Noticed and Profiting.
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